Zeal Tor Tramway (Dismantled), South Brent, Dartmoor National Park

Zeal Tor Tramway (Dismantled), South Brent, Dartmoor National Park

In his 'Guide To Dartmoor', William Crossing wrote:

'This track is really an old tramroad, over which peat was once conveyed to some naphtha works at Shipley, on the verge of Brent Moor. It has been disused for a very long time, but I can remember when the rails, which were of wood, bolted to blocks of granite, were to be seen in places. The buildings at Shipley still remain, having been put in a good state of repair by a china clay company, about the year 1872, but operations in connection with this venture did not long continue ... The railway was formerly known as the Zeal Tor tram-road.'

The trackbed of the dismantled tramway provides great access to the high south moor from the car parking area at Shipley Bridge.

We've positioned Zeal Tor Tramway (Dismantled) on Google maps so zoom in on the 'Satellite' setting to see its location. To walk it, follow the tarmac road from Shipley Bridge up the Avon Dam Reservoir Valley. Very shortly, you'll see another tarmac road rising to the left. Wander up this and you come to the start of the tramway as marked on the Ordnance Survey Explorer OL28 'Dartmoor' map.