Gwennap can be explored through two distinct themes: the architectural history of the Church of Saint Wenappa and the traces of mining. Wheal Maid and Poldice represent this industrial heritage; the trails through the parish have their own considerations, such as distance, route and use. This lets you consider cultural history and route planning as distinct focuses for your trip.

Church history in Gwennap Churchtown

The Church of Saint Wenappa stands in Gwennap Churchtown and is a Grade I listed parish church. The building dates from the 15th century, was constructed in three phases and incorporates older masonry from around the 13th to 14th centuries. Its architectural history therefore spans several centuries. Six bells hang in the free-standing bell tower; they were installed in the late 18th century.

The monuments around the church also provide tangible points of reference for the area's history. A wayside cross in the churchyard is protected as a Scheduled Monument. An ancient Celtic cross stands beside the north porch. The oldest funerary monument at St Wenappa is a carved slate plaque from 1691 commemorating John Pearrowe. An older tradition holds that St Weneppa was founded on a Celtic monastery, which is thought to date from the late 5th century. This dating is conjectural.

Mining traces at Wheal Maid and Poldice

Wheal Maid is part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site and features significant mining remains from the 19th century. The site is now popular with walkers, mountain bikers and horse riders. These different uses give travellers interested in landscape and mining history a tangible point of reference; Wheal Maid is shaped both by its place in the World Heritage Site and by its industrial remains.

Poldice is another mining-related point of interest: the mine was the richest in Gwennap. Remains of mining buildings are scattered across Poldice Valley, and the Poldice chimney still stands. Together with Wheal Maid, these details illustrate different aspects of mining history: the surviving structures of a mine and the remains still visible in a valley today.

Choose trails by route and character

The Coast to Coast Trail runs through the parish of Gwennap and crosses Poldice Valley from the parish boundary near Zimapan to Twelveheads. It is 11 miles, or 17.5 kilometres, long; the route is mostly level and runs largely away from paved roads. The trail connects with the Wheal Busy Loop and the Redruth and Chacewater Railway Trail. Check current route information before including these connections in your plans.

Another cycling route in the parish of Gwennap follows the Redruth and Chasewater Railway, running from near Twelveheads to the Crofthandy junction. This makes it possible to distinguish the Coast to Coast Trail, by its length and mostly level character, from a route along the former railway line. The route and endpoint information helps you identify the different trails by their respective themes, without combining them into a single tour.

Trail categories also provide guidance: the parish has 61 routes classified as footpaths, bridleways and byways. The Mineral Tramways routes in Gwennap are part of a walking and cycling project, with routes designed for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. When planning your trip, you can therefore distinguish between the specific route of a named trail and the wider choice of paths.

Discover more destinations: Millendreath, Feock, Ludgvan, Lezant, Porkellis, Luxulyan, Stratton, Maxworthy

For the broader travel overview: Cornwall.