Wheal Leisure was a copper mine that operated from 1820 to 1840 and again from 1829 to 1853 as Great Wheal Leisure. At some point, it was also known as Great Wheal Louise. The mine workings covered most of Perranporth and most of the high street is built on the mine tips. Workings extended quite a way up the Perrancoombe valley. Much of the area around St Michael's church was mine tips in the 1880s.
Tywarnhayle was a mediaeval manor which extended all the way from Perranporth to St Agnes. The first record is in 960 when it was spelt Tiwarhel. The name means "House on the estuary" in Cornish so it's thought the manor house was probably situated at the Perranporth end which would have been a more natural river valley before all the mining activity in the 18th and 19th Centuries.
Nansmellyn Marsh is a 5-hectare nature reserve managed by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. It is notable for being one of the few remaining areas of untouched reed bed in Cornwall.
Although herons primarily eat fish, they will eat frogs, rodents, moles, ducklings and even baby rabbits! They are quite brave birds and will venture into gardens and parks to eat the ornamental fish. They have also been known to visit zoos to steal fish during penguin and seal feeding.
As part of the Cornwall Mineral Railway project, Treffry's tramway to the East Wheal Rose mine was extended to Treamble. Following acquisition by the Great Western Railway, the line was extended to Perranporth for tourism. The 10-mile section from Newquay to Perranporth was intended to open in time for the summer of 1904 but the engineers ran into difficulties with the composition of the bedrock and the line was finally completed on January 2, 1905. The rails were removed in 1964 following the Beeching cuts.
The Saints' Trail (not to be confused with the completely unrelated Saints' Way) is a walking and cycling route created from the trackbed of the Newquay to Perranporth railway. It was planned to span the 9 miles from Perranporth to Newquay but the project wasn't fully delivered by Cornwall Council, resulting in just a 3 mile section from Perranporth to Goonhavern, opened in 2023. The name-clash and the lack of provision of a long-stay car park for it in Goonhavern also fall into the category of non-ideal.
The origin of the name is thought to be land held by the Cooke family - a prominent landowner in the 17th Century (i.e. "Cooke's holding"). The pronunciation drifted over time and the spelling with it.
The name appears as "Cox" on some Victorian maps. Some have suggested a link to apples, but it's thought far more likely to be censorship (i.e. a map label of "Cocks" offended Victorian sensibilities).
Part-way along, the ivy-covered chimney of an engine house is visible through the trees on the left.
New Chiverton Mine opened in 1863 and produced lead, silver, tin, and zinc. It used a steam-powered pumping engine to drain the underground workings and a separate winding engine to raise ore from the mine. The chimney stacks of both still remain. At its peak in 1870, the mine employed 50 people. However, the business eventually struggled and was forced to close in 1879.
Goonhavern was recorded in 1290 as Goenhavar. The name is Cornish for "downs of summer fallow". This suggests it was an uncultivated area used for summer grazing during mediaeval times. The oldest buildings in the settlement date from Victorian times when the settlement included a blacksmith, school, chapel, and a Cornish Wrestling ring located where the pub car park is now.
According to folklore, you should not pick blackberries after Michaelmas Day (now known as Old Michaelmas Day, roughly corresponding to 11th October) as this is when the devil claims them. The basis for this is thought to be the potentially toxic moulds which can develop on the blackberries in the cooler, wetter weather.
As well as producing seeds both sexually and asexually, brambles can also clone themselves to create daughter plants either via underground stems (rhizomes) or by the over-ground stems rooting where they meet the ground.
As well as its thorns, another thing that makes hawthorn good for hedging is its very rapid rate of growth of around half a metre per year. Consequently one of the alternative common names for it is "quickthorn".
Between the two species, some gorse is almost always in flower, hence the old country phrases: "when gorse is out of blossom, kissing's out of fashion" (which is recorded from the mid-19th century) and "when the furze is in bloom, my love's in tune" (which dates from the mid-18th century). Common gorse flowers are bright yellow. Western gorse flowers are very slightly more orange - more like the colour of the "yolk" in a Cadbury's creme egg. Also like creme eggs, gorse flowers are edible but are significantly better for use in salads and to make a tea, beer or wine.
Mining in the area south of Goonhavern dates back to at least 1807 but the most active period was in the 1860s-70s. Following the massive success of the West Chiverton lead mine, many smaller galena (lead ore also containing silver) mines started nearby to attract investors. Wheal Anne (also recorded as Anna) was one of these. The majority (including Wheal Anne) struggled to find large enough bodies of ore to be viable and were relatively short-lived.
