Guided walk at Burrator Reservoir (Tavistock Branch)

The Tavistock Branch first summer event for 2023 is a guided walk at Burrator Reservoir near Meavy on Sunday 21st May. The reservoir was constructed in the late 19th century to serve Plymouth, Tavistock, Princetown and South Devon.

The walk will be led by Prof. John Mather (the current President of the DA) and Dr Jenny Bennett and the aim of the excursion is to explore the history of the dam construction and engineering problems associated with deep weathering in granite, and to look at landforms and links to previous climates.

Itinerary:

• Meet at Upper Quarry car park. Investigate rock types, structures and granite contact in quarry
• Walk to reservoir to look at Burrator Dam and Sheepstor Dam
• Sheepstor Gravel Pit to investigate weathering
• Sheepstor to look at landforms. We will walk as far as the Plymouth WaterWorks boundary stone
• Lunch break on the lower slopes of Sheepstor (please bring a picnic)
• Drive to Norsworthy Bridge car park to look at the Devonport Leat, granite at the Leather Tor pit and the ruins of the Bal mine (which predate the reservoir).

The walk will mostly be on paths, muddy if wet, with some road walking, relatively flat around reservoir, but uphill towards Sheepstor.  Approx. 3 km. From Norsworthy Bridge, track is very muddy and uphill. Approx 1 km. 

Weather can be changeable so please be prepared. Waterproofs plus an extra layer. Sunscreen/hat also may be needed. Stout shoes as terrain is uneven and may be wet and muddy. We recommend long trousers as ticks are a possibility. The approximate finish will be around 4pm, but this may depend on the weather!

The cost is £6 for DA members, £7 for non-members, collected on the day.

Numbers will be limited so please reserve a place by contacting the organiser, details below.