Carn Euny Ancient Village

This ancient village is well preserved and has been occupied from the Early Iron Age to the end of the Romano-British period. The star structure is the 'Fogou'. This is an underground tunnel and chamber feature, found only in Cornwall. There are 15 confirmed in Cornwall and theories for use include, storage, defence and some sort of religious significance. The site parking is at the end of a dead end road and when you nearly get there it has the distinct feeling of driving through someone's garden! There are two routes to the site which make a pleasant circular walk. 

A 'Clootie Tree' - making wishes near the Carn Euny sacred well. We didn't know this at the time, so no photos of the well, which we didn't see. 

The site...

The Fogou...

Inside the main chamber.

Looking for Cave Spiders - it's a spider and in the Fogou, but not a proper Cave Spider. 

Fluorescing algae.

The paved track as shown in the interpretation above.

General views ....

1750s cottage remains.

Walking back through what felt like part of a much overgrown garden.

Praa Sands to Prussia Cove

This time, a walk from base, along the coast...dramatic skies and seas.

Looking over Praa Sands as we left...

And towards Prussia Cove.

Then the sun came out...looking towards Prussia Cove.

And back the way we came...

Zooming in to Porth-en-Alls - an Arts and Crafts style house designed by Philip Tilden. Built between 1912-1914.

A view over the wall...

Details ...

Spectacular windows ...

Carrying on and two classics of this time of year ...Fetid Iris ...

..and Old Man's Beard.

Victorian fishermen's cottages and storage at Bessy's Cove 

Sadly falling into disrepair...

And some spectacular views on the way back...

Incoming rain...

Perranporth to St Agnes: Part II

 The cliffs....the mineral-stained cliffs were spectacular! 

This view led to an oil painting that hangs by our front door.

Many different layers of rock protrude into the sea - not easy to distinguish in this light.

Looking down at the copper ...

Zooming in...

You could be in the Mediterranean. 

Looking down again...

More copper.

An eroded landscape.

Spikey!

Perranporth to St Agnes: Part I

A good walk out today along the coastal footpath and back. The cliffs at Cligga really are spectacular and the industrial heritage fascinating - just a shame that there aren't any interpretive boards in such a rich historical area. It really is the ideal place for a few. Looking back at the photos of which there are many, I'm dividing the walk into Part I : The Walk and Part II: The Cliffs....A decent 8 mile plus walk with surprisingly, 2,400 feet of ascent and descent - those dips add up! 

Looking back over Perranporth Beach.

The coastal path ...the light was very bright!

A mining adit at the side of the path - it goes in quite a way but comes to a blank end.

The textbook photo of Greisen bordered veins.

I quote from Cligga Head - Greisen Bordered Veins: SOUTH WEST COAST PATH - a photo tour:

The Coast path passes through these two rocks. Cligga Head shows a fine example of a Sheeted Vein System with dark Greisen borders . The Granite was intruded about 290 million years ago. Cracks developed in the Granite , numerous parallel cracks at this location at Cligga Head. Hot fluid left after the Granite crystallised flowed through the cracks and broke down the feldspar ....., forming quartz and mica ...a process called Greisening. A second mineralisation in the Greisen deposited Crystals of Quartz , Cassiterite (Tin ore) and Wolframite (tungsten ore) .... A final mineralisation occured throughout the granite - the Kaolinisation of the feldspars with the outside of the feldspars that remain having a powdery coating.

A mine capping in the foreground with the remnants of tin and wolfram mining in the background.

Metalliferous rocks with the right hand specimen being probably Wolfram.  

Looking towards St Agnes......

..and back to colourful cliffs...

We then continued along the coast to Trevellas Coombe where the path is rather narrow and scrambly straight up from the beach ...I think most people head along the track up the coombe and then back out to the cliffs!

Rather than dropping down into St Agnes we found a granite sign along the ridge to Peterville where we had a bacon bap and coffee before returning via Wheal Kitty to the coast path.

Looking down onto Blue Hills Tin Mine.

Nice colours ...

And back to Perran for an ice-cream.