Tregargus Valley Walk
3 miles (5 km)
This walk explores the Tregargus Valley near St Austell in Cornwall.
Also known as The Hidden Valley the area is great for walking with woodland trails and a series of old mining buildings to see. You can also enjoy views of the River Fal as you make your way through this historical industrial valley.
At the northern end of the route you will pass close to the Goonvean Quarry where there's more old Cornish engine houses in a photogenic old China Clay Works.
The walk can be started from the village of St Stephen which lies at the southern end of the valley.
Postcode
PL26 7PU - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locationsTregargus Valley Ordnance Survey Map 
- view and print off detailed OS map
Tregargus Valley Open Street Map 
- view and print off detailed map
Tregargus Valley OS Map 
- Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Tregargus Valley Open Street Map 
- Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby
Photos
St Stephen. St Stephen is a large village a few miles to the west of St Austell. The parish is officially known as "St Stephen in Brannel".
Stream near Gonnamarris. Looking over the parapet of a bridge on a minor road. The remarkable thing about this stream is that the water is fairly clear after having come through an area of intense china clay workings. Without proper filtering of the run-off from the workings this water would look like milk.
Cornish engine, Goonvean. The beam, condenser and air pump assembly are visible in a shot obliquely against the light. The intervening years were not kind and the shaft mouth collapsed taking the air pump and condenser with it. In September 2008, Century Millwrights dismantled the engine and it is now in store. It is hoped that it will be re-erected in a proposed project in Hayle.
Clay Pit at Trethosa. One of the big holes in the ground which are dug by china clay extraction.
Goonvean Cornish engine house. This was very derelict then and the beam floor was not accessible due to a dodgy staircase. This engine was removed in August/September 2008 for re-erection elsewhere in the county. Its state of dereliction and location over valuable clay reserves had made this inevitable.
