| Oliver's Cornwall |
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and away from Bodmin Moor |
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Other major walks pages are Oliver's Cornish Coast Path, Oliver's Coastal Round Walks and Bodmin Moor Walks |
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| GENERAL |
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OLIVER'S INLAND WALKS - all round walks
| Helebridge near Bude | To Bude on the quiet cycleway, back along the Bude Canal towpath. And slightly longer variation. | 4.02miles |
| Poundstock | Fields down to New Mill, tracks up to Penfound, quiet lane back to Poundstock | 3.20 miles |
| Boscastle and Minster | A walk up the Valency Valley, through Peters Wood to Minster Church, fields and lanes back | 2.18 miles |
| Slate Walk, Trewarmett | From Jeffreys Pit, by Trenouth, Pengelly, Delabole Slate to Medrose and back by Bowithick Hill | 4.46 miles |
| Trebarwith Strand | From Jeffreys Pit, by Backways Cove, coast, Trebarwith Strand, Treknow and Mill Floor | 3.89 miles |
| Delabole | Short easy round walk, mostly on tracks, by way of Helland Barton and Newhall Green | 3.69 miles |
| Davidstow | Figure-of-eight walk from Davidstow Airfield, includes Tremail and Davidstow Church and Holy Well | 4.33 miles |
| Camelford | Along the River Camel, by Advent Church and Watergate to Moorgate Longstone and Treclago | 5.32 miles |
| St. Tudy | A short easy walk down a wooded valley then back by Wetherham house and culverhouse | 2.33 miles |
| Cubert | Round walk to Perran Round and back, mixed easy to strenuous. Divides into the two walks below. | 6.58 miles |
| Cubert | By the Ellenglaze Valley to Stampas, Treamble and Treworthen, returning by the Smugglers Den | 3.51 miles |
| Perran Round | By Wheal Hope Cottages, North Treamble, Stampas, Hendravossan and Lower Rose | 3.40 miles |
| Tregoss on Goss Moor | Sometimes difficult walk by Belowda Beacon, Castle-an-Dinas and a path along the former A30 | 6.30 miles |
| Wheal Rose, Scorrier | Mining Trails and Bridleways by Cambrose, Wheal Peevor ( + Wheal Rose village for total 7.10 miles) | 6.18 miles |
| Lanner Hill, Redruth | Tresavean Mining Trail and Carn Marth. Short varied walk with interest and panoramic views | 3.13 miles |
| Carn Brea, Pool | A short but challenging walk up Carn Brea. Bassett Monument, Carn Brea Castle, panoramic views | 3.34 miles |
| Bissoe and Baldhu | A long steady climb to Baldhu, some steep descent on the way back down by Wheal Jane and Nangiles | 5.42 miles |
| Boscawen Park, Truro | Mostly waterside to Malpas and St. Clement. ( Detour to Tresillian for total 6.19 miles) | 3.71 miles |
| Devoran | By Chycoose and Penpol to Come-to-Good Meeting House; back by Higher and Middle Devoran | 4.64 miles |
| Cardinham Woods - 1 | Mostly in the woods, includes Ladyvale clapper bridge, Milltown, Deviock Cross and Callybarrett | 6.62 miles |
| Cardinham Woods - 2 | Mostly in the woods, includes Ladyvale, Lidcutt Wood, Deviock Cross, Cardinham Church, Milltown | 5.47 miles |
| Cardinham Woods - 3 | Includes Milltown, Cardinham, Castle Farm and back on an old coach road over Long Downs | 4.77 miles |
CORNWALL REVIEWS INDEX and SITE CONTENTS
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'Right to Roam' legislation, the Countryside and Rights of Way Act, - long agitated for by the Ramblers Association, and initially opposed by many landowners - has resulted in vast areas of land all over England, Scotland, Wales and Cornwall being opened up to the general public. Essentially these rights are for walkers only - suits me. I used to find the Countryside Agency's Open Access website an immense help in my Cornwall moorland walking, not just on Bodmin Moor but also in West Penwith. Unfortunately the site, now Natural England, has been messed around with and although the maximum scale is acceptable, maps are too small and navigation is quite awkward. As a result, it is no longer worth, as a walker, using it in its current CRoW Access form. Fortunately, Cornwall Council has an excellent mapping web site, which I find better than the Open Access site ever was. It is easy to use, shows Open Access land, rights of way, cycle trails, path numbers should you wish to report problems, and is zoomable up to large scale. A word of warning on Open Access land. I soon discovered that this may not be quite as straightforward as that. I have encountered barbed wire fences, locked gates and even one gate on Bodmin Moor, leading to access land, that has a 'no walkers' sign on it. And, in West Penwith, where moorland is lower, I have found impenetrable furze and bramble. So don't expect it always to be easy. |
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OS Explorer maps now show Open Access land as yellow |
Ordnance Survey Maps - The 1:25000 Landranger Series
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My earliest walking was done with Jane with the Independent Ramblers, based in Ealing. With them we learned to love the Chilterns and the Cotswolds. But we soon graduated to our own independent walks, first from walk books, later of our own devising. The Ordnance Survey 1:25000 series became our bible. The current 2005 Explorer series still is my bible (to a degree) particularly as it now shows Open Access land. But, as with the Bible, you learn not to believe every word. I use OS maps, GPS and compass on most walks, especially on Bodmin Moor and on the moors of West Penwith. But I have lost some trust in OS. Since completing Mark Camp's Copper Trail during winter 2006, I have been walking routes of my own devising on Bodmin Moor and have been horrified to discover just how unreliable the Ordnance Survey can be. A couple of walks in December 2006 proved that. A path shown from Butterstor to Garrow simply does not exist yet OS quite fails to show a well waymarked path from Brown Willy to Garrow (and on to King Arthur's Hall). Below Garrow the OS fails to mark a footbridge over the De Lank River. It also fails to show a footbridge and clapper bridge that cross the river at the southern foot of Garrow Tor. Elsewhere I have found marsh that isn't shown, probably because it is not low-lying. So be advised, take your map, take your compass and expect the unexpected. |
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Don't expect all antiquities to be marked either |
Walking TrailBooks
- Our Preferred Guides
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CIRCULAR WALK GUIDES
Jarrold Pathfinder Cornwall Walks: 28 walks, most include coast, distances 4 to 11 miles. Good large scale Ordnance Survey maps, good descriptions and information. AA 50 Walks in Cornwall: Mostly coast but includes about 10 inland, 3 to 8 miles. Good descriptions and information, sketch maps could be much better, good on severity. Classic Walks in Cornwall: 2 volumes, each of 60 walks, all but 5 include coast, 3 to 6 miles. Good descriptions and information, poor sketch maps, good on severity. Circular Coast Walks Cornwall: by Moor, Dale and Mountain Press. 36 walks, 3 to 10 miles. Good information, routes not too clear, sketch maps. Ramblers Association Cornwall: has published 14 volumes, each of 6 or so walks. Bodmin Moor Walks: Best of Bodmin Moor by Mark Camp; 18 short walks in three volumes. TRAIL GUIDES The Cornish Coast Path: There are too many of these to recommend one. Saints Way: 30 miles, Coast to Coast, Padstow to Fowey. The original guide, very informative, was written by Michael Gill. A more recent guide, published by Cornwall Council has excellent walk cards. National Trust Leaflets: Series of 25 + trails (8 to 16 pages) on NT coast and inland property. Camel Trail: Follows old rail tracks 18 miles inland from Padstow, brief guide from TICs. Mining Trails (formerly Mineral Tramways): Download the Mining Trails leaflet Smugglers Way: Coast-to-Coast route from Boscastle to Looe, devised by Frank Squibb. Copper Trail: by Mark Camp - 60 mile circuit round Bodmin Moor. Official Copper Trail web site is down! |
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| WALKABOUT WEST
Mark Camp offers guided walks generally in Cornwall and especially on Bodmin
Moor. Mark is one of the experts on Bodmin Moor: its
history, its antiquities and its industries - tin and copper mining, granite
quarrying aned china clay production. Mark has also published a number
of books about Bodmin Moor - three books of Short Walks, a new (March 2009)
Introductory Guide and a guide to the trail that he devised, the 60 mile
Copper Trail around the moor.
Mark's WalkaboutWest ENCOUNTER CORNWALL
This
was new to me when I spotted it in April 2009. I had a good browse
of their web site and thought it well worth bringing to your attention.
Then they organised walking tours They used to organise Walking Tours on
the Coast Path, The Copper Trail and the three major Coast-to-Coast trails
(Saints Way, St. Michaels Way and Smugglers Way) and some one centre
breaks. Encounter Cornwall organises Canoe and Kayak tours on the
Fowey River- self-guided and supported.
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| I am sure there are many others but I don't know them |
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Helebridge, Bude and the Bude Canal - 4.02 or 4.57 miles
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This walk makes use of the new cycleway which links Helebridge with Bude, mostly on the east side of the River Neet, and the towpath of the Bude Canal, free now of the cycles that once used it. It starts from the little car park alongside the canal in Helebridge, follows the cycleway into Bude but extends along the east bank of the Bude Canal Basin as far as the sea lock, and returns straightforwardly along the canal tow path to Helebridge. There is a good amount of interest along the way, much of it clearly explained by good storyboards. Once in Bude, there is a Canal Heritage Centre in the TIC in the main car park. The walk follows the canal all the way to the sea lock where, tides permitting, boats can leave the canal for the sea. There are ample eating places in Bude though some are seasonal; if all else fails the bar of the Falcon Hotel is always a good standby. The return, following the canal tow path is happily cycle free but is popular with dog walkers. At the end of the walk, The Weir, seen on your right before you go under the busy main road back to the start, is recommended as a place for a light snack or for a full meal. A longer version of this walk includes an additional short section of canal, the former inclined plane, the foundry that served the canal, some field walking and the hamlet of Hele. |
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Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics & Info - Directions |
| All of the Bude Canal that is walkable is described on my Rivers page |
Helebridge, Bude
and the Bude Canal - Oliver's Diary
| I have lost count of the number of times I have walked along the Bude Canal - with Jane, with Meg the Collie, with my sister Mary. Some of the walks have been of the canal only, some have been in the course of a Coastal Round Walk from Bude, some as Neet Valley round walks, like this one which I researched in November 2013. We were delighted when a cycleway route was added to the National Cycle Network, linking Helebridge to nBude; it meant that cycles could be banned from the canal towpath. Unfortunately, at about the same time, the towpath was tarmacked, making the former resilient surface rather unforgiving. I suppose there is a reason, this obsession with making everything accessible to wheelchairs; the silly thing is it was perfectly usable by wheelchairs previously, all the "improvement" has done is make it harder on walkers' feet. When I did this research walk I decided that the little bit of canal east of the main road, the inclined plane and the old foundry buildings should be included, so I devised a detour that included these plus the hamlet of Hele, joining the main walk only 150 yards from its start. Unlike the main route, all on dry level surfaces, this detour includes some hill and some field walking, something I enjoy but not all will choose to do. |  |
| Description - Interest - Statistics & Information - Directions |
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Helebridge, Bude
and the Bude Canal - Interest
| Features on Bude and the
Bude
Canal
Helebridge: An attractive hamlet on the River Neet. If you take the alternative cycle route back to Bude you will go through Hele, where there is a small car park. The Inclined Plane: If, instead of joining the Bude Canal for the return leg, you follow the canal route through Helebridge towards Marhamchurch, you will first encounter some former canal buildings – barge workshops, stables and iron foundry – then what remains of the former inclined plane. The climb up to Marhamchurch was too steep for a flight of locks, so goods were transferred to tub boats and winched up by a waterwheel powered mechanism at the head of the inclined plane. A couple of miles further on from Marhamchurch is another inclined plane, Thurlibeer at Hobbacott Down. Marhamchurch: If you feel like an additional detour from the top of the inclined plane. An attractive village, worth the detour to visit for its generally Victorian aspect, and a couple of cob-walled thatched cottages. St. Marwenna’s church has a sanctuary knocker on the oak door from the porch, Norman stonework in the south transept, a 17th century pulpit with tester, and an unusual window in a niche in the west wall, thought to be from an anchorite’s cell. Public car park, toilets and shop. The Bullers Arms Hotel does home made food Tues to Sat lunchtime and evenings. Efford Cottage: Continue beyond the sea-lock in Bude and look to your left to Efford Cottage. Part of the Ebbingford (Efford) estate, originally owned by the Arundells then by the Aclands, the cottage was built by Sir Thomas Acland in the 1820s and was used as a summer home. Whalesborough: The 500 acre farm, just off the route, has luxury self-catering accommodation and operates The Weir, an excellent all day café/bistro, incorporating a wildlife centre. |
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When the railway arrived in 1898 Bude developed as as resort, with hotels and villas with sea views. After World War II it went badly downhill and until 2011 had no quality hotel but catered rather only to the lower end of the bus tour trade. However, Bude still had many saving graces, not the least its superb Summerleaze Beach, where the tide recedes a full quarter mile. A sea lock there is the start of the Bude Canal (2 miles restored) that once carried sand inland. Behind the beach look out for the Castle; in front of it the Bude Light sculpture remembers Sir Goldsworthy Gurney who lived in the castle, built a steam road vehicle in 1829, and devised a complex system of arc lights and mirrors which lighted Parliament for 60 years before electricity. Now Bude makes a far better impression. The Quay is smarter, the Castle is now combination Heritage Centre, gallery, museum and restaurant, and there are boutique hotel with some pretensions, The Beach and Hebasca. New cobbling along the Quay makes it feel more spacious and there is now a row of craft and similar shops. The Olive Tree bistro there is good value. The town has now taken full advantage of the possibilities of the Castle. There are exhibitions on Bude as port, resort and surf centre; a Sir Goldsworthy Gurney exhibition; a research centre; an art gallery; a shop and helpful staff. There is good wheelchair access. The Castle Restaurant was strongly recommended. It closed; has it re-opened? |
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Description - Diary - Interest - Statistics & Info - Directions |
| We have walked the Bude Canal on many occasions, often as part of a round walk from Bude, on one occasion walking a different section starting from Tamar Lakes. Conceived in 1774, the original plan was for a 95 mile canal from Bude to Calstock on the River Tamar. What was finally completed in 1825 was a three armed canal, to Tamar Lakes, to Launceston and to Holsworthy. It essential purpose was to carry sea-sand inland to enrich poor acidic farming soil. Never much of a commercial success, the coming of the railway to Bude in 1898 (that has long gone) reduced canal trade drastically and it closed in 1901. Ironically, the railway may be gone but some of the canal is again open. In the 21st century a major regeneration project, at a cost of £3.8 million, cleared the canal for its 2 miles to Helebridge, restoring the two locks. Beyond Helebridge an inclined plane carried goods up to Marhamchurch in tub boats. While there is no question of the Marhamchurch inclined plane being restored, the towpath has been improved all the way to the lower inclined plane and the 'Planekeepers Path' has been re-opened to Marhamchurch and beyond. One criticism is that, in the name of 'access' the towpath has been unnecessarily tarmaced. There were fears that cyclists might use it as a race track but happily there is now a dedicted cycleway on the other side of the canal and river. |  |
| Description - Diary - Interest - Statistics & Info- Directions |
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Helebridge, Bude
and the Bude Canal -Statistics &
Information
| Statistics
Distance: Basic walk 4.02 miles; to include the inclined plane detour 4.57 miles . Ascent: Basic walk is essentially level; with inclined plane detour about 1540 feet. Highest Point: 140 feet between Helebridge and Hele. Biggest Climb: On inclined planed detour moderate 100 feet on way to Hele. Steps: None. On inclined plane detour up 13. Stiles: None. On inclined plane detour 3. Gates: 1 only; on inclined plane detour 2. Footing: Almost all on well-made or tarmac tracks. On inclined plane detour some easy field walking. Difficulty: Easy with no ascents of any note. Map: OS Explorer 111 Bude, Boscastle & Tintagel. |
