Three miles downhill and three miles uphill: a walk from Minions

 As we are in Covid Tier 2, it is permissible for recognised walking groups to meet and walk. Hence a walk with one of our groups. The weather could have been worse but we did have quite frequent showers and a cold wind coming in from the North-East. We also had flashes of blue skies and the occasional rainbow. All that with good views. It was a day when the covers went on and off my camera many times so it wasn't a great day for photography.

We started and ended our walk in the Hurlers' Car Park in Minions. It was a fairly simple walk to describe - three miles downhill, have lunch and then three miles uphill. We dropped down through the Gonamena Valley to Crow's Nest and Tremar and then back up via Trenouth and the eastern side of Gonamena/western side of Caradon Hill.

With the salubrious Minions sewerage works on the left, the waterlogged path gives a good idea of  the amount of mud and water we sloshed through regularly. It looks worse than it actually was or so methinks.

Looking over wet and muddy fields towards the coast in the distance. I guess it's vaguely in the direction of Looe.

Rosecraddoc Wood.

Negotiating our way over a clapper bridge to our lunch stop. Hooray, we've finally disposed of all the remaining Christmas Day turkey.

A feature in the wall of a barn at Trenouth Farm. It has obviously been relocated from elsewhere as there was nothing else about this barn that suggested any degree of antiquity.

The engine house associated with Jope's Shaft at the bottom of the Gonamena Caradon Mine complex.

It's competition time! How many engine houses and stacks can you count?

And here's one that is not in the last image. The remains of the engine house of the North Caradon Mine.

Flush Bracket S3439 but attached to what?

The trig point on the top of Caradon Hill, that's what. Apparently it's the 1892nd most popular trig point in the UK.

One definition of a rainforest is ‘where the climate is wet enough for plants to grow on the branches of trees’ . Here on the west facing slopes of Caradon Hill 12 inch long lichen hangs in the ‘rainforest’ branches of the hawthorns looking like something out of the Lord of the Rings.

Just a late afternoon walk from the ford

The weather has been pretty lousy recently and our local streams are running in full flood, or so we are told. A short walk in the late afternoon to check out the one that runs alongside a frequent route of ours down at Broadgate.

Looking back up the lane to Downgate. All looking very damp and wintry.

I've never heard anyone call this by any name other than the Luckett Stream. There's got to be x10 the normal volume of water coming down now. 

Of all the trees that are in the wood ......this is one of the few to be laden with lichen. Not sure why this should be as there doesn't seem to be anything special about this one in terms of light etc.

I like this line of trees on top of this short stretch of wall. I think the wall must be related to the old mine, Wheal Sheba, in some way.

A veritable torrent coming through what were once gates controlling the flow to the various waterwheels that were once downstream.

Just a wood in the later afternoon as the light gradually lessens. And all was silence. 

The lane back up to Downgate, about 1 hour after the first one.

And there are two cyclists coming through the ford.

And for those who like the sound of running water, take a look at this. In the warmer months, our grandchildren have been known to swim and/or paddle here. But not now. Having said that, I suspect that at least one of them would have a go if we let them.