South East Cornwall Walking Festival

Running for over a decade now, a weeklong festival of walks around south east Cornwall taking in seaside villages, rural hamlets, the Tamar Valley and edge of Bodmin Moor.

Knowledgeable guides head up walks ranging from gentle strolls of two miles to longer treks taking up to seven hours. The walks include places like the historic fishing port of Polperro, the ancient stone circle at Duloe and the old mining areas around Calstock.

Put on your hiking boots, prepare a flask and some lunch in your backpack - on some walks there will be an opportunity to sample Cornish hospitably and food at pubs and cafés on route, and set off to discover some of Cornwall’s lesser known natural and historical attractions. If you’re a keen walker this is a great – and economical way - to spend an active holiday in Cornwall! Leaders guide the walks for free but you’re asked for a suggested donation of £4 per person towards either costs or the organiser’s charity of choice.

The 2012 programme will be announced later in the year but to give you an idea the 2011 programme was as follows:

Sat 17th September

Duloe Circle Walk:
Start Outside Duloe Church 11am
Length approx 4 miles
Time 3 hours
Join festival organiser Mark Camp for the opening walk of the week. Explore Duloe and its surrounding countryside, including its 4000 year old stone circle, before returning to the village where the ever popular beer and cider festival will be taking place.
Bring packed lunch and drink.

Sunday 18th

Liskeard Looe Walk:
Start Liskeard Station main entrance 10.20am
Length 11 miles
Time 7 hours
The ever popular walk linking the two towns via the beautiful West Looe valley. Don’t be put off by the distance!
Bring packed lunch and drink and money for train or bus back to Liskeard.

Monday 19th

Gunni to Calstock Walk
Start Calstock station to catch the 9.27 train to Gunnislake.
Length 8 miles
Time 5 hours
Join local resident Jane Kiely for a walk along the River Tamar via New Bridge, then up into the woods to see all the amazing remains of The Clitters mine, returning to Calstock via the Tamar Valley Centre at Drakewalls and the lovely Danescombe Valley area. Tea available in Calstock on return.
Bring packed lunch and drinks.

Tuesday 20th

Kilmar; To the end of the line.
Start: Minions 10am
Length: 4 miles
Time: 4 hours
Join the ever popular Iain Rowe for a walk out along the old railway line across Bodmin Moor, from Minions to its terminus at Kilmar Tor. Discover plenty of archaeology and some stunning views.
Bring packed lunch and drink.
Wear suitable clothing and footwear for moorland walking.

West Looe Walkabout (Evening walk)
Start Looe Library 6pm
Length approx 2 miles
Time 3 hours
Discover the history of West Looe on this evening walk with Mark Camp, co author of The Book of Looe. From tide mills to tourism, see how the ‘other side’ of the river developed over the years.

Wednesday 21st

Menheniot Meander
Start Menheniot Village Centre (Toilets, shop), near church. 10:30
Length 4½ miles
Time 2 Hours
Join Looe U3A Walking Group on a walk through the Cornish countryside between moor and coast. Away from the usual walking routes this walk explores the fertile farmland of south east Cornwall, passing several sites associated with the booming lead mining industry of mid-19c.

Thursday 22nd

National Trust Walk
Start Looe Railway Station 10.30am
Length 8 miles
Time Approx 5 hours
A circular walk with a National Trust Ranger that encompasses the Coast and Creeks around Looe. Starting from the station the route will head west through the town towards Hannafore and along the SWCP to Talland. After a break (there is a Café and a Pub at Talland) you will walk inland towards Kilminorth Woods and follow the Giants Hedge back towards West Looe.

(All donations for this walk go to helping our work in Southeast Cornwall of which the National Trust manages around 3,000acres. For more information please visit our website at www. nationaltrust.org.uk)

Friday 23rd

Equinox Walk
Start: Minions 6.30 am (tbc)
Length: 2 miles approx
Time: 3 hours
Join us for an early morning walk at Minions to hopefully watch the sunrise on the Autumnal equinox. We will also look at the prehistoric sites dotted around that part of the moor and discuss what their role might have been.
Bring a flask of something warm!

Saturday 24th

Details to be confirmed

Sunday 25th

The Lost History of Polperro
Start Crumplehorn Inn Entrance 10.30am
Length approx 5 miles
Time finish around 4pm (there will be an hours break at lunchtime in the village for refreshments)
There is much more to Polperro than fishing and smuggling! Join festival organiser Mark Camp on a walk around this picturesque village and its surrounding coast to discover more!