It’s mid October. The time of year we find ourselves doing lots of walks. And today we have headed for the leafy upper reaches of the river Fal. You may know Trelissick – a truly delightful National Trust garden. The house is now also open for the first time but do check before you visit if this is what you want to see, as there are renovations being carried out (2015).
But it’s not house or gardens we are interested in today… we just want a good stroll, with crunchy leaves.
We left the car in a little lay-by about quarter of a mile before Trelissick (easy to find, it’s just before the first Trelissick gate house). If you park at Trelissick you’ll need to come back to this spot as it’s where the walk starts. A lovely foot path leads down to the head of the creek. We followed the creek down, and then took the path over a little foot bridge, and thence on the far side of the creek to Roundwood Quay.
You’ll pass through circular earth embankments in the woods just before you get to the quay. It’s an amazing Iron Age fort! The quay itself is beautiful and has been used for trading since at least the The Iron Age. The present structure is from late c18, when Roundwood Quay was used to ship copper and tin ore from Chacewater and North Downs mines. Vessels of up to 300 tons were able to moor alongside at the lowest tides, and you’ll still spot huge ships further out in the deeper channel here. Tip – time your walk to arrive at high tide… and if you have kids take crabbing lines. Plus, it looks like a great place for a picnic or portable BBQ…
Heading back to Trelissick…
On the way back to the car we couldn’t help a detour to Trelissick itself for some calorific replacement… chocolate brownie for her, date slice for him. Very nice… And a bonus, there’s a delightful art gallery and (surprise), a second hand bookshop, really well stocked and very friendly!
