Princetown, Stone Age Settlements and Old Moorland Quarries

(S/E) Starting at the Princetown car park W3W>> . Heading west along the old station road, past the new Distillery (under construction), the Fire Station to an old building standing alone, this was an old stable, used when the railway operated. The path follows around the fenced field to a gate, out onto the open moorland, and the railway track, the walk now handrails the track west to an old railway bridge.

(1) At the first old rail bridge, look south down through the valley to the main Princetown to Yelverton road, and beyond to Hart Tor. Continue along the track passing through a railway cutting, known as Johnson's cutting, passing over another bridge. As the rail track sweeps around a right-hand bend.

(2) As the track is sweeping around to the right, looking south across the moorland, is a Stone Age Settlement, which continues to the linear feature, the wall. Continue along the track to a wall. Just past the wall, the track will be split into three: take the track on the left. At the corner of the field, a path joins up from the left and south. Turn south down the path to the bottom, where it will meet up with the old rail track again.

(3) At the rail track, turn right and west. See in the nearby area (A) and (B).

(4) Continue along the track, around the right-hand bend past King Tor on the right, all the way around and heading back to where the path met the track.

(5) At this point, the route picks up a track heading north, walking toward old quarry spoil heaps, discarded rock piles, and quarry buildings in ruin. The old quarry entrance will appear on the right. Leaving the track and entering the disused quarry will reveal the worked area, which is now flooded. Continue on the path to where the wall of the field system, belonging to the nearby moorland farm.

(6) The route from here is over open moorland. Option: Retrace the route to (5) and (2), following the track back to the start OR continue walking up and around the quarry spoil, a worn path will appear heading east, follow and head towards the trees. Should there be a need to return to the old rail track, head south; it should be visible all the way back to the trees. At the trees, rejoin the old track and follow back to the start. (S/E)

Before you start, check:-

• Suitably prepared for the walk, clothing, footwear, etc
• Downloaded the route on the Visorando app, checked your mobile battery is sufficiently charged (option - have a battery bank)
• Paid the relevant parking fees

Start:- At the moorland village of Princetown W3W >>>

Public Transport: There is a bus service passing through Princetown. Timings of the buses should be confirmed, allowing for the return trip.

Parking: Vehicle parking - The Village car park is a pay and display; ensure that payment is made for your anticipated stay. There are also 2 EV charging points.

Timing: The time taken is estimated; allow extra time, when appropriate, for exploring and personal pace.

Note: Ensure that the country code is followed and that dogs are kept under control at all times. Farmers do have special powers regarding dogs worrying moorland animals.

Wellbeing: Wear appropriate footwear and clothing for the conditions, and keep hydrated.

Accessibility: This route has been assigned "Easy" due to a reasonable footpath to follow. The track is suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs, which covers the majority of this walk, with the option to do an out and back route from the quarry at (5).

Refreshments: There are two convenient cafes, two public houses, and the local shop can sell some provisions.

Handrail: A linear feature that has been identified as a road, wall, etc. - this walk is the disused railway line.

Visorando app: This walk leads off a designated path (although there is an option to keep on the path); it is advisable to download the route and follow it, although this area usually has a good mobile signal. Downloading the app will reduce battery drain and still have the route, should the signal become lost.

Dartmoor: It is open-access land - on the moor, you are free to choose your walking route, and you don’t have to keep to public rights of way. Access Land is shown on the OS maps as a yellow wash.

The village of Princetown offers camping, bunkhouses, and B&B with cafes, public houses, and a small village shop. Princetown is also home to the Dartmoor Prison, which has a museum open to the public.

(A) The rail line was originally horse-drawn. The path from the top part of the track to the bottom was used by quarry or rail workers. Should a loaded rail carriage break free and start to roll back down the hill, workers would use the shortcut and pull a log across the track to derail the runaway wagon. Otherwise, the wagon would end up at Yelverton, some 5 miles down the track.

(B) Walking along the track and looking to the right, there will be another disused track merging; this is the sidings for the quarry. Alongside of this track, look out for large granite stones, over 3m in length, that have been 'dressed'. These large quarried stones were intended for the widening of the 'old London Bridge', known as Corbels link>>. They were dressed in the wrong size, so they were left at the trackside. The London Bridge was then sold and shipped to America. link>> . Time plays a large part in how, and what was fact changes, the glory of the internet. Reading that the Corbels were left because they made 12 too many! The fact is that. There were originally 13 Corbels left at the trackside. They were originally built to the wrong size, and the 13th was used when rebuilding the bridge in America (verified by an old relative, who was a quarry foreman at this site).