The Cheesewring

Nearest town:
Liskeard (7km S)
OS reference:
SX258724
OS sheet:
201
Latitude:
50° 31' 29.24 N
Longitude:
4° 27' 28.51 W

Images

Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by thesweetcheat

The Cheesewring with the walls of Stowe’s Pound to the left.

Image credit: A. Brookes (22.6.2018)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Sep 25, 2018
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by thesweetcheat

The Cheesewring with Daniel Gumb’s House in front.

Image credit: A. Brookes (22.6.2018)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Sep 25, 2018
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by Rhiannon

A beautifully crisp drawing in an article about an excursion to the Cheesewring, in Archaeologia Cambrensis, July 1896.

Image credit: CWGS?
Rhiannon
Rhiannon May 6, 2016
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by Rhiannon

A beautifully crisp sketch in a report on an excursion to the Cheesewring, in Archaeologia Cambrensis, July 1896.

Image credit: CWGS
Rhiannon
Rhiannon May 6, 2016
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by Rhiannon

THE CHEESEWRING, KILMARTH ROCKS, AND TREVETHY STONE, CORNWALL.
Knight, Charles (ed.). Penny magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, Mar.1832-Dec.18455.244 (Jan 23, 1836): 28-29.

Image credit: unknown
Rhiannon
Rhiannon May 6, 2016
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by postman

Heading back to the Hurlers, just one more look.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Feb 11, 2013
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by Lubin

Holed stone on the Cheesewring

Image credit: Peter Castle. ©
Lubin
Lubin Apr 14, 2007
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by Lubin

Holed stone on the Cheesewring

Image credit: Peter Castle. ©
Lubin
Lubin Apr 14, 2007
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by Lubin

Holed stone on the Cheesewring.

Image credit: Peter Castle. ©
Lubin
Lubin Apr 14, 2007
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by Moth

This thing is just AMAZING isn’t it?

Image credit: Tim Clark
Moth
Moth Mar 23, 2004
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by Moth

The view across to more cultivated land

Image credit: Tim Clark
Moth
Moth Mar 23, 2004
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by Moth

The multiple stacks, looking back towards the Hurlers

Image credit: Tim Clark
Moth
Moth Mar 23, 2004
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by Moth

The stack teetering on the edge of its man-made cliff

Image credit: Tim Clark
Moth
Moth Mar 22, 2004
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by Moth

View back past the Hurlers

Image credit: Tim Clark
Moth
Moth Mar 22, 2004
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by Jane

Sketched very fast, on site in a stiff chilly breeze!

Image credit: Jane Tomlinson
Jane
Jane Mar 14, 2004
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by goffik

The Cheesewring. Giants vs Saints? Or wind... I don’t mind – it’s a lovely place.

Image credit: Goffik
goffik
goffik Apr 30, 2003
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by goffik

The Cheesewring – featuring the remains of Daniel Gumb’s House – 7th September 2001

Image credit: Goffik
goffik
goffik Apr 30, 2003
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by phil

There are several formations all over the hilltop.

2 of my nephews relaxing in the granite easy chair.

phil
phil Jul 22, 2002
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by phil

The 3 lower stones are held by metal bars, look close to see the tips.

phil
phil Jul 22, 2002
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by kgd

May 2002 ‘before the hail...‘

kgd
kgd May 8, 2002
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by kgd

May 2002 – ‘just before the hail...‘

kgd
kgd May 8, 2002
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by Mr Hamhead

How it should look....
When quarrying reached the edge of the Cheesewring the workers erected stones to support it if it should be disturbed by blasting. Those stones still stand, the three right of centre in the other photo. Take a look when you visit, they do not and never have touched. This photo shows the Cheesewring as it should be, even more wonderous than it is . If only we could get the stones removed....(sorry about the quality of the photo)

Mr Hamhead
Mr Hamhead Nov 5, 2001
Image of The Cheesewring (Rocky Outcrop) by moey

If you look up from the Hurlers, towering in the near distance, you will see the hill that houses The Cheesewring. Spectacular is not the word. Precarious is the feeling, Each of the stone stacks feels as if it could topple at any time.
More Beautiful than any man could create.

moey
moey Sep 18, 2001

Articles

The Cheesewring

C
CARL Apr 27, 2015

Visited 16.4.15

The Cheesewring is the prominent landmark when in the Minions area and is well worth the walk for a closer look and exploration. From the Hurlers stone circles the Cheesewring looks quite far you can walk it in about 15 minutes, although you do need to be fairly mobile to clamber up onto the rock outcrops.

