By: Blonde One
There are many good things about having a dog to borrow but the one that I’m enjoying the most at the moment is being able to take it for walks in new places. I don’t live far from Little Miss Blonde’s dog Ollie the Collie and so am lucky enough to be able to pop down for the day to walk him. I’ve done a few walks with him recently in some new areas that are full of interest. Just north of the city of Plymouth is an area called Roborough. There are many good things about this area and Ollie and I had a lovely day exploring it.
The area of Roborough Down is incredibly flat, as you can see from the lack of contours on the map, and so is a great place to explore the moors without the slog of the hills and tors. It has a rock to clamber on if you are so inclined. While I was there, there were a good few children doing just that and having a lovely time. I had no trouble parking as there are a wealth of small areas to leave your car. It was cold and blowy on the day that I went so had my pick of good parking spaces since most people stayed at home I think. The rock, as you would imagine, has many legends and stories attached to it. The fabulous Legendary Dartmoor website has some of them.
The two leats nearby, Devonport and Drake’s, are excellent features to follow if you don’t want to do any navigation particularly. The Drake’s leat, otherwise known as the Plymouth leat, was dug back in 1591 and named after Sir Francis who was major of Plymouth at the time. It carried Plymouth’s first water supply, from the River Meavy.
Cycle route 27 crosses a small section of the down as well, adding to the appeal. It provides a lovely tarmac path which can be enjoyed by wheelchairs and pushchairs too.
Copyright Ordnance Survey
Within Roborough Down is Harrowbeer Down which is the site of a disused RAF aerodrome. It is another fabulous example of nature claiming back the landscape. During World War II the site was used for military buildings and the airstrip. Local houses at the time had to have their tops lopped off to give aircraft suitable clearance. The newly formed bungalows still remain as bungalows now.
As if all of that is not enough to tempt you to visit this area, there is the added bonus that two more of the Dartmoor 365 squares can be obtained. What’s stopping you?
