Start. Directions. Finish at Perran Sands Holiday Park

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2 Directions 1. Take the 587 bus towards Newquay from the bus stop at Perran Sands entrance and get off at Crantock. Head down Halwyn Hill to the square and turn left down Green Lane to take the footpath on your left, forking left again to walk to the South West Coast Path, above Crantock Beach. 2. Reaching the South West Coast Path, turn left and follow it around Pentire Point West and on to Porth Joke ('Polly Joke' as it is known to the locals). 'Porth Joke' comes from the Cornish 'Porth Lojowek', meaning 'cove rich in plants'. Traditional conservation techniques used here have encouraged an astonishing 154 species of wildflower to flourish. In a ne wyn Hal Start 3. Carry on along the Coast Path as it continues around Kelsey Head and drops into the dunes behind Holywell Beach to come out by the first houses in Holywell. Kelsey Head is a Site of Special Scientific Interest with a wide range of habitats, the most extensive being the sand dune system and the maritime grassland which has grown over wind-blown sand around the fringes of the headlands and on Cubert Common. Other important wildlife areas are the wet meadows alongside the stream as you walk to Porth Joke and the brackish marsh at Holywell Bay. rveymaps.co.uk RVEY Base mapping HA Listen out for the Gannel crake, a mythical bird whose desolate howl has been heard all around Crantock Beach. The name is attributed to two brothers who were once working beneath West Pentire, gathering seaweed to use as fertiliser. One of the brothers described the sound, which frightened their horses into galloping away, as 'like a thousand voices in pent-up misery with one long-drawn wail dying away into the distance. nl Hi l l Gre e Crantock is said to be the site of the Lost City of Langarrow, buried by a sandstorm after the hedonistic lifestyle of its inhabitants brought the wrath of God upon their heads. It is named after the sixth century Celtic saint, Carantoc, who supposedly arrived by sea on an altar and built an oratory here. This blossomed into a College of Priests, a major religious centre until it was dismantled under Henry VIII's Dissolution of Monasteries in the sixteenth century. The 'Round Orchard' in the centre of the village is thought to be the site of St Carantoc's sixth century chapel. There are also two medieval holy wells in the village. On the far side of Crantock Beach is the mouth of the River Gannel. In the fifteenth century the mouth of the River Gannel was a thriving port, and until as late as the end of the nineteenth century it was used extensively by shipping. Vessels brought their cargoes of coal, fertiliser, limestone and earthenware into Fern Pit on the Newquay bank of the river. This was then transferred to shallow-draught barges to be carried on the flood tide up to Trevemper, an important commercial centre three miles upstream. summer the headland is ablaze with the vivid heads of poppies and corn marigolds, also providing seeds for birds like buntings, partridge and finches. River Ga nnel A number of rare plants grow around here, including sea holly in the sand dunes and Babington's leek in the area of marshland. The particularly unusual and beautiful silverstudded blue butterfly has also been seen at Kelsey Head, and the stripe-winged grasshopper spotted here is one of only three sightings in Devon and Cornwall in recent years. The headland and the offshore islands are also noteworthy for the colonies of breeding seabirds including guillemots, shags and razorbills. The small island just offshore as you round the headland is known as The Chick. Look out for grey seals here, especially at low tide. Sometimes dolphins can be seen too. Finish at Perran Sands Holiday Park Evidence of human activity has been found around Kelsey Head dating back to Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) times, around BC. There are also tumuli, or burial barrows, dating from the Bronze Age, around 3000 BC, and archaeologists have identified two Iron Age cliff castles here.

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6 Directions In 1915/6, however, an unrepaired gap in the harbour wall led to its being demolished during a great storm, and now only the granite blocks around the cove remain of what was a busy port. 1. Take the 403 bus from the entrance of Perran Sands Holiday Park. It stops in St Agnes on Vicarage Road at the Institute. From there walk down 1.Vicarage Road, turning right onto 2.Town Hill and then left down 3.Stippy Stappy Lane to 4.Quay Road. Take the 5.footpath opposite and follow it as it climbs gently through the valley to join the South West Coast Path high above Trevaunance Cove. Turn right here, towards Perranporth, and follow the path along the top of the cliffs. From the sixteenth century until the 1920s, St Agnes ('Breanek' in Cornish) was one of Cornwall's busiest mining areas, employing up to 1000 men miners underground while their wives and children worked on the surface. Much of the World Heritage Site, the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape, is in the parish. 5 The ore was shipped from St Agnes harbour, on the west side of Trevaunance Cove. 3 4 It was dropped down a chute from the ore 1 2 bins, which are still visible on the cliffs above. Imported coal was raised to the clifftop mines by means of a horse whim - a round platform where a horse would be led around a Pen a Grader winch. Blue Hills Town Golf Course 2. The path drops steeply to the road at Blue Hills. Turn left here and pick up the Coast Path again as it travels seawards, climbing gently above the stream and then turning to climb steeply to the top of the hill. This area is known as Jericho Valley, and for over a hundred years the steep roads by the Blue Hills tin works have been host to the Land's End Classic Trial, a motor race held every Easter, running from London to Land's End. Blue Hills is Cornwall's last tin stream works and still produces small quantities of tin today. The tin produced at Blue Hills is gathered along the coastline, having been mined by the sea and washed by the waves. This alluvial tin mining is a process that was exploited as long ago as 2000 BC, during the Bronze Age, and it led to links with traders from the Mediterranean as well as with communities across the English Channel. When the price of tin was high and the mines were producing large quantities, the prosperity would be celebrated with bunting and brass bands; but when the price slumped and the mines started to close, many of the miners emigrated in search of work, leading to the adage, 'Wherever there's a hole in the ground, you'll find a Cornish miner!' Mining was a dangerous occupation, and it led to strong community bonds. A Cornish miner working in South Africa in the last century told of one of his most moving memories of his early days in the Wheal Kitty mine at St Agnes. Quay Road There were many attempts to build a harbour at Trevaunance Cove, four of which, between 1632 and 1709, left the local lords of the manor deeply in debt. Another, built in 1710, was washed away in It was not until 1798 that a harbour was finally constructed which withstood the rigours of the sea. As well as the trade linked with mining, a pilchard fishing industry was established early in the nineteenth century, although it started to decline after only 30 years. Finish at Perran Sands Holiday Park The picturesque terrace of houses in Stippy Stappy Lane was built in the eighteenth century for ships' captains. The whole terrace, as well as its garden walls, is classed as a listed building. Hill Start Base mapping HARVEY As the miners gathered at the shaft at the end of their shift, waiting to be raised to the surface, someone began to sing. The others around him joined in, and then the song was taken up by miners waiting at stations higher up the shaft, so that the whole mine echoed with the sound of the singing. Cornish male voice choirs were as powerful as their Welsh equivalent, and both were an expression of the miners' ability to enjoy the good things in life despite its hardships.

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