Back to East Cornwall & Bodmin Moor walks
Old mineral tramways, towering engine houses and wide views over Bodmin Moor – a circuit of Caradon Hill through the heart of the South Caradon copper mining district.
Minions, on the south-eastern edge of Bodmin Moor, is the highest village in Cornwall. This circular walk heads south around Caradon Hill on an old mineral tramway, with panoramic views across the moor, then drops into the Gonamena valley past the ruins of South Caradon mine.
The car park is close to the Hurlers – three Bronze Age stone circles – and is also a good starting point for exploring the Cheesewring, a granite tor to the north of the village.
Walk at a glance
- Distance
- 4 miles (about 2 hrs)
- Grade
- Easy to moderate – rough ground and a steep, rocky descent
- Map
- OS Explorer 109 – Bodmin Moor
- Start
- Minions car park, by the Hurlers
- Terrain
- Old tramways, moorland tracks, open grazing and footpaths – unclear in places
Parking
Free car park at the western edge of Minions, close to the Hurlers stone circles.
Facilities
Public toilets (check they are open), a café, pub and shop in Minions. The Minions Heritage Centre in Houseman’s Engine House has been closed since 2020.
Disabled access
This walk is not suitable for wheelchairs: although the old tramway sections are mostly level, they are rough and stony, and the route crosses open moorland, drops steeply over rocky ground into the Gonamena valley and follows paths that are boggy and unclear in places. From the free car park at the western edge of the village, the Hurlers stone circles are a short walk across level moorland grass, and the broad gravel track of the old railway towards the Cheesewring quarry is fairly firm and level at first, with wide views; the final approach to the Cheesewring is over rocks and boulders. There are public toilets in the village, but check they are open before relying on them.
Places to stay
The route
Numbers in circles match the points on the route map and the waypoint table below. Distances are approximate and measured between points.
Main walk – Minions, Caradon Hill tramway, South Caradon mine and the Gonamena valley (about 4 miles)
Minions to the Wheal Jenkin engine houses
From the Hurlers car park walk east into Minions village. Beside the village shop take the tarmac track heading south-east towards the tall mast on Caradon Hill. After a short distance leave the track and bear left across the open grazing, through a gap in the old field boundary, to the two roofless engine houses of Wheal Jenkin. The moor here is riddled with old mine shafts – stay on clear paths and keep dogs close.
Point 2: Wheal Jenkin engine houses (Bellingham’s and the stamps engine house) – 50.51493, -4.44883 (SX 26483 71213)
Onto the tramway above Upton Cross
Keep heading east across the lower northern slope of Caradon Hill, passing the remains of West Rosedown mine, to the furthest engine house and chimney – Salisbury Shaft of Marke Valley mine, above the village of Upton Cross. Here you meet the raised trackbed of the old Liskeard & Caradon Railway. Turn right along it. Behind you are the granite tors of Bodmin Moor – the Cheesewring above its quarry and Sharp Tor above Henwood – and ahead Kit Hill, with its mine stack, comes into view over Callington.
Point 3: Salisbury Shaft engine house, Marke Valley mine (north-east slope of Caradon Hill) – 50.51514, -4.43363 (SX 27561 71202)
Around the east side of Caradon Hill
Follow the trackbed as it curves south around the hill, keeping the large grassed-over spoil heaps of Marke Valley mine on your right. The trackbed is easy to follow but stony, and after heavy rain it can run like a stream. Continue south for about 1 km until the tramway runs close to the road and the Wheal Tor Hotel, a former mine captain’s house, appears on your right.
Point 4: Wheal Tor Hotel (PL14 5PJ) – tramway comes close to the road – 50.50585, -4.43039 (SX 27756 70161)
Up to the old quarry by the mast
Just left of the hotel buildings a stone wall runs up the hillside. Follow it uphill towards the mast, crossing to its left-hand side when you can. As you climb, look south for Plymouth Sound, Looe Bay and, on a clear day, the china clay tips around St Austell. Near the top bear left to a large heap of quarried granite boulders – the old quarry below the mast, a sheltered spot for a break. Caradon Hill is exposed; in mist, keep the wall or the mast road as a handrail.
