Along the Dart

Another 'industrial archaeology' walk.

A quiet walk along the River Dart gave us an easy morning with few hills. The path followed the river then crossed the mill leat over the sluice, which still has its original works in place - probably 19th century. The leat reaches the mill(now a house) some distance further down. It must have been a large enterprise as the leat is stone lined and feeds the space for 2 mill wheels.

A short walk uphill to the nearby village before we returned along the river again. Near Staverton the train was in the station and its length means that the crossing gates are shut until it has left. This preserved steam railway runs between Buckfastleigh and Totnes (Littlehempston) with walking access into Totnes itself, a trip and walk that we have done previously. We waited for the train to leave as we needed to cross the track to complete our walk.

Darkhill Ironworks

Darkhill Ironworks, near Coleford is an impressive industrial archaeological site. It was here that an important process in the making of steel was invented which was later incorporated into the Bessemer process. The need for strong track for the new railways was the driving force behind the Mushet family's experimentation with the process leading to the making of steel, which then replaced cast iron for many other uses. For more information see Darkhill Ironworks in Wikipedia

The track in the photos was originally the tramway for the workings and runs along the back of the site. The site is now well preserved, much of the ivy has been removed and also the walls have been capped to prevent weather damage.

The sign gives the height of the site as 166mts above sea level.

A further matter of interest were the wild boar trotter prints in the mud near the road. There was evidence in many places of wild boar rooting in the banks but these were the only really clear trotter prints that we saw. We were glad not to meet the boar themselves!

Walking to St James Church, Lancaut

The track reminded us of the Camino, even with the occasional yellow arrow. It had a very steep and fairly slippery downhill section through the woods but the final steep section had steps with retaining logs to help make it easier walking. The first views of the church were with the river behind and the May blossom out framing it. After visiting the church we returned across the field and the (very) minor road along the hill top.

(The photos of the church are in the post below)

St James, Lancaut

This little church has been a ruin for many years, but there are plans to stabilise the walls to prevent further deterioration.

There was once a leper colony here and there are six squints (peepholes into the church) at the east end of the building; 2 in the east wall and 2 each in the north and south side walls at the east end. Most churches would have only had one squint for those who were not allowed to enter the building for health reasons, such as leprosy.

The stonework shows the different building stages and it looks as though the original square church was extended eastwards at some time fairly early in its history. The stonework for the east window was re-used with extra stones added for the thickness of the walls.

The notice board gives a brief history of the church and when it was last used for services

Tintern Abbey

Tintern Abbey was a Cistercian monastic foundation and one of the largest and most advanced of its time. The abbey church still stands to above window height including the stone tracery of the east and west windows. All Cistercian abbeys were dedicated to St Mary and there is a modern statue of the Virgin and Child (holding a bird in his hand) in the south aisle. The cloisters with remains of the monks reading cells are on the north side of the abbey.

There is more historical information here.

Tintern Abbey the external buildings

The abbey had a wide range of buildings - the cloisters; monks cells; infirmary; kitchens; guest room; Abbots dweiing etc. All these were built to the north of the abbey church. It is still possible to see fireplaces in some rooms, the stone built kitchen cupboard and the layout of the buildings as a whole. The changes to the roof lines as the building developed can also be clearly seen.

Tintern Abbey - the drainage system

The drainage system at Tintern Abbey is well preserved and runs from the kitchens through to the infirmary, monks quarters and the Abbots dwelling. It was the most advanced system of its time with side drains running into the main drain (bottom left) which emptied into the River Wye. The seat in the infirmary toilet (bottom right), and others including the Abbot's,would have been a little hard!

Offa's Dyke Way

Our next walk was along Offa's Dyke (an Anglo Saxon word for an earth bank), dividing Wales from England constructed by King Offa in the 8th century. The walk started just north of Chepstow and there was a brief glimpse of Chepstow Castle across a building site. Then along a walled path leading to a meadow. At the top of the hill is an old watch tower, built to look across the Wye into Wales and over the hills back into England.

The walk should have then continued through the Lancaut Nature Reserve to the church of St James. however just through the gate was a sign warning of a serious landslip and danger for walking on scree and mud. We turned back and took the right hand fork along Offa's Way again until we crossed a main road. At this point we decided to return the way we had come and then attempt to reach St James church another day from the northern end of the reserve.

Bluebells - Forest of Dean

We have just spent a week in the Forest of Dean, instead of our usual walking in Spain. The woods nearby were full of bluebells ad the tracks reminded us of the Camino. The weather was good and the tracks mostly dry although not all were clear and we encountered one which was blocked by a landslide. However we found an alternative route on another day and reached a little church near the River Wye. Now home we are sorting out the photos so here are a few from the first day in the bluebell woods. The sign at the side of the road was interesting as it records the road being built to improve an old track.

Spring is coming

Finally the tracks are drying up enough to walk 'off road' and through the woods. Daffodils are flowering as well as primroses and the violets are just coming out too. There were deer on two walks lately, these two were standing watching us for some time before moving on. Fallen trees in the woods have been cut to allow walkers through, often by simply removing the section blocking the path. Several good walks lately in fairly warm dry conditions although it is colder again today. At last we can look to walk a little further afield rather than keeping to the roads near home. Even if not walking the Camino until next year we still need to keep in practise.

A fine day

A fine day at last and a 13km walk in the surrounding hills. Stopping by a bridge over a stream we heard a crashing in the bushes and a deer ran out. Two of them ran across the field and then stopped before running on and through the hedge, where one stopped to look back.

Snowdrops are appearing in the bank sides and the water levels are finally going down. Walking is still on the roads and will be for the foreseeable future as the fields and tracks are still too wet to use. We are in training and see no need to get too wet or muddy un-neccessarily.

Floods (again) and frogs

Th end of the year brought only minor flooding to our area, but enough to make walking difficult with some of our walks under water in places. The stream had waves on it as it cut away at the bank by the tree. However this week walking has improved and we look forward to at least a short spell of better walking. We need the practise as we prepare for the Camino again.

The frog was actually a stone relief we saw on a housing estate. Hopefully the frogs in our pond are keeping themselves well tucked away. One froze last year, but so far this winter has been milder.