New Trails BHS Access Cornwall Home Page
Trails to be opened by the County Council in 2008
The Portreath Branchline
Trail will connect the coastal village of Portreath with Illogan and Pool
along the historically important Portreath Incline and former Portreath railway
bed. It will offer a safe traffic free route, also linking Cornwall College
at Camborne and Tuckingmill Valley Park with the popular Great Flat Lode Trail.
In 1809 the Portreath to Poldice Tramroad became the first tramway (strictly
a three foot gauge horse-drawn plateway) to be laid above ground in Cornwall,
replacing several miles of unmade roads used by mules and horses to transport
minerals.
In 1834 a railway was constructed between the engineering works and harbour
quays at Hayle and the copper mines of Redruth and Camborne to carry ore to
the port and coal to the mines. It was modified in 1836 to incorporate four
ropeoperated incline planes on the steep sections. The line was designed for
steam locomotives and used the standard gauge.
In 1843 a passenger carrying service was introduced and the Portreath branch
continued as a successful freight line until its closure in 1936. The inclined
plane will be restored by the Project to create a bridleway joining the village
with the new tramway network.
The Redruth and Chasewater
Railway Trail will start at Twelveheads, connecting with the existing Coast
to Coast Trail. It will follow a route south to the historic mining village
of Carharrack, then continue north of Lanner, to connect with the Great Flat
Lode Trail and the centre of Redruth, following as closely as possible the original
railway route.
The origins of Cornwall's first railway to use wrought-iron rails and wagons
with flanged wheels can be traced back to 1818. In 1825 it was completed, with
a horse drawing each wagon, to run from the mining centre in Gwennap to the
port of Devoran.
The line was successful and in 1854 it was converted for locomotive traction.
The decline in Cornish mining led to its closure in 1915.
The Tehidy Trail will be based on the existing network of tracks and trails through Tehidy Country Park, former home of Sir Francis Basset whose De Dunstanville memorial crowns Carn Brea (see item 9 on map). This new multi-use trail will link with the North coast.
The Tolgus Trail
- Due to unforseen problems, this trail will now only be a link from the Coast
to Coast Trial to Tolgus Tin/Gold Centre rather than linking through to Redruth.