| Useful Information
Parking: Park in Helebridge village, in a small car park (10 cars) at 21559/03680 at 35 feet, alongside the south bank of the Bude Canal. If full, you should be able to park on the lane opposite the car park. Getting there: From A39, 1 mile south of southern branch of A3072 into Bude, and opposite the turning to The Weir, taker turning E into Helebridge village. Intermediate Parking: Large pay car park in Bude near the bridge over the canal. Refreshments: Bude, Falcon Inn and Olive Tree, both by canal. Helebridge, the excellent Weir café/bistro, owned by the up-market Whalesborough holiday complex. Toilets: Next to TIC in Bude main CP. |
Poundstock,
New Mill and Penfound - 3.20 miles
Walk
taken from John Alden's excellent and comprehensive iwalkcornwall
web site
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Only a short walk but it contains more interest than a walk of twice its length. It starts from the Poundstock village car park, an unexpectedly massive one for a tiny village, its size perhaps accounted for by the lottery funding that paid for it. First port of call is the churchyard. Both the medieval Church of St. Winwaloe and the early and, for Cornwall, unusual 14th century Gildhouse are well worth a closer look. The church, wth its wealth of ornament, is well worth spending time in. The Gildhouse, sadly, apart from functions, is open only on Wednesdays from May to October. The walk leaves the churchyard by a lower lych gate and climbs a quiet lane to cross the busy A39 at Treskinnick Cross. Next point of interest is the "Rebel Cinema" before a field route leads you down to New Mill, itself also worth exploring, especially for its barn with tallet steps. Now it's uphill on a track to Penfound; on the way a stream crossing may need wellies (I didn't). Early medieval Penfound Manor is difficult to see anything of without trespassing but the impressive Victorian barns of Penfound Farm are easier to see and admire. Though much of the route is in valley or through woodland, there are occasional good views, to Week St. Mary church and to the radomes and dishes of GCHQ on Steeple Point. From Penfound back to Poundstock is on quiet lanes. An enjoyable walk but, in wet weather, don't forget the wellies. |
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Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics and Info - Directions |
Poundstock, New Mill and Penfound - Oliver's Dairy
| I first did parts of this walk in 2006 as a "Three Manors Walk" that included New Mill and Penfound from this walk but also the skeletal ruins of Penhallam and the delightful East Hele Farm, pictured on the Three Manors Walk. In nine years since then - I did this walk in November 2015 - some things have changed radically. New Mill Manor is now virtually invisible from the road yet in 2006 I was able to get a good photo of it from the bridge where a plaque records the great flood of 16 August 2004; it wasn't only Boscastle that flooded then, the water here rose some 6 feet or so. I don't remember the stream that occurs after about 1 ¾ miles and which you have to walk through for 20 yards or so. When I researched this walk the stream was no problem. However, only a week later I went back to repeat parts of the walk. This time I would have needed fairly high wellies to get through the stream. Further on, at Penfound, I must confess to a small trespass. To get a photo of part of Penfound Manor, otherwise invisible from the right-of-way, I let myself into a field just to the south of the manor. To my surprise I found, between me and the house, a tall Cornish cross; I have been unable to find any reference to it anywhere. Much as I enjoyed the interest and buildings along the way - the barn with tallet steps at New Mill and the Manor and manor farm at Penfound, I spent much of my time enjoying the intriguing antiquities in Poundstock Church and the exterior of its Gildhouse. |  |
| Description - Interest - Statistics and Infor - Directions |
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Poundstock, New Mill and Penfound - Interest
| Poundstock: The spread out parish includes Trekennard, Treskinnick and Bangors but the interest is all in Poundstock itself. The medieval church of St. Winwaloe has a Gildhoue within its churchyard, at the foot of which is a lych gate and a restored wellhouse. St. Neot's Holy Well is just off a track towards Widemouth Bay. Click here for a fuller description of Poundstock. Rebel Cinema: You hardly expect to find a cinema just off a busy main road but in an almost non-existent village. Originally the site of a garden centre and café, the Reberl was purpose built as a single screen cinema back in 1988. The unusual frontage is in mock Greek style with a classical pediment It added a second screen in 2014 and updated its equipment at that time. New Mill: A tiny settlement that consists of litle more than the small manor house, its associated barns and a couple of cottages. Penfound: Another small settlement, this time consisting only of Penfound Manor, its associated farm and a bungalow. The manor house is medieval with Tudor and Jacobean additions and is Listed Grade II star. Sadly, it is only by trespassing into a field that you can get any sort of view of the house. In front of it is a large Cornish Cross of which, oddly, I can find no mention anywhere. The house is associated with several dubious claims; it is said to be the oldest continually inhabited home in England and there are claims that it is haunted. The gate carries the Penfound coat of arms, also to be found in Poundstock church. Set in the wall near the gate is Penfound's own Victorian post box. Bangors: Nothing to commend the small settlement except, perhaps, the organic farm shop and restaurant. |
Poundstock, New Mill and Penfound - Statistics and Information
| Statistics
Distance: 3.20 miles. Ascent: About 450 feet. Highest Point: 390 feet just before Rebel Cinema. Biggest climb: 235 feet from New Mill up to past Penfound Farm. Steps: None. Stiles: 7, all wooden. Gates: 8, mostly wooden, includes 1 kissing gate: Going: Can be quite wet in fields down to New Mill and on track up to Penfound. Footing: Acceptable almost everywhere, may be a bit slippery on way up to Penfound. Stream at 1.70 miles may need wellies in wet weather. Map: OS Explorer 111 Bude, Boscastle and Tintagel. |
| Useful Information
Parking: Largechurch car park at Poundstock, entrance att 20407/99498. Getting there: From A39, Wadebridge to Bude, at Treskinnick Cross (2nd Poundstock turning) go L down hill ¼ mile to car park on L. Intermediate parking: Room to park on other side of road from Penfound Farm. Refreshments: None. Toilets: None |
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Boscastle,
the Valency Valley, Peters Wood, Minster Church - 2.18 miles
Walk
taken from John Alden's excellent and comprehensive iwalkcornwall
web site.
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This, I think, is the shortest walk on these pages. It is not, by any means, the least interesting. In little over 2 miles you encounter a delightful quiet river valley, an ancient woodland, an unusual and very isolated church, some pasture land, and the old part of Boscastle, far more interesting than what the seasonal visitor to these parts is likely to see. The walk starts from Boscastle's massive public car park and follows the Valency River up its wooded valley for the first four fifths of a mile. Note that after less than half-a-mile there are stepping stones and a waymark pointing to Minster Church. You could take this route but although much shorter it is also much steeper. You leave the river, crossing it on a recent wooden footbridge, for a longish but moderate climb up through National Trust owned Peters Wood to Minster Church. The location of the church is remarkable, tucked into a steep valley, the nearest habitation a farm ¼ mile away. Interest there includes a holy well (if you can find it) and a witch's grave. Following a brief climb to around 500 feet after the church, the route is then all downhill, first on lanes, then over farmland, finally down the quiet streets of old Boscastle and back to the start. To summarize, a walk that is neither long nor difficult but has enough interest for a morning's or afternoon's stroll. |
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Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics, Info - Directions |
| Having recently done several walks in the area around Boscastle, taking in some coast and the delightful estate village of Trevalga, I decided on an inland round walk out of Boscastle for a mid August 2015 exercise. So I downloaded and followed a walk from John Alden's excellent and comprehensive iwalkcornwall web site. Walks from Boscastle that involve coast path can be quite hard work in places, instance one walk that includes St. Juliot Church, Beeny Cliff, Pentargon and Penally Hill. This one, following the little Valency River upstream, climbing through woodland up to Minster Church and heading downhill all the way back to Boscastle, is not only short, it is very easy and, for those younger than me, would be little more than an hour or so's stroll. I found the route obvious, waymarking clear and easy to follow. Footing was good almost everywhere; just a little bit of slippery surface in Peters Wood. I was pleased at last to see Minster Church; amazingly, considering its remote location, this is Boscastle's parish church. Its setting is superb, at its best in spring. Inside are some fine monuments including, unusually for Cornwall, a brass to Hender Robarts. I easily found the grave of the witch Joan Wytte but I couldn't find the holy well which I think must have been hidden by luxuriant vegetation. |
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| Description - Interest - Statistics and Info - Directions | Trecarne Gate, for sale when I passed it |
Boscastle, Valency Valley and Minster Church - Interest
| Boscastle: See Towns page. Valency River: The little river rises near Otterham Station. A mere five miles or so later it joins the sea at Boscastle, between Penally Point and Willapark. In between it passes through no towns or villages though it comes close to St. Juliot Church and runs through the tiny settlement of Newmills; it's in hilly farmland at first but very soon becomes wooded, remaining so all the way to the edge of Boscastle. Minster: As a settlement Minster scarcely exists, just Minster Farm, Home Farm and Tolcarne Gate. Its importance is as the home of the mother church of Boscastle, and the hub of the parish of Minster and Forrabury. Minster Church: Near the head of a steep tight valley that runs down to the Valency River, the church is almost completely hidden from view. Driving past on the lane to Lesnewth, you would be unlikely to spot it, tucked below the lane. Outside graves are almost overwhelmed by luxuriant growth, full of daffodils in spring. Just off the path up through Peters Wood from the Valency River is the grave of Joan Wytte. Clairvoyant, diviner and healer, she was known as the 'fighting fairy woman'. Jailed for public brawling, she died in Bodmin Jail in 1813. Her skeleton was, for a while, displayed in Boscastle's Museum of Witchcraft but eventually reburied in a grave just outside Minster churchyard. Old Boscastle: The final ½ mile of the walk is along Fore Street, Dunn Street and Old Road in Boscastle. To the left the land rises to New Road, homes perched on its edge. To the right the land falls away to the Jordan Valley. |
| Statistics
Distance: 2.18 miles. Ascent: Just under 500 feet. Highest Point: 495 feet after Minster Farm. Biggest climb: Around 295 feet from Valency footbridge up to lane after Minster Farm. Steps: Up 13, Down 9. Stiles: 3, including 1 very high cattle stile. Gates: 5, including 3 kissing gates: Going: Generally good everywhere. Footing: Good almost everywhere, bit of slippery near top in Peters Wood. Map: OS Explorer 111 Bude, Boscastle and Tintagel. |
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Useful Information
Parking: Main Boscastle car park (fairly expensive). Getting there: From A39, Wadebridge to Camelford, at Valley Truckle shortly before Camelford, go L and follow B3266 all the way to Boscastle. Intermediate parking: Room for a car where track comes up to lane just E of Minster church. Refreshments: Pubs and cafés in Boscastle. Toilets: By entrance to Boscastle car park. |
A Slate
Walk from Jeffreys Pit near Trewarmett - 4.46 miles
A wooded valley,
fields past Trenouth, a long wide path to Pengelly, round the massive pit
of Delabole Slate Quarry and back to start by Medrose and Bowithick Hill.
Also a detour to
see Prince of Wales Quarry and its restored engine house
Add
this to the following Trebarwith walk for a varied
figure of eight walk of 8.35 miles
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This walk is of two separate but closely related parts, both geographically and in their nature. The main walk starts from Jeffreys Pit car park near Trewarmett. This follows a wooded valley and a steep field to Trenouth Farm, then crosses fields to pick up a wide path that looks like a bridleway but, with stiles at the ends and in the middle, proves to be only a footpath. This path takes you to the lower end of Delabole where you cross the road to follow Pengelly to Delabole Slate Quarry, once the largest hole in Europe. There is almost a full circuit of the quarry, plus a detour to see "Slatehenge" then the route heads through Medrose to cross fields before following steep Bowithick Hill most of the way back to Jeffries Pit. For the other part, you are best off avoiding walking on a busy main road by driving a short way to park below Prince of Wales Quarry. There an enjoyable, if in places a little steep and rocky, circuit takes you around the quarry and up to the restored Prince of Wales engine house. The round walk - actually a figure of eight - is about 4½ miles; the circuit of POW Quarry around ½ mile. A couple of enjoyable walks with plenty of interest for the student of industrial history. There is interest for those who like stiles, too; there are rather a lot in the main walk, some of them quite odd, and quite redundant, in their set up. |
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Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics, Info - Directions |
A Slate
Walk from Jeffreys Pit near Trewarmett - Oliver's Diary
| I found this walk on John Alden's excellent iwalkcornwall web site and did it in late May 2015. I had previously researched my own short Delabole walk, taking in Helland Barton and Newhall Green, but I liked the idea of John's slightly longer walk in a quite different area but also taking in Delabole's impressive quarry. I had originally planned to do this walk the previous Saturday but arrived at Jeffreys Pit car park in thick fog which persuaded me to do a familiar walk from Tintagel rather than this unfamiliar one. While I enjoyed this walk for its variety - pasture, woodland, small town, vast slate quarry - I didn't enjoy the stiles: a doxen in all, including some unnecessarily complex ones, combining for instance granite step or cattle stile with a superfluous wooden stile. Do farmers imagine that some modern mutation in cattle (for there are no sheep around here) enables them to climb old fashioned granite stiles. You can understand farmers replacing severely damaged granite stiles with wood but to add one or even two wooden stiles to an existing perfectly good cattle stile makes no sense. Before setting off on the walk I had made a brief investigation of Prince of Wales Quarry and its restored engine house. I shall return there for a fuller investigation to include the quarry itself and a pool in the former quarry. |  |
| Description - Interest - Statistics, Info - Directions |
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A Slate
Walk from Jeffreys Pit near Trewarmett - Interest
| Jeffreys Pit: A former slate quarry which closed in 1928. Cutting sheds were on the other side of the road. A stream runs down through the woodland where the walks starts. It is then covered by slate tips and re-emerges later to flow down the valley to Trebarwith Strand. Delabole: A strange linear village, about a mile long but with almost no depth except for the interesting former separate settlement of Pengelly which leads to Delabole Slate Quarry. A small clock tower near the Bettle and Chisel Inn (slate cutter's tools) has a slate cutter as its weather vane. Delabole Slate: See full item below. Prince of Wales Quarry: Entrance to car park at 07091/86095. Near Jeffries Pit. You could walk the ¼ mile between the two but it is a busy road and there is a perfectly good car park at POW Quarry. The engine house in Prince of Wales Slate Quarry is the only one to have survived in North Cornwall. It once housed a Woolf Compound Beam Engine. The engine house was built in 1870 and the beam engine was installed in 1871. It was used to drive a wire ropeway to haul slate, and to pump water from the quarry pit. The engine house was restored in 1973. In 2015 the whole site was put up for auction by its then owner the Duchy of Cornwall with a guide price of £40,000 to £50,000. It achieved £81,000 from an anonymous telephone bid. |
Slate Country - North Cornwall around Tintagel and Delabole
| Slate is a Devonian
metamorphic rock formed by pressure on mudstones or shales. Wales
has always been Britain's main slate producer but North Cornwall has a
belt of slate, the best of which is found in the area around Delabole,
Tintagel
and Trebarwith. Slate has certainly
been quarried in Cornwall for 1000 years and more. Once men hung
from the cliffs near Tintagel, hacking out the slate. Those quarries
are long closed and slate, once a cheap roofing material, has become more
of a luxury item.
