Synopsis: A long standing ambition of mine to visit Devon Great Consols Mines near Gunnislake finally realised. This is now, with the aid of Lottery Heritage Funding, a very interesting visitor attraction.
Another very early start to the day required for this walk, as my chosen method of transport was to be trains, requiring a two-change journey of: Digby & Sowton – St David’s, Exeter – Plymouth – Gunnislake. I’d pretty much done this same journey in July for my Bere Alston and Buckland Abbey walk, and prior to that, on a visit Mum and I made to Cotehele in October of last year.
Crossing the viaduct at Calstock, looking north up the River Tamar
As mentioned in my July post, the journey by train along the coast and up the valley of the River Tamar is in itself a pleasure and today was no exception. The trains were not busy and the views gorgeous, such as this taken from the Calstock Viaduct looking north up the River Tamar. Saturday is a good day to be doing these train journeys since off-peak rail fares apply throughout the day without time restrictions. I found myself arriving on schedule into Gunnislake rail station at 9:26am.
The previous night I’d done some last minute research and discovered that the Tamar Valley Visitor Centre here in Gunnislake doesn’t open until 10:00am which was rather disappointing, as I was hoping to pick up a couple of leaflets from the centre, both available from their walking web page, the leaflets being ones named Discovery Trail and Tamar Trails. I decided my best plan, although not ideal, would be to pick these leaflets up at the end of my walk.
Newbridge, Gunnislake, built ca. 1520
I’d pre-programmed my handheld GPS device with the trail from information gleaned from the Internet, so theoretically I had the means to navigate the Tamar Trails. My walk route to Devon Great Consols took me through Gunnislake lanes and down a wooded footpath to New Bridge, a rather oddly named bridge, since it is believed to have been built ca. 1520.
Toll house at Newbridge, Gunnislake
I think the bridge is quite amazing, being that it is medieval, and was the lowest crossing on the River Tamar until 1960 when the suspension bridge at Saltash opened. And from my experience today, it remains a heavily used bridge to this days. The engineers of this bridge could, were they able, feel justly proud of their achievement. Not surprisingly the bridge is Listed Grade I.
Toll house at Newbridge, Gunnislake
On the far side of the bridge stands an old toll house (Listed Grade II). The traffic was whizzing by me at this point. The bridge is single carriageway, therefore traffic would queue at either end waiting for oncoming traffic to pass. My route took me up the lane which the cars use going up to shortcut the A390. I later learnt from staff at the Tamar Valley Visitor Centre that there is a track I could have followed, signposted from the toll house (although I didn’t see the sign), that would have taken me away from the road and leads to the Bedford Sawmills car park. Such a route is not evident either on the Ordnance Survey map or the Tamar Trails leaflet.
View of Devon Great Consols working from A390 junction for Bedford Sawmills car park
After something of a climb up the hill I eventually came to the point at which the road is intersected by what is termed the Devon Great Consols Railway Trail. This is a trail that follows the route of an old dismantled railway that once connected the mines with Morwellham Quay. The fact that it’s an old railway route means it is of course relatively level and easy going. From this point the mine workings are clearly visible as a scar on the distant hills.
Mine working spoil heap
It wasn’t long before I was passing spoil heaps banked high beside the trail. Then a little way further on I came upon my first encounter with a mine building at a bend in the trail. This was an indication that I was now entering an area at the heart of the old working mines.
Devon Great Consols mine workings
Just a little way further down the trail I was confronted by what looks like a Martian landscape. Why does NASA spend all that money sending Curiosity to Mars when the cost of a train ticket will take a person to a similar landscape not far from Plymouth. Perhaps NASA’s claimed exploits are really filmed from here.
I’ve read that arsenic dust in the mine spoil keeps the plants from colonising this area, and certainly there are few to be seen. Whether it’s the arsenic or simply the barren nature of the spoil, I don’t know. I could see peculiar capped black metal spikes here and there, and on closer inspection I could see that these are dust monitoring devices. Apparently, despite the best efforts to contain the pollutants of those working here, trees in close proximity to the arsenic calciners would die, which gives some idea just how toxic the place was when a working mine, and possibly still is today.
