Plymbridge Woods is a woodland in Plympton, Devon, England managed by The National Trust. The woods are named after the historic Plymbridge, a Grade II listed bridge over the River Plym. Drake's Trail passes through the woods providing a cycling and walking route. There is a range of wildlife, birds and flora.

History

The woodland is named after Plymbridge a historic bridge over the River Plym which is Grade II listed with Historic England. A bridge has existed at this location from as early as 1238 with the current bridge being circa 18th century but seated on earlier

piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...

. It is made from Killas rubble with five semi-circular arches having parapets with chamfered granite coping stones. A number of tram and railway lines were constructed to transport granite and slate between Dartmoor and

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

. The last line to be built was the South Devon and Tavistock Railway upon which Isambard Kingdom Brunel worked. It was taken over by the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

and closed in 1962. It is now called Drake's Trail and is used as a footpath and cycle route through the woodland. There are remains of the quarrying history including the shell of old buildings used by families involved in the industry. A section of the trail passes Cann Viaduct.

Nature

The site is home to many species typical of English woodland, including a herd of fallow deer. There are goosanders, mandarin ducks, kingfishers and dippers along the river.

Peregrine falcons The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, ...

have nested in Cann Quarry since the 1960s and since 2002 the National Trust have maintained a watchpoint, staffed by volunteers, on Cann Viaduct from which it is usually possible to see the nest site. The site supports damselflies and butterflies.

Recreation

The woods are used for walking, cycling, dog walking and viewing the natural flora and fauna. Plymvalley Parkrun takes place in the woods starting at Plymbridge. The National Trust has a permanent

orienteering Orienteering is a group of sports that require navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a s ...

course and a mountain bike trail in the woods and the Devon Coast to Coast Cycle Route runs through the woods.

References

{{reflist Parks and open spaces in Devon National Trust properties in Devon