Leaving Gunnislake station behind us around 10.35am we turned right for a bit then right again beneath the small railway bridge where a footpath took us up to Drakewalls and the first of two mines we were to see today. Both are in the Tamar Valley and they play just a small part of Cornwall’s rich mining heritage. There is still plenty to see even today but as most people went exploring last time this walk took place, it was only the newer walkers who did so today. The interpretation board tells the story of Rule and Bant, the two miners who were entombed here. I wrote their story in greater detail the last time we did the walk so I decided to research Thomas Chapman this time, the man who went down and rescued the two men; I have enclosed a separate article for your interest.
After leaving the mine everyone went around the side and up onto the higher level along a path through the trees as far as the road at the top. Making our way to the main road we all crossed safely and continued along a rough track known as Crow Lane which is bordered on both sides by Cornish hedges all the way up to Roundbarrow Farm. Just as he did the last the last time we walked here, Ray hijacked a few of the walkers to show them around our allotment when we passed the entrance; I think they were suitably impressed.
From the farm everyone followed the track to the left which was still quite wide but narrowed further along as it headed westwards towards Hingston Down. Again there were hedges on either side but these were a bit wild and un-loved; at their edges Dog Violets and tiny white flowers belonging to Wild Strawberry plants could be seen fighting to survive amongst the brambles. The top of the hedges appeared to consist mainly of Hawthorns but these were being strangled by Ivy which snaked its way upwards; only the top of the trees were recognisable by their leaves.
After our gradual climb we arrived at Hingston Down where some of the gorse thickets were as high as an elephant’s eye, but in the open we were rewarded with stunning views to Kit Hill in the west and far reaching views of Cornwall’s north coast. Dartmoor National Park in the east and the Tamar Valley as far as Plymouth Sound were shrouded beneath rather ominous looking clouds meaning we were unable to see them at their best. When I looked towards Kit Hill I began imagining how this lofty viewpoint must have been a strategic lookout during the 8th and 9th centuries when the Saxon Kings of Wessex were advancing ever closer with their large army in an attempt to conquer the Cornish Celts. The word Celt comes from the Greek word, Keltoi, which means barbarians and is properly pronounced as "Kelt". They were tall warriors with long blond hair who coloured their bodies with a blue plant dye called woad to make themselves look ferocious. (Just think of Mel Gibson in Braveheart)
Local folklore tells the tale of how the Vikings landed at Danescombe which is the origin of the name that area was later given. From here they marched up through the wooded Danescombe valley and across heather and gorse common-land arriving at its highest point to aid the Celts in their battle with the Saxons. I tried to guess what the terrain would have looked like to those Vikings in the year A.D 838 when there were no roads and no permanent structures in this part of Britain, just a few thatched mud huts and of course the huge Roman Fort over to their east as they left the river behind them and headed uphill from Danescombe. But as it was then 200 years since the Romans had left Britain, what condition would that fort have been in by this time?
Incidentally, approximately 100 years after the Cornish were defeated at the Battle of Hingston Down and became part of Saxon England, King Athelstan is credited with fixing the river banks of the Tamar as the border of Devon and Cornwall, the year was then 936AD.
At the highest point today we again stopped for a short break when some people went inside the ruined engine house at Hingston Down Mine, some took the opportunity to have a drink while others admired the views or read the information on the nearby board. Suitably refreshed, we were off again down an unmade road known locally as Old Mine Lane; upon reaching the A 390 we crossed safely to follow the footpath downhill beside the Rifle Volunteer pub.
After a small flight of rough, granite steps, we turned left and followed a path behind the pub until we reached a children’s playground and skate park; everyone managed to pass the play equipment without making use of it this year! A gate led us onto a tarmacced lane at Honicombe and we headed left and then right, down a steep hill passing Todsworthy Farm.
At the next junction we turned left and continued along the narrow lane, turning left again at the next junction we arrived at the hamlet of Albaston. When we came to the Queen’s Head pub we turned right along Cemetery Road, back past the Tamar Valley Centre and onwards to Gunnislake station to be united with our cars.