The Redlake Tramway was a railway built to carry supplies and workers between Bittaford and the clay workings at Redlake, near the centre of the southern part of Dartmoor

Dartmoor

Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...

, Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

, England. It was built in 1911 to a gauge of , and ran for a circuitous 8.3 miles (13.4 km).

Remnants

The track bed is all that remains today. It can easily be followed on foot or by mountain bike from Bittaford Moor Gate, where there are a few parking spaces. The route provides easy access to several tors and hills that would be much less accessible otherwise, such as Hangershell Rock, Sharp Tor, Piles Hill, Three Barrows, Eastern and Western White Barrows and Quickbeam Hill.

The trackbed is lined at various points with marker posts, disused quarries and earthworks, but the most interesting remnants are towards the top of the ascent at Leftlake and Redlake itself. Both abandoned pits have been flooded, creating picturesque lakes (the word "lake" in both names derives from the streams flowing through the areas, not the artificial lakes, which are recent features). There is a robust stone bridge at Leftlake, complete with a rudimentary name plaque engraved in mortar. At Redlake there are the remains of a demolished pumphouse, along with several other ruins.