Major working quarry is now Delabole which employed 1000 men in 1859. Now its workforce is just 40 producing, albeit it with much mechanisation, much the same output as then. The five Delabole quarries united as one in 1841. From 1977 to 1999 it was owned by multi-national RTZ but is now back in private local hands and producing the same 120 tons daily as in 1859, thanks to its modern equipment. The vast waste tip (modern quarrying produces little) has been landscaped with walks, seats with views and, on the top, a modern Slatehenge. A visitor centre offers a video and seasonal daily tours of the surface works. A walk round the quarry perimeter takes a good half-hour but what was once the largest hole in Cornwall is now dwarfed by some of the great china clay pits to the north of St. Austell. |
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| There is parking at Delabole Quarry |
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A Slate
Walk from Jeffries Pit near Trewarmett - Statistics & Information
| Statistics
Distance: 4.46 miles. Ascent: About 500 feet in all. Highest Point: 745 feet at top of Bowithick Lane. Biggest Climb: 375 feet from Jeffries Pit to just beyond Trenouth Farm. Steps: Up 8. Stiles: 14, a mix of granite, wood and strange hybrid. Gates: 7 plus 5 kissing gates. Footing: Can be muddy and slippery in first woodland section. Therafter generally good across pasture. Obviously good on several tarmac sections. Well made path around Delabole Quarry. Difficulty: Generally easy, after initial woodland and pasture climb to Trenouth Farm. Road: 1.39 miles of quiet lanes. Map: OS Explorer 109 Bodmin Moor! |
| Information
Parking: Park in large free car park in Jeffries Pit at 06767/86181. Getting there: From Wadebridge, follow B3314 to far end of Delabole. Go L towards Trebarwith. First R down Bowithick Hill to bottom. L on Tintagel road. Soon L on Trebarwith Strand road and shortly L into Jeffries Pit. Intermediate Parking: Delabole Slate. Refreshments: Bettle and Chisel Inn, Delabole. Toilets: Delabole. |
Trebarwith
Farm, Backways Cove, Trebarwith Strand, Treknow - 3.89 mls
Starts from Jeffreys
Pit, includes short stretch of coast but almost all inland
Walk
based on one from John Alden's excellent and comprehensive iwalkcornwall
web site.
Add
this to the previous Slate Walk for a varied figure
of eight walk of 8.35 miles
| I have also posted this on my Coastal Round Walks page, since it includes a short section of coast, but I choose to classify it as an Inland Walk since it starts inland, at Jeffreys Pit car park, as does the previous Delabole walk. And indeed this walk is mostly inland. From Jeffries Pit you use just a short stretch of the road towards Trebarwith Strand but turn off it at the driveway towards Fentafriddle. Field paths then lead to the interesting buildings of Trebarwith Farm and on to precipitous Backways Cove, on the coast path. There is then a steep climb of around 300 feet up to Dennis Point and an even steeper descent, with a flight of over 200 steps down to disappointing Trebarwith Cove. If you are looking for refreshments, the Port William Inn has a good lunchtime pub menu. From there the walk continues up the road for a short way before heading off up a valley to the village of Treknow and back by pasture and a woodland nature reserve. Apart from ascending and descending Dennis Point, this is quite an easy walk with a number of ravishing cosatal views. The older and less able (like me) may like to note that there are 22 stiles, some a bit awkward. Aat Trebarwith Cove, in addition to the Port William Inn, there are a couple of cafés and toilets with seasonal opening. |  |
| Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics and Info - Directions |
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Trebarwith Farm, Backways Cove, Trebarwith Strand, Treknow - Diary
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Recently, for reasons not unconnected with age and health, I have tended to avoid Cornwall's Coast Path whern researching new walks. However, I had already researched a couple of walks in this area, one of them using the Coast Path between Trebarwith Strand and Tintagel, and I had already done a Slate Walk using Jeffreys Pit as my start and finish point. So I though that to do this walk from the same start point would offer more serious walkers the opportunity to add two short walks together to make a more challenging 8.35 mile walk. I was pleased that I had less difficulty than expected with the steep climb up to Dennis Point and the long, steep flight of steps down. What did give me trouble was the stiles, not so much the number as the nature. In several locations, where there are perfectly good cattle or sheep stiles over fairly high hedges, farmers have added an additional wooden barrier on top (acceptable) and high wooden stiles before and after the hedge, sometimes with barbed wire to trap the unwary. What on earth is the matter with them? Do they think their cows are Olympic athletes? Or do they resent public rights of way across their land and are deliberately making things difficult for walkers? It's so unnecessary: a proper Cornish stile in the right place is all that's needed. |
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Description - Interest - Statistics, Info - Directions |
Trebarwith Farm, Backways , Trebarwith Strand, Treknow - Interest
| Jeffreys Pit: A former slate quarry which closed in 1928. Cutting sheds were on the other side of the road. A stream runs down through the woodland where the walks starts. It is then covered by slate tips and re-emerges later to flow down the valley to Trebarwith Strand. Fentafriddle: As you walk up Fentafridle's driveway, you get the impression of a well-tended expensive estate. Verges are carefully mown, a wooden fence well maintaned. On a bank on the left is a topiary tea party. Barns have been converted to luxury holiday accommodation and it is also a wedding venue. Trebarwith Farm: The big farmhouse is rather dour looking. The adjacent attractive listed cottage is a holiday let - what else! The farmyard boasts an attractive cart shed. Trebarwith Strand: It's reputation as a beauty spot is hardly merited. At medium to high tide there is no beach. At low tide there are yards of potentially slippery rock to scramble over to get to the sand. All that is really outstanding is the view to Gull Rock. The Port William (the place's original name) pub is nicely located above the cove, with tables outside. Continue past the pub to find the small harbour. Port William's trade was in slate export from the quarries along the cliffs while sand from the beach was carried inland for soil enrichment. Treknow: (From Wikipedia) "Treknow is mentioned as a manor (under the name of 'Tretdeno') in Domesday Book. The acidic local soil was manured with beach sand from nearby Trebarwith Strand: the trade in sand led to road improvements in the early 19th century (the Trebarwith Strand to Condolden "Sanding Road"). Some buildings in the village display a marked Arts and Crafts influence, probably as a result of the work of architect Detmar Blow who is known to have worked on the Old Post Office in Tintagel for four years from 1896". Trebarwith Nature Reserve: Steeply sloping 3 acre site, at its best from late spring to autumn. Wildflowers, particularly speedwell, proliferate. You may be lucky enough to see brown trout in the stream near the clapper bridge. Old Millfloor: Presumably once a mill, now apparently a B&B and restaurant. Looks pretty difficult to get to! Prince of Wales Quarry: Not directly on the walk but near Jeffries Pit. Entrance to POW car park at 07091/86095. You could walk the ¼ mile between the two but it is a busy road and there is a perfectly good car park at POW Quarry. The engine house in Prince of Wales Slate Quarry is the only one to have survived in North Cornwall. It once housed a Woolf Compound Beam Engine. The engine house was built in 1870 and the beam engine was installed in 1871. It was used to drive a wire ropeway to haul slate, and to pump water from the quarry pit. The engine house was restored in 1973. In 2015 the whole site was put up for auction by its then owner the Duchy of Cornwall with a guide price of £40,000 to £50,000. It achieved £81,000 from an anonymous telephone bid. See fuller posting |
Trebarwith Farm, Backways , Trebarwith Strand, Treknow - Stats & Info
| Statistics
Distance: 3.89 miles. Ascent: About 500 feet in all. Highest Point: 485 feet after Fentafriddle. Biggest Climb: Easy 400 feet from Trebarwith Strand up through Treknow to the Camelford to Tintagel road. Tougher 280 feet from Backways Cove up to Dennis Point. Steps: Up 120. Down 208, includes 203 down to Trebarwith Strand. Stiles: 22, mostly wood but with a few proper Cornish granite or slate stiles. Gates: 10 plus 3 kissing gates. Footing: Generally good on pasture land. A little vertiginous on narrow path from Backways Cove up to Dennis Point. Long steep flight of steps down to Trebarwith Strand. Some uneven footing in Trebarwith Nature Reserve. Difficulty: Generally easy enough, though the climb up to, and steps down from, Dennis Point may be hard going. Road: 0.92 miles of quiet enough lanes, though the road down towards Trebarwith Strand can get rather busy at holiday times. Map: OS Explorer 109 Bodmin Moor and OS Explorer 111 Bude, Boscastle and Tintagel |
| Information
Parking: Park in large free car park in Jeffreys Pit at 06767/86181. Getting there: From Wadebridge, follow B3314 to far end of Delabole. Go L towards Trebarwith. First R down Bowithick Hill to bottom. L on Tintagel road. Soon L on Trebarwith Strand road and shortly L into Jeffries Pit. Intermediate Parking: Trerbarwith Strand, 2 car parks. Refreshments: Trebarwith Strand, Port William Inn and cafés. Toilets: Trebarwith Strand (seasonal). |
Delabole, Helland Barton and Newhall Green - 3.69 miles
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This short and very easy walk from Delabole, the slate capital of Cornwall, makes a change from most of my walks as it is mainly on tracks with comparatively little in the way of field paths. Although less than four miles, if you want to make a little more of a walk of it, you can very easily add a full circuit of the massive Delabole Slate Quarry to bring the distance up to almost 5 miles. The walk starts in the Delabole Slate Quarry car park and does only a few yards on the road before heading south on tracks to Helland Barton and Newhall Green. Between those two, do look out for a small sluice that reminds one that Newhall Mill really was once a mill, and for the remains of a vaccary wall - see Intewrest section. A few more yards on a quiet road to the boundary of Trtewalder then north across a couple of fields to pick up another track that ends up on the road to Valley Truckle near Deli Farm - an interesting range of products there. The road, a quiet one, leads past Delabole Wind Farm, Britain’s very first, passing The Barton before crossing more fields back to the slate quarry. Back at the quarry, it’s worth making a circuit for a fuller walk and perhaps a visit to Delabole Slate’s showroom or even one of their tours. And, whatever you do, don’t fail to make the short detour, just before returning to the car park, to see ‘Slatehenge’. |
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Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics, Info- Directions |
Delabole, Helland Barton and Newhall Green - Oliver's Diary
| In my later 70s, and after two hospitalisations, my walking has become less strenuous than it was a few years ago. No more difficult moorland walks, though I still love to do the easier ones, and no more sections of the Coast Path that boast ascents of 4,000 feet in 10 miles, a bit like climbing Ben Nevis. So nowadays, I spend quite a bit of my time on Clay and Mining Trails – easy level walking – and looking for shorter countryside walks. This walk is very much one of the latter. Even with the extra circuit of Delabole Slate Quarry, there is less than 5 miles to cover and the ascent involved, a mere 450 feet, is mostly spread over almost a couple of miles of gentle climbing. Some of my recent research walks, from Camelford and St. Breward, have included rather a lot of stiles, so I was pleased to find only eight stiles along this route – and most of the gates were open anyway, probably permanently so. I was most entertained to find the remains of what appeared to be a vaccary wall between Helland Barton and Newhall Mill. My first encounter with one of these was at the lost village of Wycoller in Lancashire, when holidaying with Jane. I particularly enjoyed Newhall Green with its manorial buildings and attractive converted watermill. I have included the photo of Slatehenge to remind you not to miss it; the turbines have now been replaced by gigantic ones. | |
| Description Interest Statistics and Info Directions |
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Delabole, Helland Barton and Newhall Green - Interest
| Delabole Slate
Quarry: North Cornwall’s slate belt covers Delabole, Trebarwith
and Tintagel. Slate has been quarried in Cornwall for 1000 years
and more. Major working quarry is now Delabole which employed 1000
men in 1859. Now its workforce is just 40 producing, albeit it with
much mechanisation, much the same output as then. The five Delabole quarries
united as one in 1841. From 1977 to 1999 it was owned by RTZ but
is now back in private local hands and producing the same 120 tons daily
as in 1859, thanks to its modern equipment. The vast waste tip (modern
quarrying produces little) has been landscaped with walks, seats with views
and, on the top, a modern ‘Slatehenge’. A visitor centre complements
seasonal daily tours. A walk round the quarry perimeter takes a good half-hour
but what was once the largest hole in Cornwall is now dwarfed by some of
the great china clay pits to the north of St. Austell.
Helland Barton: Still a small farm of arable, pasture and woodland; attractive farmhouse and several holiday cottages. Vaccary Wall: Approaching Newhall Green you encounter the remains of a vaccary wall, constructed of upright slate slabs. The word ‘vaccarie’ meant a small scale commercial cattle farm, so a vaccary wall was a pasture wall or fence. Best known examples are at Wycoller in Lancashire and Kelmscott in Oxfordshire. Newhall Mill: Part of the former Newhall Manor estate, the mill house is a handsome stone building with an attractive garden. Opposite are the buildings and barns of the manor. As you approach Newhall Manor you pass on your right a small sluice, part of the former mill’s system of water management . The village, Newhall Green is an attractive rural hamlet. Deli Farm: Apparently a noted charcuterie – interesting products and web site. Delabole Wind Farm: Opened in 1991 this was the first in Britain; it’s eight small turbines have since been replaced by four massive towers. |
Delabole, Helland Barton and Newhall Green - Statistics & Information
| Statistics
Distance: 3.69 miles. Add a 1.23 miles full circuit of Delabole Slate Quarry for a 4.92 mile walk. Ascent: 450 feet. Biggest Climb: Newhall Green to Deli Farm 365 feet but relatively easy. Highest Point: 700 feet at The Barton. Gates: 10, many probably open. Stiles: 8, mix of cattle and wooden. Road: 0.65 miles of quiet lanes. Going: Generally good on paths, tracks and in some pasture. Map: OS 109 Bodmin Moor. Useful Information Getting there: From Wadebridge take B3314 to Delabole. Near beginning of village, turn R signed Delabole Slate and park in their car park. Parking: Delabole Quarry car park, entrance off Pengelly at 07305/83656. Intermediate Parking: You could probably park in Newehall Green village. Transport: Delabole is on Western Greyhound routes 584 Wadebridge to Camelford and 595 Camelford to Bude. Refreshments: Pubs in Delabole. Toilets: Delabole Slate visitor centre. |
Davidstow
Church, Holy Well and Airfield - 4.33 miles
From Tremail, by
Davidstow Airfield, Trewassa, Davidstow and Treworra
A
variation on a walk from John Alden's excellent and comprehensive iwalkcornwall
web site.
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John Alden's iwalkcornwall web site classifies this as a Bodmin Moor Walk. I can understand why as Davidstow Moor is really part of the overall Bodmin Moor and for part of this walk you are in sight of and feel fairly close to Roughtor and Brown Willy. However, the former moorland north of the road across Davidstow Moor has long been disused airfield rather than moor, so I feel that this should be classified as an inland round walk rather than a Bodmin Moor walk. John's walk starts at Tremail Methodist Chapel but I was unhappy about parking in the village and opted to take the lane SSW to the airfield and park by the cattle grid. So my version of the walk starts and finishes on Davidstow Airfield. The walk is quite an easy one with no climbs to speak of and fairly good footing for most of the way. My route took me across the airfield, passing many derelict airfield buildings, then up a beech-lined track to Treworra and across fields to Davidstow church and holy well. I returned by lane to Treworra, fields to Tremail, and the lane from there back to my start. Interest is less than on most of my walks: Davidstow church has little to commend it except the holy well in a field behind. A visit to Cornwall at War Museum, open Easter to September, and incorporating a Davidstow Airfield Museum, would add about a mile to the walk. |
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Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics, Info- Directions |
Davidstow Church, Holy Well and Airfield - Oliver's Diary
| Having walked several of John Alden's iwalkcornwall walks around Tintagel and Trebarwith, I decided to look for possibilities inland. Looking on his Bodmin Moor page I happened upon this one in the Davidstow area. I briefly considered classifying the walk as Bodmin Moor but decided against doing so, despite the relative proximity of Roughtor and Brown Willy. However, what little moorland there is in the walk is now covered by the buildings and runways of the former Davidstow Airfield. Unlike John, who starts his walk from Tremail, I decided on an airfield start and finish, largely because of the ease of parking. I found less interest than I would normally find on a walk and was disappointed particularly by Davidstow church, despite important connections with St. David, St. Non and Altarnun. I was, however, pleasantly surprised to find the holy well in such good condition (as you can see from the photograph) and so easily accessible, despite reports to the contrary on Megalithic Portal. I should have completed this walk in one go. However, I was running late when I left Davidstow church so simply returned by lanes. I returned the following week to take the field route from Trewarra. I had hoped the weather would be warm and sunny to get some better photographs; instead I got soaked. |
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| Description - Interest - Statistics and Info - Directions |
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Davidstow Church, Holy Well and Airfield - Interest
| Davidstow Airfield:
There must have been high expectations of Davidstow Airfield. It
was completed in 1942 with three runways and a vast dispersal area.
