Drake’s Trail is supposedly a cycle and walking path linking Tavistock with Clearbrook. Oh, alright! If you want to be pedantic, there are also several cycling and walking spurs. In fact, looking at the “official” site, you’d notice almost nothing about the actual route between Tavistock and Clearbrook. Instead, the site seems to be all about the spurs. Odd, but never mind…
I’ve blogged before about a Drake’s Trail route marker having appeared on the road side of a wooden gate post at Shaugh Halt (it has since disappeared again). I’ve also posted about another such marker at the map post near Goodmeavy, right where the tar on the old railway track ends, and you can choose to cycle straight on, over an unsurfaced path, or take the road (via a steep uphill!).
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| Drake’s Trail marker near Yelverton |
Earlier today I cycled out to Yelverton and back, when I spotted a Drake’s Trail marker on the map post at Plym Bridge.
It appears to me that little by little, Drake’s Trail is taking over the Plym Valley Trail.
Having thought about it for a little while, I think it is probably a good thing. The two trails aren’t distinct enough to warrant different names, plus there isn’t actually a clear point where one ends and the other begins. It makes far more sense to amalgamate both under one name, even if it is the name of a rather nasty slave trader and cut-throat pirate, a.k.a. Sir Francis Drake.
In light of the above, I will henceforth refer to Drake’s Trail when referring to any part of the cycle path from Plymouth to Tavistock, and I think it’ll help if you did so too.