| Oliver's Cornwall |
|
Trails
centred around
Camborne/Redruth |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ON THIS PAGE
| INTRODUCTION |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
REVIEWS INDEX and SITE CONTENTS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
In 2006 UNESCO
World Heritage status was granted to large areas of the mining landscape
of Cornwall and West Devon. While much of the credit for this achievement
must go to organisations like the Trevithick Truat and the National Trust,
and to many concerned individuals, Cornwall County Council acted as a major
driver. Indeed their Mineral Tramways Project has, in its way, underpinned
the whole project by opening up access to many of the inportant sites in
the Camborne/Redruth area.
We first leaned of the existence of mineral tramways when walking around Minions on Bodmin Moor and finding double lines of granite setts. When we learned of the opening of the Mineral Tramways - the Great Flat Lode and the Coast to Coast - we walked those and loved them. Now (in 2006) work is beginning to open up another 20 miles in 2008 - the Redruth and Chacewater Railway, the Portreath Branchline from Brea, a Tolgus Trail linking the Coast to Coast to Redruth, and a Tehidy Trail through Tehidy Park from Portreath. I have already (December 2007) walked the approximate line of most of the new trails. I look forward to the official openings in 2008, when I hope to update these reports. |
|
|
Websites for Mineral Tramways and Mining Heritage |
| Update June 2008. I have been disappointed in progress of the new trails. Only the Tehidy Trail is complete. There have been route problems with others and I see little hope of them all being completed during 2008. I have updated some reports. |
| INTRODUCTION | COAST TO COAST TRAIL | Portreath to Scorrier | The Loops | Poldice to Devoran |
|
|
|
|
|
|
SITE CONTENTS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Coast to Coast Mineral Tramways - Portreath to Devoran
 |
During winter 2006
I had walked the Copper Trail around Bodmin
Moor. In May I walked St. Michael's
Way and the Saints Way, both coast
to coast trails. In June 2006 I added in another trail, this one
from Portreath on the north coast to
Devoran
on the south. The trail, open to cyclists and horse riders as well
as walkers, follows horse-drawn tramways that once served the rich tin
and copper mines to the east of Redruth; first the old Portreath
Tramroad to Scorrier, then the Redruth and Chacewater Railway. It
is easy walking, gentle gradients take you up to only 300 feet at Scorrier.
there is some refreshment along the way, pubs and cafés at Portreath,
the Fox and Hounds at Scorrier, a café at the cycle hire depôt
at Bissoe and the excellent
Old Quay Inn at
Devoran.
Jane and I had previously walked the central part of the trail - the Wheal Busy and Beside Loops - so to complete the route I walked Portreath to Scorrier and back and Devoran to Poldice and back. The former has little interest, but the latter and the Loops are filled with mine remains and lovely views. Waymarking is tasteful and good. Sadly there is no public transport usefully linking any of the points along the route but serious walkers will do the whole route, and back again, in the day. |
|
|
Portreath-Scorrier -- The Loops -- Poldice-Devoran |
Coast to Coast - Portreath to Scorrier - 5 miles
| I parked at Scorrier and did this as an out-and-back. This is the one part of the trail that has virtually no interest along it, not even views, which may explain how I was able to my ten miles in just three hours. Apart from a few granite setts showing that a tramway really did run along here, the only thing I found relating to the old tramway was an abandoned truck near Mawla. And there was far too much road for my comfort. Happily that is only true on this section. At least I enjoyed run-down Portreath as usual. |
 |
 |
|
|
|
Coast to Coast - Wheal Busy and Beside Loops - 5 miles
| This is the section - two loops either side of the centre section of the trail - that Jane and I did in April 2004. It is a fascinating and easy short walk, with more mine remains than anywhere except maybe South Caradon and the St. Just area and probably best done in May when the bluebells are out in Wheal Unity wood. I did this part again in October 2007 as part of a day when I also revisited Wheal Peevor for some more photos, this time with sun in the west, and investigated progress on the Portreath Branchline trail. My recommendation to anyone walking the coast to coast would be to deviate at Wheal Rose to take the Wheal Busy and Little Beside Loops - much more interest that way. |
 |
 |
|
|
|
Coast to Coast - Poldice to Devoran - 5 miles
| I enjoyed this one so much that, when I had done my planned 10 miles out-and-back from Devoran, I did another 3 miles walking along the foreshore of Restronguet Creek to Point and back. Both interest and views along this section are good and, at regular intervals, there are informative story boards. For added interest at the Poldice end, when you get to Todpool walk up the hill to the tall Poldice chimney and take a higher level route down to the trail. Look out for the Wesleyan Chapel at Twelveheads. Take a break at the café at Bissoe Cycle Hire. Take a close look at the Carnon River, lined with red copper silt. And take another at Carnon railway viaduct, where the piers of Brunel's original viaduct still stand. If you have time, explore Devoran and have lunch at the excellent Old Quay Inn. |
 |
 |
|
|
|
The Great Flat Lode Trail around Carn Brea
|
A 7½ mile trail,
a little to the south of Camborne and Redruth, circles Carn Brea hill,
around what was once the busiest tin and copper mining area in the world.