The RAF and Canadian Airforce operated from Davidstow and duties included
U-boat and E-boat patrols, air-sea rescue and bombing missions. However,
it was never a great success, thanks largely to the inevitable foggy moorland
conditions. It closed soon after war ended and began to revert to
grazed moorland. However, in 1952 a motor racing circuit was created
and three Formula One races were held there. The circuit closed in
1955. Although it has largely reverted to nature, many buildings
remain: the main control tower, bunkers, massive protective
bunds, abandoned and derelict buiildings, and the buildings which now house
the Davidstow Airfield and Cornwall at War Museum, open Easter to October.
Davidstow
Church: You might hope that a church associated with St. David,
patron saint of Wales, and therefore also with St. Non and Altarnun, would
be of great interest. Sadly, the church must be one of Cornwall's
least interesting. It is best seen and pictured from the lych gate,
from where you see nave and two aisles, large east windows and the tall,
plain, three-stage tower. The interior was 'scraped' in Victorian
times, removing any medieval features from the walls. Its only saving
graces are a good but roofless lych gate; a nice font cover;
a couple of old bench-ends, one of a bagpiper; a carved reredos;
and a couple of brass plaques, one to Catherine Anne Buller. Davidstow
Holy Well: Presumably the spring that feeds the present well
house has been in use since well before the church was built. The
well house has been restored several times, most recently in 1996.
Reports on Megalithic
Portal are well out of date. Treworra: Now calling
itself Treworra Barton, the house is attractive, as is Owls Gate, just
to its south. Inexcusably, the Right of Way through the property
has been diverted, electric fenced paddocks blocking it, and the route
now signed by green waymarks designed to look like permissive path WMs. A disgrace! |
Davidstow Church, Holy Well and Airfield - Statistics &Information
| Statistics
Distance: 4.33 miles. Ascent: About 360 feet. Highest Point: 985 feet at start/finish point. Biggest Ascent: Easy 180 feet from valley after Treworra Barton back to Airfield. Stiles: 18 of mixed type but mostly cattle stiles. Gates: 6 plus 1 lych gate. Steps: Up 12, Down 8. Road: 0.25 miles plus traffic dead-end free lane 0.80 miles. Going: Good across airfield, some mud on track to Treworra, good in fields to Davidstow and to Tremail, tarmac lane back to Davidstow Airfield. Map: OS109 Bodmin Moor, 111 Bude, Boscastle and Tintagel. Useful Information Getting There: From A39 3 miles NE of Camelford go R on A395 (Launceston) for 1 mile to Davidstow church on L. Go R on minor road for about 1 mile to Tremail. Go R opposite phone box on lane for about 1 mile. Cross cattle grid on to Davidstow Moor and park on grass on R at 15484/85460. Parking: On Davidstow Moor on grass by cattle grid at 15484/85460. Intermediate Parking: By Davidstow church, near lych gate. Transport: Travel Cornwall bus 410 links Delabole, Camelford, Davidstow, Launceston. Refreshments: None. Toilets: None. |
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Camelford, Advent
Church, Moorgate Longstone - 5.32 miles
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This walk combines the northern parts of a major Bodmin Moor Round Walk to provide an interesting shortish walk with a reasonable amount of interest. It starts and finishes in Camelford where, happily, parking is free. The walk begins by following the River Camel for ¾ mile to Fenteroon Bridge. It then climbs out of the Camel Valley but descends to cross the river on its way to attractive Trethin, where you walk through part of the garden, and strangely isolated Advent Church – the church with a parish but no village. It is then cross-country and along a quiet lane with views to Watergate hamlet and a grassy climb to reach Moorgate Longstone, well worth a photograph with Roughtor and Brown Willy as a backdrop. From there a quiet lane leads to Moorgate, fields to Aldermoor, another quiet lane to Treclago and fields and lane back into Camelford. It is not at all a difficult walk but it is one with attractive scenery and occasional long views. Although there is about 1¾ miles of lane in the walk’s 5¼ mile length, those lanes are sufficiently quiet that you are unlikely to encounter more than the very occasional vehicle. If there is a drawback it is the proliferation of stiles. Altogether there are 44 and a fair number are triple stiles – a wooden stile, a granite cattle stile and another wooden stile. |
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Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics, Info- Directions |
Camelford, Advent
Church, Moorgate Longstone - Oliver's Diary
| Through much of the winter of 2013/14 walking on fields, coast path and moorland has been made difficult by the stormy and soaking weather, so I have been walking mostly on trails: the Mining Trails and the Clay Trails have provided fairly dry underfoot conditions. Now, towards the end of March, and after a period of drying sunshine, I feel able to get back to field, coast and moor. I put this shortish walk together by combining the start of the much longer Camelford to St. Breward and back round walk with its finish, with just a very short linking section after Advent church. My next walk will be put together in similar fashion but will start and finish in St. Breward Churchtown and will be about 6½ miles in all, including a detour to take in the lost Carwether Medieval Village. This walk has only a very short stretch of moorland; the St. Breward one will include quite a bit more. I like this walk; it’s delightfully rural despite lanes and there are some fine views. The one thing I don’t like is all the triple stiles. I wonder why on earth a farmer, having a perfectly good cattle stile over a hedge, should feel it necessary to add a wooden stile on each side, beats me. If you are younger than me, you may not mind these triple obstacles; at my age, and with a couple of hernias, they are hard work. |  |
| Description- Interest - Statistics & Info - Directions |
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Camelford, Advent
Church, Moorgate Longstone -Interest
| River Camel:
One thinks of the Camel as a river of Bodmin Moor. Indeed you do encounter
it on parts of the northern moor, but not on the heights and it cannot
be said really to drain the moor, except that it is joined near Poley's
Bridge by the De Lank River which really does drain a part of the north-western
moor. The Camel itself rises on the very northern extremities of
the moor near Davidstow. On its way to the town to which it gave
its name it passes through Slaughterbridge, site of the Arthur Stone.
After Camelford it runs through farmland and light woodland until it reaches
Wenford Bridge. Here a trail joins it, the Camel Trail, as it continues
through woodland all the way to Wadebridge, before the countryside opens
out alongside the Camel Estuary until the river enters the Atlantic between
Stepper Point and Pentire Point.
Fenteroon Bridge: This would once have been a massive clapper bridge but, like those at Bradford and Delford, it has been disguised by its modern tarmac surface. Trethin: The handsome house, listed Grade II*, was built of the local stone in the 16th and 17th centuries. Farm buildings are now largely holiday rentals, as is the case also with Aldermoor further on in the walk. Advent Church: Advent parish is a real oddity, mostly moorland with a population of only about 150. There is no village of Advent but the church is just ¼ mile from the hamlet of Tresinney. The site is roughly circular and is clearly ancient. The church, dedicated to St. Adwenna, one of the many daughters of Welsh King Brychan, is mostly 15th century and is built of a dour grey stone but has a handsome tower with eight crocketed pinnacles. The south porch has a sundial and some good wooden roof bosses. Inside is very plain but a good arcade divides nave and aisle, both with wagon roofs. At the east end of the aisle are two slate tombstones and one of granite, its wording carved in high relief, no easy thing to do so well. Rood stairs are blocked; by the door is what may have been part of the rood screen. At the west end of the south aisle is a fine simple circular Norman font. Watergate: Tiny attractive hamlet. As you approach on the lane past Quitecombe, you get a lovely view of nearby Highertown with Roughtor and Brown Willy behind. In the first field after Watergate you pass through an interesting L shaped enclosure, possibly connected with the ‘Settlement and Field System’ shown nearby on the map. There is a similar, but larger, enclosure between Heneward and Highsteps. Both are somewhat obscured by the trees growing on and around the banks. Moorgate Longstone: The 10 foot menhir (Cornish for long stone) is said to be the tallest in the Bodmin Moor area though others elsewhere in Cornwall, such as the Pipers and Gûn Rith in West Penwith, and Men Gurta near Wadebridge, are much taller. It photographs nicely with Roughtor and Brown Willy behind. The odd thing about this site is the rough unimproved area just to the north and west of the longstone. Here, mostly hidden by rank growth, are an ancient bank, many small standing stones, some aligned, massive stones that might once have stood, and groups of stones that once might have been part of cairns. Equally intriguing is the large area of rank nettles, usually a sign of former human habitation. Quarter-of-a-mile off to the east is a group of cairns, possibly associated. Aldermoor: Like so many Cornish farms, Aldermoor now farms holidaymakers and their pasture land is let to neighbouring farmers. The attractive holiday cottages are highly rated. Treclago: At the beginning of the farmyard, look out for the small stone drinking trough, fed by a spring that runs through the hedge. |
Camelford, Advent
Church, Moorgate Longstone - Statistics
& Information
| Statistics
Distance: 5.32 miles. Ascent: Around 600 feet. Biggest climb: 200 feet up from after Trethin but mostly very gradual. Highest point: Moorgate Longstone at 870 feet. Gates: 15, of which 4 are kissing gates. Stiles: 44, of which 28 wood, 16 mixed slate and granite. Road: 1.89 miles of tarmac but all on very quiet lanes. Going: Generally good on grass, tracks and lanes. Map: OS 109 Bodmin Moor. Useful Information Parking: Large free car park in centre of Camelford, at foot of hill out towards Bude at 10719/83848. Intermediate parking: By Advent church. Transport: Western Greyhound 584 links Wadebridge and Camelford via Port Isaac. 595 links Wadebridge and Bude via Camelford. 510 links Wadebridge with Launceston and Exeter via Camelford. Webbers 251 links Bodmin, Wadebridge and Camelford by a country route. Refreshments: Pubs and cafés in Camelford. Toilets: On R just after you leave the CP in Camelford. |
St. Tudy
and Wetherham - an easy 2.33 miles
A
walk from John Alden's excellent and comprehensive iwalkcornwall
web site.
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I chose this walk from John Alden's iwalkcornwall web site primarily because of the attraction of St. Tudy village itself. As it is only a short walk there was ample time to enjoy and photograph the village before undertaking what is, with one brief exception, a straightforward and easy walk. The exception was the gate off the lane from St. Mabyn to St. Tudy. Here there should have been a footpath sign but wasn't and the gate should have opened but had to be climbed, something that should be avoided for fear of unbalancing hinges. The walk starts at the war memorial by the Clink and passes through the churchyard and past the school to reach a field path down into the valley. There you enter woodland, mostly beech and alder, and follow an easy path for almost a mile, past Wetherham to pick up the lane from St. Mabyn. The route follows this for a short way uphill before the chained gate and a path down to Wetherham and its culverhouse. More woodland leads to the tarmac track from Wetherham to St. Tudy. You follow this uphill for ¼ mile then take village paths back to the start point. This is a very pleasing walk of a fair degree of contrast and plenty of interest: village, fields, woods, a great house and culverhouse, more woods, a quiet lane and paths through the village. An easy, varied walk to be recommended to those who prefer shorter walks. |
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Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics, Info - Directions |
St. Tudy
and Wetherham - Oliver's Diary
| I did this walk taken, as several others recently, from John Alden's excellent and comprehensive iwalkcornwall web site, in September 2015. First I spent some time in St.Tudy, photographing the church, the Clink, the old Forge and many attractive cottages. It's a lovely village but what a shame that power lines and telephone wires are strung across all over the place, detracting from the beauty of the village and making it quite difficult for the photographer to exclude them from his images. The weather was kind, sunny and reasonably warm so I was able to linger over the interesting parts of the village and the walk. I enjoyed the walk through the woods along the valley of the un-named stream. I liked the stream crossing past Wetherham, at the turning point of the walk, with its tiny clapper and slate cattle stile. I would have liked the chance to explore more of Wetherham and its lake and culverhouse; private ownership deterred me. What I didn't like was the gate where you leave the lane to St. Tudy. Chained shut and lacking any footpath sign or waymark, I really quite resented having to climb it, something I find much less easy than was once the case. Surely the chained gate and missing footpath sign or waymark are too much just to be coincidence; perhaps a farmer who doesn't like walkers crossing his land. |
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| Description - Interest - Statistics, Info - Directions |
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St. Tudy
and Wetherham - Interest
| St. Tudy: An attractive village with a handsome church, outlying manor houses, a good pub and attractive cottages. Click for fuller description. Wetherham: Beautifully situated Georgian country house with an ornamental lake, hydrangeas and a culverhouse. Apparently (September 2015) for sale with 35 acres through Savills. |
St. Tudy and Wetherham
- Statistics and Information
| Statistics
Distance: 2.33 miles. Ascent: Around 550 feet. Biggest climb: 210 feet up from turning point after Wetherham to gate off lane to St. Tudy. Highest point: 360 feet at start point. Gates: 7, of which 1 is chained closed, plus 1 kissing gate. Stiles: 11, mostly stone plus 1 lift barrier. Road: 0.32 miles of very quiet lane, plus a trmac track and some village paths. Going: Generally good on grass, tracks through woodland, and lanes. Map: OS 109 Bodmin Moor. Useful Information Getting There and Parking: From A39 Wadebridge to Camelford, take first turning R after St. Kew Highway and, after about 1½ miles, take first turning R into St. Tudy. In centre go R to War Memorial. If unable to park there, use village hall car park, passed on R on way into the village from A39 at about 06534/76636. Intermediate parking: None. Transport: Webbers Bus 251 links St. Tudy with Camelford, Bodmin and Wadebridge. Refreshments: St. Tudy Inn; food lunchtime and evening but not Monday, not Sunday evening. Toilets: On Redvale road; From War Memorial go L past Clink. Toilets on R. |
Cubert,
Mount, Stampas, Perran Round. Kings Ransom, Treamble
Here
are two round walks, based on a Cubert walk from John Alden's iwalkcornwall
