With the exception of one dry (and sunny!) day just after New Year, the first weeks of 2023 were a wash-out with torrents of the wet stuff filling our gutters, lanes and rivers with fast flowing water. So, when we finally got a dry day it was time to get out for a good yomp around our lovely little town.
Opting for an easy 2.25 mile (3.6km) circular walk which would take me through our historic old town, past a wealth of historic gems, before heading out into hillside fields, my little dog and I were not disappointed!
The beauty of a circular walk is that it’s possible to join at almost any point along the way, so setting out from Tredydan Road, I crossed to St Thomas Hill and was treated to a very intensive warm-up as I ascended! The route took me along Castle Street, enjoying the beautiful Georgian buildings lining the road, famously described by Sir John Betjemen to be ‘the most perfect collection of 18th century town houses in Cornwall'.
The gentle route wound through town,passing the 14th century church of St Mary Magdalene, along the narrow town centre streets, and under the historic Southgate Arch. Onwards, up Race Hill, making our way to Coronation Park, past the college, along Woburn Road and Hendra Vale, leaving the bustle of the town and its roads as we crossed Western Road, traversing a stile at Chapel. Finding ourselves in a steep-sided hilly valley (once a deer park in Norman times) we enjoyed the quiet of the fields, with little more noise than the bubbling stream.
I used an Ordnance Survey route from a Pathfinder Guide. There are numerous local walks available for free on the iWalk Cornwall website at www.iwalkcornwall.co.uk.
Dogs should be kept on a lead at all times through the valley we walked as there are grazing livestock.