Author: DanielleWatson

Enniscaven to Bodmin Moor

I checked the forecast last night, and with the clear skies, I knew it was going to be a chilly one. So, I went to bed in as many layers as I could and was super cosy all night.

On waking up, I had a quick peer out of my tent and saw the frost – it has definitely been chilly!

I didn’t realise quite how chilly it had been until I got out of my tent and saw the frost all over it. Even the guy lines had frost! Thankfully, I could wipe it off with my waterproof gloves, so my tent didn’t get packed away too wet.

The sun soon came out and the temperatures started to warm up, as I left the campsite.

I started the day by following a series of lanes out of Enniscaven and towards Roche. I had the Tregoss Moor nature reserve on one side and fields on the other. It was a beautiful start to the day.

After getting through Roche, I continued to Criggan, where I then took a footpath over Criggan Moor. The footpath was lovely, with a mixture of paths and board walks over the reed beds. I was joined along the footpath by a local rambler. He does this footpath 4-5 times a year and said that it is often overgrown or blocked by a tree. He said he would accompany me, as he had a saw and secateurs in his bag! Thankfully the footpath was clear, but it was nice to have the company for a short while.

After reaching Outer Saveth, I continued on a series of lanes. The high bushes either side felt really atmospheric. I half expected to find Sleeping Beauty’s castle around the next corner!

I eventually came to Lanhydrock National Trust Estate. The footpaths through the estate were a nicer chance from the lanes. The mixture of bird calls was lovely. A sign at the entrance said that the estate is home to 13 species of bat!

Lanhydrock estate also has woods with dedicated mountain bike trails. I headed along the bridleway, through the woods. The grass verge at the side of the path, was lovely and soft, which gave my feet some respite from the hard tarmac.

I then came to Callywith Wood, which is run by Forestry England. Like many of the Forestry England forests, they had a gruffalo trail, here is the Gruffalo’s child.

I followed the river, through the wood along the main track. The tracks are open to all, and level enough that you can use multi-terrain wheelchairs on there. You can even hire them from the Rangers, which was great to see!

I exited the forest over a bridge that was perfect for poohsticks!

After crossing a few footpaths, I headed steadily upwards on a lane towards Treslea Downs. I was rewarded as I got to the top by a beautiful view down the valley. Unfortunately, my photo doesn’t do it justice. The hillside on the right was flanked with gorse bushes, speckling it with yellow.

I crossed the downs along a track, through the maze of gorse.

The gorse bushes were the biggest that I’ve seen so far, must of them were taller than me!

I followed lanes on my way to Warleggan, whose sign states that it is twinned with Narnia! This originally stemmed from a village prank, but there is now a sign proudly at both ends of the village!

Walking through the village, I slowed down for the hedgehog crossing, and Harvey had to have a photo.

After pressing on 1km up the lane, I was at my campsite for the night, ready to pitch my tent and dream of another day’s walking.

Truro to Enniscaven

After posting my parcel back home, I set off from Truro, with fresh legs after my rest yesterday.

Walking down into the city, I once again got a view of the cathedral, standing out against the city. The street on the way down had lots of painted houses, reminding me of Ballamory. I subsequently had the theme tune stuck in my head for the next 5 minutes!

I walked through Truro, then lanes towards Tresellian. Initially it was a steep climb out of Truro, before dropping back down and following the main road. The next footpath was a welcome change, it was so nice to have the accompaniment of bird song and wind rustling through the trees back again. The footpath was lovely, the lane soon went through a small section of woodland and along a river.

The wind was definitely stronger today, so although it was dry, I kept my waterproof on for most of the day to protect me from the wind chill.

For a large part of the day, I passed the railway. The footpath headed under an impressive viaduct, feeling very similar to the paths through Wye Dale, back home.

After going through Tresellian, I took a series of footpaths, to the outskirts of Probus. The footpaths were lovely double walled grass tracks, with a mixture of gorse and brambles on either side. The best bit was that they weren’t that wet either!

After skirting round Probus, I was back onto a series of lanes to take me to St Stephen. These lanes were really peaceful and quiet. They were definitely proper holiday roads. (In my family, holiday roads are back country lanes that you find when driving on holiday. They’re normally winding, steep and get extra points if they have grass in the middle!)