site
The
first
starts from Cubert, taking in Mount, Stampas, Treamble, Treworthen and
Smugglers Den
The
second
starts at Perran Round, taking in Hendra Farm, Hendravossan and Lower Rose
The
two are linked by a shortish route between Stampas Farm and North Treamble
Farm
To
do the whole route as one walk, total distance 6.53 miles
**************************************************************
Walk
1 - Cubert, Stampas, Treamble and The Smugglers
Den - 3.51 miles
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As so often with my walks these day, this one is taken from John Alden's iwalkcornwall web site. However, rather than do John's Cubert and Perran Round 6.3 miles walk, I have divided his route into 2 shortish walks, one from Cubert, the other starting from Perran Round at Rose. These are linked by a short section, common to both, between Stampas Farm and North Treamble Farm. Of the two walks, this first one is by far the more difficult with much more in the way of ascent, including a final 225 feet back up to Cubert. The walk starts at Cubert church, where you may be able to park. It follows a partly wooded route down into the valley of what I believe is known as the Ellenglaze River. It then takes a slightly circuitous route from Mount, by field path and byway, avoiding a steep section of road. Field paths then take you to North Treamble; a byway to Treworthen; lanes to the Smugglers Den Inn and field paths climb back up to Cubert. Paths are mostly obvious enough though I have described my doubts about the correct way from Hillcrest to the byway from Mount to Stampas Farm. Going is also generally fairly good though the path from Hillcrest for some way towards the byway to Stampas is quite overgrown and awkward in places. Next I shall report on the second part, starting from Perran Round. |
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Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics & Info - Directions |
Walk
1 - Cubert, Stampas, Treamble and Smugglers
Den - Oliver's Diary
| My original intention had been to walk the whole of John's Cubert and Perran Round walk. However, before setting off, I had changed my mind and decided to split it into two roughly equal lengths but of quite different degrees of difficulty. This is the more difficult section, involving as it does much more in the way of ascent and an overgrown path to plough through. When I did this walk in early October 2015, when I got to the bottom of the valley after Cubert, I began to realise that most of the return route was familiar from a previous walk. Back in 2010 I had researched a 9 mile Coastal Round Walk from Holywell Bay that used a return route from Perran Round much of which features in this walk and in Cubert Walk 2. I have to admit that, 5 years and several health problems later, I found parts of this walk much tougher than I had been expecting. The first part of the Mount to Stampas Farm section was badly overgrown and proved hard going. No problems then until I set off up the hill back towards Cubert. I found myself plodding slowly up the steep hill to the Smugglers Den and was tempted to stop for a drink at the Smugglers. In the event I chose to press on and found that the fields back to Cubert were easier than the lane to the Smugglers. My next walk will be another round one, starting from Perran Round and effectively completing John Alden's Cubert and Perran Round walk. |
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| Description - Interest - Statistics and Info - Directions |
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Walk
1 - Cubert, Stampas, Treamble and Smugglers Den - Interest
| Cubert: Originally St. Cubert but in the 16th/17th century the saint must have lost popularity in the locality because the churchwardens are said to have whitewashed his image, dressed as an abbot, in the church. On early maps the village name sometimes appears as St. Kibberd, perhaps a case of the cartographer misunderstanding the local dialect. To the west of the village, half way to the coast, is the medieval Holy Well, dedicated to St Cubert, from which the coastal bay takes its name. It is on the Holiday Park at Trevornick, beyond the ponds, at approximately 77336/5896. The outstanding feature of the village is its 14th-century church with its broach spire. Originally there was only a nave but the south aisle was added in the 15th century. The village is named for the Welsh missionary Cubert who, with St Carantoc (Crantock), is claimed to have brought the Christian faith to this part of Cornwall. Carantoc travelled on to Brittany, Cubert returned to Wales becoming a bishop and dying in 775. This story does not exactly ring true. Piran had already brought Christianity to this very area in the early 6th century. Cubert church is easily identified from a distance by its broach spire. Inside is a concert organ that came from Lanhydrock House, two nice stained glass windows, and an ancient font with an interesting modern cover. Outside are several table tombs. Farms near Mount: Stampas, North Treamble and Treworthen farms all have delightful barns, some now holiday cottages. Some are of part cob construction and still have their exterior tallet (loft) steps. Smugglers Den: Attractive thatched independent hostelry a short walk out of Cubert. Fairly typical pub menu at lunchtime, with nods in the direction of both Cornish produce and visitors to the many local holiday parks. |
Walk
1 - Cubert, Stampas, Treamble, Smugglers Den - Statistics
and Info
| Statistics
Distance: 3.51 miles. Ascent: Around 500 feet. Biggest climb: 220 feet up to Cubert at the end of the walk. Highest point: 255 feet at Cubert church. Steps: Up 10. Down 6. Gates: 12, includes 6 kissing gates. Stiles: 6 of mixed type. Road: 0.63 miles. Going: Generally good on tracks and paths but there is mud in places and some awkward footing. Map: OS Explorer 106 Newquay and Padstow. Useful Information Park: In The Glebe, Cubert Churchtown, (the square by the church), entrance off the St. Newlyn East to Holywell road at 78640/57851. Getting there: From A392 Newquay to Goonhavern road, about 2 ½ miles S of Newquay, go R on un-numbered road signed Holywell and Cubert. About 100 yards after the roundabout at the beginning of Cubert, in Cubert Churchtown, go L into The Glebe. Parking on the L of this square, before the church. Parking is free; unlimited time October to May, otherwise limited to 3 hours. Intermediate Parking: Some parking where field path emerges at foot of hill up to Mount, at 78333/56681. Also just SE of there by former rail bridge at 78518/56541. Transport: First Kernow bus 85 and 87 link Truro and Newquay via Cubert, evenings only. First Kernow 84 same journey, summer only. Refreshments: Anvil Inn, Cubert. Asalt & Battery Fish & Chips, Cubert. Smugglers Den on route SE of Cubert. Toilets: Cubert, signed near church. |
Walk 2 - Perran Round, Treamble, Stampas, Hendravossan - 3.35 miles
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As so often with my walks these day, this one is taken from John Alden's iwalkcornwall web site. However, rather than do John's Cubert and Perran Round 6.3 miles walk, I have divided his route into 2 shortish walks, one starting from Cubert, the other starting from Perran Round at Rose. These are linked by a short section, common to both, between Stampas Farm and North Treamble Farm. Of the two walks, this second one, starting from Perran Round, is by far the easier with less in the way of ascent, the final climb back up to Perran Round being only 140 feet. The route is fairly straightforward. After a very short section of the Goonhavern road, you take a track north-east down into the valley, then up past Wheal Hope cottages to Hendra Farm. You continue up to Little Treamble Farm then bypass Treamble Valley Caravan Park on your way to North Treamble Farm. The return route begins with the section that links the two walks, the third of a mile to Stampas Farm. From there the route is by Orchard Cottage, Hendravossan and Lower Rose to return to Perran Round. The route is generally straightforward with ample footpath signs and waymarks. Going is generally good and there are no stiff ascents. Do be sure to allow time to explore Perran Round and to enjoy the interesting barns on the farms you pass through. |
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Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics, Info - Directions |
Walk 2 - Perran Round,
Treamble, Stampas, Hendravossan - Oliver's Diary
| This walk did not go exactly as intended. No problem as far as Hendra Farm (why "Hendra Farm"? That translates from the Cornish as "old farm farm"). However there I entered the field to the right of the farmhouse only to find myself mobbed by a large herd of over-enthusiastic young cattle. On the grounds that discretion is the better part of valour, I retreated and used byway, lane and more byway to make my way to North Treamble. In fact, I think this may be marginally the preferable way as the field route would bring you out south of North Treamble and to see the farm, which is well worth seeing for its old barns and original house, you would have to go north then turn back on yourself to continue. Generally speaking, going is fairly easy. There is very little mud, little difficult footing and, indeed, quite a lot of the route is on well made tracks and byways. There is, however, one really quite awkward stile, occurring after exactly 0.60 of a mile. This is almost a sheep stile but the projecting stones are a little close together and therefore might well be negotiable by sheep, so let us call it a step stile. Getting up onto the hedge was easy enough but the steps down the steep 6 foot or so drop on the other side needed some care. So far as I can work out from the map, the photo on the right is of the old Treamble House now, I think, just used as a barn. |  |
| Description - Interest - Statistics and Info - Directions |
|
Walk 2 - Perran
Round, Treamble, Stampas, Hendravossan - Interest
| Perran Round: There is some argument as to what this site really originated as. It is a bit small for an iron-age farmstead. The exterior ditch is deep enough to suggest the site was defensive. And, while it was almost certainly not constructed as a medieval Plen-a-Gwary or 'Playing Place', it was almost certainly used as one at some point. The one thing you may be reasonably sure of is that, despite its name, it had nothing to do with St. Piran (or Peran). See the entry on my antiquities page. Farms: Stampas, North Treamble and Treworthen farms all have delightful barns, some now holiday cottages. Some are of part cob construction and still have their exterior tallet (loft) steps. On this walk you pass through Treamble and Stampas; Treworthen is to the north of Treamble. |
Walk 2 - Perran
Round, Treamble, Stampas - Statistics and Information
| Statistics
Distance: 3.35 miles. Ascent: 460 feet. Biggest climb: 140 feet from before Lower Rose back to Perran Round. Highest point: 295 feet at Perran Round. Steps: Down 4. Gates: 7, includes 3 kissing gates. Stiles: 1 only but this is.a difficult high step stile. Road: 0.66 miles. Going: Generally good on tracks and paths with very little mud or awkward footing. Map: OS Explorer 106 Newquay and Padstow. |
| Useful Information
Parking: Lay-by on B3285, very close to Perran Round, at approximately 77913/54403. Getting there: From A3075, Newquay to Redruth road, at Goonhavern, go R on B3285 towards Perranporth. Intermediate parking: None. Refreshments: None. Toilets: None |
Tregoss Crossing, Belowda Beacon and Castle-an-Dinas - 6.30 miles
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This walk goes with a pair of Goss Moor routes to complete a trio of walks starting from the Tregoss Crossing car park on the old A30 at the northern edge of Goss Moor, a mile or do west of the notorious Iron Bridge. This one, however, heads north from its start point, taking in two nearby hills – Belowda Beacon and Castle-an-Dinas – both with specific interest of their own. I describe this walk as challenging partly because of the two hills but mostly because of what you will encounter soon after the start of the walk. You set off alongside the old A30 and soon cross it to find some serious bog on the way to a tunnel under the new A30. This is probably seriously difficult ground even in dry weather; in the wet it merits two poles and great care. After the A30 you come to the tiny hamlet of Belowda then follow a bridleway uphill to Belowda Beacon (Beacon Hill). After an exploration of the hill you then follow the road for half-a-miles and then cross Tregonetha Downs before climbing Castle-an-Dinas, well worth a thorough exploration. Tracks and paths (may be wet) then take you back under the A30 and through Deep Tye Farm to the old A30. This, now a traffic-free lane with path alongside, takes you back to the start. Perhaps not much over 6 miles but a fairly challenging walk nonetheless. |
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Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics, Info - Directions |
Tregoss Crossing, Belowda Beacon and Castle-an-Dinas - Oliver's Diary
| I walked this, like the two Goss Moor walks, in late February 2014 towards the end of the wettest three months on record. So I should not have been surprised to find the going underfoot a bit wet, slippery and difficult. At least I proved that my Brasher Hillmasters are still waterproof after four or five years. Not that they were proof against getting a bootful which I did twice, the right boot on crossing the bog early in the walk, the left choosing the wrong route across Tregonetha Downs. I returned the following week and found a much better way across Tregonetha Downs but there is no avoiding the bit of Goss Moor bog. On my second visit I also looked at another route onto Belowda Beacon but decided against it; and I looked at the possibility of including the Open Access land where the china clay pits and works are but decided against that, too, not least because proper access is blocked but also because the whole area looks very overgrown; in fact you wonder whyever it is designated as Open Access land. On the return leg from Castle-an-Dinas –great views from there and from Belowda Beacon – I discovered the path through Deep Tye Farm partly blocked by padlocked gates but found both easy to circumnavigate. This is a walk I hope to come back to in dryer weather; perhaps the bog bit will be easier to cross. |  |
| Description - Interest - Statistics and Info - Directions |
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Tregoss Crossing, Belowda Beacon and Castle-an-Dinas - Interest
| Goss Moor:
You cross a very small bit of Goss Moor at the very beginning of the walk.
The rest of Goss Moor and Tregoss Moor are off to the south of this walk.
The moor, at some 1200 acres is the largest surviving remnant of moorland
and heathland that stretched down the spine of mid-Cornwall. It is
now designated as a National Nature Reserve, noted for its breeding birds,
moths, damselflies, butterflies, especially Marsh Fritillaries. It
was not always like this. Tin was streamed here from the 11th to
early 20th centuries; sand and gravel were extracted in the 1930s,
40s and 50s; block making took place in the 1930s and massive sand
silos still stand in the heart of the nature reserve. Mineral railways
ran across the moor and, on the western edge of the trail, near Indian
Queens Electricity Sub-station, the trail follows one of these. The
River Fal rises on the moor; you see it south of Tregross Railway
Crossing. The northern section of the trail uses the former A30 road,
once scene of horrendous traffic jams at the notorious Iron Bridge.
