The sun was out at the start of the walk as were seemingly large numbers of the population of Plymouth converging on Central Park. The reason for the mass gathering became very clear, there was a bikathon rally around the Park and a car boot sale in the Plymouth Argyle car park.

I had planned the walk to visit a number of Plymouth Parks and the number 10 seemed to be apt bearing in mind the cancellation of the Dartmoor 10 Tors for the year. I had estimated a 10 mile romp around the parks minimising the concrete distance between them.

In reality the distance was a slight underestimate and there were 14 parks visited, although one or two were only minor parks, they still counted.

21 of us gathered for the off at 10.30 AM. We delayed the start for a few minutes because of the queue of cars trying to get into the car park.

With the urban nature of the walks and the large number of parks we were visiting there were no shortage of WCs on the walk and the 'men ahead' call wouldn't be needed today.

In the description which follows, I have identified the parks visited and given only brief linking routes between them, unless you know Plymouth well, you would not be advised to attempt to follow the exact route from this description.

Central Park

This is by far the largest park in Plymouth and is also the home of a large swimming pool, sports centre and of course Plymouth Argyle's ground Home Park.

It was apt that there was a start and finish sign for the Bikeathon here, since it was to be our start and finish point as well.

From the clock tower in the centre of the park we headed across the park in the general direction of Peverell with views of the housing estates all round us.

Pounds Park

This park is a pretty little park with many more trees than in Central Park and it also has Pounds House there, once a private residence but now a centre for training for the visually and aurally impaired.

There was plenty of blossom in view on the cherry trees and also the many magnolia trees were in flower too and it is certainly a very attractive little park and one where I was taken, a few years ago now, in a pram as I lived in Pounds Park Road just off the park in Peverell.

We left the park and cross into Peverell Park and headed off to our next park about half a mile away at Hartley.

Hartley Park

This once housed a reservoir serving part of Plymouth, the reservoir is now filled in and the site now houses Plymouth's Croquet Club, tennis courts and outdoor floodlit Basketball courts.

There are excellent views to Dartmoor away to the North East of us, it reminded us of the moors which we all yearned to be walking again soon.

Leaving Hartley Park we headed down towards Hender's Corner and into one of the more select parks in Plymouth, Thorn Park.

Thorn Park

Thorn Park was once a privately owned park owned by the residents of the house surrounding it. The park was once surrounded by railings with locked gates at strategic points. Only the residents of the park had keys to these gates.

Many years ago the railings were removed and access was open to everybody.

There are many beautiful trees in the park and we enjoyed our morning coffee in the confines of this pretty park.

Leaving the park we crossed the Tavistock Road and headed off down towards Lower Compton and thence to our next park down a steep sided valley.

Trefusis Park

This park gets its name from the road which leads to it. The park was the result of an earlier dump which had gradually been infilled, we think that once the area might have been an inlet from the river Plym.

It now has a couple of football pitches and some wild flower meadows and of course childrens play areas.

From Trefusis Park we were virtually down at sea level once again.

We crossed under a railway bridge and made our way across to the next wide grassy area which now houses Lipson Community College and sports fields.

Lipson Park

This is a longish flat and relatively narrow park which is very obviously reclaimed land as indeed were several other parks we visited during the day.

There were several football pitches plus of course the school and we made our way through the school grounds and onto a footpath which curled around to the most easterly section of the walk.

Below us we could see the very large Lipson base for the Western Region Trains maintenance depot. I guess the large sheds must be full of trains, there certainly aren't many of them actually on the lines earning their keep at the moment.

We followed the path round and up some steps into another small park.

Mount Gould Park

Although this is only a small park just below the old Mount Gould Hospital it gives some excellent views of Saltram Estate and of course the River Plym as it flows down from Marsh Mills.

Towards the top of the park there is a childrens play area, no trees, just a grassy area overlooking the Plym and the reclaimed land which once was used as a thriving boatyard. The boatyard is now empty as the owners, the Blagdon Brothers, have retired.

We made our way through the park and dropped down through a housing estate and down to more reclaimed land and the next long grassy swathe of land.

Tothill Park

Probably a better description of this park is a football recreation area with two or three pitches ending in a pretty little park with tennis courts and an outdoor bowling green.

Although I had planned to have lunch in the next park since it was 12.50 PM when we reached the park, I decided to have a short lunch break in the park out of the wind.

The toilet facilities in the park were primitive and perhaps in retrospect it would have been better had I continued on to the next park.

The trees were pretty and the park nicely landscaped.

Having had a 20 minute lunch break we continued on towards town and the next park in the series, Beaumont Park.

Beaumont Park

This park is triangular in shape and is one of the few completely walled parks in Plymouth. Helen Rowett, who was on the walk, told me that once this park was in fact the private grounds of a large imposing house, I guess that the house is now the chest X ray clinic.

There is an innovative tree planting approach in the park with many new trees planted on memory of loved ones who have died, many in childhood. It makes a change from the seats that are often found on the coastal paths near conurbations.

