Dog doings aside, there was another, erm, feature that made that particular location memorable, and that was a footpath just up the road from the twin bridges. The path wended its way too invitingly into the Metha Woods for me to pass by, and so I pushed the Marin around the gate and stile (security fail there then eh!) and had a mooch up the path to see where it went. I didn't go far as it happens, as it was seriously muddy, off cambered and therefore very slippy, but I saw enough to decide it warranted further investigation at some point in the future.
That point actually arrived last Sunday, when needing a ride but trying to decide where to go, I remembered that footpath and so set my mind on that. I even got as far as getting Fatso out of the living room come Sunday morning, and onto the patio outside as I made my way out of the house, but then the less than ten percent chance of rain arrived, the 'light drizzle' that the TV forecaster had said might appear. This wasn't drizzle though, this was full on rain. So I waited to see if it would pass. Then I waited some more before wimping out and putting the bike back in the house and making a coffee.
As it happened, a bit later on, it did stop raining, and I did go out for a ride, but on the Voodoo instead, and around the local lanes. The photos from that ride aren't worth sharing here though, being very dull, although the ride was enjoyable enough and I got my nature fix.
So now we come to last Tuesday, the 19th, and once again I wheeled Fatso out of the house, and once again it was damp out, only this time it was drizzle rather than lashing rain, so figuring I wouldn't get too wet, I donned my jacket, left my over trousers at home, and set off.
I soon regretted putting the jacket on though as the drizzle stopped, and I got very hot and sweaty indeed as I climbed the hill out of Boswiddle. Jacket duly consigned to my rucksack I carried on - I hate it when that happens!
I didn't take any photos along the way until I got to Mitchell, where I also met a gorgeous little Jack Russell puppy on only its second trip outside in the world. Cuteness overload she was, and I forgave her the tinkle she sprayed on my my knee and gloved hand as she excitedly said hello. I expect I had no control over my bladder at her age either.
Mitchell - Cute puppy not shown, unfortunately.
I like crossing the A30 via Mitchell as the road passes beneath it, so I don't spend twenty minutes waiting to risk life and limb in dashing across in the nearest approximation to a gap in the traffic that road affords these days.
In formulating my plan for the ride I also decided to have a potter along a short lane that I've never been along before. It didn't look much on the map, the adjoining lanes aren't anything overly special, but still, you never know what you might find up some unassuming back road, so I took a slight dog leg to the right then left before reaching Metha Bridge.
I've just come from the left, I've already been down the road to the right in the past, and also come from behind where I took this photo. What I hadn't done before was ride along that lane dead ahead in the photo, and to Fatso's left there. Reason enough to go and poke my nose explore.
As ever, if a photo looks fuzzy (as this one above does to me) right click on it and open it in a new tab.
The drizzle returned as I pootled along this lane, but as I'd rather be damp from the outside in, rather than from the base layer out, I didn't put my jacket back on, and thankfully didn't regret that decision as after about ten minutes that was the last of the wetness for the day.
The lane wasn't anything spectacular, but still very pleasant and just the sort of road I enjoy bimbling along.
Most importantly, going in the direction I was, it was either flat or downhill - always a bonus that.
Anyone who has seen many of my photos will know I love gnarly trees in winter, when all their twisted, bony branches are fully on display, and this lane does look like it could offer some great 'treescapes' as I think of them, come winter, so I'll be back along here later in the year for sure.
Keeping a wary eye out to avoid colliding with any large dog deposits I arrived at Metha Bridge just as a steam train on the Lappa Valley Railway passed beneath, making a (lovely) smell and sound that harks back to the days when it was a proper branch line from Chacewater to Newquay. All the summer growth means that it was hard to get an interesting photograph around either of the two bridges so after a quick nose about, I went straight to the bend in the road where the footpath starts.
Hat pulled down, collar turned up, trying not to look too shifty as I'm about to go rogue and take a bike along a footpath. Nothing to say you can't do that mind you, if you push it...
But I didn't want to push it, I wanted to ride it...
I know it's a naughty thing to do, and can get you drummed out of an organisation such as the Rough Stuff Fellowship but I think we cyclists should be allowed to use such paths. A mountain bike will do less harm to the surface than a horse (I know, they shouldn't be on a footpath either), maybe even multiple boots clomping along it on a muddy day, and on a bike, you're more likely to ride through a puddle or boggy bit than a walker, who is more keen on keeping their feet dry and boots free of mud, and so will go around it, widening the scar. To me, the countryside should be accessible to all within reason (motor vehicles aren't within reason on such paths) and also by cycling along them, we can prove usage and prevent any landowners from closing them off. Besides, I don't have a car, and can't walk far anyway, so my bike is how I reach the path in the first place...
Anyway, in summer the Metha Wood path is much more bike friendly and a real pleasure to potter along. It runs parallel to both the Lappa Valley line (so at this time of year you're treated to many blasts of steam whistles) and an unnamed stream or river, which gurgles, babbles and even roars its way through the wood. This stream appears to rise on Newlyn Downs, site of the old Cargoll Mine and passes another mining site at East Wheal Rose and so runs a reddish brown contaminated as it is with metal deposits.