Holly is able to adapt to a range of conditions but prefers moist ground. It is very tolerant of shade and can grow as a thicket of bushes underneath larger trees. However, given the right conditions, holly trees can grow up to 80ft tall!
Continue ahead at the junction, signposted for Woodlands Farm and follow the track to where it ends in a parking area.
Follow the grassy track from the opposite side towards a metal gate and as you approach head to the stone steps with a metal railing.
Climb the steps and go through the pedestrian gate into the field.
Follow the path along the length of the field to reach some stone steps near the largest telegraph pole in the hedge ahead.
Every part of the dandelion plant is edible and is high in Vitamin A and higher still in Vitamin K. The leaves can be eaten in salads, though their bitterness is not to everyone's taste. However, the bitterness can be reduced by blanching: drop the leaves into boiling salted water and remove after a minute and quench in ice-cold water to prevent the leaves from cooking.
In a natural habitat, buzzards perch at the top of trees to survey the surrounding fields. Their brown-and-white pattern camouflages them quite well so it's quite common for walkers to inadvertently disturb what turns out to be a huge flapping monster just feet away. Telegraph poles provide a perfect alternative to trees without any cluttering branches so buzzards can often be seen perched on the top, unfazed by cars passing beneath.
Caer Kief is a late prehistoric "round" (enclosure surrounded by an embankment, typically containing an agricultural settlement), featuring a roughly square layout defined by a single rampart and ditch. It stands as a significant Iron Age site near the larger Caer Dane hillfort.
The proximity of the two hillforts has resulted in some wild speculation about warring factions on opposite sides of the valley. Current thinking is that they were probably not occupied at the same time, or that Caer Kief may have been some kind of satellite settlement.
Wheal Frances mine was in operation between 1831 and 1832. Other than that, little is known about it. By the 1880s, the mine had been replaced with a settlement of the same name which included a Methodist chapel.
The ford crosses the Bolingey Stream (the same one that the Saints' Trail initially followed). Several small tributaries collect water from the Newlyn Downs area. The relatively large catchment area feeding into a narrow valley means there is potential for rapid rises in river levels (hence the signs about escape routes along the Saints' Trail). There is a monitoring station in Bolingey to keep an eye on it.
Wentworth Consols was a mine producing lead and zinc, and was in operation between 1855 and 1867. A chimney and storage magazine existed until 1952 when it was demolished by the army.
Ventongimps is a name that has clearly become mangled over the years. It was once known as Fentengempes. Fenten is the Cornish word for "spring". In Cornish, words starting with a "k" often change to a "g", depending on the word in front, and therefore the second word could be a variation of kemper, which means "confluence". There is a substantial river confluence a short way to the north of the small settlement of Ventongimps so it could be a reference to that, or there are also a number of small springs that join the river.
Ventongimps moor is one of the best places in Cornwall for damselflies, dragonflies, butterflies and moths with over 100 species being recorded. It also supports a number of rare bog plants including the sundew. The boggy habitat is formed due to the layer of peat resting on a layer of clay, trapping water beneath the moor.
Caer Dane is a large hillfort comprising three concentric ramparts, signifying it as a high-status prehistoric centre. Its complex defensive structure and strategic position originally overlooking the landscape suggest it served as a major regional focus of power and activity during the Iron Age. It is now situated on a tree-covered hilltop.
The name is from the Cornish words Caer (meaning fort) and Dinas (meaning fort or citadel). Up to Victorian times, (non-Cornish-speaking) scholars were seduced by Dinas sounding a bit like "Danes" and made assumptions of Danish origin for a number of Cornish hillforts, which was completely wrong but some of the names stuck.
Carefully cross the road to the bus stop on the opposite side.
Turn left to reach the lane in front of the church, then turn right onto this to reach the churchyard entrance.
The buildings at Perranzabuloe date from Victorian times and the settlement is likely to have grown around the church. However, there are signs of Bronze Age activity in the area including two barrows (burial sites) and an axe head was also found.
Perranzabuloe church was built in 1804 to replace St Piran's Church on the dunes near Perranporth. The reason that so little remains of the church in the dunes is that the tower, columns, woodwork etc were dismantled and moved to create the new church. The church was restored in 1873 when it's likely that much of the medieval fabric was replaced. The 15th Century font remains.
Black fungi that resemble lumps of coal are known as coal fungus but also King Alfred cakes due to a legendary baking disaster by the regent. The dried fungus can be used with a flint as a fire starter - a spark will ignite the inside which glows like a piece of charcoal and can be used to light dry grass. There is evidence that prehistoric nomadic tribes used glowing pieces of fungus to transport fire to a new camp.
