Devon

Plym Valley bricks, boulders and bronze walk

An invigorating walk through woodland, over moorland and alongside the River Meavy, with views of Dartmoor and South Devon. You'll pass imposing granite crags, such as the infamous Dewerstone, and the remains of quarries, a 19th-century brickworks and a Bronze Age burial.

Near to

Shaugh Bridge

Start point

National Trust car park, Shaugh Bridge, near Shaugh Prior, grid ref SX533637

Trail information

View route

Print trail

Difficulty*

Accessibility**

Full trail

DistanceMiles: 3.5 (km: 5.6)

Duration2 hours to 3 hours

Dog friendly***

*Mixed terrain with steep inclines. For further details, see Terrain section.
**Includes several steep climbs and uneven surfaces. For further details, see Access section.
***Take extra care around livestock. For further details, see Facilities section.

Address
Shaugh Prior car park, Plymouth, PL7 5HD
Directions via Google Maps
By train
Plymouth train station is 6 miles (9.7km) away.
By bus
Plymouth City Bus Route 59 stops outside the car park at Shaugh Bridge. Buses run seven times a day, Monday to Saturday, between Plymouth, Plympton, Sparkwell, Bickleigh and Plymouth's George park and ride.
Cycling
Come via National Cycle Network Route 27 from Plymouth. Leave the route at the platform at Shaugh train station (grid ref SX527636) and follow the road north to Shaugh Bridge.
National Cycle Network route information
By road
From the A38, exit at Manadon Junction and take the A386 towards Tavistock. At Bickleigh Cross (immediately after the Bellever roundabout), turn right onto New Road then take the third left onto Hele Lane. At the end of the lane, turn left towards Shaugh Prior. The car park is on the left immediately after a bridge over the River Plym.
Total stages: 9
Total stages: 9
Start point
National Trust car park, Shaugh Bridge, near Shaugh Prior, grid ref SX533637
Stage 1
Starting in the car park next to a disused china clay kiln, take the path that begins at the notice board and cross the footbridge over the River Plym. Directly in front of you, you'll see the remains of the Ferro-Ceramic mine and brickworks. Continue by following the granite boulder pathway eastwards uphill.
Stage 2
Stay on this pathway as it curves sharply round to the left and continues uphill for another 33yd (30m) before levelling out to form what was the granite quarry tramway. Follow this former tramway track round the hill, passing quarries on your right.
Stage 3
When you reach a fork in the track, bear right and head up the old tramway incline. At the top you'll be facing the cable house.
Stage 4
From the cable house, head south along the higher tramway track, passing more granite quarries on your left. At the end of the tramway, follow the path up the hill, round to your left and over a stone wall to the summit of Dewerstone Hill.
Stage 5
From the summit, head north-east towards the corner of the stone-walled boundary of the Cadworthy Farm enclosures, keeping the woodland edge and stone wall in sight on your right. Follow the wall to a lonely, windswept oak tree embedded in the wall.
A climber tackling the Dewerstone in the Plym Valley, Devon | © National Trust Images/John Millar
Stage 6
Head west across Wigford Down until you reach a set of farm enclosures. Follow the stone wall all the way to the road at Urgles Stone Cross.
Stage 7
Bear left and follow the road down to the bottom of the hill.
Stage 8
Before the bridge over the River Meavy, bear left and go over a stile onto a track towards Dewerstone Cottage. You'll join the incomplete granite quarry tramway and pass through a long cutting, followed by a wooden gate.
Stage 9
Immediately after the cottage (the former counting house for the quarrying company), take the right-hand path down to the River Meavy. Continue along this riverside path back to the car park.
End point
National Trust car park, Shaugh Bridge, near Shaugh Prior, grid ref SX533637
Trail map
The Plym Valley bricks, boulders and bronze walk at Shaugh Bridge | © Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey
You made it
Share your experience

The people cycling on a paved track through green-leaved woodland

Trail

Plymbridge Woods family cycle trail

A ten-mile cycle trail along the old Great Western Railway, through woodland and open countryside, suitable for children of of all ages.

Tranquil waters at Cadover Bridge and the River Plym near Plymouth, Devon.

Trail

Cadover Bridge and Dewerstone Rock circular walk

Take in dramatic views of South Devon on this invigorating circular route over open moorland and through ancient oak-wooded valleys.

Footpath between two large granite boulders, the remains of the granite tramway, Shaugh Bridge, Dartmoor, Devon

Trail

Discovering Dewerstone Wood

Follow footpaths through the woods and alongside the river on this short, circular, waymarked walk that includes sections of the former granite quarry tramway.