The Saints' Way (Cornish : Forth an Syns) is a long-distance footpath in mid Cornwall, England, UK.
The Saints' Way (Cornish : Forth an Syns) is a long-distance footpath in mid Cornwall, England, UK.
The footpath runs from Padstow 50°32′17″N4°56′28″W / 50.538°N 4.941°W parish church in the north via Luxulyan to Fowey parish church 50°20′10″N4°38′10″W / 50.336°N 4.636°W in the south, a distance of 28.5 miles (45.6 km); if the route via Lanlivery is followed the distance is 29 miles (46.6 km). [1] The path is well marked and guide books are available. There are two main branches in the way. One starts at Fowey, runs west to Tywardreath, then north through St Blazey, and Luxulyan. The other runs north from Fowey to Golant and Lanlivery. The branches meet close to Helman Tor. Part of the route is a bridleway so can be used by horse-riders.
The Saints' Way follows a possible route of early Christian travellers making their way from Ireland to the Continent. Rather than risk the difficult passage around Land's End they could disembark from ships on the North Cornish coast and progress to ports such as Fowey on foot.
Between 55 - 50AD a Roman trading centre was constructed at Nanstallon (near Bodmin) and it is thought its purpose was to serve the main communication and trade route linking the north Cornish coast at the River Camel and the southern coast at the River Fowey, the 'transpeninsular route'. However the centre was abandoned after only 20–25 years and it was never used again. It is thought that the trading route served the Celtic peoples of Ireland, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany as Nanstallon was built close to major mineral bearing areas. [2]
The establishment of the way followed the discovery of a section of abandoned pathway surfaced with cobbles and featuring a series of granite stiles near the village of Luxulyan by two villagers (Cliff Townes and Alf Fookes) in 1984, but Luxulyan has a long history of producing high-quality granite, and cobbles are common on nearby Red Moor so the use of both materials is not necessarily significant, and stiles made of granite are traditional in the area. The way was created as part of the Cooperative Retail Services Community Programme and opened in 1986. [3]
The River Fowey is a river in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.
The Atlantic Coast Line is a 20+3⁄4-mile (33 km) Network Rail branch line which includes a community railway service in Cornwall, England. The line runs from the English Channel at Par, to the Atlantic Ocean at Newquay.
Par is a village and fishing port with a harbour on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated in the civil parish of Tywardreath and Par, although West Par and the docks lie in the parish of St Blaise.
Luxulyan, also spelt Luxullian or Luxulian, is a village and civil parish in mid Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village lies four miles (6.5 km) northeast of St Austell and six miles (10 km) south of Bodmin. The population of the parish was 1,371 in the 2001 census. This had risen to 1,381 at the 2011 census.
Lanlivery is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is about 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) west of Lostwithiel and five miles (8 km) south of Bodmin. The Saints' Way runs past Lanlivery. Helman Tor, Red Moor and Breney Common nature reserves lie within the parish.
Prideaux Castle is a multivallate Iron Age hillfort situated atop a 133 m (435 ft) high conical hill near the southern boundary of the parish of Luxulyan, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is also sometimes referred to as Prideaux Warren, Prideaux War-Ring, or Prideaux Hillfort. The site is a scheduled monument and so protected from unauthorised works by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
St Dennis Junction was in St Dennis, Cornwall.
St Winnow is a civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Its name may be connected with either that of Saint Winnoc or Saint Winwaloe. It has a population of 304, which had increased to 328 at the 2011 census. The church town is on the east bank of the River Fowey south of Lostwithiel. Part of the village of Lerryn lies within the parish as does the Chapel of St Nectan. The Redlake Meadows & Hoggs Moor, a Site of Special Scientific Interest is also in the parish.
Lanescot is a village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in a former mining area, about four miles (6 km) east-northeast of St Austell and four miles (6 km) west-northwest of Fowey. The Saints' Way long-distance footpath passes through Lanescot.
The Cornwall Minerals Railway owned and operated a network of 45 miles (72 km) of standard gauge railway lines in central Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It started by taking over an obsolescent horse-operated tramway in 1862, and it improved and extended it, connecting Newquay and Par Harbours, and Fowey. Having expended considerable capital, it was hurt by a collapse in mineral extraction due to a slump in prices. Despite its title, it operated a passenger service between Newquay and Fowey.
The Luxulyan Valley is the steep sided and thickly wooded valley of the River Par, situated in mid Cornwall, England, UK. It contains a major concentration of early 19th century industrial remains, and was designated as part of a World Heritage Site in 2006.
The Treffry Tramways were a group of mineral tramways in Cornwall in the United Kingdom, constructed by Joseph Treffry (1782-1850), a local land owner and entrepreneur. They were constructed to give transport facilities to several mines and pits producing non-ferrous metal, granite and china clay in the area between the Luxulyan Valley and Newquay, and were horse-operated, with the use of water and steam power on inclines, and at first operated in conjunction with the Par Canal and Par Docks, also constructed by Treffry. One of the routes crossed the Luxulyan Valley on a large viaduct, the largest in Cornwall when it was built.
Nanstallon is a village in mid-Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately two miles (3 km) west of Bodmin.
Lanteglos is a coastal civil parish in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is on the east side of the tidal estuary of the River Fowey which separates it from the town and civil parish of Fowey. The South West Coast Path runs along the southern coasts of the parish and much of the southern part of the parish lies in the Polruan to Polperro Site of Special Scientific Interest managed by the National Trust.
Gribbin Head is a promontory on the south coast of Cornwall, England, UK, owned and managed by the National Trust. It separates St Austell Bay from the estuary of the River Fowey and is marked by a large tower used to aid navigation of ships approaching the local harbours. The nearest town is Fowey. The western point of the headland is called Little Gribbin.
Polmear is a hamlet in Cornwall, England, UK. It is located on the A3082 road close to Par Sands and the village of Par. Part is in the civil parish of Fowey and part in Par and Tywardreath parish. The centre of Fowey is some 3 miles (4.8 km) distant, whilst Par railway station is less than 1 mile (1.6 km) away. Polmear used to be known as East Polmear and West Polmear is now known as Charlestown, and has been since Charles Rashleigh built the harbour there.
St Austell Rural District was a local government division of Cornwall in England, UK, between 1894 and 1974. Established under the Local Government Act 1894, the rural district was reduced to create Fowey Municipal Borough in 1913 and enlarged by the abolition of Bodmin Rural District and St Columb Major Rural District in 1934 and Lostwithiel Municipal Borough in 1968.
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