Liskeard and Caradon Railway Walk
This walk takes you along the old Liskeard and Caradon Railway. The 19th century railway was constructed to transport copper and tin ores, as well as granite, from Caradon Hill to Moorswater. The trackway is now a popular walking and cycling trail exposing.
Starting of at Minions, the highest village in Cornwall and a hub of mining heritage, you'd immediately be immersed in a landscape sculpted by human endeavor. The path itself largely follows the old trackbed, often discernible by lines of uniformly laid stone sleepers – silent sentinels of a bygone era.
As you trek, the air is thick with the echoes of industry. You'll pass the dramatic remains of South Caradon Mine, once one of the world's most productive copper mines, with its imposing engine houses standing like skeletal giants against the sky. Spoil heaps, now softened by moss and heather, tell tales of countless tons of ore extracted.
The route winds its way down from the heights of Caradon Hill, which is now topped by a modern television mast, creating a stark contrast with the 19th-century ruins below. You'll encounter sections where the railway utilised gravity to move loaded wagons downhill, a testament to ingenious engineering.
The path meanders through diverse terrain: sometimes alongside a tranquil river, at other times opening onto the vast, untamed expanse of Bodmin Moor. The views can be spectacular, stretching across the rugged Cornish landscape and, on clear days, even reaching the hills of Dartmoor in the distance.
The trail also has a section suitable for cyclists which heads north from near the car park.
Liskeard and Caradon Railway Walk Ordnance Survey Map 
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Liskeard and Caradon Railway Walk OS Map 
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Liskeard and Caradon Railway Walk Open Street Map 
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Keep an eye out for smaller remnants of the railway's past: disused bridges, cuttings, and embankments that reveal the contours of the original line. There are also connections to other historical sites, such as the ancient Hurlers stone circles and Cheesewring Quarry, which also contributed to the railway's cargo.
Railway tunnel under mine waste near Holman's Shaft. The tunnel used to take the mineral railway line as it passed by Holman's Shaft. The line looped around the east of Caradon Hill on its way to the north Caradon mines and the quarries near Minions. When this loop was built it replaced the more direct inclined plane route past Gonamena.
Disused railway bridge, Darite. The walk is a moderate challenge, with some stretches that can be muddy, particularly after rain, and occasional stiles or gates. However, the rewards are immense: a profound sense of connection to a significant chapter in Cornish history, breathtaking views, and the invigorating experience of walking through a wild, beautiful, and historically resonant landscape. It's a journey where the silence of the moor is punctuated only by the wind, and the ghosts of the past feel very close indeed.
Memorial to a Lost Railway Line. This roadside memorial commemorates the closed Liskeard and Caradon Railway, all trace of which has disappeared at this point which used to be the site of the Tremabe Bridge carrying the road over the railway. The memorial contains a section of track from the railway.