Both myself and Dafydd enjoyed scrambling around the rocks and the views are excellent in all directions. From the top of the rocks you get a great ‘bird’s eye’ view of the collapsed circular stone wall which surrounds the Iron Age site.
I am not so sure Karen would have approved of Dafydd being up here with me but is it quite safe as long as you are sensible about things.

The Cheesewring

postman
postman Feb 11, 2013

We could see the Cheesewring from over by the Hurlers, but the last time was the same too, I could see it, I start to walk towards it, looked up and its gone, there one moment gone the next. I turned back and scurried off back to the car.
But not this time, we could see it, so we started to walk towards it, looked up and it was gone, again. long drawn out siiiiigh.
But we kept on going, pushing aside any thoughts of wandering the moor forever more, (Ahem), my daughter was waiting in the car for us, she doesn’t see many stones anymore, shes thirteen now and very settled in her role as moody teenager, hopefully we’d be back soon.

I did not know the Cheesewring is right next to a dirty great quarry, no idea at all. Nor did I know the rock stack was so big, a giants construction if ever there was one. And whats with the corner supports ? apparently helping to prop up the higher layers, surely not ?
A brilliant place to sit and watch the mists rolling across the moor, probably best seen on a nice summers day, but any weather will do if you’ve come more than 200 miles.

The Cheesewring

S
swallowhead Dec 26, 2010

Boxing Day, 2010 CE, 15:00

After visiting Trethevy Quoit, where not a soul was to be seen, it came as a bit of surprise to find that we were not the only ones to brave the snow on Boxing Day. About 50 people were present around the Hurlers and the Cheesewring.

Standing between The Pipers gives an excellent view from a distance – this position forces the cheesewring into your perspective, and I don’t doubt that these stones were put here for exactly that purpose.

In the snow, no track was visible, so we had to go carefully climbing up the rocks and boulders on the hill.

The view from the top is incredible, and underneath the Cheesewring is the perfect spot for a picnic.

The Cheesewring

Vicster
Vicster Jun 30, 2007

The walk from The Hurlers to the Cheesewring is magnificent. As you walk across the open land, you can see the site getting bigger and bigger and more and more spectacular.

This really is an amazing landscape and once you venture to the top, it really is one of those “top if the world” feelings.

Fabulous.

The Cheesewring

Moth
Moth Apr 3, 2004

Access: See the Hurlers. The path leads directly north and is incredibly easy to follow because you can see the Cheesewring all the way. It undulates over reasonably even moorland for about half a mile’s easy going until you reach the foot of the hill with the Cheesewring outcrops on top. It then gets steep and considerably harder going as you negotiate craggy exposed rock and boulders.

Saturday 6 March 2004
This is such a great place! I have to confess that on my first visit to the Hurlers I hadn’t bothered to walk up here. The views and feeling of wildness and freedom are everything you could expect.

It was cold, but bearable as it wasn’t particularly windy. So Jane painted while I poked about amongst the outcrops and investigated the north side of the hill.

On the way back for another look (successful this time) for Rillaton Barrow we spotted Daniel Gumb’s House low on the hillside at the side of the quarry, just below the most teetering and prominent outcrop nearest the Hurlers. I’d forgotten about it on the way up, but for some reason had thought it was on the other side of the hill anyway....

The Cheesewring

goffik
goffik Apr 30, 2003

Gor blimey! What a windy place! Visited here in September 2001, and have NEVER been anywhere so windy! The force of the wind probably explains why the rocks in the area are so smooth (but hey, I’m no expert!). It was this place that made me bald, I swear! There’s a little shelter, which I later discovered was Daniel Gumb’s House. Or the remains of, at least. From reading up on this area, it seems to have suffered a fair bit at the hands of the quarry works... nothing is sacred *sigh!* Nice place – good walk to the top, and a cracking view from the top!

The Cheesewring

J
j-sun Feb 12, 2002

Don’t be fooled by the postcards. The Cheesewring is not balanced without a little help. If I remember right, you can see a couple of rods driven into the lower base by some smaller stones, which were put in when the silly sods blew up half the hill to make westminster bridge etc. Old postcards are interesting, as there is, then isnt, then is again this small pile acting as a sort of wedge, off to one side at the narrowest point. Hard to see how it all stood up without them. If I ever get a scanner, I’ll put my small old postcard collection up on the site.