Less active woodland management has led to a decline in hazel as larger woodland trees gradually form a dense canopy that blocks out the light, out-competing the hazel. Grey squirrels have also contributed to the decline by eating so many of the nuts that fewer now successfully germinate.
In fields with crops where the footpath doesn't run along the edge, if there is a well-trodden path then follow this to avoid trampling any more of the crops. If there appears to be no path through the crops then you do have a right to walk through the crop but stick as close as possible to the line of the path to avoid damaging any more of the crop than strictly necessary. Alternatively, you can follow around the edges of the field to avoid trudging through the crop.
Wheat was formed by hybridisations between wild grasses which was then spread through domestication. The cultivation of wheat is thought to have begun nearly 12,000 years ago in southeast Turkey.
Remains of wheat from 8000 years ago have been found in Britain which indicate trade with Europe. Until around 6500 BC, it was possible to walk between Britain and the rest of Europe via an area of low lying land known as Doggerland. As sea levels rose after the last Ice Age, the North Sea flooded this, making Britain an island.
Because each of the hybridisations that formed wheat were rare events, and because there were multiple stages of hybridisation involved, domesticated bread wheat is all from a common ancestry and therefore there is very little genetic variety. This narrow gene pool makes the risk of a catastrophic disease quite high. Since the 20th Century, work has been underway to broaden the wheat gene pool to produce disease-resistant strains through a number of techniques including crossing wheat varieties from different parts of the world, hybridising with wild grasses, and more recently through direct genetic manipulation.
The reason moles create tunnels is that these act as worm traps. When a worm drops in, the mole dashes to it and gives it a nip. Mole saliva contains a toxin that paralyses earthworms and the immobilised live worms are stored in an underground larder for later consumption. Researchers have discovered some very well-stocked larders with over a thousand earthworms in them! To prepare their meal, moles pull the worms between their paws to force the earth out of the worm's gut.
Rabbit teeth continue to grow throughout their lives as an evolutionary adaptation to eating grass which contains abrasive silica. Consequently pet rabbits fed a diet with insufficient hay often get problems with overgrown teeth. However, cut grass from a mower should not be fed to rabbits as it ferments more quickly than fresh grass (impact and heat from the blades causes bruising and wilting which releases the carbohydrates) which results in bloated bunnies.
The name Trevellance is thought to be based on the Cornish word for mills, reflecting its location near a river. There is some evidence of Iron Age activity in the area. During the Middle Ages, it was a small manor, first recorded in 1303, which would have been a centre for farming the nearby valleys.
The name Bolingey is from Melinji (Cornish for mill house) and it was still recorded as Mellingy in 1516. The name seems to be related to an earlier 14th Century place name Nansmellyn (mill in the valley) which was located below the modern settlement.
There is another Bolingey near St Mawgan which has undergone the same name transformation. In that case, the change happened during Tudor times (ending up as Belyngeu in 1599) when English-speaking scribes were becoming more common.
The Wesleyan Chapel at Bolingey took 10 years to complete and was finally opened in 1841. Due the mining boom in the area, the chapel was extended in 1870 so it could accommodate around 500 people! It was the primary Methodist site in the parish. The chapel closed in the late 1970s and was converted to accommodation. Many of the interior fittings were redistributed to other Methodist chapels in the area including Perranporth (which has its communion table and lectern) and St Columb Minor chapel (where the vestibule was constructed from its pews and screens).
Public byways are rights of way down which motor vehicles may be driven depending on how brave you are and how expensive your car is to fix. You are also permitted to use a horse-drawn carriage, should you own one. Byways tend to be surfaced in an ad-hoc manner either with gravel or occasionally with a smattering of tarmac, but still leaving plenty of room for a good crop of grass to grow down the centre. They are conventionally marked using red waymarks or a "Public Byway" sign. There are 130 miles of byways in Cornwall.
The track crosses the trackbed of the railway here. As the the railway approached Perranporth, it departed from the river and turned in a fairly tight bend where Perranporth Station was located. After passing around the hairpin bend, the railway continued out of Perranporth from near St Michael's Church. It followed along Perrancoombe to Mithian and then past Goonbell to its junction with the main line at Blackwater. It's possible to walk along a section of the raised trackbed starting opposite St Michael's Church (suitably labelled Railway Walk).
Apple pips contain a compound called amygdalin, which is cyanide bonded with sugar. In the gut this is converted to hydrogen cyanide. If you accidentally swallow a couple then don't panic: you'd need to chew and swallow hundreds of apple pips to get a fatal dose of cyanide.
