Wheal Maria Trail Welcome to the This wide trail passes through mixed woodland, revealing spectacular views across the Tamar Valley and its mines. The trail is a compacted stone track, with some loose stones in parts. It is generally level with steep, challenging sections Tamar Trails in parts. It is recommended to complete this circuit in a clockwise direction.

WHEAL MARIA TRAIL 1. Wheal Maria. In 1844 a great copper strike here founded the Great Explore the historic mining 1 Wheal Maria Consols mine. Wheal Maria was named after the wife of Josiah Hitchins (Wheal is

CORNISH MINING WORLD HERITAGE www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk Cornish for mine). landscapes of the beautiful WHEAL MARIA 2. Wheal Maria. Rich deposits of copper were found in Gard’s shaft just 18 TRAIL 2 fathoms (36 metres) from surface. The lode (a vein of mineral) was 12 metres in width Wheal Maria

CORNISH and stretched eastwards for over three kilometres. The large waste dump is from a MINING WORLD HERITAGE www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk crusher. Tamar Valley…

WHEAL MARIA TRAIL 3 3. Wheal Fanny. When this mine (named after Josiah’s daughter) was started in Wheal Fanny 1845, ore was struck at only 3 fathoms (5.5 metres) from surface.

CORNISH MINING WORLD HERITAGE www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk Take the Tamar Trails to discover 4. Blanchdown Wood. These woods have had three owners since records WHEAL MARIA TRAIL historic and natural dramas of the 4 began: Abbey until Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540; Blanchdown Wood the Russell family (later Earls and Dukes of Bedford) until 1959; and the Tavistock

CORNISH MINING WORLD HERITAGE www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk and West Devon Mining Woodlands Estate of the Earls of Bradford, to date. Landscape World Heritage Site and 5. Wheal Anna Maria. Named after the Duchess of Bedford. When its rich WHEAL MARIA TRAIL the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding 5 copper waned, became the largest arsenic mine in the world as Wheal Anna Maria demand increased dramatically. Arsenic ore, unlike copper ore, was refined on site using

CORNISH Natural Beauty. Journey along the old MINING WORLD HERITAGE www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk the ‘calcination’ process – and yielded over 72,000 tons of refined arsenic! network of railways, leats and trackways; 6. Wheal Frementor. The large fenced ‘cavern’ is a ‘gunnis’ (an open void WHEAL MARIA TRAIL there’s a choice of routes that vary in 6 left after ore has been removed). The ore here was tin and tungsten hosted in granite. Wheal Frementor On the Cornish riverbank and valley side (opposite) are the remains of length and terrain - whether you’re CORNISH MINING WORLD HERITAGE www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk Clitters Mine. on foot, bike or horse! 7. Blanchdown Wood. The Earl and his forester, Phil Hutt, developed what NEW

WHEAL MARIA is known as the ‘Bradford-Hutt Plan’ for growing conifers. This allowed continuous TRAIL ROUTES 7 cover in the woodland despite commercial felling regularly taking place. Look out Blanchdown Wood for the rare and beautiful Heath fritillary butterfly, which can be found here and CORNISH MINING WORLD HERITAGE ADDED www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk only a few other spots across the UK. The Tamar Valley Mining Heritage Project has been funded by the following organisations:

8. Wheal Josiah. Named after Josiah Hitchins, this was the location of the WHEAL MARIA TRAIL deepest shaft of Devon Great Consols, sunk deeper at the insistence of the Duke West Devon Borough Council 8 of Bedford in the hope of finding tin. Nearby, rare Nightjars have made their Wheal Josiah WHEAL JOSIAH CORNISH MINING WORLD HERITAGE home on the heathland that reclaims the aftermath of mining. WALK www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk Visit the recently consolidated mine office building to learn more about the history 20 Built and paid for by Devon Great Consols in 1858, The Mineral Railway 20. The Mineral Railway.

CORNISH MINING WORLD HERITAGE of the mine. www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk it ran for 7.5 kilometres from the mine to Morwellham.