The Cheesewring

D
Dancing Fish Jan 1, 2002

What better way to spend Boxing Day then walking up to the Cheesewring to wonder at the pile of precariously balanced stones. The walk up was well worth it, the sheer size of the largest pile surprised me. It was much bigger than I had thought it would be. It almost made the Hurlers below seem quite insignificant in comparision.

From the elevated position we felt like we were on top of the world. A hail storm blew across Bodmin Moor and we watched it make its way in our direction. It was a great feeling to see the weather doing its thing below us and then it was upon us – the piles of stones provided easy shelter.

A place where we felt glad to be alive

The Cheesewring

X
xyz Oct 23, 2001

I couldn’t visit the Hurlers without a visiting the Cheesewring as well what with it being such a short walk away. Basically a large naturally exposed rock outcrop / tor just teetering on the edge of a quarry. Bit of a climb to the top, but well worth it. Thereare some magnificent views to be had of the wilderness of the surrounding area and getting closer to the rocks just brings home what a freak of nature this formation is. Like other tors around the region, the rocks are precariously balanced on one another and it looks as if they could topple at any moment. Has all the makings of a classic rock idol and as potent as many man made temples, if not more so. A lonely, but magnificent place.

Folklore

The Cheesewring
Rocky Outcrop
Rhiannon
Rhiannon May 6, 2016

Quarrying operations at one time threatened to destroy this far-famed natural curiosity, but the Duchy of Cornwall has wisely limited the scope of their destructive efforts. [...] Immediately outside the rampart of the stone fort above the Cheesewring is a large natural block of granite, hollowed out by the weather into a rude seat called the Druid’s Chair. It is said that whoever sits in it is destined shortly either to become a poet or go mad – in fact, the Laureateship or Colney Hatch!

From a report about an excursion to the Cheesewring in Archaeologia Cambrensis, July 1896.

Folklore

The Cheesewring
Rocky Outcrop
Rhiannon
Rhiannon May 12, 2005

In his ‘Popular Romances of the West of England’ Hunt describes a rock in Looe that turns around 3 times when it hears a cock crow. He adds:

The topmost stone of that curious pile of rocks in the parish of St Cleer known as the Cheesewring is gifted in like manner. Even now the poultry-yards are very distant, but in ancient days the cocks must have crowed most lustily, to have produced vibrations on either the sensitive rock or the tympanum of man.

Online at the sacred texts archive sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/prwe/index.htm

Miscellaneous

The Cheesewring
Rocky Outcrop
Rhiannon
Rhiannon Sep 8, 2007

..an Account of.. the Rock called Wringcheese.

It consists of a Groupe of Rocks, which are the Admiration of all Travellers. On the top Stone were two regular Basons; but Part of one of them has been broke off. This Stone, as we are informed, was a Logan or Rocking-stone, and when it was entire, might be easily moved with a Pole; but now great Part of that Weight which kept it on a Poise is taken away.

The whole Heap is about 30 Feet; the great Weight of the upper Part, and Slenderness of the under, makes every one wonder, how such an ill-grounded Pile could resist, for so many Ages, the Storms of such a Situation. It may seem to some that this is an artificial Building of large flat Stones, laid carefully on one another, and raised to this height by human Skill and Labour; but as there are several Heaps of Stones, on the same Hill, and also on another about a Mile distant, called Kell-Mar’s, of the like Fabric, tho’ not so high, we think it a natural Crag, and that the Stones which surrounded it, and hid its Grandeur, were removed by the Druids...

Probably ideas that Passers-By are still Debating. From p4 of vol 1 of Benjamin Martin’s ‘The Natural History of England’ (1759) – you can read it on Google Books.

Miscellaneous

The Cheesewring
Rocky Outcrop
hamish
hamish May 28, 2005

Dr Borlase recorded ” the vulgar used to resort to this place at partricular times of the year,and payed to this stone more respect than was thought becoming of good Christians ” I wonder what they got up to.

Topics

cheesewring 16
Sanctuary
Sanctuary
Sep 2010

Sites within 20km of The Cheesewring

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