Two streams meet on Perranporth beach:
The Perranporth (aka Perrancoombe) stream flows for just under 5 miles from its source near Mithian church, and along Perran Coombe to the beach. This is the one that runs alongside the beach car park.
The Bolingey stream comes under the bridge on the beach to join the Perranporth stream. The stream and its tributaries run for just over 10 miles. Some of these start from the marshes on Chiverton Downs around Callestick and Ventongimps.
Since both streams run through old mining areas, some of the upstream sections have quite high mineral levels but this has been diluted to low levels by the time they reach the beach. However, the Environment Agency noted that after heavy rainfall, runoff from roads and agricultural land could have an effect on bathing water quality.
Squirrels are rodents, closely related to chipmunks and slightly more distantly to dormice. The word "squirrel" originates from an ancient Greek word meaning "shadow-tailed", referring to the bushy tail of a squirrel. A family group of squirrels is known as a "drey" (also the word for a squirrel nest). A group of unrelated squirrels is known as a "scurry", though squirrels tend not to hang out in groups.
Grey squirrels were introduced to the UK from the USA in the late 19th Century and within decades they had replaced the native red squirrel in most parts of the country.
Compared to red squirrels, grey squirrels are able to eat a wider diet (including acorns), are larger so can survive colder winters, and are better able to survive in the fragmented habitats created by urbanisation. They are also thought to be carriers of a squirrel pox virus which they usually recover from but has been fatal to red squirrels, although red squirrels are now also developing some immunity.
To date, culling of grey squirrels has not reversed their domination of woodland habitat and alternative approaches such as planting food with contraceptives are being explored as a means to control the population. The theory is that infertile squirrels can compete for food against fertile squirrels, whereas culling can create a glut of food resulting in a higher number of squirrels surviving which replace those that were exterminated. Natural predators such as goshawks or pine martens also remove more grey squirrels than red squirrels. This is because red squirrels are more savvy having co-evolved with the predators so for example they recognise the scent of pine martens and actively avoid areas with this.
Squirrels assess each of their acorns before burying them. If an acorn is too light (which suggests it might have a hole), the squirrel will eat it immediately rather than risking it going mouldy.
In order to later find the nuts that they've buried, squirrels need to be organised. Some species of squirrel have been studied and found to structure their hoards by type of nut e.g. burying all their acorns under one tree and all their conkers under another. This is equivalent to us organising all the veg onto one shelf of the fridge to make it easier to remember where to look for them.
As well as forgetting where they buried some of them, squirrels may also lose a quarter of their buried food to birds, other rodents and fellow squirrels. Squirrels therefore use dummy tactics to confuse thieves by sometimes just pretending to bury a nut.
Squirrels eyes are positioned on the sides of their head which allows them to spot predators approaching from behind them. When a squirrel spots a predator, its runs away in a zigzag pattern. This confuses many of their predators but unfortunately it doesn't work well for cars.
Young squirrels suffer a high mortality rate in the wild and less than one in three make it to adulthood. The ones that do, live on average for about 6 years, although a lucky one can live to about 12 years old. In captivity, where there are neither predators, cars nor cold winters to contend with, they can reach 20 years old.
By using their tail as a parachute, squirrels are able to survive falls from high trees. This allows them to attempt risky jumps between treetops that don't always work out. They are one of the few mammals that can (but not always) survive an impact at their terminal velocity i.e. if a squirrel jumped out of an aeroplane, it may well survive.
In urban areas in cold countries such as Canada, a black form of the grey squirrel is more common which is able to withstand the cold better both by retaining more heat and also having a slower metabolism. In wilderness areas where predators are more common, the black squirrels don't seem to do so well, perhaps because they are less camouflaged against trees than the grey ones.
Kingfishers are found near slow-moving or still water where they dive to catch fish, as their name implies, but they also eat many aquatic insects, ranging from dragonfly nymphs to water beetles.
The Kingfisher is able to switch between light receptors in the main central area of its eye and a forward-facing set when it enters water, allowing it to judge distances accurately underwater. It is estimated that a female needs to eat over twice her own body weight in order to increase her condition sufficiently for egg laying.
The unmistakable metallic blue and orange birds fly fast and low over the surface of the water so may only be apparent as a blue flash. The pigment in their feathers is actually brown but the microstructure of their features results in light interference patterns which generate the brilliant iridescent blue and orange colours. Unfortunately the result, during Victorian times, was that kingfishers were extensively killed for display in glass cases and for use in hat making. The population has since recovered and is now limited by the availability of suitable waterways.
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