Walk 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 CCOnce in the field, follow the riverside boundary until you Carry on up passing farm buildings II and through farm reach a lone tree. Walk towards the tree and find the post in gate to reach the main road into St Mawes, opposite the St Mawes - The Priory front of it that indicates the direction to follow (left). Head Tower by the garage at Halwartha— up 100yds towards a gap in the brambles and bear off to a BEWARE OF ROAD TRAFFIC. - Bosloggas - St Mawes narrow footpath on the right leading through a copse to a three foothpath junction. Take the lower path, signed Turn left and go straight ahead on this main road down "Porthcuel Creek" with a hand rail on the right. into St Mawes and after about 400 yards, turn right (just before the first group of buildings on the right) onto a path A path on the right at the bottom of the handrail can take signed Recreation Field J . This descends down past the you down to "Percuil Ferry" steps F . The ferry doesn’t tennis court and back to the end of the main car park. operate nowadays but the steps 1 are worth a look. Continue following the creek on the right and bear left towards a stile. wa l k Percuil – this settlement’s name, as with so many that have been transcribed in to English from the original Cornish, has many spellings, as you will have noticed. It was an important port in its time, with boats loaded with coal, coming in at high tide, sevenTHE beaching, unloading and sailing again on the next tide. The ferry from St Mawes to Falmouth also PRIORY called here up until the late 1960s. Another foot ferry F operated from Percuil to this WALK side of the river for people from the Portscatho area making for St Mawes. This service also ceased many years ago. View of Percuil from Nanshuttal 1920s from position just above F . C A manual ferry crossed the creek at this point. The thatch doesn’t exist Climb over the stile and follow the footpath past a wooden anymore and the area has been developed as a boat yard and car park. chalet on the right to a small inlet. Go towards the head of Oyster beds used to be worked in this part of the creek but are no the inlet and then descend right, down the path, towards longer maintained. wooden railings and another stile. Once over the stile, follow the path uphill between the wire fences and up the steps. GG The path continues climbing with a wire fence on Further reading and web resources: OS Explorer 105 the right, eventually reaching yet another stile. The Roseland Between River and Sea by Laurence O'Toole 1978 St Mawes Back Along by Dave McCree 1997 National Trust Coast of Cornwall Series: 18/19 The Roseland and St Anthony Head Turn left onto the track. www.acornishriver.co.uk © St Just in Roseland Parish Council 2007 1 H Look back hereH over the gate and enjoy the vista past Designed and produced in West Cornwall by graemeandrust.co.uk Gerran’s church steeple all the way to Nare Head! Supported by: St Just in Roseland Carrick Parish Council Regeneration Team Walk 7 8 9 10 Turn left out of the car park and walk in front of the Rising St Mawes-The Priory- Turn left, then go right around the shed and continue C Sun Hotel taking the second left opposite the Idle Rocks C along the footpath with the river close by on your right. Hotel. Walk up the slope, following the road right and turn Bosloggas-St Mawes left into St Austell Row. Fishing has been a major occupation for many centuries 21/2 miles, 2 hours, moderate 1 and proved to be very profitable in the late autumn with St Austell Row is a row of 19th century cottages and the Start and finish at St Mawes Car Park catches of pilchards. At Polvarth Point (down by the water roofs were of recycled ships timbers; commonplace in those Front cover image: Painting courtesy of Yvonne Fuller behind you), and over the water at Froe Creek there used days, nothing went to waste. to be a number of "cellars" used for processing pilchards. The fish arrived in shoals of thousands and were fished After the last building on the right, bear right around wall by means of seining – placing a net around the shoals C and take the footpath to the right of "Windrush" A . Follow and drawing towards the shore, without beaching. The the path on to Pedn Moran road and turn right. Where the G fish cellars – usually a rectangular building above ground road reaches a T-junction turn left into Buckeys Lane B . - processed the fish and most were packed in barrels for At the end of the lane, cross Polvarth Road and turn right. H shipping to markets. Although the process was very hard Continue past Freshwater Lane on the left and head down F work and labour intensive – "Travellers" or locally called Polvarth Lane – meaning Great Pool in Cornish - (by No PERCUIL RIVER "Slingers" (groups of people moving around for seasonal Through Road and Boatyard sign). At the bottom of the work) assisted in the process – but the reward was good, lane, turn left up steps signed "Porthcuel Creek" C . Walk one was paid and received a share of the fish. along the footpath, and on reaching the lane, turn right, The fish vanished in this area by the early 1900s. towards Freshwater Boatyard D . I E J D A Gigs preparing for racing. C WC The Rising Sun Inn, image dated 1929. This Yard has been involved in boat building and repairs for A 1 at least 200 years. A local family of boat builders received START B an order for a gig in 1790 and many were built over the You’ll reach a bungalow on your left hand side and a stile. next 100 years. Gigs were working boats and built for PC Go over the stile and follow the footpath through some speed; their main purpose was to reach ships as quickly as walk route ST MAWES bracken and into a field. possible with a pilot, to bring the vessel safely into port. HARBOUR other paths Gigs were a common sight around ports but with the and roads The dwelling on this side became known as The Priory E coming of steam and modern communication, they were no as it was the spot from which you could look over the longer required. However, in recent times gigs have made a water to Place which actually was a Religious site. The comeback for pleasure and may be seen racing some Z point of cafe/shop pub/hotel WC public toilets house was originally called Lime Kiln Cottage, and is said evenings during the summer. The yard repaired vessels interest to have been the home of a fisherman who lived by involved in the Second World War and more recently built mentioned collecting shellfish at low tide. in text or boats including the St Mawes One Design. a photo Cdirections 1look around Pnature notes.