Mostly the trail consists of well-laid paths on former mineral tramways.
Signage is good and there are only two minor climbs along the way.
Three detours are suggested. The first, if you would like to lengthen
the trail and enjoy glorious views, is to climb Carn
Brea Hill, easily identified by its Castle
and eye-catching Basset Monument. The second is to see St.
Euny church with its massive lych-gate coffin rest and some fascinating
tombs. The third is for lunch at the ordinary-seeming but excellent
Countryman
Inn at Piece (good value hot beef, onion, mushroom baguette for me, super
giant Cornish pasty for Jane). For interest, try the Trevithick
Society's museum at King Edward Mine
near the end of the walk; we stopped at their bookshop and enjoyed
a chat with the duty curator; later I had a guided tour of King Edward
and thought it was superbyly done. When walking the Great Flat Lode
we like to park just south of the railway near Tincroft Mine; there
was once a Tramways Cntre here but now you need to go to King Edward or
to Cornish Mines and Engines for
information.
OS Explorer 104 but trail leaflet suffices. |
|
|
More Images of the Great Flat Lode |
More
Images of the Great Flat Lode Trail
| I have walked the Great Flat Lode Trail on several occasions - and have walked parts of it when visiting Carn Brea. I revisited in April 2007, partly for the walk, mostly to take new photos. To that end I made one or two variations to take in mines not on the trail that I hadn't been to before. Wheal Uny is only just off the trail but is easily missed. Williams Shaft at Dolcoath is quite some way off the trail, up a steep hill to the south-west of Brea village. Despite the terrible state of the site, it is worth a visit just for the plaque which describes how the Morgan's patent traversing engine operated the winding gear on the 3000ft deep shaft. I had hoped to visit the museum at King Edward Mine but that has a short season and does not open till May. As usual, I stopped for lunch at the excellent value Countryman Inn at Piece. I also stopped for coffee at the pub in Brea but was unimpressed. One thing about the Great Flat Lode Trail puzzles me. A lot of money must have been spent in making the trail usable by cyclists, so why have I never seen a single cyclist on it - even on the section that is part of the National Cycle Network. Something must be wrong either with the original market research prior to building the trail or else it has been poorly promoted. Not that I mind, each time I walk it I have it to myself except for dog walkers and the occasional horse rider. |
|
|
|
|
|
Wheal Uny Mine and Wheal Bassett Stamps
 |
 |
|
|
|
South Wheal Frances Marriot's Shaft
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
Dolcoath Mine and Tincroft Mines
 |
 |
|
|
|
Redruth and Chacewater - Lanner to Twelveheads Guided Preview Walk August 2007
 |
Jane and I were delighted
when we read about the big programme of Mineral Tramways previews that
were held in the first two weeks of August 2007. As I had already
walked what I thought to be part of the Redruth and Chacewater route in
November 2006, we opted to join this guided walk. We were pleased
that we did as it was superbly done. Organiser was Lucia Crothall
from the County Council; guides were mining men Eric Rabjohns and
Mark Kaczmarek and Trevithick Society industrial archaeologist Kingsley
Rickard - all most informative, knowledgeable and entertaining. The
walk was from Lanner reservoir to Bissoe, about 5 miles; after tea
at Bissoe Cycle Hire café a minibus took the 22 of us back.
I was pleased to find that my own 2006 walk had got the (then unpublished) route right though, intriguingly, our guides made the same variation as I had, climbing Carn Marth for the quarry and the view - what a panorama! After Wheal Maid Valley we joined the Portreath to Devoran coast-to-coast trail at Twelveheads. I had thought I knew quite a lot about the area but was constantly surprised with our guides' inside knowledge. Carharrack village - looking good - was a revelation and I now know a bit about tailings dams and the amazing County Adit. A great day. |
|
|
Images of Carharrack and of Colourful Tailings |
| I did this one again at the end of September 2007 when my sister Frances came to visit - we also walked my five hills walk on Bodmin Moor and repeated a walk from Holywell Bay. For the Redruth and Chacewater we used the little car park at Lanner Reservoir again, followed the preview route over Carn Marth and down through Carharrack. In the Wheal Maid Valley we climbed up over Consols Mine and continued up high before taking an incline down to Twelveheads. On the way back, after coffee at Bissoe Cycle Hire, we took the official route along Wheal Maid Valley past the vast tailings dam. We would have tried the new official route after Carharrack and below Carn Marth but it was closed as the contractors were working on it. A good 12 mile round walk. |
 |
 |
|
|
|
Images of some Colourful Tailings
 |
 |
|
|
|
Redruth and Chacewater Railway - Lanner to Redruth
|
It was only when I
saw the 2007 Mineral Tramways leaflet that I realised that a trail I had
originally thought ran only from Twelveheads to Lanner actually continued
to Redruth. So, having studied the leaflet and OS Explorer 104, I
tried the route in August 2007. My walk was both success and failure.
