Circular walk from Tokenbury Corner to Trethevey Quoit

 A good clear day and one just right for a walk! And this was a good one as it was our first longish walk after our bouts of Covid.

This walk came in at just under 6 miles in weather just fit for a walk. We started at Tokenbury Corner and took in the south of Caradon Hill towards the Gonamena Valley. Then down to Trevethey Quoit and Rosecraddoc Woods back to the starting point. We've done most of this walk before but usually in the other direction so it was interesting seeing it in reverse.

The tips on the right are from Kittow's Shaft, part of the South Caradon mine workings. In the distance are various mine stacks and engine houses connected with the West Caradon/Gonamena complex. Whenever I see these, I always remember that they were all produced by pick and shovel, with very little in the way of mechanical aids. What is seen is the result of a lot of hard physical labour underground in appalling conditions.

Looking towards the tips of the West Caradon complex.

Another view of West Caradon looking over the buildings associated with the Old Sump shaft. It really is a huge site. Mining began in 1839 but was largely over by 1874. By the 1860s, it employed over 500 workers.

Looking back towards West Caradon over what was once known as 'The Yard'. This was the area of processing and servicing the core of the operation, the shafts. Here there were the offices, miners' dries where working cloths were dried between shifts, tool sheds, wash houses and even a barbers. All gone now but once bustling with activity. Old photographs show that most of the buildings were plaster rendered and painted white.

A visit to Trethevey Quoit is always an awesome experience. Awesome because of its size and uniqueness. There aren't many like this in the West Country. It's a Neolithic (3500-2500 BC)  'dolmen' burial chamber, formed by five standing stones, finished off with a huge capstone.

Tomb or shrine? No-one knows for certain but that doesn't stop people from speculating. The weight of the capstone is estiamted to be around 20 tonnes and, however it was done, it was a feat of engineering getting it in position. Maybe a ramp was used but it would still require a lot of muscle power to pull it up a slope.

Taken from the information board for the quoit. It must have been an impressive and commanding sight when it was in its prime.

I just love the way that ferns gradually unfurl. We are fortunate to have the right conditions for them in Cornwall and they are everywhere. To think that we brought ferns down with us when we moved from Kent, where they did grow particularly well.

Bluebells in Rosecraddoc Woods.

The early months of every year are awash with a sequence of different colours - snowdrops, daffodils, camelias and bluebells. Of these, masses of bluebells are probably the most impressive. Here they are interspersed with the white of Wood Anemones. And the smell of the bluebells is just amazing.

An ideal spot for lunch - a curried lentil pasty, a cup of tea, sunshine and the sound of running water. Does it get any better?

Lots of Red Campion (Silene dioica) in the verges, field margins and woodlands at this time of year. A nice bright highlight. Also known as Adder's Flower and Robin Hood.  Apparently they are a favourite of woodland fairies. 

An isolated clump of Cowslips (Primula veris) on the verge of a lane at Lower Trethake. Synonymous perhaps with meadows and woodlands, I was surprised to spot it where it was. Unless I missed something, these were the only Cowslips we saw on this walk.

What I liked about this was the band of bluebells at the bottom of the bank. Thinking about it, it's not a surprise to see bluebells at the top and bottom - this is where the soil is. Despite the grass covering, the banks are really the traditional Cornish hedges of granite. Hardly conducive for bulbs.

A welcome watering spot for the many sheep on the moor.

And who doesn't like the sound of a babbling brook?