Devon Great Consols mine workings
I was now standing in what was obviously the hub of the mine workings of Devon Great Consols. The remains of buildings and an arsenic calciner could be seen amongst vast swathes of spoil. On the hill behind me stood a tall chimney, seemingly intact, and next to it a mine worker’s building now a very isolated dwelling standing alone in this otherwise deserted landscape.
Lake enclosed by trees with one picnic table
My programmed route wasn’t quite correct at this point, so I had to make a minor correction to regain the trail route. I was now on the Wheal Maria Trail, my intention being to follow this as much as possible, my next objective being Scrub Tor car park. I lost a lot of height dropping to the car park, which is only small (ten car maximum capacity), walking along a tree-lined trail that passed a small lake, with babbling brooks for my soundtrack. I found a bench in the sun by the track and stopped there for my lunch.
Looking down the steep sided gorge of the River Tamar
After lunch I back-tracked along the trail until I reached a point where the Wheal Maria Trail continues its circuit out to the Tamar Valley. Here the trail is following the steep sided gorge and there was little in the way of signs of industry along this section of track. This is a very picturesque tree lined gorge which can be enjoyed simply for the beauty of the scenery. I was afforded occasional glimpses through the trees of the fast flowing River Tamar in the valley some distance below.
The banks of the River Tamar, in the gorge - weir
I eventually completed a full circle by following a path that connected once again the the DGC Railway Trail at a point just a little north-west of the Bedford Sawmill’s car park. From the car park I followed the drive leads back to the main road and retraced my steps down to New Bridge where I diverted left onto a footpath that runs along the banks of the River Tamar.
The banks of the River Tamar, in the gorge - the lock keeper's cottage
The path is virtually at the same level as the river, so there must be little tolerance to river swell at this point. The river is fast flowing since it is squeezed into a relatively narrow steep sided gorge with occasional escarpments visible on the far side giving the area a dramatic appearance. There are ruined lime kilns dotted here-and-there along the riverside. A lockkeeper’s cottage is also to be found just across from a short length of narrow canal.
Tamar Valley Centre, Drakewalls
It was now time to regain Gunnislake railway station, and this meant a long haul up the steep sided hill following at first a track and then a metalled road. In the mid-afternoon heat this did take its toll and I was rather a mess as I reached level with the railway station. I approached the modern complex of the Tamar Valley Visitor Centre (location) at around 15:05 with 40 minutes to spare before my train. I popped in and made some enquiries about the area and picked up the leaflets that I was interested in.
In conclusion: This was a truly fascinating visit to somewhere like no other in Devon. It is a perhaps surprisingly quiet place with very few people about. From my own perspective, I rather liked this, as the tranquil solitude of the place made for a great atmosphere as I wandered around the ghost-like environs of the disused mines, but it did leave me thinking it was a vastly under-publicized place that is failing to capitalize on its merits. Perhaps these are early days, as only a few years ago this was virtually a no-go area. Even today, if you look at an Ordnance Survey map, there’s no indication that this is the site of Devon Great Consols, once the largest copper mine in the world, once employing around 1,300 people. To see DGC displayed on an old OS map, view the Where’s The Path map (OS 3 link above) and select one of the historic maps from the drop-down lists. I’d say that, even today, and despite the injection of Heritage Lottery money to open it up, the area remains a largely well kept secret awaiting for the word to spread.
All trains were punctual and my travelling was achieved with clockwork precision. It was a long day including the travelling, but thoroughly enjoyable all the same, and I felt eco-friendly virtuous after my day’s outing.
Walk Statistics:
Total Distance: 12.1 miles
Moving Time: 4hrs 19min
Stopped Time: 1 hr 15min
Total Ascent: 588 metres
Maximum Elevation: 162 metres
Buses: (none)
Train: Digby & Sowton / Gunnislake (Off-Peak Day Return £9.50)
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