Local Walks

Local Walks

Circular Walks from St Day

Walk No. 1 Treskerby (about 3.5 miles)

Starting from Vogue turn into Pink Moors, then where the road turns to the right by the pink house go over the Stile and follow the path across 7 fields, and stiles ( take care over the stiles ) at Treskirby Farm turn right up the road, then turn left at the next 2 road junctions, follow this road in front of the houses at Redruth Highway, until you come to the former Chapel, turn left beside it, go along this lane to the main road at Trefula ( this lane may be muddy in parts), ( do not take the lane which branches to the right part way along ) then cross the road with care and go over the stile opposite, keeping close to the right hand hedge of the field, cross the stile and turn left down the lane, passing to the rear of the houses at Lower Ninnis, when you come on to the road turn left passing Vogue Shute to return to your start point.

Walk No. 2 Unity Woods (about 3 miles)

From the path joining Chapel St to Wheal Gorland take the footpath to go down over the stiles to Pink Moors. On reaching the road turn right, then at the tee junction prior to the Lodge turn left, up the hill, keep straight on at a tee junction, then continue by the footpath down the hill under the bridge to come out on the main road to Scorrier.

Cross the road with care, and turn left on the new multi-purpose path towards Scorrier, at the end of this section do not cross the road but re-enter the woods by the adjacent entrance.

Follow the winding path passing through an iron gate and over some stiles to keep the field on your right. When you come out on to the wide lane turn left, ( The lane to the right is not open to the public,)

Cross over a stile and you come to a tee junction, ( if you go left you can visit Hawke’s Engine House of Killifreth Mine ) turn right passing along the right hand side of the field, then enter Unity Woods. ( Beware of mine shafts, most are capped. )

Follow the paths to keep near the left hand side of the woods, going down hill, to come out again on to the new multi-purpose path. ( The engine houses to your left belong to Wheal Bush or Unity Mine.)

Turn left then immediately right to go up the other side of the valley, bearing left to come out along the track of the Portreath Tramroad, onto the Chacewater road at Little Beside.

Turn right up Factory Hill to St.Day. The buildings at Little Beside once housed Velveteen and Fuse Factories. The concrete blocks by the cross roads were bases for the pylons, which supported the overhead ropeway used to transported ore from Parc-an-Chy mine to Poldice for treatment, in the 1930s.

Walk No. 3 Carnmarth (about 3.5 miles allow 2 hours)

From the town clock go down to Vogue. Just before the Star Inn on the boundary wall of Chapel House is a plaque pointing to the old boundary stone, which is beside the wall, it marked the meeting point of the manors of St.Day and Tolcarne, and is shown on the map of 1725. After the Inn take the left fork signed Gwennap Pit to pass Vogue Shute, the source of drinking water for St.Day until 1948. At Menheer Farm on your left note the plaque marking the discovery of an inscribed Roman Stone ( there is no public access ), continue straight ahead to Busveal.

At the T-junction turn left to view Gwennap Pit where John Wesley preached many times from 1762 onwards and also the museum. Return to the T-junction and turn left, proceed along the road to the top of the hill where you take the left turn.

Look for the large round water reservoir and take the rough uphill path to the left of it to walk past the old quarry ( the many holes in the rock face date from its use by Holman Bros Ltd to test rock drills ). At the top on your right is an Ordnance Survey Trig point at a height of 235 metres, if it is clear weather you will get a view of a large part of west Cornwall from St.Agnes Beacon to St Ives, around to Stithians reservoir, Falmouth Bay, and to the China clay spoil heaps around St.Austell.

Continue along the path passing a flooded quarry on your right, where the paths cross turn left then straight across at the next junction to bring you down to the road, where you turn right.

At the next T junction turn left by the houses and post box signed Carharrack, continue straight ahead at the next T junction down the hill pass Trevethan House, at the bottom take the rough lane forking down to the left follow the lane which bears around to your left past some houses going up the hill, at the top bear right and continue along the road to come down to Tolcarne Road.

At the junction go straight ahead then bear left to go up Brickworks Hill, at the top take the path to the right to pass around Wheal Jewel Playing field to emerge by the Old Church, turn left to return to the Town Clock.

Walk No. 4 Wheal Maid Valley (allow about 2 hours)

Leave St. Day by Vicarage Hill, after passing Glebe House ( formerly the Vicarage ) take the path forking to your right, to emerge on to the main Scorrier to Carharrack road. Turn to the right and cross with great care, then turn left down the lane, at the junction take the lane forking to your right. Follow this down to the junction and turn sharp left.

