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The Dartmoor Two Tramways Hike: Section 1 - Ivybridge to Redlake


As I walked along the tramway stretched out for miles, I was walking for fun, pack lightened by decades of innovation, a stark contrast to the tough people who built and worked line, facing fickle Dartmoor conditions in heavy layers of cotton, wool and leather.

This post is an overview of a point to point weekend route I tried between lock-downs.  It was designed to be accessible by train, take in two of Dartmoor’s more substantial disused Tramways, a couple of nights wild camping and a brace of bracing wild swims.

Overview

The Dartmoor Two Tramways route mapped on Kamoot

The route is around forty five miles, it starts at Ivybridge Station and follows the Two Moors Way North, following the track bed of the Redlake Tramway, veering off just before the mine workings and the infamous ‘volcano’ to head through Huntingdon Warren and across to Holne. The ascent from New Bridge follows Dr Blackall’s Drive to reach the charming village of Widecombe In The Moor.  The Two Moors way is left behind to follow lanes and reach Haytor Quarry, marking the end of climbs and the start of the Templer Way, which follows the much older Haytor Granite Tramway. The route passes through Bovey Tracy and the eclectic House of Marbles before the terminus of the tramway at Ventiford Basin. The final stretch follows the Stover Canal and eventually leads to Newton Abbot station.

In terms of navigation the two tramways are both distinct and easy to follow, the Redlake track has been taken up and is wide and firm underfoot, although short sections are often submerged. The Haytor Quarry line follows distinctive white granite rails for some way and is reasonably signposted. In between the Two Moors way is sparsely sign posted and some navigation is necessary between the junction of the Redlake tramway and Haytor.

I've divided the route into three sections, as below.
Section 1 - Ivybridge Station to Redlake
Section 2 - Redlake to Haytor Quarry
Section 3 - Haytor Quarry to Newton Abott Station

Note the sections are uneven, how it's actually walked depends on your preferences and miles per day.  In this instance I arrived at Ivybridge after work, walked for a while and camped part away along the Redlake Tramway, I then walked until camp at Widecombe, my distances and timing probably aren't useful to others because I spend too long poking about for interesting bits of industrial heritage and Dartefacts. 

The Tramways

The two tramways were built just under a hundred years apart, Haytor in 1820 and Redlake in 1911. The Redlake tramway was a fairly conventional 3ft narrow gauge line extending just over 8 miles into the remote moor. The Haytor tramway is more unusual, the rails are chiselled out from the line’s product, granite, and intended to guide large carts. it's more accurately described as a plateway because the track flange guides flange-less wheels.  The Redlake tramway used steam motive power while Haytor used real horse power for the brief ascent from the mines. The following ten miles to the loading dock relied on gravity, which is similarly advantageous for hikers.

Interestingly the Redlake Tramway was not used to carry the product of the mine, china clay. It was used to carry men, materials, food and fuel. The mine's product was carried miles down the hill to Bittaford using two large bore vitreous pipes, the remains of which can be seen along the line.

Redlake had a rather short career lasting only twenty years until 1932 before it was dismantled and the buildings were later blown up by the military.  Haytor lasted around forty years until the 1860s, although the last stone was actually cut in 1919 for the Exter War memorial.

Section 1 - From IvyBridge up to Redlake

The Redlake Tramway starts near the works at Cantrell, near Bittaford, the quickest way to join from Ivybridge Station is across Stowford Railway Bridge, which places you on the Two Moors Way, and join Harford Moor through Stowford Gate.

Joining the tramway, stone railway platform to the left

Slightly of the route, detour to Hangershell Rock

Typical section of Redlake Tramway Trackbed


Perfect evening for wide views from the Lunar Solo

View from Three Barrows at Sunset

Looking down onto Left Lake, site of more abandoned mines

The remains of structures litter the route


Nearing the pit are Greenhill Micas.  China Clay was used to make porcelain. Mining was conducted by blasting water at the face of the open pit, the resulting slurry was pumped to this spot for various stages of filtering before it travelled by pipe for drying and shipping at the works in Cantrell.

Sand filtering Pits

One of the eponymous micas, used to filter out the mineral mica 

Settling pits allowed clay to settle and water to be removed, leading to a more concentrated solution.

The 'Dartmoor Volcano'

Near Redlake pit there’s a glimpse of ‘the volcano’ it's actually the spoil heap from the mine workings. The pit bereft of pumps rapidly filled with water, contemporary photos show the lake to be as deep as the spoil heap is high, a rather ominous prospect when swimming in it.

The Two Moors Way steers the route away from the pit and continues East towards Huntingdon Warren.  Time and knees permitting I'd recommend the detour, there are fine views from the top, the mysterious lake and the rubble remains of mining buildings.

The pit at Redlake

Next: Section 2 - Redlake to Haytor Quarry a change of scenery and some pretty villages before the next tramway

References
The history of the Redlake Tramway and workings, with period photographs
‘The Redlake Tramway & China Clay Works’ by  E A Wade (Book)
The Two Moors Way Official Site
The industrial archaeology of Dartmoor by Helen Harris (Book)
Overview of the entire Templer Way with some history at Travel Wessex 
All about the Granite Tramway at Abandoned Spaces and Atlas Obsura
News report of the discovery in 2015 of a section of granite tramway


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