After St Stephen, I crossed a few more footpaths towards Nanpean, and the sun started to come out, giving beautiful views. From there it was only a few miles along lanes around St. Dennis to my campsite.

As I started to follow the lanes, I soon realised that these weren’t the quiet lanes that I had been on, but were much busier. I instead decided to divert through St. Dennis. This involved a bit more height climbed, but it was definitely worth it. In the middle of the village they had a memorial erected to commemorate the millennium.

I also found the local church. It was locked, so I couldn’t go in, but the church yard was beautiful and quiet. The church is also on the site of an old fort.

From St. Dennis, I followed lanes to my campsite. It was lovely to see some Belted Galloways along the way. These are my favourite type of cattle. They’re like giant fuzzy humbugs.

I was soon down in Enniscaven, and found my campsite for the evening. I soon got my tent pitched, then with the afternoon sun, I left my socks, boots and gaiters to dry after another day on the trails.

Rest day in Truro

Today was my first rest day of my trip. So far, I’ve covered almost 80 miles and made it to Truro. I started the morning with some kit admin, cleaning my boots and gaiters, and checking over my route for the next few days.

After a restful morning, I decided to go and explore Truro. The guesthouse that I’m staying in is a 10 minute walk from the city centre and I started by first heading to the cathedral.

The cathedral was really spectacular. The ceiling in itself was a work of art, let alone the stained glass windows and carved features. It was a beautiful place, to take a moment to pause.

At the side of the cathedral was the font. The font was really spectacular, made of a red marble from North America. The dark green pillars at the base are from the Lizard Peninsula. It was amazing to think that I walked over their source, only a couple of days ago. There was beautiful craftsmanship everywhere that I looked.

St. Mary’s Aisle was a little area down the side of the cathedral and is the oldest part, dating back to the 1600s although there has been a site of worship on the same spot since the 1300s. The ceiling was beautiful with crests on the eaves.

To the left of St. Mary’s Aisle was a matchstick model of the cathedral. Made of 42000-43000 matchsticks, it must have taken some patience! It was made by Bill Cheshire in 1999 at a 1:72 scale. I really admired all of the detail and accuracy.

In the cathedral, there was also a banner celebrating all of the different volunteer groups in Truro. It was nice to find a couple of squares made by the local Brownies on there.

After exploring the cathedral, I stumbled across the Waterstones. With it being World Book Day, it felt rude not to go in, and I couldn’t resist buying a book. (Thankfully, I have a parcel to send back home, so I won’t need to carry it for the rest of my trip!)

Coming out of Waterstones, I was greeted by the St. Piran’s day parade. Local people and school children were marching through the city, accompanied by a brass band. It was a really lovely surprise, and nice to experience a local tradition.

I then went on a search for the Cornwall Museum. The museum was really interesting and had lots of interesting artefacts. My favourite room had to be the Mineral Gallery. I’ve had many different collections growing up: paperclips, rubber ducks, garden gnomes to name a few, but one of my first was crystals. I’ve always loved the different colours and feeling the energy from the stones.

There were some that you could touch like this serpentine block from the Lizard Peninsula. It was fascinating to see how many different minerals have been found in Cornwall.

Part of the exhibition was interactive. You could select a stone, then a light and soundscape played, inspired by the crystal. I chose my favourite, Amethyst. It was amazing to be surrounded by all of the different purple patterns and colours.

Another room in the museum was dedicated to nature in Cornwall and included this display of shells. I really loved the variety, and to see so many in their complete form.

Upstairs was a range of artwork and exhibits. In the final room was an exhibition dedicated to Cornish people. Inspired by the happy newspaper, each poster featured someone who has championed local wildlife or the local community. It was amazing to read about all of these incredible people and the difference that they have made.

After visiting the museum, I found the tourist information, to buy a badge. I then completed my mission of finding a Cornish pasty in Cornwall, which I enjoyed on my way back to the guesthouse.

I then enjoyed a peaceful remainder of the afternoon; reading some of my new book, polishing my boots and generally resting my legs so that I’m ready to set off again tomorrow morning.