Year 5 Bodmin Moor Walk

‘My favourite bit was having lunch at the quarry. It was nice to see the weather and be outside.’ Rowan, Year 5.

After a very soggy start in Truro, the clouds cleared away, and the blue skies arrived as the group arrived in Bodmin. The circular walk was rich in new experiences, with some children saying that they had never been to such a wild place before. Others said they hadn’t climbed up such a huge mountain before. Stowe’s hill was definitely no mountain, but it was a beautiful and rewarding climb, with 360-degree views at the top.

The children loved exploring the enormous granite slabs at the top, created over thousands of years by geological erosion. The cheesewring was their favourite – seven granite slabs balanced on top of each other, with the smallest at the bottom and the biggest at the top. We even had time for some storytelling – a legend about how the giant Uther fought St. Tue, with a stone throwing contest settling the winner.

They also enjoyed visiting Daniel Gunn’s hermit hut, where he lived with his family on the wild moor to avoid paying his taxes. They saw the mathematical symbols and astronomical signs he had carved into the rocks.

Lunch was spent at Goldiggers quarry. This is a well-known wild swimming spot, often found on adventure blogs and travel writing blogs. Although there were no wild swimmers there on this occasion, this didn’t stop many of the children from resolving to return with their hardy parents to brave the icy waters.

Our last stop was the most famous part of the walk – the ancient stone circles known as the hurlers and the two standing stones called the pipers. With help from Rosie and Tessa, the children heard about the local legend of the stones: that because the local men were caught playing sports and musical instruments on the Sabbath, they were turned to stone. And there they have stayed.

With thanks to all the staff who went on the trip and made it such an enjoyable day!