At the road turn right and go up the hill towards United Downs. Take the fourth track on the left, before the road bends to the left, along the Cornish Way Cycle Path ( there is a large rock at the entrance ) and follow it down the side of the Wheal Maid Valley. The valley was recently acquired by Gwennap Parish Council. The mines on your right formed the Great Consolidated copper mines. In places you can see the granite setts ( each sett having 2 holes to hold the rail in place ) of the old Redruth & Chasewater Railway, which linked Redruth to the port at Devoran, until it closed in about 1915.

Continue along the path keeping the tailings dams ( created for Mount Wellington and Wheal Jane Mines in the 70s ) on your left, after about ¾ mile and after going under a bridge there is a crossing of two tracks with granite pillar in the centre of the track, ( Mount Wellington Mine is on the hill ahead ) turn left down hill towards Twelveheads ( Twelveheads gained its name from the fact that it once had 12 heads of Cornish stamps for crushing ore ) On reaching the road turn left, and where the road bends to the right take the track which is straight ahead, past the Poldice Valley sign.

Follow this path, which is part of the Coast to Coast Trail, along the valley bottom past Wheal Fortune Farm as far as Hale Mills, where there is an Interpretive Board on your right. Take the track to the left past a cottage, and through the tunnel which was built to carry the railway to Chacewater ( probably to Wheal Busy Mine ), but which was never completed. Then take the zig-zag path up hill on the right and follow the track keeping the valley on your left. If you look across the valley the rather squat round structure mounted the clock for the mines, its mechanism is thought to have been later used in St.Day Town Clock. After passing the tailings dams and a cottage on your right take the track forking up hill to the right to emerge beside Crofthandy Chapel.

Take the road towards Chacewater ( beside the bus shelter there is a plaque commemorating this being the terminus of the Portreath to Poldice Tramway ). Take the first lane on your left along the track of this Tramway ( the setts for this tramway which closed in the 1860s had only one hole to hold the rail ) keep bearing to the right until you come to a crossing of 2 lanes where you turn sharp left to go up the hill. Where the main track bears to the right towards Little Beeside continue straight on, to come out on the main road near the crossroads at the bottom of Vicarage Hill.

Walk No. 5 Creegbrawse (about 3.5 miles Allow about 2 hours)

Leave St. Day via Barracks Lane crossing the main B3298 road with care, at the junction continue straight on then bear left to emerge on the Chacewater road at Little Beside. Turn right down the hill, then turn right at the T junction towards Crofthandy, take the first footpath to the left in front of the row of houses, go straight ahead at the crossing of the tracks and then bear left at the next junction passing to the left of the remains of the mine buildings heading towards a cluster of cottages, take the path by the interpretation board to come up to the tarmac road and head up the hill.

At the cross roads at the top of the hill turn left, and at the next T junction go straight ahead along the road with a 6 ft width restriction. Go past the former Creegbrawse Chapel then cross the St Day to Chacewater road, and continue to the next T junction and bear right. Continue, then and cross the Scorrier to Chacewater road, then take the first footpath on the left to return to the main road ( this is to avoid walking on the busy road ) cross the road and slightly to the left enter the path to Killifreth Mine, continue along the path and enter Unity Woods. When you reach the Portreath to Devoran Path turn left then take the right turn signed Little Beside Loop to go up the other side of the valley bearing left at the top to pass along the track of the old tramroad towards Little Beside to return up the hill to St. Day.

Walk No. 6 St Aubyn And Grambler (about 3.5 miles)

From St.Day go down the hill to Vogue and take the left fork towards Gwennap Pit.

After about 150 yards take the sign posted tarmaced path to the right, this passes some farm buildings, and across the rear of Farm View cottage, the path continues through the gate to the right of the rounded shed.

Continue to emerge on to the road and go straight ahead passing St. Aubyn Engine House on your left ( the only one remaining in St.Day parish ). Where the road turns to the right take the wide sign posted path through the gate to your left.

If you only want a short walk after about 50 yards take the path to your left, over the stile to the left of the metal gate, which will take you over stiles and across fields to Busveal and Gwennap Pit. At the road turn left for Vogue.

For a longer walk continue another 100 yards and take the path to the right, signed ‘Sandy Lane’ which will take you past Grambler Farm then down to the road ( Sandy Lane ). Here you should turn left and take the next road on your left to go up the hill past Call Farm. At the top of the hill, there are good views to the west and north, here take the left fork to go down through Busveal to Vogue.