Armed with my trusty guides, I managed to cobble together two walking routes into a veritable pièce de résistance of a loop. It was such a stunner that I've decided to crown it as an official addition in my next book edition. For now, it's a patchwork quilt of parts from the Saints Walk, detailed in this very book, and the Luxulyan Valley, found in its canine-friendly counterpart, Walking with Dogs.
The fate of this walk teetered on the brink. The weather forecast granted us a small grace period of a dry couple of hours before mother nature was to unleash the full brunt of her aquatic arsenal. We'd already postponed from the previous week when gales had been predicted (and indeed lived up to their destructive hype), causing pandemonium throughout Cornwall. So, cancelling for a second time was as appealing as a soggy biscuit.
Clad in our rain-repelling gear and agreeing to sacrilege – foregoing our habitual picnic – we forged ahead. Starting from the Ponts Mill car park, we traced the path along the river and railway line towards the main artery of asphalt before diverting onto the Saints Way, diving headfirst into the pastoral embrace of the countryside.
The girls and I made light work of the hills and fields, and before long, we found ourselves gaping at the marvel that is the Treffry Viaduct. An extraordinary testament to the ingenuity of human engineering. The dizzying heights at this point were a force to be reckoned with, so all dogs were put on a leash tighter than Scrooge's purse strings.
The crossing of the viaduct marked our entrance into the Luxulyan Valley, a World Heritage site and Agatha's playground. Once unleashed, she went off like a racehorse on a sugar rush. The rest of the canine squad seemed equally taken by the allure of the rolling woodlands, babbling streams, and ghostly remains of abandoned structures – a doggy wonderland, indeed.
As we retraced our steps back to the vehicles, the skies began to don their stormy attire. True to the forecast, the moment we hit the carpark, the heavens proceeded to have a bucket challenge of their own.
A phenomenal walk, stellar company, and a narrow escape from the weather! Mother nature, we accept your challenge.
Helpful Stats:
- Five miles
- LOADS to see
- Lots of trains
- UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Parking at Ponts Mill
The two separate walks feature in Walking with Dogs between Truro and Fowey, and Walking with Saints and Tinners.
