Shaugh Bridge

Shaugh Bridge stands where the River Meavy joins the River Plym on the south-western edge of Dartmoor, in a valley of ancient oak woodland and mossy granite boulders. The scene looks wild but was shaped by generations of work: around the car park and Dewerstone Wood lie the remains of a 19th-century iron mine, the Ferro-Ceramic brickworks with its long tunnel kiln, a granite quarry tramway and traces of charcoal burning. Above the river rises the Dewerstone, a 160m granite outcrop popular with climbers and named in folklore after Dewer, the devil disguised as a huntsman. Beyond, the land climbs to Wigford Down, scattered with prehistoric enclosures, hut circles and fort ramparts. Reviewers single out the sheltered riverside walking. The car park is small and fills quickly, there are no toilets, and the Plymouth Citybus 59 stops outside. The 3.5-mile Plym Valley bricks, boulders and bronze walk climbs Dewerstone Hill from the car park. Dogs are welcome, on a lead from March to July.