We made our way uphill to the apex of the park and through a gate across the road and up towards Lipson once again.

After a couple of hundred yards we turned into another park with smartly painted railings, courtesy of some lottery funding.

Freedom Fields Park.

Freedom Fields has been much improved over the past few years with a smart cafe at the top.

It overlooks the Cattewater and views out towards Staddiscombe Heights and the Sound.

There is a monument at the top of the park, at the highest point in the area, which commemorates the fighting between the roundheads and the cavaliers in the 1600's close on five hundred years ago. The monument itself is a hundred years old.

We stopped to inspect the monument and then made our way out through Queens Gate and imposing large houses before turning left and heading off for the longest section of tarmac walking of the walk, a little over a mile down towards PennycomeQuick.

Route Down to next Park

Down to Mutley Plain via the old hospital, now a new housing estate. On down to Houndiscombe Road and down towards the old Post Office Building. We said farewell to two of our group at this point who headed back through Central Park again rather than continue on to Devonport.

Passing the old Post Office, on the opposite side of the road we passed the old Plymouth Prison of a hundred years ago. As can be seen from the photograph the prison has the appearance of an old fort, with the flag flying at the top.

Crossing at PennycomeQuick we continued along the road towards Devonport under a railway Bridge and turned left into the next park Victoria Park.

Victoria Park

This park was built on reclaimed land which stretches down to Millbridge and a road linking the Octagon with Stoke.

The park was developed about 100 years ago and is named after Queen Victoria.

In common with many Plymouth Parks it has two or three football pitches on it with one or more childrens play areas there. It's absolute flatness gives away the fact the land it reclaimed.

The reclaimed land section now continues right down towards Stonehouse Bridge where the infill ends and the water can now be seen at high tide.

By Millbridge we had to leave the reclaimed land, now used as playing fields for Devonport High School for Boys.

We skirted the school and followed a footpath down by the side of CFE and down to another large green area, the Brickfields.

Brickfields Park

Brickfields Park was once the main area for sporting functions for the Navy and the Army and the all weather running track, at least 50 years old now, and its sports fields have now been handed over to Plymouth CC.

Much of the Brickfields is still fenced off and we made our way across a grassy swathe and then onto a road leading to Devonport.

Along the grassy swathe we had excellent views looking back from Stonehouse Creek taking in all the reclaimed land up to and beyond Millbridge and Victoria Park.

The high wire fencing had stopped us taking a short cut along this grassy area to the edge of the brickfields.

We cut through the Cumberland House Minor Accident Unit, now part of Plymouth Health Centre and an offshoot of Derriford Hospital and onto a road which runs along the western edge of the Brickfields.

To the left we passed all that is left of Raglan Barracks, once the home of the army in Plymouth but now odd looking and a derelict edifice of the gate leading into a once large military complex.

We came to the end of the linking road and the Brickfields area and crossed the road and entered another large park.

Devonport Park

This large park stretches down to the Dockyard Wall at Maurice Yard, for us it was the most westerly point of the walk and we reached the high point of the park and stopped for afternoon tea.

The park is the second largest of those we visited during the walk and we stopped to look at the monument to the military personnel who had died in one of the wars before leaving the park and making our way up towards Stoke Village and the final park of the walk.

In a little under a quarter of a mile we walked into the village, as it is known. There are several very big houses in the area, reminding us of how important the area had been for commerce and industry a half a century ago.

Mt Pleasant Park Redoute (The Blockhouse) Above Stoke sits the remains of an old defensive position built getting on for two hundred years ago as a strategic defensive position guarding the dockyard.

The picture is a view up the River Tamar and the River Lynher.

It is one of the highest points, and certainly locally the highest point in the area and the 360 degree views from the point are very spectacular, both down into Cornwall, up to Tamar, out to Sea and to the moors to the north.

We could easily pick out Kit Hill, North Hessary Tor, the Clay Pit at Lee Mill and many many other points of interest.

Return to Central Park

Leaving the Blockhouse we dropped down and headed along a wide road leading back to Central Park.

The Bikathon had ended by the time we reached the park and we cut back by the Sports Centre and back to the car share point at just gone 3.30 PM five hours after we had left it.

The car park which had been heaving with cars in the morning was almost empty and the crowds had evaporated.

I was advised that an odometer someone was wearing indicated between 11and 12 miles for the walk, perhaps I was certainly agree it was slightly more than my estimated 10 miles for the walk.

The sun had gone in and it was quite chilly in the moderate north easterly breeze. We had started the walk with 21 walkers and ended it with 14.

I hadn't lost any, these were planned departures as people peeled off to return to their houses rather than to get to the car share only to have to retrace their steps. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

My intention had been to show people just how many grassy parks there are in Plymouth, all relatively close to Plymouth. There are at least three more areas I could have led the group through, Hoe Park and Mount Wise Park to name just two.

This of course would have stretched the walk way beyond my planned 10 to 11 miles.