Point 5: Caradon Hill mast and old granite quarry – 50.51102, -4.43639 (SX 273 707 (approx., mast site))
Down to South Caradon mine
From the mouth of the quarry take the faint, unmarked path heading south-south-west, away from the mast; the whole Gonamena valley opens up below, with St Cleer on the far skyline. Aim for the ruined engine houses and chimneys of South Caradon mine and pick up the track that drops between Holman’s and Rule’s engine houses. The descent is steep and rocky in places, and there are fenced and unfenced shafts nearby – keep to the track.
Point 6: South Caradon mine – Holman’s and Rule’s engine houses (east slope) – 50.50272, -4.44201 (SX 26921 69840)
To the valley floor
At the next junction turn right onto a wide, rough track that zig-zags down past the towering finger dumps to the valley floor. Here the ground is cobbled in places – the old dressing floors where ore, much of it broken by hand by “bal maidens”, was prepared before going down the railway to Liskeard.
Point 7: South Caradon mine – Seaton valley floor, cobbled dressing floors – 50.50597, -4.44448 (SX 26758 70208)
Up the Gonamena valley
Turn right and follow the stream – the young River Seaton – upstream towards its source, keeping to the right-hand (east) bank. The valley floor is hummocky from medieval tin streaming and can be boggy after rain. Make for the old farmhouse of Gonamena and pick up the signed public footpath there.
Back to Minions
The footpath is faint in places: keep straight on, roughly north-north-west, through a cutting on the line of the old Gonamena incline and past the remains of a tramway bridge. Go through a metal gate, pass a marshy area and the ruins of cottages at the source of the Seaton, and continue up into Minions. Turn left along the village street to return to the Hurlers car park.
Point 1: Hurlers car park, west end of Minions (free) – 50.51609, -4.45571 (SX 25999 71359)
All information is given in good faith and for guidance only. Always carry the OS map and check the South West Coast Path website for diversions.
Highlights along the way
The Hurlers
Three Bronze Age stone circles next to the village (English Heritage).
The Cheesewring
A weathered granite tor above a vast old quarry.
South Caradon mine
Once one of the richest copper mines in Cornwall – part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site.
Caradon Hill
Sweeping views from Bodmin Moor to Plymouth Sound and Dartmoor.
Nearby
Towns & villages
Photos
Route map and waypoints
Latitude and longitude (WGS84, as used by phones and sat-navs) with OS grid references. The markers show key points only – follow the waymarked paths between them.
| Point | Place | Lat, long | Grid ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hurlers car park, west end of Minions (free) | 50.51609, -4.45571 map | SX 25999 71359 |
| 2 | Wheal Jenkin engine houses (Bellingham’s and the stamps engine house) | 50.51493, -4.44883 map | SX 26483 71213 |
| 3 | Salisbury Shaft engine house, Marke Valley mine (north-east slope of Caradon Hill) | 50.51514, -4.43363 map | SX 27561 71202 |
| 4 | Wheal Tor Hotel (PL14 5PJ) – tramway comes close to the road | 50.50585, -4.43039 map | SX 27756 70161 |
| 5 | Caradon Hill mast and old granite quarry | 50.51102, -4.43639 map | SX 273 707 (approx., mast site) |
| 6 | South Caradon mine – Holman’s and Rule’s engine houses (east slope) | 50.50272, -4.44201 map | SX 26921 69840 |
| 7 | South Caradon mine – Seaton valley floor, cobbled dressing floors | 50.50597, -4.44448 map | SX 26758 70208 |
| 8 | Gonamena farmhouse and signed footpath | to be confirmed | – |
Before you set out
Carry the OS map – paths and signs can change and mobile signal is patchy.
Check the weather and tide times before you set out.
Keep to the path and well back from cliff edges.
Keep dogs under close control near livestock and cliffs.