Wrapped up warm in woolly hats and gloves with thick knit clad feet stuffed tightly in wellies we took off and explored one of the most fascinating and often overlooked areas of Penryn. The Glasney Valley.
The, ‘Penryn Nature Trail’, organised by the very lovely Karen and Claire of, ‘Cornwall Neighbourhoods for Change’, is one of a series of trails encouraging local residents and visitors to explore rural and urban spaces in their area.
Starting outside Penryn’s town hall and museum the trail is all about looking up and discovering some of the oldest echos of history. Gargoyles, keystones and other once finely presented pieces of ancient stone work, that made up the grand C13th Glasney College, now reside on the faces of subtler dwellings.
The trail then passes on to part of the six acre site that the college with its three imposing fortified towers once stood. Granite boulders, steps to nowhere and randomly placed dry stone walls suggest that hundreds of years later the college still puts up some defence against the attack of nature and humans.
-
- First of many clues
-
- Dry stone walls along college stream.
-
- Look among the ivy and you will see many walls still stand.
-
- Looking for bugs in the old walls.
-
- Catching sail boats
-
- Following the story tellers through the oak trees of the, ‘Henge’.
-
- Story telling en route.
-
- The All Seasons Story Tellers tell a giant tale.
-
- Through the Henge
Throughout the walk there were a number of activities to enjoy including the ever popular boat race under the bridge and eye spy games. There was even an opportunity to create fire, an activity that was greatly welcomed by many cold hands.
The walk was rounded off by the musical storytelling of, ‘All Seasons Story Makers’. Accompanied by the acoustic sounds of drum and pipes, tales of giants were animated under the great arches of the viaduct. Plenty of stomping feet and a procession through the oak, ‘Henge’, ensured we kept warm.
A huge thank you must go to Karen & Claire from Access to Nature for their hard work and commitment to making the outdoors a greater place to be.
You can download the nature trail maps here. Have fun and let us know what you find.
This looks like excellent fun, and a great way to get everyone outdoors at this time of year. Lovely photos!
It is lovely. They do one in Falmouth and Helston too. Just follow the link to Access to Nature and the trail guides are all there. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment
It was a fab walk and learned quite a few new things about our town on the way. Really enjoyed it and am so looking forward to the foraging one next month.
YES! The foraging one is on March 16th at Argal Reservoir. Keep an eye on our Facebook page and we will let you know times. Thanks for posting Phil
Both the area and your writing are beautiful.
Pam
Thank you