Built in 1836, this 90-foot-high granite column was a tribute to Francis Basset, First Baron de Dunstanville, philanthropist and member of the most important mining family in the area. It is sadly no longer possible to go inside and climb up, but the views from outside are wonderful. On a clear day you can see both coasts, the Cornish Alps, St Agnes Beacon, St Ives and the highest spot in West Cornwall - the top of the four lanes mast at 1355'.
Just along the ridge you’ll see Carn Brea Castle, sitting on huge granite boulders. The Basset family turned the building into a hunting lodge in the mid 1700s, but its origins go back to the 14th century where it started life as a humble chapel to St Michael – one of Cornwall’s patron saints. It is now a restaurant.
The slopes of the carn have their own story to tell. 6,000 years ago, granite walls and ramparts once circled the tors, and the remains are there to this day… along with the sites of Roman and Bronze Age artefacts, Iron Age roundhouses and – legend has it — the petrified bones of the Giant of Carn Brea, John of Gaunt.
It is possible to drive up to the top of the carn from the village of Carnkie, although the last 150m or so are currently a slightly rough, pot-holed gravel road, but perfectly ok if taken with care. There is parking for about 8 cars at the waypoint indicated. Please do not park by the restaurant when it is open or block any accessways. The cache is only a short walk away close to the monument, but note that the path is rocky and not suitable for wheelchairs and anything but the most robust of cross-country strollers!
*** As the container has gone missing for a third time I have chosen a new location further off the path which will involve a short walk through heather and gorse on a narrow indistinct path. You are now looking for a hanging camo bag. Please do NOT remove the stamp.
It can get busy on the summit, so stealth may be required.