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Cornwall 0710

Cornwall bound -13th October
We took an early-ish start (6:00am) and after filling up with fuel, opted for the motorway route: A40/M40/M25/M4/M5. We stopped for breakfast at a Little Chef near the bottom end of the M5.

On the A30, once the Tamar had been crossed, we took the turn-off for Altarnun. The Holy Well here has suffered from recent neglect. The well compound is completely overgrown and inaccessible - the gate could not be opened due to the logs dumped there, and the steps down to the well were completely hidden in the undergrowth.

We had planned to stop off at Castilly Henge, but the new section of the A30 starts here, and I missed the turn, so we continued on to Penzance.

Sunday Stroll 14th October
I had arranged to meet Mark (Mr Hamhead) and Chris (Scubi63) from TMA for a walk from the Men an Tol studios.

Our first stop was at the Men an Tol itself, where I spotted a buried object next to one of the stones. I left this for later extraction by CASPN - see http://www.cornishancientsites.com/damage-report.htm for details of the finds.

We then moved on to Men Scryfa, with cows in the field. Mark went up to the stone and took some photos, but Chris and I declined to join him. We then tried to find the Venton Bebibell well, but without success in the thick bracken. The well is by a thorn tree, but we had three to choose from – I'll try to get better directions for a different time of year. We continued on to the Four Parish Stone, then headed up the hill to the Boskednan Cairn, with the quartz veined stone.

Next was the Nine Maidens circle, and the sun came out as we approached the circle.

We continued on, and Mark pointed out a banked cairn that I wasn't aware of as we approached Ding Dong Mine.

In return, I showed off Bosilliack Barrow, a Scillonian Entrance style tomb. We then headed back to the car for the short drive back to Lanyon Quoit, after which I left the others as they decided to head over to the coastal path for an exploration.

Monday's Long Run 15th October
Today we decided to take the 'long run', across to Liskeard, so we headed back up the A30, taking the turnoff for St Austell. The target here was the Menear Longstone, but I had to be content with a long range view, as the field was in crop.

We then stopped for a comfort break in Lostwithiel, where I took the opportunity to spot the lantern cross in the churchyard, MC62 along with another ancient inscribed stone. Near to the church is an old Tudor bridge across the Fowey. This was a side of Lostwithiel I've not seen before when passing through on the A390.

Continuing on the road, we fought our way through the roadworks on the A38 at Dobwalls to get to Liskeard. I had a very quick look around Liskeard Museum, which had very little in the way of early archaeological exhibits. Just a few arrow heads and a partial mace axe head. I wasn't too impressed.

Back along the A38, we next headed up to St Neot where I took a look inside the church before heading off for the (Victorian Restored) Holy Well. We then had a very pleasant sandwich lunch in the pub next to the church, which set us up for the rest of the day.

A short distance northeast of St Neot is the Mutton Down stone. I'd researched this stone before the visit, noting that it lies within a small parcel of land subject to the CROW act. I'd parked up and entered the scrubland through the unlocked gate, and was just starting to take photos when a farmer drew up in a van and challenged me. He asked what I was doing and after I'd explained insisted that the land belonged to his son, and that I should have asked for permission before entering. I told him that as far as I'd researched, the land was CROW land, and therefore permission should not be required, and anyway, how was I to now who the land belonged to? He repeated that it belonged to his son, who lived two miles down the road. Again, I repeated that I couldn't be expected to know that, that CROW land meant that I had the 'right to roam' and that I always observed the country code and reported any damage to the due authorities. He insisted that they'd "had some trouble" with people at the site but wouldn't go into detail, and asked again that I leave, which I did reluctantly.

Tuesday socializing 16th October
Today a very grey and drizzly day, so was spent doing some much needed shopping, before taking a short drive around Penwith to meet with a friend in St Buryan. We had a very pleasant lunch in the Lamorna Wink, after which I briefly visited the Boscawen-Un circle.

Wednesday Crafting 17th October
Today was mainly Mikki's day, as we started with a pasty breakfast in Hayle before heading for Cambourne and Porthleven for some craft shopping.

I did manage to fit in a stroll up the hill from St Just to Tregeseal though, which looked in fine fettle, with no sign at all of the gorse burning that I'd seen some time ago here.

Quiet Thursday 18th October
With slight back pain today, I didn't feel like driving too far. The Trewern Stone is not too far from the holiday village where we're staying, so that was the first stop. We approached from the north, which gave a good view of the farm and surrounding fields. I couldn't see the stone in the field marked on the map (and as seen on Google Earth), and the farmyard seemed deserted except for some dogs, so I decided not to try a closer approach.

We drove into St Just, but the café and bookshop were not yet open, so we continued down to Cape Cornwall, where I looked around the old Oratory there. By the time we returned to St Just, we were able to partake of some delicious soup and bought a couple of books into the bargain.

Heading back round to the A30, we stopped at the entrance to Boscawen Noon Farm. There is a large stone on the approach to the farm, and another just a couple of fields away which I tried to see, but cows in the field stopped my attempt. I really must get over my fear of bovines! At least I finally know where this stone is now…

Final Friday 19th October
We took a final drive around the Penwith peninsula, taking in the Pipers and the Merry Maidens, where I checked quickly for any more possible damage, thankfully without success.

From St Just, we followed the north coast road, passing the ruins of Carn Galver Mine, before heading back round to St Ives.

We then drove across to Helston to the Blue Anchor for a pleasant lunch.

Heading Home 20th October
An early start saw us arrive at Castilly Henge just as the sun was rising. Unfortunately, there was absolutely nothing to see as the site is hidden from the road by a huge embankment. This will need an exploring visit when time is on our hands, unlike today.

We did take a short diversion off the A30 though, to see several crosses at Reperry, Lesquite and Carminow, before finally heading for home.