WHEAL JOSIAH WALK Wheal Josiah Walk 21 21. Morwell Rock. This slate outcrop is situated high up in Morwell Woods. Morwell Rock From the Rock there is a wonderful panorama over the Tamar Valley to Gunnislake and

CORNISH MINING WORLD HERITAGE Explore mining landscapes on this wide, mainly level, path with moderate www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk Cornwall. WARNING - steep drop, keep away from edge. slopes in parts. It has a compacted stone surface offering a less steep walking TUNNEL TRAIL 22. Devon Great Consols Inclined Plane. The mineral railway, that route to view mining remains, and to join the Wheal Maria Trail. 22 Inclined Plane contours the high ridge from Devon Great Consols Mine, descended to the Quays via

CORNISH MINING WORLD HERITAGE www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk WHEAL JOSIAH WALK this inclined plane that connected directly with Morwellham’s Great Dock. 9 9. Wheal Anna Maria Arsenic Tailings. The orange sand tips are waste CANAL TUNNEL Wheal Anna Maria Arsenic Tailings from the 1920s arsenic mining and refining. TRAIL CORNISH MINING WORLD HERITAGE The southern end of the Tavistock www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk 23 23. Tunnel Portal. Canal Tunnel Portal Canal’s 1½ mile long tunnel. The 1803 datestone refers to the start of the Canal’s

CORNISH WHEAL JOSIAH MINING WORLD HERITAGE WALK 10. Blanchdown Adit. A good place, particularly after heavy rains, to see www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk 10 construction. Completed in 1817, it was the longest canal tunnel in . Blanchdown Adit orange-coloured water discharging from the Blanchdown Adit. The colour is due to SHEEPRIDGE TRAIL

CORNISH MINING WORLD HERITAGE www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk ochre (iron oxide, or ‘rust’), a natural pigment once sold for use in paint. 24 24. Morwellham Chapel. This Methodist chapel was built in 1859 to serve the Morwellham Chapel mining port of Morwellham. It has been kept with most of its original interior and is open WHEAL JOSIAH CORNISH MINING WORLD HERITAGE WALK 11. Wheal Anna Maria Copper Tailings. These are dumps containing www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk 11 daily as an interpretive point along the trails. Wheal Anna Maria SHEEPRIDGE Copper Tailings slimes (the residue left over after ore ‘dressing’) and date from the mine’s copper heyday. TRAIL

CORNISH MINING WORLD HERITAGE www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk 25 th Leat Rock Cutting 25. Leat Rock Cutting. The trail uses an 18 century mine leat (artificial

CORNISH MINING WORLD HERITAGE www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk waterway) and here its course has been cut deeply through a hard rock outcrop. Devon Great Consols Trail Chimney Rock Walk Journey through this working coniferous woodland along parts of the old Explore beech, oak and conifer woodland, with sweeping views from along the mineral railway that once linked Devon Great Consols mine with the port of steep sides of the Tamar Valley. This is a narrow footpath, steep and challenging Morwellham. Discover historic picnic sites, rocky crags popular in Victorian in places, passing near to a vertical drop. It can be muddy after wet weather and times, with dramatic views over the river and the Tamar Valley. The trail is a wide includes short sections of rocky, uneven ground. path with a compacted stone surface, occasionally muddy after wet weather.

CHIMNEY ROCK WALK The trail is level in parts with some steep sections, which may be challenging. 16. South Bedford Mine. There are various structures on this mine, earlier 16 th South Bedford Mine known as Wheal Luscombe, that mostly date from the mid-19 century. WHEAL JOSIAH CORNISH MINING WORLD HERITAGE WALK www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk 12 12. Wheal Josiah Railway Tunnel. The partially collapsed tunnel under the Wheal Josiah Railway Tunnel waste rock dump marks the line of the Devon Great Consols Railway. This followed the 17. Bedford United Mine Leat. The remains of a leat can be seen on the CORNISH CHIMNEY ROCK MINING WORLD HERITAGE www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk WALK contour of the ridge above the Tamar Valley, to an inclined plane at . 17 left. This man-made watercourse brought water from the Tavistock Canal above Bedford Leat WHEAL JOSIAH Morwellham to power waterwheels for pumping, hauling and crushing at Wheal Russell

WALK CORNISH MINING WORLD HERITAGE 13 13. Wheal Emma. The easternmost mine of the Devon Great Consols group, www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk and Bedford United Mines before returning it to South Bedford Mine. Wheal Emma

