CALSTOCK, DANESCOMBE and COTEHELE WOODS

CALSTOCK, DANESCOMBE and COTEHELE WOODS The calendar has turned yet again which means that some of our regulars have gone off with a different set of people who meet once a month for a longer walk than our ‘Walk & Talk’ group do. I understand they are walking at Bude today so, with missing regulars and rather iffy weather, our numbers were down to 17 as we set off along Lower Kelly. June is the month when Foxgloves, Valerian and Ox-eye Daises are at their best and it wasn’t long before we spotted Valerian growing out of the wall on our left hand side. As we walked past a gate with the remains of the steep Incline railway behind, I was reminded that although much still remains of the past in Calstock, just as much lies beneath our feet or under a tangle of plants as nature attempts to reclaim what was once hers while many of the structures have now been put to a new use. The former quay is now a car park while old shops, pubs and hotels have become dwellings and the large Chapel in Sand Lane is now an Arts Centre. Shortly we walked past an old railway carriage which has now become home to a workshop, but I wonder how many of you spotted a Lime Kiln being used to support a small Grape Vine! I wasn’t feeling too good this morning and not in a very talkative mood so I chose to walk alone for a while and my mind soon began to wander as everyone continued onwards; I started thinking about the origins of the name Calstock and wondered if those 19th century workers shortened the name to ‘Cally’ like they do ‘Gunni’ for Gunnislake or ‘Tavi’ for Tavistock. Maybe ‘Cally’ sounded like ‘Kelly’’ in the Cornish brogue or maybe the name just became ’Kelly’ over time as in Higher Kelly and Lower Kelly meaning the highest and lowest part of this village…….however, I later discovered that most historians believe ‘Kelly’ derives from the Cornish ‘celli’, meaning a wood or grove, so the jury is still out on that one. Upon reaching the junction at the end of this road we were surprised to see Barney, Maggie’s dog as he trotted towards us, followed shortly by her husband Steve who have both been unable to walk with us for months, in fact some of the newer walkers haven’t even met Steve yet. Everyone stopped to chat for a while before we parted company as our group took the right fork up the Danescombe Valley while Steve retraced his steps along Lower Kelly with Barney. Soon we were all passing the lofty engine house which would formerly have stood above the undergrowth but which is now almost hidden from view. I was reminded of a television programme I once watched featuring the Landmark Trust who sympathetically restored this ruin into a holiday let for the National Trust about forty years ago taking them two years to complete the project. With reference to its former usage, cast iron was used for the massive staircase which zig-zags upwards through the different levels and for the balcony on the side where a beam would once have pumped up and down…..….I think. It was near here today that we met a group of about 20 junior school children accompanied by a few adults who waited patiently to one side so we ‘oldies’ could pass. As I said earlier, this is Foxglove time in the Tamar Valley and in both Devon and Cornwall they are a joy to behold as their majestic deep, pink flower spikes stand proud of almost every hedgerow. Everyone should get out and enjoy this stunning spectacle while it lasts. As I took these photos a few days ago a Buff-tailed bumble bee was flying in and out of each flower in turn as it gathered pollen; I stood transfixed as it disappeared right up inside each flower before backing out to take off and fly into the next. Foxgloves have had a long association with witches, witchcraft and magic and for communicating with fairies, elves, and woodland spirits. Fairies supposedly play within the flowers and each spot inside marks the place where a Fairy has touched the surface. Indeed, the name Foxglove itself is derived from a legend that says that evil Fairies gave a fox the flower petals to put on his toes so that he could rob the chicken house without being heard - thus the name "fox glove." An old saying about the Foxglove goes "It can raise the dead and it can kill the living" referring to the fact that it is very poisonous to humans if misused. However chemicals are extracted from foxgloves for use in the medical industry particularly for heart or kidney patients. At the top of the valley we reached a small hamlet where it was time for a short break to recover from our long uphill climb before tackling the next hill up into Cotehele woods. After so much rain of late everyone was expecting it to be much muddier than it actually was, so we were pleasantly surprised, however it was pretty humid and we were soon peeling off our coats. Beside the path we were pleased to see yellow Cow Wheat growing in great profusion but the path itself was strewn with fallen leaves, twigs, larch cones and a few small branches due to the blustery weather that accompanied the rain over the last couple of days. In other places tree roots were protruding above ground level as we headed downhill back to the junction with Lower Kelly. Now it was our turn to retrace our own steps but this time I spotted two plants I had missed earlier including Wild Strawberries at the foot of the wall which proved delicious when I tasted a couple of these tiny red berries; nearer the village it was a solitary Greater Celandine plant which caught my attention reminding me that this plant is totally unrelated to the Lesser Celandine that blooms in the spring. .

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