East Looe Valley Walk

After the hamlet, pass the end of the drive leading to Tredinnick Farm. The road soon bends to the right, with a detached house on the left.

Turn left in front of the house, along a broad agricultural track. In a few metres there is a (thankfully short) awkward wet section. There are great long views over the East Looe Valley, as far as Looe itself on a clear day. In l00m., in front of a gate, the track bends to the right to descend along the edge of a field before becoming a sunken lane. Reach the former farming hamlet of Treworgy, now mainly holiday cottages plus a collection of livestock.

Turn left along the Treworgy access road, a delightfully quiet lane, mainly between avenues of trees, soon plunging down the side of the East Looe Valley. Join the main road, turning right, downhill, for less than 30m.

Turn sharp left to continue the descent on a very minor road, passing the scattered dwellings of Tregarland Bridge hamlet. At the bottom join a more major road and bear right to cross the bridge in 50m, over river, railway and the bed of the long disused canal.

Turn sharp left in 40m. to cross an open area with a fenced (former) coal yard on the right. Continue along the obvious track ahead, a little muddy at first but soon improving. The track rises gently through the woodland of the valley side, with views down to the railway and river.

As the track begins to descend, turn very sharp left, downhill, to Plashford hamlet, with a thatched former mill. Join a road at the bottom, bearing left to cross Plashford Bridge, again over railway, river and former canal, the latter being more in evidence here. The sound of tumbling water probably denotes the site of a former lock.

Join a public road, turning right to walk by the roadside for a little more than a half mile. Ignore a gate and track into the forest on the left and continue for a further 250m approximately to a gate and stile on the left with a ‘public footpath’ signpost.

Turn left through the gate and take the rising path which immediately forks to the left of the forest roadway. The ascent of the wooded valley side is steep and quite long but the path is good and the route is clear. Reach a waymark on a post; go left here to follow a lesser track, close to the top of the woodland. At the next waymarked post go right. Continue through a broken gate, rising gently, with a hedge bank now close on the right. Go straight ahead at the next waymarked post, still rising, passing a rustic seat. Go over a waymarked stile, then cross a meadow to a waymarked gate opposite, heading towards a large shed, part of Westnorth Farm. Go through another waymarked gate in 40m. up steps and over a stile to follow a short length of woodland path leading to a waymarked stile. Go along a farm roadway for 60m. to reach a farm gate.

Go through and immediately turn left for a few metres towards a cattle drinking trough. Turn right opposite the trough to follow an indistinct path along the eld boundary. Close to the far end of the field turn left over a stile. Follow the direction indicated by a waymarked post, over grass, without path, with an orchard to the right. Turn left at a post (waymark on far side) to cross a tiny stream on a footbridge, go over a stile and rise gently along a faint path beside a fence. Bear left at the end of the fence to go along a more distinct path with a ‘footpath’ sign. Go through two little gates by the entrance to Duloe Recreation Ground and join the main road.

Cross the road to the footpath on the far side, turning left to return to the Manor.