We wanted to complete a long run at a steady, consistent pace
this weekend as part of the build up to the Duchy Marathon, so chose to leave
the coast path and instead take the Mineral Tramway from Devoran to Portreath
and back.
This route, popular with cyclists, follows the old mining
tramways used to transport copper ore from the rich seams around Redruth to the
ports at Portreath on the north coast and Devoran on the south. From here the ore was shipped to Swansea for
smelting with the returning vessels bringing coal back into the county.
Overall the ascent is about 400 feet, but spread over 5
miles or so it’s not too noticeable.
Although most of the route is off road, nowhere is it in any way
technical, mostly being on well maintained level paths.
It’s surprising to realise that the county can be crossed so
easily and without much apparent change in elevation. The first few miles follow the path of the
Carnon River and pass numerous mining remains.
Scorrier is the highest point of the route, after which the trail
descends gradually through farmland and wooded valleys before finally arriving
back at sea level at Portreath.
If you have a car at each end then a one way trip is a
pleasant 11 miles or you can do the whole thing there and back; of course on
the way back all those little changes in elevation become more noticeable as
fatigue increases, but at least the last few miles will be downhill. It’s also worth noting that this is a popular
route (did I mention cyclists?), in summer it’s likely to be pretty congested.
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