Leg o'Mutton Corner at Yelverton – Clearbrook - Yelverton

Leg o'Mutton Corner at Yelverton - Harrowbeer Airfield – The Rock - Skylark Inn at Clearbrook - Yelverton

This is an easy, circular walk with excellent pub at Clearbrook almost exactly halfway around. The walk starts on an old wartime airfield called Harrowbeer at Yelverton, a village in the parish of Buckland Monachorum between Tavistock and Plymouth. Access by car is via the A386, being a twenty-minute drive from the city centre or ten from Tavistock.

Probably about a third of the walk is along a cycle track that follows the route of the long since disused granite tramway. Along the cycle track you will see evidence of the granite sleepers that held the rails. As you walk along the cycle track on your left you will be walking between two old watercourses known as leats. These leats supplied water to Plymouth. That on your right is Drake's Leat built by Sir Francis Drake, although I don't suppose he actually did any digging himself. The one on your left was built a few hundred years later and still looks to be in good condition although rather filled with leaves and is called Devonport Leat. It became disused when they built the reservoir at Burrator. Also along the cycle track on your right you will see mounds covered in vegetation; this is the remains of tin mining.

When you leave the cycle track you will drop down over open, well-grazed moorland and pass by The Skylark Inn, which is well worth a visit. At the bottom of the hill past the pub you meet the River Meavy, where there is a delightful little bridge which is shown in the scenic photograph. The walk doesn't cross the bridge but takes the upstream path with the river on your right that passes South Yeoland Mine. Here the old mine buildings and other structures can be seen in amongst the vegetation. Also now long-disused is the Plymouth to Princetown Railway that ceased a few years before Beeching made his cuts. You will walk along the old track and cutting and under an old bridge.

If you are interested in the old airfield, have a look at the information plaques at Leg o' Mutton Corner and by Roborough Rock, which by the way is locally called the Dry Rock to distinguish it from the Wet Rock, being the Rock Hotel at Yelverton.

This is an easy walk, all waymarked and is quite suitable for children. Even the Skylark has a family room, or you could have a picnic on the moor. There are shops at Yelverton as well as toilets and if it's the right time of day you will even walk past a mobile fish and chip van. For the children in the summer months there is always an ice cream van at Roborough Rock.

England - South West England - Devon - Dartmoor

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10/18/2024 - Julia Hughes

We have just completed this walk - very easy to follow the instructions. It offers lots of different views from Dartmoor to the River Meavy. A significant part of the walk is on a cycleway - as you climb back to Yelverton from the River Meavy it is a very narrow path and walking boots are definitely required. We enjoyed it and found Clearbrook an interesting hamlet. We would recommend.

1/1/2011 - Patrick Neill

A lovely well explained walk with a great pub with excellent food half way round. Some lovely views. Ideal for dogs.

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Walk id: 5530

Walk grade

Easy Walk

Length

4.7 Miles

Height gain

86 Metres

Duration

2 Hours 1 Mins

Average rating

Rated by 1 members

Dog rated by 1 members