|
||||
Destination Cornwall - Uniquely Daily |
||||
Destination Cornwall - Uniquely Daily
Walking in
Cornwall
Luggage Transfer (external link)
Ramblers Association in Cornwall
Introduction
There are times in our lives when we get so fed up with modern living we wish to leave everything behind. When not even a luxury road trip via car rental dublin seems appealing to us. When that time comes, it's time to go back to the road, using your own two feet. Cornwall offers everything that a walker could want. The biggest coastline in Britain sandwiches ancient paths and ways many of which date back to time immemorial, even the famous Saints' Way is a relative newcomer and add to that rights of way established by the miners, fishermen and farm workers over the centuries and you can start to imagine the scope available to you. It's not just the quantity (over 3000 miles of inland paths, 300 miles of coastline) but the quality, staggering beauty which keeps changing with the weather and the season.
There are organised walks run by the various Countryside Services and other organisations and to help you further there is a range of information available in the form of books, maps, guides and leaflets.
What to expect from the Countryside
The countryside is a working environment. It is the ‘factory floor’ of agriculture where local people earn their living. When using public rights of way, please respect landowners property as you gain access across their land. The countryside is a natural environment and as such you would expect to encounter animals, mud, natural vegetation growth and wet conditions. When walking on the country, you must be prepared to wear stout footwear or Wellingtons and suitable clothing for the time of year.
The Country Code.
The following information is supplied by Cornwall County Council
From clifftop to valley, riverside to moorland, Cornwall offers an unrivalled diversity of land and sea-scapes for walkers and hikers and strollers. For the seasoned wanderer there is the the superb walking offered by the coastal path and moorlands, for the rambler there are many well marked circular routes for discovery and gentle exertion.
Cornwall's 300 mile coastal path, part of the South West Coast Path, is the focal point for many walkers. Accessible to all, it offers unending views of towering cliffs and crashing surf on the North coast contrasting with sheltered creeks and picturesque fishing villages on the South coast. And it doesn't stop there: inland there are 3000 miles of paths just waiting to be discovered. From the wild and untouched beauty of Bodmin Moor to the tranquillity of the Roseland and the gentle ruggedness of the Lizard, the heartlands of Cornwall are strewn with walks for all.
You will no doubt find your own favourite walk, taking home memories of clifftop views of deserted beaches and lapping surf, woodland glades and rushing streams, well earned cream teas and pit stops at local hostelries!
Being Prepared.
What to wear:
Stout shoes or walking boots are essential as is a waterproof jacket.
Finding your way:
Public rights of way are usually signposted where they join a road. Otherwise the route is shown by arrows - normally yellow for footpaths and blue for bridleways. Some routes use special markers. A map is essential where a route is not signposted.
Maps:
Explorer maps have now fully replaced the Pathfinder maps for Cornwall and show more detail than the Landranger series, including filed boundaries to help orientation. All explorers show right of way and are particularly useful for everybody interested in walking, as they reveal the network of public rights of way that cross our countryside. Scale = 1:25,000 (4cm to 1 km or 2.5in to 1 mile). A useful website describing walks in Cornwall can be found at defra (Department for Environment, Food and Foreign Affairs).
Getting About:
Leaving the car behind is much more pleasant and so much more relaxing. For everything you need to know about public transport timings, pick up a copy of the Cornwall Public Transport Timetable. Available at all Tourist Information Centres, Libraries and bus stations, or alternatively, contact the Passenger Transport Unit on - 01872 322142. If you need help planning your own day out by bus, ring Truronian bus company and Western National. Not to be forgotten are Cornwall's local train lines which provide an excellent way to explore the countryside. Frequent services run between Penzance, Truro and Plymouth and along its route you can drop off and join one of the branch lines.
You Walk the Coast Path while Luggage Transfer handles your bags between your stop off points on the entire South West Coast Path between Minehead and Poole.
Heritage Trails
Mineral Tramways Discovery Centre - find out more at Cornwall County Council's website.
The Portreath Tramroad - a circular route touching on the old tramway.
The Great Mines of the Far West - spectacular valley and cliff top walk.
A Round Walk from Newquay to Crantock - a short walk offering tranquil estuary and sweeping Atlantic coast.
Coastal and Countryside WalksNorth Cornwall Heritage Coast - with wonderful beaches and including King Arthur and the Slate Coast
The Naturalist's Trail - Mullion to Lizard
Circular Walks in the Roseland - Place to Portscatho and the Roseland Peninsula.
A Round Walk from St. Ives to Pendeen - This is one of the toughest sections of the entire South West Coast Path, due to the rocky and sometimes boggy ground, and so progress is slower than you may anticipate - but the views make up for it.
The Camel Trail - Just below Bodmin Moor to Padstow
The Camelford Way - Links from Camelford into the Camel Trail
Walks from the Railway
Calstock Station Walk using the Tamar Valley Line
Pilgrim's Routes
The Saint's Way - handy trail guides and a series of photos can be found at Olivers Cornwall
Riverside Walks
Helford River / Gillan Creek
The Hall Walk - A circular walk from Fowey to Bodinnick, Pont and Polruan.
Camel Trail - Bodmin Moor to Padstow.
The South West Coast Path.
www.swcp.org.uk
The Longest Walking Trail in Britain (613 miles - 982 km.)
The South West Way starts in Minehead in Somerset, goes along part of the Somerset Bristol Channel coast, across North Devon, right round Cornwall, then along the South Devon and Dorset coasts to Poole Harbour. This is a distance of 613 miles which is over twice the distance of the Pennine Way and makes it by far the longest National Trail in Britain.
Geologists will find a wealth of varied rock, some of it not occurring elsewhere in England. Several coastal views, for instance those at Hartland in North Devon and Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove in Dorset, have been used as textbook illustrations of cliff formations. Those who study archaeology find interest in many Iron Age Camps. If industrial archaeology is your choice, there are mining regions, old pilchard cellars, and again, some occurring nowhere else in Britain but in their particular locations here. Ornithologists will expect the richness of sea bird life, but less expected may be rare species such as the peregrine falcon.
History and especially rural history is commonplace. The Romans established signal stations to watch for Saxon raiders, the Vikings landed at St. Ives, ships sailed from the ports to Calais, then to engage the Spanish Armada and to Normandy on D-Day. Many explorers sailed from our peninsula to the New World and indeed to circumnavigate the globe. The sea is with you always. It will not take you long top witness every mood, and when you have seen it at its most savage, you will understand why there is a recorded wreck for every furlong of the Cornish coast.