The Tinners Way
The Tinners Way started off as a Bronze Age trading route of tin
and copper. It is a 16 mile track that covers 20 prehistoric and
Christian sites tracing as closely as possible the ancient paths
along which tin and copper were transported by people, sledges and
pack animals from the mineral-rich area of St. Just to the
sheltered anchorage of St. Ives bay. Some artistic license has been
taken with the route in places where the track is no longer
accessible to the public and also to include some of the ancient
landmarks such as Tregeseal East stone circle, Chûn Castle,
Mên-an-Tol and the Iron Age settlement of Bodrifty.
The event has been planned in such a way as to be achievable by
the average serious walker of appropriate fitness. Calculations for
pace are based on a walking speed of 3 miles per hour and a factor
of 1 hour per 2000 feet of ascent with no additional allowance for
descents. Several short breaks of at least 5 minutes at main
landmarks have also been factored into the plan.
Anyone wishing to take part in the walk should register their
interest by logging a Will Attend on this cache and also by
emailing me through my profile. In return I will email details of
the route in GPX and PDF format.
Participants should meet be at the start point (Cape Cornwall
summit; the coordinates above) by 9:30am on Saturday 17th
September 2011 so that the group are ready to set off by 10am
at the latest. Should the situation allow we may leave earlier.
Cape Cornwall: The Start
In the spirit of Geocaching, this event is open to all - for
anyone not participating in the walk who would like to attend the
event, the logbook will be available from 9:00am prior to moving
off with the walking group! This will give us an hour to chat and
discover trackables etc before starting the walk.
It is possible to intercept the group along the route however in
doing so individuals will be responsible for making their own
transport arrangements to meet with their chosen joining and
leaving points along the planned route. Approximate timings and
coordinates for each rest stop are given below. The logbook will be
available to sign at each stop.
You are welcome to join the group for part of the walk, however
anyone requiring to leave the group during the event will be
responsible for arranging their own onward transport. Please
remember that the timings are only approximate - the group may be
running late and equally could be ahead of schedule.
A public bus service is available to take people back from St.
Ives to their cars, which drops off at St. Just car park
(coordinates below). If you decide to park in the National Trust
car park at Cape Cornwall this is a roughly 25 minute walk downhill
from St. Just.
St. Ives Head: The Finish
This is not a guided walk - every member of the group
will be responsible for their own safety, and participants under
the age of 18 will only be allowed to take part if accompanied by a
responsible adult.
There will be no support team for this event, hence every person
taking part will need to carry everything that they may need during
the walk, including but not limited to spare clothing/waterproofs,
plenty of fluids, snacks and basic first aid equipment.
Remember to check the weather forecast before leaving for Cape
Cornwall. The entire route is quite exposed - if the weather is hot
then there will be very little shade so factor 50 suncream and hats
will be essential; on the other hand if the weather is bad then
waterproof clothing and footwear will be required if you are to
complete the route.
Well behaved dogs are welcome to join the walk, however it is
worth noting that there are very few drinking points available for
dogs, so owners should ensure that they carry plenty of extra water
for their animals.
Landmarks
Kenidjack Castle
Wheal Edward
Wheal Owles
Tregeseal East stone circle
Carn Kenidjack
Chûn Quoit
Mên-an-Tol
Nine Maidens stone circle
Bodrifty settlement
Amalveor Downs