Just outside the campsite we picked up the former Liskeard and Caradon railway. This was used to transport coal up to the engine houses and copper ore down to the port of East Looe from where it was shipped to South Wales for smelting. All that remains today are the granite blocks set into the ground which the rails were fixed to. The railway, which opened in 1846 originally used horse drawn carts which were eventually replaced by steam trains. The railway closed in 1917.
As we approached Minions, which at 300m is the highest village in Cornwall, we passed an engine house which is now a heritage centre. Unfortunately it was closed so we pressed on through the village towards another couple of engine houses where we picked up the railway again. The railway skirts around Caradon hill which has a 230m tall TV mast on top. This was built by ITV in 1961 to bring the station to the South West for the first time.
As the railway continued its decent to the coast we carried on around the hill, climbing now and passing close to the TV mast. 
We stopped for lunch at a disused quarry finding a spot out of the cold northerly wind. Heading back towards Minions we passed through the mine workings of the South Caradon Mine, which during its heyday 150 years ago, was the largest in the U.K.
We stopped for lunch at a disused quarry finding a spot out of the cold northerly wind. Heading back towards Minions we passed through the mine workings of the South Caradon Mine, which during its heyday 150 years ago, was the largest in the U.K.
The final leg of our hike took us around Stowe’s hill which is famous for the Cheesewring, a natural geological feature formed from granite.
This rocky outcrop of granite blocks piled on top of each other derives it’s name from a “cheesewring”, which was a press like device once used to make cheese.
Continuing around this hill we picked up the railway again which we followed back to the campsite.
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