Moorland Views
Distance: 2 miles Duration: approx 55 min
This circular walk climbs gently out of the village towards marvelous views of Bodmin Moor. It would originally have been used by locals as a shortcut to Michaelstow. This walk starts at the horsechestnut tree in the centre of the village nestling in the shade of the Norman parish church. The trees date back to the First World War when the conker was brought back from Flanders by a soldier. Ever since it was planted it has been a rich source of conkers for generations of local village children and has amazingly survived the onslaught of projectiles.
Head off towards the blacksmith’s cottage & forge near the junction and turn right. Until the late 1980s the forge belonged to a working blacksmith and it still contains the original bellows and furnace. Walk in a north easterly direction down chapel lane. the road beers sharply left past the turning to the Cornish Arms Pub. Carry on to a detached stone and slate cottage to the left of which is a lane. This is the start of the public footpath. The row of terraced cottages to the right were built to high standard by Napoleonic prisoners of war drafted in from Dartmoor Prison.
The lane quickly becomes a narrow path lined overhanging trees, and as you walk along you catch glimpses of interesting back gardens. Within a short distance the path comes to a five bar gate providing access into one of the many fields surrounding the village. Depending upon the season this contains crops of corn in various stages of growth, nigh on impossible to walk through in the late summer. The path heads along the edge of the field to a stile leading into the next field. The over-spilling hedgerow bordering the field is packed with wild flowers, brambles and ferns, enough to satisfy the most dedicated botanist.
| As you approach this first stile glance behind and you can see commanding views of the village dominated by the Norman Church at the centre. the path which runs along the next field provides sweeping views of St. Breward in the distance. St. Breward, which lies on the very edge of Bodmin moor, is farmed for it’s quarrying heritage. It supplied much of the stone we see in properties in St. Tudy, as well as the De Lank stone used for many famous buildings including New Scotland Yard, Tower Bridge and the Thames embankment. Keep following the edge of the field until you reach the next formidable granite stile leading into the field on the left. As you cross the stile notice the decorative water pump hidden in the undergrowth, one of the many located throughout the village. As one long-standing resident of the village remarked, “It was a funny day when mains water was connected because notices were put up saying “unfit for human consumption” when the village had survived for over 200 years on the natural spring water”. |
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The path then runs diagonally across the field underneath the buzzing power line to a stile in the far corner. This area is known locally as Haypark Corner and offers superb views of Roughtor in the distance. Cornwall’s second highest point, it is possible on a good day to see both coasts from the summit.
The stile takes you onto the “T” junction with the Main B3266 road. To make this a circular walk turn left up the lane heading west away from the main road. Take care along this road as it becomes narrow and traffic moves quite briskly. The slope gently goes uphill towards the distant right hand bend and as you round the corner the view gradually becomes expensive. As you pass the hedge section where the stone wall is exposed you can see the wind generators of St. Breock Downs to the north west and Delobole to the north east, glinting in the sunlight. The tips of these travel at approx 160mph in strong winds and in gales they have to be shut down completely. If you are interested, the site at Delobole allows visitors.
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Proceed onwards until you reach the crossroads where you turn left towards St. Tudy. The weathered granite signpost is cleverly inscribed with punctuated place names, for example CAM-EL-FORD so it fits the post’s narrow dimensions. Amble down this lane past Bodinnick farm Farm’s first outbuildings and you arrive at the main complex. In the right hand hedge you see the remains of the village “Pound” , now very dilapidated and overgrown, which dates back to mediaeval times. The purpose of this was to hold any stray farm animals until the farmer in question identified and reclaimed them.
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The road now bears round a sharp right bend and you pass into the area known as Bodinnick, past the sign and into the 30mph limit. Keep following this road and you pass the picturesque Bodinnick House set back from the road on your right before encountering more recent developments. Eventually you will emerge at the junction with the Wadebridge road where you turn left to bring you back to the centre of the village within sight of the horsechestnut tree.
