A WALK through the beautiful Luxulyan Valley offers ancient woodland, many glimpses into Cornwall’s mining past, and chances to paddle or play pooh sticks.

Starting off from the Black Hill car park, it’s possible to walk a roughly three mile loop which can easily be extended. The route first follows the trackbed of the horse-drawn tramway to the wheelpit, where you see what’s left of the mechanism of a huge waterwheel. Walking down the long Carmears incline you appreciate the energy needed to haul the wagons up!

The lush woodland is threaded with what’s left of man-made networks: the tramways that would at various times have carried stone, china clay, lime, coal or copper ores; and the leats that carried water to power machinery.

The walking route follows the main leat which powered the waterwheels of the Fowey Consols copper mine, and leads back through woodland and underneath the 100 foot high, ten-span Treffry Viaduct, built by the mine owner Joseph Treffy in 1842. The structure was also an aqueduct: as water was carried in one direction to power the mine, loads of ore were transported in the other as they headed for the coast at Par.

By branching off at the beginning of the walk you can cross over the top of the viaduct and lengthen the route if you wish by following paths on the other side.

To find out much more about the heritage and conservation of Luxulyan Woods, and lots of detail to enrich a walk in the valley, visit the friends of Luxulyan Valley website at www.luxulyanvalley.co.uk