River Fal: Only about 20 miles long, it rises on Goss Moor winds its way through china clay country, even at Tregony (it was once navigable to here) still being little more than a stream. The drowned valley begins at Ruan Lanihorne, water at high tide, mud at low. It's only when the Truro River joins, just north of Trelissick Garden, that it becomes a serious river, some 200 yards wide and deep enough for out of commission ships to anchor. Soon after, at Turnaware Point, it widens out to a mile or more. This is now serious sailing country with yacht clubs and anchorages by most of the creeks. Where the Penryn River joins at Falmouth there are important docks. Tudor and later forts - Pendennis, St. Mawes and St. Anthony - guard the mouth of the river. Belowda Hill: Also known as Belowda Beacon, it is difficult now to imagine the hill when it was busy with tin mining. Two tin lodes met near the summit of the hill. South shaft engine house of Beacon Mine stands fairly intact, complete with boiler house. Chiefly a tin mine, it was quite short-lived and was only in operation from1872 to 1902, producing only 49 tons of tin. Later attempts at reopening failed. On the summit, a trig point stands on what appears to be a large cairn but is probably spoil surrounding an open-cast pit. The cairn is probably a little west. China clay was quarried here, too; two disused pits stand on a separate area of Open Access land a little to the west, unfortunately there seems to be no access to this land. However, you do see a large abandoned works building by the road towards Winnards Perch; it is a surprise to realise that the V&A Museum owns a Ruskin Spear painting of it. Tregonetha Downs: Now an SSSI and Nature Reserve, this was another mining site where tin was streamed, hence all the humps and hollows. The little River Menalhyl rises here and flows through St. Columb to reach the sea at Mawgan Porth. The area has now been enclosed to allow Galloway cattle to graze. A blue notice at the eastern entrance explains about this. Castle-an-Dinas: Largest and most accessible iron age hill fort in Cornwall, not to be confused with one of the same name in West Penwith, Castle-an-Dinas stands on a 700 foot hilltop south-east of St. Columb Major. There are three rings of bank and ditch, the outer perimeter a full half mile, the area around 10 acres. 4000 years ago all that stood here were two bronze age barrows, still just visible. In 1646, in the Civil Wars, Hopton's royalist forces camped overnight. Sixty years ago it was the site of a major wulfram (tungsten) mine and an aerial ropeway ran from the ramparts to works buildings that still stand by the car park. Now it is just populated by sheep and goats. A lot of stories surround this isolated spot. Reputedly it was the site of King Arthur's hunting lodge and the place where Cador, King of Cornwall and husband of Arthur's mother Igerne, died. It is said that ghostly armies have been seen in the skies above the fort. Murders and executions have taken place here. Daphne du Maurier used it as the site of Castle Dore in her novel Castle Dor. Panoramic views from the ramparts - a toposcope stands by a barrow. |
Belowda Beacon and
Castle-an-Dinas - Statistics and Information
| Statistics
Distance: 6.30 miles. Ascent: Around 700 feet. Biggest climb: 350 feet up to Belowda Beacon, but easy because over 1 mile. 300 feet up Castle-an-Dinas, over 0.90 miles. Highest points: Belowda Beacon 740 feet, Castle-an-Dinas 700 feet. Gates: 11. Stiles: 6, of which 4 wood, 2 granite. Road: 0.56 miles. Going: Probably fairly good and easy in dry weather but can be very wet and muddy after heavy rain. Note: About 400 yards of unavoidable bog at beginning of walk; more bog, if you are not careful, on Tregonetha Downs. Map: OS 106 Newquay and Padstow. |
| Useful Information
Parking: Small car park on the old A30 near Tregoss railway level crossing at 96074/60981, larger one a hundred yards or so east (not signed). Intermediate parking: Lay-by SW corner Belowda Hill at 96866/62367. CP at Castle-an-Dinas. Refreshments: None. Toilets: None |
Scorrier,
Cambrose and Wheal Peevor - 6.18 to 7.10 miles
Mining Trails and
Bridleways - and a major mine site at Wheal Peevor
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A moderate distance but very easy walking makes this typical of walks that use Cornwall's Mining Trails. But where the official mining trails are, with the honourable exception of the Great Flat Lode Trail and The Loops, strictly linear, this is a round walk using a section of mining trail, the Coast-to-Coast, and existing bridelways and paths. Its great selling point is that includes what must be Cornwall's most fascinating mine site, Wheal Pevor with its three substantial engine houses. The walk starts at a small mining trails car park by Rodda's Creamery in Scorrier and follows the Coast-to-Coast mining trail as far as Cambrose before turning back on itself, on bridleways and tracks, to Wheal Peevor. where I strongly recommend spending time exploring. From there you have a choice of three routes back to Scorrier. The most obvious crosses Radnor Golf Course but, at the time of writing is a bit awkward. The short alternative is by lane and path close to the noisy A30. The long alternative uses tracks and bridleways in a loop by way of Wheal Rose village. This is easy walking: you descend a bit over 200 feet on the outward leg, climb that and a bit more on the return leg - but all of it fairly gently. There is a potentially muddy section soon after leaving Cambrose but it is always passable. |
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Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics, Info - Directions |
Scorrier, Cambrose
and Wheal Peevor - Oliver's Diary
| I'm a great fan of the Mining Trails - or Mineral Tramways as we used to know them. Much more so than of the Clay Trails which have nothing like the interest to offer the walker. I have previously devised several of my own mining trails, two of which include Wheal Peevor, one of the most interesting and best preserved mine sites. These are my own Coast-to-Coast Trail and my own Togus Trail; both include Wheal Peevor. This particular round walk was deliberately devised to include Wheal Peevor yet again so you may gather that it is one of my favourites mine sites. Jane and I had many times noticed three chimneys when driving down the A30 near Redruth. When we learned that conservation work was under way on the site we spotted that Allen Buckley, leading mining historian, was to give a guided tour of Wheal Peevor in September 2007. We joined the tour and found it a fascinating site, most notable for still having its three engine houses - pumping, winding and stamps - as well as remains of an arsenic calciner. On this occasion I researched three routes back from Wheal Peevor. While the one parallel to the A30 is quickest and the Golf Course one will be pleasant and direct when Rodda's have finished their development work, I think I prefer the extended bridleway and track route which makes a good length walk of it. | |
| Description - Interest - Statistics, Info - Directions |
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| I did this walk again in June 2014, to check out the route across Radnor Golf Course and North Downs Farm, the final leg of the walk. I was glad I did as I was able to settle on a route that should hold good when the works have finished. I have amended the Directions. |
Scorrier, Cambrose
and Wheal Peevor - Interest
| Rodda's Creamery: It is noteworthy that Cornwall's two most successful businesses remain family owned. St. Austell Brewery was founded in 1851 by Walter Hicks, it remains in the hands of his descendants. Rodda's got its start in 1890 when Eliza Jane and Thomas Rodda started making clotted cream in their farmhouse kitchen in Scorrier. By 1920 their family were sending clotted cream to top London stores. In 1971 they started sending cream by post. In 1983 they started supplying airlines; now most of the world's airlines serve Rodda's. In 1998 Rodda's Cornish clotted cream was awarded Protected Designation of Origin status. In 2003 it was part of the last meal ever served on a Concorde flight from London. Today it is sold all over the world. Mining Trails: There are almost 40 miles of these trails, mostly following the lines of the former tramways that carried mineral ores and finished metals. Best known, and most used particularly by cyclists, is the Coast-to-Coast from Portreath to Devoran, combining parts of two former tramways. This should be avoided by walkers at holiday times and summer weekends. The rest make easy walking at any time. I have also devised some of my own: a Walker's Alternative Coast-to-Coast, a Tolgus Trail, promised by Cornwall Council but never fulfilled, and a Missing Link through Redruth. This walk uses part of the Coast-to-Coast as its outward leg but uses regularly bridleways and tracks to return via Wheal Peevor. Mining Trails: See Mining Trails page. Wheal Peevor: See feature below. |
Wheal Peevor
at Radnor near Redruth
 |
The conservation of Wheal Peevor, located at the hamlet of Radnor on the north side of the A30 near Redruth, is clearly one of the major enterprises of Cornwall Council's contribution to the World Mining Heritage Site. No expense has been spared in consolidating the engine houses and creating a disabled access path around the site and a small car park. Apparently there may also be a small visitor centre (no sign of this in 2013). In September 2007 work was not yet finished but we were lucky enough to be able to join a guided tour preview of Wheal Peevor, ably led by mining historian Allen Buckley, assisted by wldlife guide Rory Goodall. Wheal Peevor, part of the great North Downs complex, is a particularly important site because of three surviving engine houses, pumping, winding and stamps. Not only that, it also has remains of an ore crusher, buddles and an arsenic calciner - and more that will remain hidden beneath the furze and bracken. The mine worked intermittently for a hundred years or so until around 1890, producing vast quantities of tin. It re-opened to mine wulfram in 1911 but soon closed again. We felt that restoration had been a bit overdone and, while we understand the need for access, the paths looked too much like a cycle track. And we wish the money could run to clearing furze from the lower site. |
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Description- Interest - Statistics, Info - Directions |
Scorrier, Cambrose
and Wheal Peevor - Statistics and
Information
| Statistics
Distance: Basic walk 6.24 miles; with longer return from Wheal Peevor 7.10 miles . Ascent: About 300 feet on the return leg but easy going. Highest Point: 385 feet before Wheal Rose village Biggest Climb: To gentle an ascent to matter. Steps: None. Stiles: None to Wheal Peevor, 3 on Golf Course return route. Gates: 1 only on Bridleway return route. Footing: Almost all on well-made or tarmac tracks but can be muddy on some paths. Difficulty: Easy with no ascents of any note. Map: OS Explorer 104 Redruth and St. Agnes. |
| Useful Information
Parking: Park in small Mining Trails car park at 72178/44497 on lane at S side of Rodda's Creamery. Getting there: From A30, heading W, take first exit after Chiverton Cross roundabout, cross over A30 and keep L Intermediate Parking: Wheal Peevor car park at 70894/44252. Refreshments: Bike Barn cycle hire at Elm Farm, Cambrose. Toilets: None. |
Lanner
Hill, Tresavean Trail, Lanner, Carn Marth - 3.13 or 4.31 miles
A varied short
walk includes a Mining Trail, a high hill, ample interest and panoramic
views
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Despite being perhaps the shortest walk in all these walk pages this one has enough interest, and a stenuous enough section midway, to be worth doing, parhaps in conjunction with some other walking on the many mining trails in the area. It actually starts at a small car park on the Redruth and Chacewater Mining Trail but incorporates only a very small section of that trail in its letter stages. It starts just a few yards from the domed reservoir at the top of Lanner Hill and sets off along the short Tresavean Mining Trail. At the end of the trail, where there is a reminder of its days as a horse-drawn railway, a spur off the Hayle Railway: some granite setts and a short length of recreated railway. From there you take a track and a lane into Lanner and cross the main road to follow an (almost) unsigned path that takes you eventually to the summit of Carn Marth, where a toposcape will help you to enjoy the glorious panoramic views. From here the basic route follows a track past Carn Marth Amphitheatre and Pennance Consols engine house. Should you not be interested in these two points of interest, there is a longer alternative route from the summit back to the start point. To the end of the Tresavean Trail is level. There is then an easy descent to Lanner, a long climb to Carn Marth summit, and an easy return descent. |
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Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics, Info - Directions |
| The longer distance: A longer return route from Carn Marth summit makes the walk 4.31 miles. Full route in Directions |
Lanner Hill, Tresavean Trail, Lanner and Carn Marth - Oliver's Diary
| Very much a walk of three parts, two of these parts were familiar, the central linking section new to me. Jane and I had walked the short Tresavean Trail back in August 2007. Shortly before that we had joined a guided walk, led by Mark Kaczmarek, that took us from the Lanner Hill reservoir to Bissoe Cycle Hire. This was a preview of what was to be the Redruth and Chacewater Mining Trail but actually took, from the walker's point of view, a better route (over Carn Marth) than the eventual official trail. We were so taken by our guided walk that we soon returned to explore further for ourselves. When I did this research walk in February 2015 I knew there could be no problem with the route of the Tresavean Trail and of the route back down from Carn Marth summit. Looking at OS104 I was hopeful of finding a way through Lanner to access Carn Marth. In the event it proved easier than I had expected and I was pleasantly surprised that I had to use almost no road. And, although the climb from Lanner was over 400 feet, nowhere was it steeper than moderate. And, as always in good weather, the views from the summit were both panoramic and superb. A great place to be on a fine day. You will see that the directions include an alternative return from Carn Marth; beware, it can be rocky and muddy in places. |  |
| Description - Interest - Statistics & Info - Directions |
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Lanner Hill, Tresavean Trail, Lanner and Carn Marth - Interest
| Tresavean Trail: Only a little over 1 mile in length now, this was once a branch of the Hayle Railway that served so many of Cornwall's tin and copper mines. Entirely horse-drawn, it transported coal to and copper ore from Tresavean Mine. It closed in 1936. Tresavean Mine: A successful copper mine, also producing some tin, it was in existence from 1700 or earlier but really got going in the early 19th century. it included at one time or another Wheals Comford, Treviskey, Tretharrup, Bellvean, Brewer, Barrier and Trethellan Mines. On this walk all you see of these is the capped shaft of Bellvean Mine. Carn Marth: Dwarfed in popularity by nearby Carn Brea, Carn Marth is, at 800 feet, quite a lot higher. Views are panoramic, from both the toposcope and from the higher trig point. |
Lanner Hill, Tresavean Trail, Carn Marth - Statistics & Information
| Statistics
Distance: Basic walk 3.13 miles; with longer return from Carn Marth summit 4.31 miles . Ascent: About 500 feet in all. Highest Point: 800 feet at Carn Marth Trig Point. Biggest Climb: 420 feet from Lanner up to Carn Marth Trig Point. Steps: Down 6. Stiles: Just 1 low granite cattle stile. Gates: 2 only, both on longer return route. Footing: Mostly good on trail, paths and tracks on the shorter basic route. Rocky, potentially muddy descent from Carn Marth on the longer return route. Difficulty: Generally easy, except for descent from Carn Marth on longer route. Carn Marth ascent is quite gentle. Map: OS Explorer 104 Redruth and St. Agnes. |
| Information
Parking: Park in small car park on Redruth & Chacewater Trail at Lanner Hill at 70860/40263. Getting there: From A393 Scorrier to Falmouth road, after final houses in Redruth, take first R on Tram Cross Lane. CP on R after about 300 yards. Intermediate Parking: Some in Lanner. Also Clijah Crofts in Redruth. Refreshments: None. Toilets: None. |
Carn Brea, the ridge above Pool and Redruth - 3.34 miles
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At less than 3½ miles this may be about the shortest walk on these pages. However, it is far from being the easiest. A total ascent of around 600 feet may be quite moderate but some of the paths are rocky, the most difficult being the narrow rocky one through furze down from Carn Brea summit to Tregajorran. The walk starts from the small car park at Old Cowlins Mill, just south of the railway at Pool and is best done at the weekend when no staff are using the car park. You start on a quiet lane to Tregajorran, following Great Flat Lode trail signs, then turn off to cross fields to just short of Whitecross Hill. A clear path then leads all the way to the summit of Carn Brea and on past the Bassett Monument and Carn Brea Castle. At the foot of the hill you descend to the GFL trail but immediately climb again up Carn Brea, again relatively easily. From the top the path down is the most difficult part of the walk. Best thing about this walk is the wonderful panoramic views, Godolphin and Tregonning Hills, the Penwith Hills - Rosewall, Trink and Trencrom - St. Ives and its Bay, St. Agnes Beacon, Carn Marth and Carnmenellis. Looking to Carnmenellis, you see many mining relics, Penance Consols, South Bassett Stamps (worth the small detour), South Wheal Bassett, Seleggan Copper Works and many more. |
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Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics, Info - Directions |
Carn Brea, the ridge above Pool and Redruth - Oliver's Diary
| This modest walk, done in April 2015, proved to be a lot tougher than I had expected. It wasn't the climbs, around 600 feet of fairly easy going, certainly not the moderate distance. It was rather that I was apparently already suffering from pneumonia and indeed was carted off to hospital the following day. However, that didn't spoil my enjoyment of the walk, particularly as it was September 2009 when I was last up on Carn Brea. First time here had been in 2002 when Jane and I walked up from Carnkie. I was up here again in 2006 then in 2007 we enjoyed a great guided tour of the hill with Mark Kaczmarek, as always full of tales about the Giant Bolster and other Cornish giants and monsters. My last time up here had been in September 2009 when helping Robert Preston with his research of the Lands End Trail, a long distance route from Avebury, linking with the Celtic Way from Pembrokeshire. On this occasion I may have been well below par but I still enjoyed the wonderful panorama. There are several spots from which to view the best of Cornwall. My other favourites are Chapel Carn Brea (no relation) near Land's End, parts of the Tinners Way from which you can see both Penwith coasts, St. Agnes Beacon, Carn Marth, and the major peaks of Bodmin Moor - Roughtor, Brown Willy and Stowe's Hill. |  |
| Description - Interest - Statistics, Info - Directions |
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Carn Brea, the ridge
above Pool and Redruth - Interest
| Carn Brea: This impressive hill, a ridge almost a mile long, towers over Camborne and Redruth. Views are superb but mostly to the north. The visible archaeoloogy is something of a disappointment. An important neolithic settlement of the early 4th millennium BC had an 8 acre enclosure surrounded by an 11 acre enclosure, occupied by a hundred or so people. Later, iron age occupants streamed for minerals and traded as far as Kent. In medieval times stone was quarried and the Bassetts hunted from their 'castle' hunting lodge, Carn Brea Castle. Most prominent feature of the hill is the great monument commemorating Francis Bassett, Lord de Dunstanville, a major mine owner. The hill is much overgrown with furze, brambles and bracken and all I have been able to find are a couple of standing stones, some boundary stones and two hut circles. Carn Brea Castle: Originally built as a chapel, in 1379, possibly dedicated to St Michael. Supported on one side by massive natural boulders, it was rebuilt in the 18th century by the Bassett family as a hunting lodge. West Bassett Stamps: Not on the direct route but well worth the short detour, this is one of the best surviving 19th century dressing floors where the ore was broken down by stamps, reduced to a fine sand, treated on vanners and buddles to concentrate the heavy tin particles, and calcined to remove the traces of arsenic and other impurities before smelting. The stamps engine (1875) was made by Tuckingmill Foundry. There are remains of settling tanks, buddles and Frue vanners. The site closed in 1918 after 11,500 tons of refined tin ore had been produced here. |
