According the ever-reliable Craig Weatherhill, the Tinner's Way is the original trackway from St Just to St Ives, Hayle and Penzance. Starting in St Just, its line can be followed along the crest of the hills until the charmingly named Bishop's Head and Foot where, within sight of the Mount, the track splits to head for each of its destinations.
En route, the track passes close to a wonderful collection of archaeological sites.
 |
| Mulfra Quoit |
Being awkward creatures, we decide to walk from east to west and park at the foot of Castle an Dinas, now much ruined by the modern quarry and the folly of Roger's tower, and set off towards Carnaquidden downs. This trip is notable for a combination of some of the worst map reading for many years and a general habit of the Penwithians to move whatever path the OS claims to exist. We emerge on an open trackway which a bossy man tells us is 'not a right of way' despite it being marked as one on the map. He haunts us for several miles but eventually we emerge at the foot of Mulfra hill. Here another local appears to have developed a 'thing' about adders as she has seen one and tells us twice to beware. Eventually we find the quoit and settle down in the warm sun for our very sparse picnic. The gorse around it has been burned making the landscape look particularly bleak but the Mount is visible in a deep blue sea, Penzance is twinkling and the Lizard is also visible in the haze.
Oh, you want to know about Mulfra Quoit. Yes, well, it is Neolithic and one of the smallest Penwith chamber tombs. Sadly its capstone has slipped and leans at a jaunty angle. Around it can be seen the shadow of a mound which must have been about 11m across. If you follow our later trips on the Tinner's Way, you will see some much more typical quoits.
We return by another route, through Boscreege farm, missing Try menhir on the way, but emerge, back on the track again at the foot of Castle an Dinas, exhausted, after our longest walk so far; but the sun was glorious and we feel Much Better.
Distance: 10.21 miles; Time: 4 hours 8 minutes
More pictures
