Devon

More than 150 people braved the damp weather to celebrate the opening of the first phase of the Tamar Trails Network last week.

Waymarkers on trails

New Tamar Trails

Around 25km of new trails have been created as part of the multi-million pound Tamar Valley Mining Heritage Project.  As one of the landmark achievements of this ambitious project, the Trails have opened up parts of the Tamar Valley that were previously not accessible to the public.

“The Mining Heritage Project has been a real working partnership, steered by the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with the support of many external consultants, staff, contractors and our accountable funding body, West Devon Borough Council,” says Cllr. Neil Burden, Chairman of Tamar Valley AONB Partnership. “The opening of the trails is a great achievement, and testament to the hard work of everyone involved over the last three years.”

Neil Burden, Cllr. Alison Clish-Green, Mayor of West Devon and Cllr. Debo Sellis from Devon County Council cut the ribbon to officially open the first phase of the Trails Network, which starts at the newly created Bedford Sawmills car park, on the A390 between Gunnislake and Tavistock.

The crowd also got the opportunity to see one of the first local businesses to have sprung up around the trails network: Tree Surfers – a canopy complex of walkways and zip wires that allows visitors to enjoy the views from the tree-tops.

Mayor of West Devon, Cllr. Alison Clish-Green says: “This is a very rural and beautiful area.  It’s hard, especially at the moment in a recession, to find ways to create new employment.  The signs are that the Tamar Valley Mining Heritage Project will help keep this area alive.

“This project is about celebrating the mining heritage of the Tamar Valley, and telling stories about people who lived, worked and died here during this episode in the valley’s history.  It’s hard to imagine just how industrial this landscape would have been, now that it is covered by trees.”

The Project has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Government Office for the South West, South West Regional Development Agency,

The Tamar Trails

Rural Renaissance, Tamar Valley AONB, Devon County Council, South West Water and West Devon Borough Council.

Cllr. Debo Sellis from Devon County Council says: “As well as achievements in access and recreation, the project has seen much conservation work within it, including refurbishment of key archaeological features like the calciners and chimneys of Devon Great Consols to habitat restoration for rare species like the greater horseshoe bat and heath fritillary butterfly.”

Linking the ‘mines to the quays’, the trails take visitors on a journey back in time, while enjoying some of the most precious habitats in the country.  From the stark lunar setting of Devon Great Consols – once the biggest copper mine in Europe – to stunning views across the valley, framed by coniferous and broad-leaf woodland, there is something for everyone.  The trails can be used for a variety of activities from walking to cycling to horse-riding.  Information boards and new waymarkers guide the way for various users.

“Community groups from all areas of the Tamar Valley have come together during the creation of these trails, helping the project team to shape, form and improve the network before the official opening.  U3A groups, walking and riding groups, schools and history societies have all had a valuable input into the process,” says Tim Selman, Tamar Valley AONB Manager.  “The launch marks a milestone moment for the Tamar Valley Mining Heritage Project.  As a tangible and exciting part of the whole scheme, we hope that people will come from near and far to use the Tamar Trails time and again.”

Trails guides and maps are available to download for free from the Tamar Valley AONB website now: www.tamarvalley.org.uk.  Full trail guides will be produced and available for sale after the completion of the second, and final, phase of work.

This summer visitors will be able to enjoy a car-free day-out by train and bus, using a new pilot bus service from Callington, St. Ann’s Chapel and Gunnislake.   The service will allow visitors to alight at the start of the Tamar Trails and Morwellham Quay.  More details can be found on Morwellham Quay’s website: www.morwellham-quay.co.uk.

Gwithian surfing

Cornwall – South West England

Many, many people love Cornwall, and they travel there quite often to enjoy the beauty and the history of the place. It’s a wonderful setting to learn about historic battles and the kinds of things that took place many years ago. Pre-Roman inhabitants were the first people to arrive in Cornwall. After the area was ruled by the Romans for quite some time, there was a period where there were Celtic chieftains who controlled it. In the Middle Ages it became part of England, and was eventually incorporated into the UK and Great Britain. Many legendary and pseudo-historical works also talk about Cornwall. Upland areas were settled first because there was little vegetation there so it was much easier to clear them. There are still monuments to that time available to the public now, and a lot of people go to Cornwall each year so that they can see these pieces of history and learn about the people who used to call that area their home.

As times evolved so did Cornwall, and different people moved in and took over. Many of these people were individuals who started working with the land – farming it and tilling it because they wanted to grow new things. The Iron Age brought a lot of that. There are still remnants of the equipment that they used back then, and these things can be found today. They offer even further insight into what the people were like during that time and how they lived off the land. Museums in Cornwall today show much of this progression, but there are also pieces of this time period that can be found in fields in the area. The area has been shaped by religion and politics, and also by a tsunami that came through in 1755. There is evidence of the water rising very rapidly in many places and eventually receding. The main reason that Cornwall has such rich history, though, is due to the fact that so many different kinds of people have lived there throughout time. It has affected the landscape with monuments and the people who share a history and a past unlike most other places around the world.