The leats of Dartmoor are a spectacular feat of engineering,
particularly when you consider that the hundreds of miles of leats
on the moor were constructed entirely by hand.
Cunningly contrived to provide a gradual slope for water to run
down in a controlled fashion, they cling to the hillsides and
follow the contours in an uncanny way. In some places, such as the
Meavy valley, where the river and leat run next to one another, the
leat actually appears to flow uphill.
Drake’s Leat is the oldest on the moor, started in 1591,
when an act of Parliament gave the city of Plymouth permission to
“digge a Trenche through and over all the landes and grounds
lying between Plymouth and anye parts of the said river Mew
[Meavy]”. One of the longest leats, Devonport Leat,
constructed some 200 years later, takes its origin north of Wistman
Woods where it draws water from the West Dart, Cowsic and
Blackabrook rivers.
Along its length there are numerous "sheep leaps", cantilevered
granite beams, which animals can use to cross the leat without the
risk of getting stuck and drowning. This was not political
correctness; dead animals would pollute the water supply! The cache
is hidden near one of these leaps.
WARNING: THIS CACHE IS ON A HIGH PART OF THE MOOR, AND IS
SUBJECT TO SOMETIMES SUDDEN AND EXTREME CHANGES IN WEATHER
CONDITIONS. DO NOT GO UNPREPARED.
This cache is part of the Heart of Dartmoor Series. At the
top of the log sheet are 2 clue numbers. Please ignore the Greek
letter clue. The other clue will help you to find the Heart of
Dartmoor Bonus