Carn Brea, the ridge
above Pool and Redruth - Statistics &
Information
| Statistics
Distance: Basic walk 3.34 miles; possible variants up to around 8 miles. Ascent: About 600 feet in all. Highest Point: 750 feet at Bassett Monument. Biggest Climb: 360 feet from start up to Bassett Monument. Steps: None. Stiles: 7 granite stiles, mostly hybrid cattle/coffen. Gates: None. Footing: Mostly good in fields and up to and across ridge. Awkward down to Great Flat Lode Trail, rocky up from it. Steep, narrow, rocky and difficult back down to Tregajorran. Difficulty: Generally easy to moderate, except for descent from the ridge to Tregajorran. Map: OS Explorer 104 Redruth and St. Agnes. |
| Information
Parking: Old Cowlins Mill car park, S side of railway, just off Pool to Four Lanes road, at 67015/40734. Getting there: From A30 westbound take third Scorrier, Redruth, Camborne exit (signed Pool & Heartlands) and go due south, past Cornwall College and Western Power Distribution on L, crossing A3047, past Heartlands and Tesco on L, Geevor Mine on R, to traffic lights. Go R, signed Four Lanes, over railway bridge and turn L and immediately again L into Old Cowlins Mill car park. (best weekends & holidays when no staff cars parked). Intermediate Parking: None really. Refreshments: None. Toilets: None (nearest Tesco Dudnance Lane). |
Bissoe,
Baldhu and Billy Bray - 5.42 miles
From Bike Chain
at Bissoe, uphill to Baldhu and back down by Wheal Jane
A
detour to Billy Bray's Three Eyes Chapel and back adds about 1.50 miles
- total 6.92 miles
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Designed originally simply as a round walk in mining country, using Bissoe's Bike Chain as a suitable starting point and place to park the car, this turned, quite by accident, into part of a pilgrimage in search of Cornwall's famous and fiery Methodist preacher, Billy Bray. The results of that pilgrimage can be found on my Miscellaneous page in an item about Billy Bray. This walk is one of considerable contrast. It begins and ends on the level well-made track of the Coast-to-Coast Mining Trail, a multi-user trail that runs from Portreath to Devoran. Once in sight of Carnon Viaduct, you leave the trail to begin a long but moderate climb, mostly on a tarmac byway, of some 300 feet to Trevu Farm. Bridleways continue to the former Baldhu Church, now two private homes, where you can visit the grave of Billy Bray. So far the only difficult part is the short path that leaves the Devoran to Bissoe road; when I walked it in July 2015 this was so over-grown as to be almost impassable. The more difficult part of the walk is that back from Baldhu Church down a rocky, sometimes muddy byway that takes you back down, in places quite steeply, by Wheal Jane and Nangiles, to the Coast-to-Coast near Twelveheads. Finally an easy level walk back to the car park on either the cycle trail or a bridleway. |
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Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics, Info - Directions |
Bissoe, Baldhu and Billy Bray - Oliver's Diary
| I was delighted to have done this walk, researched in late July 2015. Delighted partly because, by my standards these days, it was pleasing to complete a fairly difficult 6 mile walk. Partly because including the former Church of St. Michael and All Angels at Baldhu meant that I found a new interest, the story of fiery Cornish Methodist preacher, Billy Bray, of whom more elsewhere. Yet I found the church almost by accident. As I followed a lane towards Wheal Jane I saw that my OS105 map showed a church with spire just off my route. I found an unsigned footpath that took me towards it, discovered that it was no longer a church but had been converted to two homes. However, in the churchyard, was the grave of Billy Bray with permitted access during some of the day. Although Billy built three chapels in the general area, only one of these remains, the so called Three Eyes Chapel, at Kerley Downs near Chacewater. The difficult parts of the walk came near the start and near the end. Near the start I found Path 308/20/1, only short but narrow, totally overgrown and with a hidden gully down the middle. Near the end was byway 301/72/1; this proved to be rocky and muddy in places. Once at Nangiles mine, I made my way down the spoil tip with difficulty. The following week, I returned to find the easier official way down. |  |
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Bissoe, Baldhu and Billy Bray - Interest
| Bike Chain Ricci at Bissoe: Comprehensive cycling establishment. Bike hire and sales, equipment, clothing etc. Parking, bike parking, café. See their web site. Coast-to-Coast Mining Trail: One of several Mining Trails, this is the most straightforward, running for about 12 miles from Portreath on the north coast to Devoran on the south. It is also the busiest, used by many cyclists, especially at weekends and holiday times. Cycle hire is available at two locations along the trail, at Cambrose and Bissoe. Baldhu Church: Redundant and fairly recently converted to two interesting homes, the attractive Church of St. Michael and All Angels is fairly remote but accessed from the road from Chacewater to Kea. Although now private land, there is access to tend the graves and, between 11.30 and 4.30, to view the grave and memorial of famed Cornish preacher Billy Bray. If you want to see the holy well, a little tucked away, you should ask permission from the owners of Porch House, the western end of the church. Wheal Jane: Worked intermittently from the mid-18th century mainly for tin but also from time to time for arsenic, copper, silver and zinc, Wheal Jane finally closed as a mine in 1992. The result of switching the pumps off then was environmental disaster and the site has been working ever since to try to alleviate the damage done. Nangiles Mine: Before dropping down to the Coast-to-Coast, you come to the one wall still standing of the pumping engine house of Nangiles Mine. Though mainly a copper mine, Nangiles also produced tin, zinc ore, pyrite, arsenic, iron ore and ochre, the latter largely responsible for the colour of the burrow (spoil tip). Absorbed into Falmouth Consolidated in 1905, it became part of the Wheal Jane complex in 1915. |
| Statistics
Distance: 5.42 miles. Ascent: About 400 feet in all. Highest Point: 355 feet at Trevu farmyard. Biggest Climb: Moderate 310 feet in 1.94 miles from leasving the Coast-to-Coast up to Trevu farmyard. Steps: None. Stiles: None. Gates: 6 wooden gates, includes one wheeled gate. Footing: Good on Coast-to-Coast trail. Difficult on short path leaving the Devoran to Bissoe road. Good on byway to Baldhu and paths from there. Rocky and muddy in places on byways back down to the Coast-to-Coast. Difficulty: Overall moderate but with a couple of difficult places. Map: OS Explorer 105 Falmouth and Meva. |
| Information
Parking: Bike Chain cycle hire, Bissoe (£3 all day 2015), entrance at 77002/41498. Getting there: From A39 Truro to Falmouth, go R at the Devoran roundabout towards Bissoe and follow cycle hire signs. Intermediate Parking: May be able to park by Baldhu Church at about 77231/43157. Refreshments: Bike Chain cycle hire at Bissoe. Toilets: Bike Chain cycle hire. |
Truro
(Boscawen Park), Malpas, St. Clement - 3.71 mls
Detour from St.
Clement to Tresillian and back adds 2.48 miles - 6.19 miles
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A nice simple, short circular walk, starting just to the south of Truro city centre, in Boscawen Park, set alongside the Truro River. At a mere 3.71 miles, this may be a bit short for most. However, it can very easily be extended to 6.19 miles by folowing the Tresillian River from St. Clement to Tresillian village and back. You can park for free in Boscawen Park and there are toilets and an alfresco coffee shop. Looking at the OS map, you might think that you have to start on road. Happily a path follows the river to Sunny Corner, then a rough path with exposed tree roots runs through woods to the beginning of Malpas. You have to walk on road through Malpas but, except at commuter times, it is quiet. While passing through Malpas, look across the river to spot herons if you are lucky. After Malpas you are back in woodland almost all the way to St. Clement, sometimes with awkward footing, again with exposed tree roots. Do spend some time in charming little St. Clement, looking around church and churchyard, before taking various bridleways, tracks and paths over the hill by Park Farm, coming out on Malpas Road, almost opposite your start point in Boscawen Park. If you are able, do try to do this walk when the tide is in; views along the Truro River to Malpas, and up the Tresillian River in St. Clement will be all the better for it. |
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Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics, Info - Directions |
Truro (Boscawen
Park), Malpas and St. Clement - Oliver's Diary
| I have fond memories of St. Clement as one of the first places n Cornwall to which Jane introduced me. I was immediately struck by what a lovely peaceful spot it was and by how amazing that such a place should be only a mile or so from the centre of Truro, Cornwall's bustling county town. 42 years later St. Clement is as lovely as it ever was. In the years between we have been in the village many times and have walked there from Malpas and from Boscawen Park in Truro. Things have changed a little in St. Clement; the Vicarage below the church is now the Old Vicarage, a distinctly classy B&B. Malpas has changed a little more; some new infill homes and a new village hall, complete with wheelchair lift, the most noticeable. What hasn't changed there are the wonderful views over the confluence of the Truro and Tresillian rivers. I was disappointed to be walking along the muddy Tresillian River at low tide but I did spot a former quay and its associated building that I had not seen before. As I approached Tresillian village, the path across the marshes was blocked off because of a 'dangerous bridge'; I have to say I could see nothing dangerous about it so I used the path anyway. I wish the authorities could just say 'this bridge may be dangerous, use at your own risk'. |  |
| Description - Interest - Statistics and Info- Directions |
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Truro (Boscawen
Park), Malpas and St. Clement - Interest
| Boscawen Park: A traditional park with formal floral bedding displays and extensive sporting facilities: 8 tennis courts, 3 football pitches, and a county standard cricket pitch. A large play area for children includes outdoor climbing frames, trails, swings, and slides. Across the road at Trennick Mill there is a duck pond and a garden which is laid out to shrub and herbaceous borders and maintained with wildlife in mind. A riverside walk along the Truro River is dog friendly. There is an alfresco coffee shop by the tennis courts and car park. Malpas: oddly the name, according to Craig Weatherhill, means Bad Passage, presumbly a ferry crossing. It is now hard to imagine such a problem on the tranquil waters of the Truro and Tresillian Rivers that meet at Malpas. Essentially Malpas is the expensive ex-urbia of Truro and is really a dormitory village for Truro workers who like and can afford to sail. There used to be ferry crossings to Malpas Point and Kea Wood but now it is just a stop on the Falmouth to Truro ferry. One local tradition has it that Tristan and Iseult used a ferry crossing at Malpas when fleeing from the wrath of King Mark. St. Clement: A delightful little village on the Tresillian River, again primarily a commuter ex-urb of Truro. The church is charming from the outside, uninteresting inside thanks to Victorian rebuilding. The churchyard is given over to wild flowers and wildlife. By the porch is a massive standing stone, originally a memorial to one Ignioc, son of Vitalus, son of Torricus; a later cross-head was added. The lych gate is fascinating; it has a filled-in coffen stile and a room above with a small museum in it. Just beyond the lych gate are some charming thatched cottages. |
Truro, Malpas and
St. Clement - Statistics and Information
| Statistics
Distance: Basic walk 3.77 miles; to include Tresillian detour 6.19 miles. Ascent: Around 500 feet estimated in all. Highest Point: 210 feet around Park Farm. Biggest Climb: 210 feet up out of St. Clement on return leg. Steps: Up 109, includes flight of 54 up after Sunny Corner. Stiles: 4, all wooden. Gates: 5, including 1 kissing gate. Footing: Sunny Corner to St. Clement, can be damp and slippery in woodland; and beware tree roots. Road: 0.87 miles, usually quiet road. Difficulty: Easy but with awkward footing in woods. Map: OS Explorer 105 Falmouth and Mevagissey. |
| Useful Information
Parking: Park in Boscawen Park (free), off Malpas Road, entrance at 83402/43801. Getting there: From A39/A390 from east, go L at Trafalgar roundabout (first roundabout) into Malpas Road; Boscawen Park is on R after about ½ mile. Intermediate Parking: Some roadside parking in Malpas, a few spaces by the water in St. Clement. Refreshments: Boscawen Park, Coffee in the Park. Malpas, Heron Inn. St. Clement, Old Vicarage (seasonal). Toilets: Boscawen Park, Malpas, St. Clement. |
By Chycoose
and Penpol to Come-to-Good Meeting House - 4.64 miles
Back by Carnon
Downs, Higher Devoran and Middle Devoran
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This a short walk from the village hall car park in Devoran to the south-west of Truro. Devoran is an expensive and charming village on the upper reaches of tidal Restronguet Creek, well worth some exploration for itself and well worth allowing the time to eat at the village's gastro pub, the Old Quay Inn. Starting from the village hall, where there is an informative storyboard about Devoran's industrial past, the route follows Quay Road east. Where the road turns left, you could simply follow it, turning right towards Point. Best however first to explore the Quay with its tiny harbour and row of ore hutches. At low tide in dry weather you may then be able to follow the shore to Tallack's Creek, from where paths take you behind Chycoose and Point to the northern end of Penpol. A lane, track and path then lead you to the famous Friends Meeting House at Come-to-Good. Then it's a stretch of road to Carnon Downs followed by paths and tracks back by way of Higher and Middle Devoran to Devoran Church, Market Street and your start point. This is a short and easy walk with plenty of interest in Devoran, in Penpol and in Come-to-Good. The only remotely tough part is the steep road climb towards Carnon Downs although, if you follow the shore at the start, the stepping stones may be difficult and slippery. |
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Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics, Info - Directions |
Devoran on Restronguet Creek - Oliver's Diary
| For so short a walk I had to do a surprising amount of research. It didn't help that, first time out, I had forgotten to recharge the batteries of my GPS. As a result I had to walk it again to record the usual statisics for distances, grid references, heights and so forth. There were one or two places where alternatives presented themselves so the options needed to be looked at. Finally I decided to consider the possibility of the shoreline route along Restronguet Creek, path 305/29/2 from Devoran Quay to the far side of Tallack's Creek. Whern I tried it, the stepping stones were unusable so for that alternative I have relied on the notes made when walking the final southern section of the Coast-to-Coast Mining Trail. The route I chose to Penpol Bridge was new to me; previously I had only used the lane to Point and Penpol. The climb from Penpol Bridge to Come-to-Good proved a gentle one; oddly, the stiffest climb turned out to be on the road from Come-to-Good towards Carnon Downs. I was quite delighted with my visit to the Friends Meeting House; the grounds were carpeted with snowdrops, the field behind with daffodils. I enjoyed my lunch in the sun there, on the bench to the side of the modern extension. The day was warm and sunny but my second research walk was a bit rainy, no problem in the new Sprayway Santiago jacket. |  |
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Devoran on Restronguet Creek - Interest
| Interest on the Walk
Devoran: Delightful and expensive ex-urb of Truro, beautifully situated on Restronguet Creek. Full Devoran feature Come-to- Good Quaker Meeting House: A delightful and highly photogenic place of worship, Full feature Interest just off the walk Point: Point is a small settlement, like Penpol in the parish of Feock. It occupiesd a a small promontory where Penpol Creek joins Restronguet Creek. Prosperous from the tin and copper trade in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Point is now a quiet and expensive ex-urb of Truro. Penpol: The Quay and storehouses at Penpol were built in 1817 by Sir William Lemon to export copper and import coal. A lead smelter was built in 1829 and a dam built for a tide mill (a Bone Mill producing fertiliser) complete with sluices for scouring the channel in front of the wharves. A Corn Mill stood further upstream, beyond the road bridge. Now it is another attractive and expensive place to live within Feock Parish. |
Devoran on Restronguet Creek - Statistics and Informatiom
| Distance:
4.64 miles. Ascent: About 650 feet in total.
Biggest Climb: About 220 feet from Come-to-Good up to Carnon
Downs. Highest Point: 360 feet at /carnon Downs.
Gates: 11. Stiles: 4. Road:
Just over 1½ miles but much on quiet lanes. Going:
Generally good on paths, tracks and in some pasture; take
some care on the road from Come-to-Good to Carnon Downs.
Map: OS 105 Falmouth & Mevagissey.
Information: Getting there: From A39 Truro to Falmouth go L (signed Devoran) at 2nd roundabout after Playing Place, then go R and L to follow Quay Road to car park by Devoran village hall. Parking: Free parking by village hall on most days, but check notices.. Intermediate Parking: Lay-by opposite Friends Meeting House at Come-to-Good. Transport: First Bus 46 Camborne to Truro stops at Devoran Church. Refreshments: The excellent Old Quay Inn in Devoran is open all day from.11.00 a.m. |
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Cornwall’s best planned 19th century settlement, as mineral port, as trading village - and as a place for genteel and retired people. It survives as a charming commuter village. Port: In 1838 it was Cornwall’s busiest mineral port, 20 ships a week carrying copper ore to South Wales, others importing Scandinavian timber, Russian tallow, Indian jute and Welsh coal. Vessels of up to 130 tons were still being built on Restronguet Creek in the late 19th century. In 1850 regular steamers began to trade and in the 1890s there was a regular Swansea-Cornwall trade. The port continued in use until 1916. Streamworks and Submarine Mines: In 1785 embankments were built to create a tide free area, with navigation channels on either side, for tin and copper streaming, working material brought down by the County Adit. Eventually the stream works stretched for over a mile. Streaming ceased in 1811 but shafts were sunk in the silt and, while ships sailed overhead, miners worked 30 or 40 feet below. Ore Hutches: These walled enclosures were used to store the ore awaiting shipment. Four remain complete; now storage for small boats. Carnon Mine: The engine house was built 1824 to drain a submarine mine in Restronguet Creek. The mine was profitable but closed in 1828 after Redruth and Chacewater Railway complained about obstruction of navigation. |
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Description - Diary - Interest - Statistics, Info - Directions |
Come-to-Good Friends Meeting House
| Cornwall has always been fertile ground for what the Church of England likes to call nonconformism. Some of John Wesley's greatest successes were in Cornwall where mining communities turned out in their thousands to hear him preach at Gwennap Pit and elsewhere. A hundred years before Wesley an even simpler creed had taken hold in Cornwall, led by the important Falmouth ship-owning Fox family, appropriately since the founder of the Quakers was George Fox, though he was from Leicestershire. There are several Quaker Meeting Houses in Cornwall. One of the most charming is to be found just off the road to Trelissick Garden. Technically called Feock Meeting House - Feock is a pleasing small waterside village a mile or two further on - it actually stands in the almost non-existent settlement of Come-to-Good (a nice biblical ring to that). It was derelict when Jane first knew it, but has now been re-thatched and restored and is again a place of worship. The exterior is as charming as the best of meeting houses and features thatch, whitewash and leaded windows. The interior is simplicity itself and, even when empty, has a touching tranquillity. You can see other places associated with the Foxes - why not visit their gardens at Glendurgan and Trebah, both within half an hour of here. |  |
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Cardinham
Woods - 1 - 6.62 miles
Ladyvale, Milltown,
Deviock Cross and Callybarrett
Mostly in woodland
- coniferous and deciduous - but with a 2 mile loop through open country
PLEASE
NOTE: The route directions after Deviock Cross are wrong.
