The Tinners' Way - part 4

Carn Kenidjack

The surprise of a wonderful sunny Sunday encouraged us to make an early start to fill in a bit more of the Tinners' Way.

We started where we left off last time, at the foot of Carn Downs and headed towards Bosullow Trehyllys Iron Age settlement which is well worth a detour and a future visit. Excavated between 1925 - 1930 it is a wild version of Chysauster or Carn Euny with several very obvious houses and rooms. According to the Great Author, there may even be an above-ground fogou here but we searched in vain.

Chun Castle

The morning mist was clearing as we walked up the side of Chun hill to admire the castle: an Iron Age staging post or place or safe keeping for the tin en route from the Cape Cornwall area to St Ives or Marazion.

Having admired the fortifications and noted how the later barbican favoured the left-handed attacker, we crossed the short distance to Chun Quoit, the best-preserved in Penwith. From here, it was a short walk across Woon Gumpus common to the road. This bowl, like that around the Men-an-tol is filled with ancient remains.

Local residents

Crossing the road we greeted some unlikely Penwith residents who would be more at home in the High Andes, and admired a small barrow just off the main path which still had its cist intact.

From here we headed past the Boslow stone and out onto the moor. Although we should have been turning round, the lure of Carn Kenidjack was just too strong and we climbed this for our cup of coffee and snack. Where better could there be: a beautiful blue sky with a crisp sky, a blue sea dotted with white patches, St Just village nestling around its church, a stone circle in plain view and in the far distance, a white skirt around the Longships. But those joys are for a future walk.

Chun Quoit

We turned and headed back along the southern arm of the Tinners' Way, past the Boswens standing stone with it modern aircraft aerial, skirting the foot of Chun Castle and back to the meet the Madron at Bosullow. Seen from this direction, the main route to St Ives is obvious: straight on past the Men-an-tol towards the Men Scryfa.

We returned along the northern coast road - whoever painted the Gunnard's Head bright yellow should be made to re-paint it - once again marvelling at the Celtic field boundaries.

A mere 4.8 miles. The map is here and there are more pictures here.