Success in that I found my way into the centre of Redruth almost entirely
on tracks usable by walkers, cyclists and horse-riders. Failure in
that, to begin with, I had tried to follow first the leaflet route and
second the course of the old railway. Much of the railway has been
taken into farmland or built over. The leaflet route looks like it
may fail from lack of farmer co-operation and anyway entails too much busy
road. I would like to suggest the following as the best route.
From Lanner reservoir I followed a well made track west to Copper Hill converted chapel, crossed first the Four Lanes road and then the Carnkie road to join the Great Flat Lode trail as a bridleway to Wheal Uny mine. There, after exploring the engine houses, I left the GFL and headed north down a track (needs improvement) that comes out on Trevingey Road; on to Coach Lane where a wide tarmac path took me down to West End. From there a short stretch of road takes you to the Murdoch Flyer roundabout and the Tolgus Trail. |
|
|
The Portreath Branchline - Updated March 2008
| The Portreath Branchline Trail will link Portreath with Illogan, Pool and Brea and presumably the Great Flat Lode Trail and is due to open in 2008. Linking to the important Hayle Railway, the line opened in 1836, carrying freight and passengers, and continued in use as a freight line until 1936. The most important feature was the steep inclined plane at the Portreath harbour end. In October 2007 I went to see how work was progressing. The incline had been cleared down through the cutting but work had stopped short at the badly deteriorated bottom viaduct section. There was no sign of progress elsewhere. I returned in March 2008 to review progress. News is mostly bad. It seems the bottom section of the incline will be restored but nothing yet. For now a winding path has been cut nearby, heading down. I was able to follow the proposed route (little work done) along the old trackbed from Duchy Farm's entrance past Trengove to Colborne Avenue. There the problems start. It seems landowners have refused access and it looks like the trail may have to take Woodbine Lane and Spar Lane to reach Illogan. At present I cannot see it continuing off road, let alone being finished in 2008. If anyone has better news, please let me know. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
| In tried this one, due to open in 2008, in August 2007. Intended to link the centre of Redruth with the Coast-to-Coast trail near Portreath, I could find no way in which it could include any off-road. From the plan in the leaflet it appears to follow the Redruth-Portreath road under the A30, then Old Portreath Road to Sparnon Gate, then a right turn at the Cornish Arms and a left to rejoin the main Portreath road to just past Cambrose, only then joining the Coast-to-Coast by the lane to Cambridge Farm. No fun for walkers and little more for cyclists. It would surely be better to use Old Portreath Road, joining the main trail at Bridge. Probably the reason for the proposed route is to take the trail past Tolgus Tin and Treasure Park, a major tourist attraction. I parked at Treasure Park, followed a farm track to the Old Portreath Road, crossed to the Coast-to-Coast at Bridge, left it at Cambridge Farm and returned to Treasure Park on the main Portreath road. After a sandwich I followed the main Portreath road into Redruth, returning on Old Portreath Road, a track to Tolgus Mount and a path to Sparnon Gate for a coffee at the welcoming Cornish Arms. Along the way I saw the Murdoch Flyer replica at the Tesco roundabout in Redruth (on the trail) and Tolgus Calciner (off the trail). Roads too busy for walkers; I don't think I shall do this one again. |
 |
 |
|
|
|
| In August 2007, after doing a circular walk up and around Carn Marth, Jane and I took a short walk along the 2 mile Tresavean Trail. We hadn't expected much of it so were pleasantly surprised. This was part of a link from the Hayle Railway to Tresavean Mine; its continuation should reach Redruth in 2008. From the car park on Lanner Hill by the domed reservoir the trail leads south-south-west uphill. Partly in a cutting, but mostly in the open, views over Carn Marth and Lanner village open out to include more distant United Downs. At the far end of the trail a section of old rail has been laid on granite setts and a polished granite block carries a brief explanation of the trail. |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|