Tavistock Canal Walk

[CanalWalker]

Last week I went for a walk on the Tavistock Canal. We started at the canal wharf car park in Tavistock, walking along the canal up to its T-junction where it spits between the Mill Hill branch and the branch with the tunnel to Morewellham Quay. Near the junction is a lock gate (replacement) and a broken lift bridge (1998). There was quite a flow along the canal, last time it was closed off for work on the feeder at Abbey Bridge. We followed the course of the canal up to Mill Hill and then came back to Tavistock across the fields.

Its a very nice walk and I recommend it to everyone. The towpath was quite muddy though given the rain we have had and some of the fields on the return leg were very wet around the styles. Wellies were a good idea!

We also went to Morewellham Quay. It is having money spent on it at the moment. They have put up new information boards and signposts but there isnt much else there at the moment. Maybe next year it will be worth another visit. Its impossible to see the canal incline, its overgrown. The path up to the canal needs doing up too. We nearly missed the tunnel it was so overgrown. the plans for the Quay didnt mention the canal but I hope they do some work to make it more visable.

 

Photos to be added to my site asap.

Edited August 14, 2008 by redstarafloat

[fender.]

Last week I went for a walk on the Tavistock Canal. We started at the canal wharf car park in Tavistock, walking along the canal up to its T-junction where it spits between the Mill Hill branch and the branch with the tunnel to Morewellham Quay. Near the junction is a lock gate (replacement) and a broken lift bridge (1998). There was quite a flow along the canal, last time it was closed off for work on the feeder at Abbey Bridge. We followed the course of the canal up to Mill Hill and then came back to Tavistock across the fields.

Its a very nice walk and I recommend it to everyone. The towpath was quite muddy though given the rain we have had and some of the fields on the return leg were very wet around the styles. Wellies were a good idea!

We also went to Morewellham Quay. It is having money spent on it at the moment. They have put up new information boards and signposts but there isnt much else there at the moment. Maybe next year it will be worth another visit. Its impossible to see the canal incline, its overgrown. The path up to the canal needs doing up too. We nearly missed the tunnel it was so overgrown. the plans for the Quay didnt mention the canal but I hope they do some work to make it more visable.

 

Photos to be added to my site asap.

 

What a shame. On my visit a few years ago the incline was still quite clear, and the walk to the tunnel entrance was pleasant. I was also fortunate to be able to visit the valve house at Tavistock to see the equipment that regulates the water intake from the River Tavvy and look through books, news cuttings and photgraphs on the canal. FYI the very strong flow is neccessary for the HEP.

 

The power station is shut for two weeks every year, during which the canal is drained and inspections of Morwelldown Tunnel are made on foot.

[CanalWalker]

Have a look at this site

[fender]

Have a look at this site

 

Thanks thats a brilliant set of pics of the interior of the tunnel. I knew the tunnel was a 'worst job' than Standedge, but the pic where the tunnel bore actually slopes at an angle and the section which is said to be that of a bricked up mine adit, simply made it all the more interesting as well as the chain.

 

I have lots of notes and papers on the Tavistock canal so I looked them up. The information on the interactive walk pages cites that the chains were attatched to a rope on which the bargemen hauled their boats against the current. According to my notes these chains were actually for wooden fenders to deflect the boats off the awkward bits of the tunnel, though I suppose rope could have also been attatched as well. The tunnel had an unsuccessful haulage system installed from 1849 to 1856.

 

Despite annual inspections of the tunnel when the power station is closed down (anytime between June and October) one employee mentioned that at one point the tunnel had been drained four times in less than two years (1978/1979), because blockages had stopped the flow and teams had to be sent in to remove the obstructions.

 

The brick wall that you can see in the tunnel walk pic set might have been the location of an access point to the Wheal Russel mine. There were a number of side tunnels which boats used where copper was being extracted.

 

The north portal of the tunnel is known as the Crebor end whilst the Morwellham one is simply known as 'Tunnel End.'

 

Errors in building mean that apart from the usual kinks, the tunnel also has a slight rise up from Crebor to the middle before falling towards Morwellham. The pictures clearly show the water level mark as being much deeper in the first half of the tunnel walk set, and much lower in the second half set.

 

I'm not sure however about the claim that Morwelldown Tunnel has the smallest bore of any canal tunnel in England. For example the tunnel on the Eardington Forge canal had a much smaller cross section.

Edited August 24, 2008 by fender

[CanalWalker]

they have recently put a new fish filter on the feeder from the river. Apparently fish get into the canal and grow to be quite large then get into the hydro plant and make a mess of the turbines.