Back in the winter the whole area off to the left of the path was wet and boggy, and even now in June it was still very dodgy looking so sticking to the path is advisable. But there was a raised bank that met the path at ninety degrees, clearly trodden by walkers and also at a point where the stream was roaring like a good'un, so leaving Fatso on the main path as this bank was a bit too 'technical' to even push it along, I made my way carefully along and found this small waterfall, the source of the light roaring noise.
The raised bank was just wide enough to set the tripod up and get this shot, but it was also a tad slippery...
Looking for an alternative shot I stepped down from the bank onto a sort of 'beach', a flat area beside the water - big mistake! My foot immediately disappeared into the mud right above the ankle and I quickly yanked my leg back up, requiring a mildly alarming amount of effort. Cursing my one muddy foot, I thought again and leaning over, placed the tripod down into the mud instead, using the articulating screen to compose the shot from above.
This worked well until I lost my footing on the bank and out from under me went my feet, down onto the bank went my backside and I made briefly like a luge pilot as I slid feet first down the bank and back into that clawing mud, just avoiding knocking the tripod and camera into the stream in the process. Grabbing a nearby tree root I managed to get up off my bum and set about extracting my feet from the quagmire. My word that mud was deep! Both feet were now wet and muddy to well above the ankle, as was my arse, in fact as my hands were also covered in gloop, it wasn't long before everything was dirty - my shirt, my legs, the tripod, the camera. What a mess. But also it's all part of the fun, I suppose. The main thing was I hadn't hurt myself nor ruined the camera, so all was good really.
People amaze me with their petty snobbishness, and photography is full of it. The snobs will have it that no professional, or for that matter, any serious photographer, would be seen dead with a camera that boasts an articulating rear screen, but for me, that tilting, twisting rear LCD is a real bonus. More fool anyone who eschews a camera equipped with one because of some ill formed idea of what constitutes 'proper' photography.
Getting back to the bike I tried cleaning my hands and backside as best I could with some grabbed foliage, likewise the legs of the tripod, before remounting Fatso and pottering on some more. I had thought that navigating this path would take about twenty minutes, maybe half an hour, but with all my messing about I was already about an hour in when the path came round a bend and into a more open area where the stream spreads out sideways. More time spent getting photos then as it is a lovely spot, and I can see me setting up the stove here at some point in the future for a relaxing coffee.
Well the Lappa Valley Railway is close by...
What a charming spot this is, a small clearing in the wood with the stream trickling slowly past. The Lappa Valley Railway station at East Wheal Rose is just behind the trees on the opposite bank though, so it's not quite as peaceful as it looks in summer, but between trains all is magical tranquility.
It doesn't show so well in photos without getting silly in post production with the red saturation slider, but like a lot of rivers and streams in old mining areas, this water is a very rusty colour, being full of all sorts of nasties, and seemingly devoid of life.
Finding this on the water's edge then was a major surprise - I would only have been more shocked had it still been alive. This chap was about six inches long too, far bigger than any fish I would've thought might be found in such a waterway. I spent a while scouring the stream from the bank looking for more fish, preferably live ones, to no avail. Nor did I see anything else alive in the water for that matter.
A check of my watch found it gone lunchtime, another surprise, but a sure sign that I'd been relaxed and enjoying myself.
Just after that clearing the path leaves the stream and heads down to a stile then between high hedges to its end at Little Nanhellan, by East Wheal Rose.
Ancient looking stile is thankfully easy to negotiate with a bike without having to lift it, just wheel it over.
The footpath joins the drive way in front of this cottage at Little Nanhellan as it emerges into the lane from St Newlyn East towards Mitchell.
Looking from Little Nanhellan towards Mitchell, and another footpath signposted in the distance that may be worth checking out although I doubt it will be as good as the one I'd just left.
There I was in my last blog post bemoaning the disappearance of the traditional Scarecrow in favour of heart attack inducing Bird Bazookas, but now I find this in a field near Mitchell. As Scarecrows go though this one this one isn't the best by a long way.
Finding new places to explore is always good, especially when they turn out to be a real treat as this footpath certainly is. It is my sort of path - through scruffy woodland with a stream to provide a relaxing soundtrack and picturesque viewpoints. Somewhere to poke about miles from people seemingly (even if it was just an impression given the close proximity of the chuffa trains). After a concerted push I got home feeling invigorated by my morning's efforts and the surroundings I'd found myself in, and basking in the afterglow of stimulating exercise. albeit an afterglow with a muddy arse.
Very crappy map, the full details are HERE
The footpath lies roughly twixt points 7 and 8 on that map.
Map showing the footpath and stream.
Of course, rides like this inspire me to seek out more such destinations, but suitable paths to take a bike, even on foot, are a bit thin on the ground, and I have to cast my net ever wider in the search for new ground to explore, but there we go. The chance of unearthing some hidden treat or treasure, some delightful spot to disappear to, will keep me scouring the maps and breaking the 'no biking on footpaths' rules for a while yet!
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