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The Clay Trails a hidden gem Claire Francis, Clay Trails Development Team trails wind their way through a uniquely historic landscape, affording the visitor a glimpse into the area’s rich mining heritage with towering drying kilns, deep turquoise mica dams and a white lunar landscape. It’s no wonder in fact that an episode of Dr Who was set in one of the clay pits (and for those interested the episode was Colony in Space)! Whilst the Clay Trails are rich in mining heritage it doesn’t end there; they offer a variety of experiences suitable for all ages and abilities. For example the Green Corridor route runs from St Austell town centre to Wheal Martyn — a mining museum and country park. This is a 1.9 mile, mostly flat route that is suitable for buggies, mobility scooters and young children. The route from the Eden Project to Wheal Martyn however is more of a challenge, and you will have to tackle what have been dubbed by cyclists ‘the Cornish Alps’, a series of switchbacks on a fairly steep incline. The route from the Eden Project up to the Sky Spur viewpoint takes you through a UNESCO World Heritage Site and feels reminiscent of the Tyrolean Austrian Mountains. This is an amazing walk (or horse ride) if you are seeking solitude; no phone signal, no facilities, just you, the birds and the rustle of the wind in the trees. It really is hard to believe you are only a few miles outside St Austell. There is no shortage of flora and fauna amongst this unique landscape, and when the sun is shining there is no better place to photograph Cornish wildflowers, listen to bird song and spot the odd kestrel or buzzard. The landscape is rich and varied; you can find yourself right by the beach, meandering through woodland, standing on the edge of a clay pit or picnicking at the edge of beautiful lake. Last year a group of local people who are passionate about the Clay Trails, including local businesses, users and Eden representatives, got together and formed the Clay Trails Partnership. This partnership now meets regularly and continues to strive to highlight the beauty of the trails and their benefit as a local resource. Much of the focus has been on encouraging the local community to take ownership of the trails and make use of such a valuable resource. Under the guidance of the Clay Trails development team at Eden, several events and activities have been organised along the trails over the last 12 months which have served to raise awareness of the trails to both locals and tourists. A Geocaching trail with specially designed hand-cut heritage stamps has been set up along the Eden to Wheal Martyn trail, and for younger children a nature trail runs for half a mile along the Green Corridor with a special prize at Wheal Martyn for correct answers. Promenade theatre came to the Clay Trails over the summer with performances by Burn the Curtain theatre company. This was a theatre performance with a difference: the audience took part in the play as they cycled through the trails as the story unfolded. The Clay Trails provided a unique and mysterious backdrop to an exciting performance. The summer season of events closed with a rather wet but nonetheless well attended Cycle Sunday event, travelling from Wheal Martyn to Knightor winery with an opportunity to collect stamps along the way. There was a celebratory BBQ and children’s entertainment at Knightor along with a fantastic raffle well supported by local businesses and members of the partnership. Many people commented that whilst they knew the trails existed they didn’t realise how accessible they were and how easy it was travel between different attractions in the area. The Clay Trail development team acknowledged there was an issue with people finding their way on to trails so have worked hard to bring in a new signage system both around the Eden Project site and throughout the trails themselves. A new website has been developed which carefully describes and maps all the routes as well as updating visitors on events and activities. Whilst in the summer months the traffic on the Camel Trail can nearly bring it to a standstill, there is genuine peace, tranquillity and wilderness to be found on the Clay Trails. The Clay Trails were first opened in 2005 as part of a restoration programme to provide new habitats for flora and fauna as well as a resource for locals and visitors. The disused mining land was leased from Imerys and given back to the community to regenerate an area deeply affected by the decline in mining. The multi-use trails are between two and five miles in length and serve both as functional traffic-free routes, for example from Par to the Eden Project, and leisure routes such as the climb up to the spectacular Sky Spur. The five St. Blazey Gate Carclaze Bowling Green Rescorla Trethurgy LANALSON PIT - Last worked around 1930, now a flooded reservoir BAAL PIT PENTRUFF CHINA CLAY PIT CLAY TIP Scredda CLAY TIP t o t h e A30 to Fow e y to Truro Par Beach Carlyon Bay t o L o stwit h i el ROAD CROSSING STEEP CARNGREY ROCKS RUDDLE PIT VIEWPOINT PICNICAREA CLAY DRIER WHITE RIVER VIEWPOINT TRESKILLINGDOWN AGREAT VIEW OF THE LAKE ANDAGOOD SPOT FOR APICNIC PAR NATURE RESERVE PAR NATURE RESERVE WALKING ONLY TRAIL St. A u s t e l l R iver SCALE 0 1km 0.5km St. Austell St. Blazey Par Bugle Eden Project Wheal Martyn Luxulyan St. Austell Bay Charlestown Ask most people what they know about the Clay Trails and they will probably just stare at you and shrug. Ask someone on site at Eden and they’ll probably have a story of rescuing or directing a lost cyclist or walker to the nearest section. So when people describe the Clay Trails as Cornwall’s hidden gem it’s no lie. To find out more about the Clay Trails visit: www.claytrails.co.uk Clay Trail National Cycle Network Point of interest Train Station Key 10 11
