A view over fields between green trees to the pale stone fronted house — Take a walk in this historic parkland | © National Trust

Devon

Saltram pillars walk

Situated on the edge of the Plym Estuary, the Saltram estate includes a Georgian mansion, surrounded by the remains of 18th-century landscape parkland. This walk follows parkland and woodland, providing distant views of the estuary, Plymouth and Cornwall.

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Total steps: 6

Start point

Saltram House car park, grid ref: SX520556

Step 1

From the car park follow the entrance drive before turning right up a corridor footpath. You should be heading through a set of fields on rising ground that are signposted Merafield.

Saltram's Boringdon gate piers

These gate piers date to the 1600s and match two other pairs at Boringdon Park. In 1828 these piers were brought to Saltram and erected at Playbox Corner on the Chelson Meadow Racecourse. They stood there until at least 1944, long after the closure of the racecourse in 1926. Given to the National Trust by Lord Morley in 1961, they were sited here on Stag Lodge Drive in 1971, after the racecourse had become a municipal rubbish dump – it's now a grass covered hill.

Step 2

Turn right at the top of the rise. The track, which becomes a tarmac road, follows the edge of the field. From here you can view the panorama of the parkland, the house and the Plym estuary, with the city beyond and Mount Edgcumbe in the distance.

Stables and racing

The stables were built in the 1740s by John and Lady Catherine Parker and later extended by their son, the first Lord Boringdon. The cupola, including a clock, was added by William Smith in 1761, and a bell that strikes the hours is dated 1765. In the house there are pictures of the racehorses bred by Lord Boringdon, including Anvil, who was eventually sold to the then Prince of Wales (George IV) and Saltram, who won the Derby in 1783.

Step 3

Ignore the track to the right and keep going along the tarmac road. This was the original road between Plympton and Elburton. It was rerouted following the construction of the A38 in 1975.

Racing and rubbish

Looking to the south-west from the pillars, Chelson Meadow lies before the River Laira. Originally a creek off the river, an embankment was built in 1807 by the Earl of Morley, becoming a project to produce productive arable land. In 1828, Lord Morley created a rectangular race track for horse racing around the perimeter of the site. Later, in 1869, a small grandstand was erected. By 1964 Plymouth City Council had acquired the land and it became the main refuse tip for the city. In many parts the original creek is more than 98ft (30m) below the surface.

Step 4

The road, high-banked on one side, drops down to reveal the A38 running adjacent. Turn right here to join one of the main estate drives.

Step 5

Follow the drive to the right.

Step 6

Continue along the drive and through two ornate pillars brought from the Parkers' previous home, Boringdon Hall, re-erected here in 1971. Enjoy some more panoramic views over the parkland. Return to the car park down an avenue of lime trees with pasture fields on either side.

End point

Saltram House car park, grid ref: SX520556

Trail map

Map route for Saltram pillars walk | © Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey

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Plympton, Plymouth, Devon, PL7 1UH

01752333500

saltram@nationaltrust.org.uk

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Saltram pillars walk

Total steps: 6