CORNISH named after William Morris’ mother and opened in 1848. MINING WORLD HERITAGE www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk CHIMNEY ROCK WALK WHEAL JOSIAH 18. Chimney Rock. Chimney Rock commands wonderful views from its WALK This conserved railway bridge carried an 18 precarious position, perched on precipitous valley sides overlooking Gunnislake. 14 14. Wheal Emma Railway Bridge. Chimney Rock Wheal Emma CORNISH Railway Bridge MINING WORLD HERITAGE earlier cart track from Wheal Emma to Wheal Josiah. www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk WARNING - steep drop, keep away from edge. CORNISH MINING WORLD HERITAGE www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk

WHEAL JOSIAH CHIMNEY ROCK WALK WALK th th 15 15. Bawden’s Corner Bridge. A new underpass has been constructed 19 19. Wheal Russell. The mine is a 19 century amalgamation of smaller 18 Bawden’s Corner Wheal Russell Bridge alongside the buried remains of the old railway bridge. century mines, which produced copper, tin and arsenic between 1852 and 1891.

CORNISH CORNISH MINING MINING WORLD HERITAGE WORLD HERITAGE www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk www.cornishmining.org.uk www.tamarvalley.org.uk Wheal Maria Trail

Scrubtor (multiuse, length 5 km. Approximate time to walk 2 hours) P Car Park Devon Great Consols Mineral Railway Trail

(multiuse, length 9 km. Approximate time to walk 4 hours, cycling 1-11/2 hours) Tamar Trails - Points of Interest Wheal Josiah Trail Wheal DEVON GREAT CONSOLS Wheal 1/ Along some of the trails you will find a series of Maria Emma (footpath/horseriding, length 3.5 km. Approximate time to walk 1 4 hours) Wheal Anna Maria numbered markers relating to features of interest. 2 Wheal Fanny Car Park 13 Chimney Rock Trail (disabled access only) Footpath route A brief description of these is given overleaf. to Wheal Emma 1 4 (footpath only, length 1.75 km. Approximate time to walk 1 hour) 3 14 Railway Bridge Wheal uphill P Chimney Josiah Canal Tunnel Trail 1 5 8 9 12 steep (multiuse, length 1.25 km. Approximate time to walk /2 hour) Arsenic uphill calciners Wheal CORNWALL Anna Maria Sheepridge Trail 7 Blanchdown uphill 1/ Wood (multiuse, length 2.5 km. Approximate time to walk 1 4 hour) 11 uphill 10 N P WC A390 underpass 0 1 kilometre 15 to Tavistock uphill Wheal Tamar Trails Centre Frementor r 6 ma Ta Bedford United KEY River Mine Steep gradient Road Crossing Gunnislake Clitters Mine Wheal Maria Trail (walking, horseriding & cycling) South Bedford uphill Car Park 20 Wheal Josiah Trail (footpath only) P 17 16 Wheal Josiah Trail (walking & horseriding only) South Bedford GUNNISLAKE Mine

Devon Great Consols Mineral Railway Trail (walking, horseriding & cycling) 18

Chimney Rock Trail (footpath only) Chimney Rock 19 DEVON Bedford United Trail (footpath only)

Canal Tunnel Trail (walking, horseriding & cycling) A390 to Callington Russell Sheepridge Trail (walking, horseriding & cycling. NB: On-road route Gunnislake United Mine Station for cyclists and horseriders between the two blue markers) TAMAR 21 VALLEY Morwell Rock CENTRE Other Public Rights of Way

23 Gawton Gravity Hub uphill On-road route (cycling Wheel Pit 22 and horseriding) between blue dots Woodland Road Crossing W only al th ke tpa 25 r oo s & Viewpoint F cycl ist s

24 o n ly Morwellham Chapel George & Dogs must be kept on lead around Blanchdown Wood to prevent (visitor information Charlotte Mine uphill disturbance of rare ground nesting birds and orientation) P Newquay is on Maddacleave Morwellham Quay private land, please Car Park Pub/Café keep to footpath (private site, Gawton Gravity Hub charges apply) Newquay Walkers & horses only Picnic area uphill

13 Points of Interest Maddacleave B3257 Wood to Bere Alston