Stannon Moor Circular Walk on Bodmin Moor
As I said earlier, on Saturday I had intended going to the St. Ives Tate, but foolishly gave up my park to pick up my bags. After 40 minutes driving in narrow crowded streets I was still park-less. Not feeling very much like a pilgrim and just a grumpy old man, I set off for Newquay. But I missed a turn and got stuck in stationary traffic caught by big roadworks, that will one day improve the traffic. But not that day. And then I saw I was accidentally headed to Bodmin Moor. There was a walk I wanted to do there to ancient standing stones, balancing stones and craggy hills. So I embraced the opportunity and once again took up the way of the pilgrim and did that instead. Marvelous. What a gift of a day. My legs and feet were not so keen.
I stopped in Bodmin for a fruit scone and coffee, and maybe a Cornish pastie. Probably. You get hungry being a pilgrim. And then I set of to find these ancient stones, ones not surrounded by people and that I could touch. It was one of those learning experiences with google maps and I not quite communicating. But in the end we found the carpark. I had downloaded the "iwalkcornwall" app when walking the Luxulyan Valley. But had not bought the map of the walk. This time I paid the few pounds and got all the information, including live GPS tracking which pinged when I walked off the suggested path, which I did a few times, accidentally sometimes, and deliberately others. I also let my daughter inn London know what I was doing with an estimated return time in case something happened to me. She had no idea why I did that, and would have left me on the moor dead. A good idea poorly explained apparently.
So off I set, finding the ancient Stannon Stone Circle first. And nearby were the remains of the circular dwellings that go back to neolithic times. This is really old. Again, I stood in this ancient wahi tapu (sacred place) that people have come to for thousands of years. And on this windy cold day (I had to remind myself that it was summer) I joined them. A pilgrim like them.
I carried on up to Logan Rock – Louden Hill - an ancient burial site with a cool balancing stone. It was a windy day, but I stood on the top to feel the gentle rocking. I took time to just be in this windswept striking landscape that people have lived in for millennia, and have named it sacred for much of that time.
I walked on down towards Rough Tor, or Roughtor - this granite hill that overlooks the moor and stone-circles. I did contemplate climbing up through the bracken. But I was wearing shorts - who knows why, it was a cold day. I guess a habit from my tramping days - you were shorts, even in the snow. We breed them tough in Aotearoa - I think some of the New Zealanders are a bit softer and wear longs.
Anyway, I suddenly wondered what wee critters might lurk in this brackeny stuff I was pushing through. You don't have to worry about things like snakes and ticks in Aotearoa - but you do elsewhere. So I stopped and retraced my steps. I later learnt about ticks, and the growing threat of Lymes disease and the need to take ticks out carefully, after I think I had yanked one out unknowingly. I'm still alive to tell the tale however.
I carried on past more ancient circular stone dwellings, the stone walls from so long ago, and on to Fernacre Stone Circle. Another ancient wahi tapu. I then continued down the moor with marvelous views across to Brown Willy hill, and out across Bodmin Moor. Walking in this place where people have come seeking to make sense of life and death for so many thousands of years. And I joined them for that time, making sense of my life, letting go and welcoming what might be.
And I drove back out through the grove of trees offering one of the highlights of my day. The light was stunning.
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