A September afternoon enjoying exploring Bodmin Moor

A lovely sunny afternoon spent on and around Bodmin Moor here in Cornwall. First stop - Colliford Lake which is a reservoir on Bodmin Moor spanning nine hundred acres and is just south of the famous Jamaica Inn, the famous smugglers haunt immortalised by Daphne du Maurier. The outfall of this lake forms one of the tributaries of the River Fowey further south.

Next to the lake is Kerdroya Labyrinth which is a single, meandering path designed for spiritual connection and contemplation. It is a large piece of public land art, a permanent monument built from Cornish hedging. It is being constructed in order to preserve and pass on the traditional skills of Cornish hedging to future generations and provides a habitat for numerous species that rely on Cornish hedges for survival. The labyrinth is an ancient symbol of life journeys, spiritual reflection, and the cycle of eternity. 

Next a visit to Altarnun, a village located on the eastern edge of Bodmin Moor. It has a packhorse bridge that spans Penpont Water – a tributary of the River Inny.

The Grade I listed Church of St Nonna is also known as the Cathedral of the Moors, from which the village takes its name. Largely 15th century, there is still evidence of the building’s Norman origins, including the stone font. There are 79 16th century carvings by Robert Daye on the ends of the wooden pews in St Nonna’s Church. One features a rare image of a musician playing the Cornish bagpipes. Next door is the old rectory, immortalised by Daphne du Maurier in her novel Jamaica Inn as the home of her character Francis Davey, the not so holy vicar of Altarnun.

There is a stone carving of the evangelist and Methodist movement founder John Wesley over the door of the former chapel in the village. It is the work of a 19th century sculptor Neville Northey Burnard who was born in the house next door.

The final part of the afternoon was spent at the Trippet Stones stone circle on Bodmin Moor. It has a diameter of around 33 metres. Only 11 of its original 26 stones remain, and of these only eight are still erect; however in its heyday it would have been majestic with its tall stones and also it is one of the few perfectly round stone circles in Cornwall. The stones are all of a similar height (between 1.2 and 1.6m), except for a central smaller stone which is in fact a more modern boundary marker.

The name Trippet is a folklore allusion to dancing, an activity commonly connected to groups of Neolithic and Bronze Age stones and allegedly deemed punishable by an angry God. It is said that these stones were once young girls dancing on the Sabbath instead of attending to their religious duties.

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