You
cannot turn right at Deviock Cottage as this is a private track.
I am sure you can spot a suitable but longer alternative.
| Cardinham Woods lie
to the east of Bodmin in a valley tucked below the busy A30 highway but
you could be completely off the beaten track, well away from civilisation,
were it not for the dog walkers and cyclists. The woods are owned
by the Forestry Commission and are primarily commercial coniferous but
the valleys are happily planted with deciduous trees. There is a
free leaflet showing cycling and walking trails but, while this is helpful
to the cyclist, particularly with the mountain bike trails, I can't particularly
recommend it to walkers. When planning this walk I decided that keeping
within the woods might be a little oppressive, so I have deliberately included
a country loop of around 2 miles. The walk starts at Woods Café
by the pay car park, follows a wide trail north of Cardinham Water, crosses
the river near Ladyvale clapper bridge, then stays south of the water to
Milltown. Here it crosses a clapper bridge and heads up through the
woods to find a lane to Deviock Cross. You are then in open countryside
to Callybarrett and through fields to re-enter the woods, then tracks to
Ladyvale Bridge and back on a wide trail to the car park. Mostly easy walking,
except when field gateways are muddy, and the 400 foot plus climb poses
no problems. It may be wise to avoid holiday times when the main
trails may be rather full of cyclists. Cardinham Woods signed from A38 south of Cardinham Cross |
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| Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics, Info - Route Directions |
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Cardinham Woods Walk - Oliver's Diary
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When you read the Route Directions they may appear seamless as if I had done this in one easy walk. Unfortunately that wasn't the case at all. I set off on a December Saturday with every expectation of completing my research in the one day. I made one serious mistake; I believed OS109, and Cornwall Council's otherwise excellent mapping web site, that a path from Callywith back down to the car park actually existed. To my confusion it doesn't but I spent so long looking for it that I ended up in the dark and begging a lift back to the car park from a friendly farmer. A week or so later I tried again with Bob and successfully found a perfectly good route back down from Callybarrett. Although that led back to Ladyvale Bridge - passed earler in the walk - an alternative route back from there meant not having to retrace my steps. Slightly to my surprise I found the woodland part of the walk rather more full of interest than I had expected, particularly in the earlier part of the walk. In the first mile-and-a-half there are two clapper bridges, the small settlement of Milltown - and the odd notice in the photo on the left. The loop out of the woods also offered some interest, a Cornish cross and and a small radio station. It also included some quite tricky ground, most particularly at the bottom before Callybarrett. |
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Description - Interest - Statistics & Info - Directions |
| In the photo above, at this point the muddy track continues muddy beyond the barrier and then crosses some very wet ground. In case the notice on the barrier is not entirely clear it reads "Forestry Commission. You are now leaving Forestry Commission land and joining a public highway. Please observe the Highway Code"!!! |
Cardinham Woods Walk - Interest
| Woods Café: Open all year and occupying an old woodsman's cottage, Woods is privately owned and serves excellent food, using mainly local produce. Recommended. Ladyvale Clapper Bridge: The ancient clapper bridge over Cardinham Water has, sadly, been fenced off so that you cannot cross it. Elfin Safety gone mad! Milltown: An attractive small settlement, deep in the woods, there is a former mill house, Long's Mill, and a clapper bridge that you can, and have to, cross if you don't want to ford the river. Deviock Cross: A simple wheelhead cross with roughly hewn shaft some eight feet tall, this wayside cross is believed to be more than 1000 years old. It is designated as an Ancient Monument and listed Grade II. Opposite is a farmhouse, attractive tile-hung Deviock Cottage. Lemar Clapper Bridge: The oddest of bridges, it is tiny and almost impossible to cross, located as it is in the wrong place to cross the muddy confluence of streams below Lemar Farm. |
Cardinham Woods Walk - Statistics and Information
| Statistics:
Distance: 6.62 miles. Ascent: About 500 feet in total. Biggest Climb: About 300 feet from Milltown clapper to Deviock Lane. Highest Point: 600 feet shortly after Callybarrett. Gates: 7. Stiles: None. Road: Less than 0.40 miles of quiet lanes. Going: Generally good on paths, tracks and in some pasture; gates between fields may be muddy; bottom below Lemar may be very wet. Map: OS 109 Bodmin Moor. Information: Getting there: Leave Bodmin on A38 and immediately S of A30 (Cardinham Cross roundabout) go L and follow signs for Cardinham Woods.. Parking: Pay car park (moderate charges) in Cardinham Woods. Intermediate Parking: None. Transport: Several buses from Bodmin pass the signed turning. Refreshments: Woods Café by the car park is excellent and open all year. |
Cardinham
Woods - 2 - 5.47 miles
Mostly in the woods
but a 1¾ mile loop in open country
Lidcutt Wood, Deviock
Cross, Cardinham Church, Milltown, Ladyvale
PLEASE
NOTE: The route directions after Deviock Cross are wrong.
You
cannot turn right at Deviock Cottage as this is a private track.
You should find it simple enough to devise an acceptable but longer alternativer.
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When I walked Cardinham Woods 1 in December 2014 I was sufficiently taken by some of the less well known parts of the woods that I decided to devise another route, again using partly woods and partly open countryside. This walk, which covers some of the same ground but also a lot of new ground to me, includes a 1¾ mile loop in open countryside that extends to Cardinham Church. As with Cardinham Woods 1, there is some difficult ground, more noticeable in wet winter weather. The walk again starts at Woods Café and again takes the main trail to Ladyvale Bridge. There unfamiliar territory starts, following a track up through Deviock and Lidcutt woods to open country. Deviock Cottage, Cross and barn will be familiar but then a complex route through the woods leads again to open country. Cardinham church is new but familiar territory begins again at Milltown, leading to a main track back to to the car park and café. Although you climb a total of around 1000 feet, the biggest ascent is only about 230 feet and the only awkward climb is on the deeply rutted track up to the Cardinham road. Cardinham church make a good place for a break but, except for its two Cornish crosses, is of fairly little interest. Watch out for the footbridge where you re-enter the woods after Cardinham; it was damaged in January 2015. |
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Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics & Info - Route Directions |
Cardinham Woods - 2 - Oliver's Diary
| My first research walk in these woods proved something of a problem when I tried to take a non-existent path from Callywith back to my start point. No such trouble this time, I am happy to say. In January 2015 the weather was kind and all the paths I wanted to take really did exist. Not that the walk was entirely problem free. Two obstacles proved to be almost too much for ageing limbs. The wooden stile from the road before Cardinham church was a high one and took some negotiating. The footbridge where you re-enter the woods after Cardinham had been damaged by floods and proved equally difficult, with the fallen timbers round and slippery. I was particularly interested by the sunken track leading up towards the Cardinham road. I had been on the lower part of it on Cardinham 1. Now I have walked the length of it from Milltown. On this walk I was surprised to find traces of tarmac, so it was probably classified as a road at one time - but quite a long time ago from the state of it, deeply rutted and quite difficult in some places. I have one more Cardinham Woods walk to do yet, one that will include Ladyvale Bridge, Milltown and Cardinham church and will return by Castle Farm, Gwel-an-Nans Farm and a long track across Long Downs. That may be a little while, the weather at the time of writing is dreadful. |  |
| Description - Interest - Statistics, Info - Route Directions |
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Cardinham Woods - 2 - Interest
| Woods Café: Open all year and occupying an old woodsman's cottage, Woods is privately owned and serves excellent food, using mainly local produce. Recommended. Deviock Cross: A simple wheelhead cross with roughly hewn shaft some eight feet tall, this wayside cross is believed to be more than 1000 years old. It is designated as an Ancient Monument and listed Grade II. Opposite is a farmhouse, attractive tile-hung Deviock Cottage. Cardinham Church: St. Meubred's church has a small amount to commend it. The nave arcading is quite impressive; bench ends are ancient but with relatively few really interesting carvings; there is an attractive font cover and a brass of Thomas Awmarle, rector of Cardinham, died 1401. Outside there are two ancient Cornish crosses; the one opposite the south porch is a 10th century wheel-headed cross with ring-chain carving on the side and circular carvings on the front. The cross at the east end of the church is believed to be of the eighth century, its head mounted on a slender pre-existing standing stone. It may well be that the church is on a pre-historic holy site; it stands on a mound raised well above road level. Milltown: An attractive small settlement, deep in the woods, there is a former mill house, Long's Mill, and a clapper bridge that you can, and have to, cross if you don't want to ford the river. Ladyvale Clapper Bridge: The ancient clapper bridge over Cardinham Water has, sadly, been fenced off so that you cannot cross it. Elfin Safety gone mad! |
| Statistics:
Distance: 5.47 miles. Ascent: About 1000 feet in total. Biggest Climb: About 230 feet from Ladyvale Bridge up through Lidcutt Wood. Highest Point: 550 feet on lane before Deviock Cottage. Gates: 7. Stiles: 5, all wooden. Road: 0.35 miles of fairly quiet road. Going: Generally good on paths, tracks and in some pasture; track up to Cardinham road very rutted and could be awkward in wet; stile off Cardinham road high; FB at re-entry to woods damaged and awkward January 2015. Map: OS 109 Bodmin Moor. Information: Getting there: Leave Bodmin on A38 and immediately S of A30 (Cardinham Cross roundabout) go L and follow signs for Cardinham Woods.. Parking: Pay car park (moderate charges) in Cardinham Woods. Intermediate Parking: None. Transport: Several buses from Bodmin pass the signed turning. Refreshments: Woods Café by the car park is excellent and open all year. |
Cardinham
Woods - 3 - 4.77 miles
Only partly in
the woods but including a full 3 mile country loop
Milltown, Cardinham,
Castle Farm and an ancient track over Long Downs
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This is the last of three researched round walks starting from the car park in Cardinham Woods. It is the shortest of the three, a mere 4.77 miles, and includes the least woodland. The route follows the north side of Cardinham Water as far as Ladyvale Bridge then the south side of the river to Milltown. A wet section of deciduous woodland leads to fields to Cardinham. Instead of going all the way into Cardinham village, it then turns south, first on the road for a short way, than on a bridleway through Castle Farm and up to the road from St. Neot to Bodmin. After half-a-mile westwards on this road you continue on what was once the main road from St. Neot to Bodmin, the old coach road over Long Downs which takes you all the way back to close to your start point. Going is not always entirely easy - the bridge leaving the woodland towards Cardinham remains damaged in January 2015. Nor is the way always entirely clear. The bridleway to Castle Farm is oddly but clearly waymarked but, on from the farm is not waymarked at all, though not difficult to find. Once at the road, there is a fine view back to Cardinham; views from the old coach road are fine, too, looking to Bodmin Beacon, Castle-an-Dinas and Clay Country. The old coach road, still well-graded, was a pleasure to use back to the start. |
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Oliver's Diary - Interest - Statistics & Info- Directions |
Cardinham Woods - 3 - 4.77 miles - Oliver's Diary
| This was the last of my series of three walks from Cardinham Woods and, although the shortest and easiest to follow on OS109, it was by no means entirely easy. It starts off easily enough as far as Wayside Cottage on the road south out of Cardinham. Here a really odd bridleway starts by going through the garden and down a small stream and path to a clapper bridge, then up and down to Castle Farm. Thus far it is waymarked after a fashion but at Old Cardinham Cottage waymarks disappear completely: fortunately the way is obvious enough. There is a bit more road here - just half-a-mile on the fairly quiet St. Neot to Bodmin road - but then comes my personal highlight, following the the old stagecoach route over Long Downs towards Bodmin. Although the sun was out, a bitter wind made it too cold to stop to eat my sandwiches up top here at over 600 feet. But I loved the feeling of isolation and the long views that developed. The route had clearly been very well graded in Victorian times and traces of 20th century tarmac still remained here and there. Once again I was surprised by how few people I saw once past Ladyvale Bridge: just the lady in her garden at Wayside Cottage and the passing farmer as I left his field on the bridleway from Wayside Cottage. It may be a while before my next published round walk, because Mining Trails now beckon. |  |
| Description - Interest - Statistics & Info Route Directions | The road to Cardinham |
Cardinham Woods - 3 - Interest
| Woods Café: Open all year and occupying an old woodsman's cottage, Woods is privately owned and serves excellent food, using mainly local produce. Recommended. Ladyvale Clapper Bridge: The ancient clapper bridge over Cardinham Water has, sadly, been fenced off so that you cannot cross it. Elfin Safety gone mad! Milltown: An attractive small settlement, deep in the woods. Only yards off the route, there is a former mill house, Long's Mill, and a clapper bridge that you can, and have to, cross if you don't want to ford the river. Cardinham Church: Only just off the route, St. Meubred's church has a small amount to commend it. The nave arcading is quite impressive; bench ends are ancient but with relatively few really interesting carvings; there is an attractive font cover and a brass of Thomas Awmarle, rector of Cardinham, died 1401. Outside there are two ancient Cornish crosses; the one opposite the south porch is a 10th century wheel-headed cross with ring-chain carving on the side and circular carvings on the front. The cross at the east end of the church is believed to be of the eighth century, its head mounted on a slender pre-existing standing stone. It may well be that the church is on a pre-historic holy site; it stands on a mound raised well above road level. Old St. Neot to Bodmin Coach Road: For over a mile, as you approach Cardinham Woods on the return leg, you are on a well-made, well-graded track. This was once the coach road from St. Neot to Bodmin. Now it just serves as a track to a couple of farms and their fields. At the walk's high point, at 620 feet on this track, views open out to Castle-an-Dinas and Belowda Beacon and to Clay Country. A route well worth taking for its ease and its views. |
| Statistics:
Distance: 4.77 miles. Ascent: About 700 feet in total. Biggest Climb: Long easy 270 feet from clapper bridge after Wayside Cottage to high point on old coach road. Highest Point: 620 feet on old coach road. Gates: 12. Stiles: 3 only, includes 1 filled-in coffen stile by Tawnamoor Farm. Road: A little over ¾ mile on quiet roads . Going: Good Forestry Commission tracks; muddy in places in other woodland and on field paths; very easy firm going on old coach road. Map: OS 109 Bodmin Moor. Information: Getting there: Leave Bodmin on A38 and immediately S of A30 (Cardinham Cross roundabout) go L and follow signs for Cardinham Woods.. Parking: Pay car park (moderate charges) in Cardinham Woods. Intermediate Parking: None. Transport: Several buses from Bodmin pass the signed turning. Refreshments: Woods Café by the car park is excellent and open all year. |
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