Liskeard Cornwall – Historic Market Town, Bodmin Moor Gateway & Looe Valley Rail Hub

LISKEARD & BODMIN MOOR

Liskeard is an ideal base from which to explore. Situated at the head of the Looe Valley, it has long been an important market center and was one of the four original Stannary towns.

The mining industry played an important part in the town's growth and in 1828 a canal link enabled ore and stone to be carried down to Looe. The railway which replaced it has become today's single track branch line along scenic wooded riverbanks, the Looe Valley Line.

MINIONS MOOR

The moors, shrouded in mist and mystery, hold abundant clues for those who want to delve into the past - burial chambers and holy wells, giant stones and Bronze Age settlements, decayed mine-workings and disused quarries. When you visit the moors you are retreading the footsteps of Neolithic man, of Cornish Kings, and of the thousands of miners who once worked the area.

At St Cleer, on the edge of the moors and surrounded by farmland, another Holy Well can be found. Housed in a granite baptistery, the well was used to treat the insane, who were repeatedly tossed up and down in the water until sanity returned. North of St Cleer, stands King Doniert's Stone, on which a Latin inscription asks for prayers for the Cornish King, who drowned in 875. Nearby is the Neolithic burial chamber known as Trethevy Quoit (c3500BC), where five huge stones support a massive capstone.

Minions

Once the center of mining activity, the village of Minions boasts the highest pub in Cornwall. The setting of E V Thompson's historical novel Chase the Wind, a century ago the area would have been teeming with miners and quarrymen seeking granite, copper and lead, but today the nearby Cheesewring Quarry is deserted except for rock climbers. On the edge of the quarry stands the Cheesewring itself, an extraordinary natural tor formed from precariously balanced rocks, resembling a massive cheese squashed in a press.

Close by Minions village are the three ancient stone circles called The Hurlers. Two standing stones to the west are The Pipers and the surrounding hills abound with burial mounds and Bronze Age settlements, particularly below Tregarrick Tor. Beyond the circles, Rillaton Barrow is the site where in 1837 a ribbed cup of beaten gold was found beside a skeleton in a large stone cist.

At Upton Cross you can visit Sterts Arts & Environmental Center, where plays are performed in the open- air amphitheater throughout the summer.

Sterts Theatre

Siblyback Lake Country Park and Watersports Center

The reservoir was completed in 1969, to meet the growing local demand for water. The lake that was created, has become a popular beauty and tourist spot, as well as a valuable wildlife habitat. There is plenty to do at this scenic lake including miles of walks, cycle trails, children's play areas and a cafe overlooking the water. The Watersports center offers a wide range of activities including a top quality Rainbow Trout fishing, kayaking, paddelboarding, canoeing, sailing, and windsurfing.

• Car Parks
• Refreshments
• Circular Cycle track - lakeside walk
• Sailing, and windsurfing
• Kayak Hire
• Toilets
• Dogs allowed
• Beach area
• Childrens play area
• Bird watching hide
• Trout Fishing
• Camping

There is a 5 kilometer (3 mile) cycle track that runs around the perimeter of the lake, taking in many different environments from moorland to pine forest. The walk around the lake takes an average of 50 minutes. There is a cafe next to the Watersports center - a good start and end point to any trip round the lake. The perimeter path is popular at all times of the year, with joggers, walkers and cyclists. The path is well maintained, making it ideal for all abilities. The centre has a Tramper all-terrain mobility buggy available to hire for use on paths and trails around the lake - ( booking in advance) - please contact 01579 346522.

The lake is also a stunning natural habitat, with many spies of wildlife present. Siblyback Lake has many regular bird species on view. Buzzards and Ravens can frequently seen overhead, together with Peregrines and occasional Ospreys. Kingfishers are resident. The lake has a constant wildfowl population as well as Pipits, Stonechat, Wheatear, Redstart, Flycatchers, Goldfinches, Linnets Wagtails, Plovers, Dunlin, Sandpipers, Curlew, Wimbrel,and many others. At the northern edge of the lake is a Bird watching hide, that looks out over the water at the local wildfowl.

Camping is available at Siblyback Lake, with a small campsite located at the side of the lake, adjacent to the Watersports center

Siblyback Lake is a popular family attraction, with ample parking - (small charge), on site toilets, and cafe with outside seating areas. Siblyback Lake Country Park is dog friendly

Latitude\Longitude: 50.50927 , -4.49154

Dozmary Pool

Another park, at nearby Colliford Lake, offers rare breeds, a pets' corner, and birdwatching, fishing and enjoyable lakeside walks. Dozmary Pool, at the northern end of the lake, is said to be where King Arthur's Excalibur was received by a hand rising from the water. Another legend concerns the unjust magistrate Jan Tregeagle who, condemned by the devil to empty the pool with a leaking limpet shell, can still be heard howling with despair.

Further south, the village of St Neot has a fascinating church with impressive stained glass and a fine granite 9th century cross. Look up and you will see an oak branch tied to the tower. This is renewed every Oak Apple Day (May 29) in a ceremony started by royalists to give thanks for the tree which hid Charles 11 after the Battle of Worcester. Nearby, at the head of the wooded valley of the River Fowey, you can visit the exquisite Golitha Falls, an outstanding beauty spot and now a National Nature Reserve.

West of St Neot, the remote hamlet of Warleggan was where the eccentric, tragic, Reverend Densham kept the church locked and preached to a congregation of cardboard figures.

Attractions

At the Carnglaze Slate Caverns you can see the subterranean blue lake. Other attractions in the area include Lanhydrock, Bodmin Farm Park and the nostalgic Bodmin Steam Railway.

The Cheesewring (Granite Rock Formation) at Minions

King Donierts Stone

Canada Geese on Siblyback Lake

Sailing on Siblyback Lake

Cycle track around Siblyback Lake

Golitha Falls