Tehidy Country Park offers more than 9 miles (14.5 km) of paths and 250 acres of woodland and lakes. The total path length describes what is available overall, not the distance of a single walk. When planning, it is therefore worth distinguishing the overall figure from the characteristics of individual paths.
Paths and wildlife at Tehidy Country Park
The paths around the lake and the North Cliffs Circular Walk, also known as the Pink Trail, are mostly flat and easily accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs. The Pink Trail is another name for the North Cliffs Circular Walk, not an additional route. Anyone looking for flat, easily accessible paths will find clear guidance in these two named routes.
The lakes of the Basset Estate are also part of the park’s landscape. They provide a refuge for wildlife and are home to ducks, swans, fish, eels, birds and dragonflies, among other species. Alongside the paths, the lakes and their wildlife are another distinct natural feature of the park.
Tehidy Estate: ownership history and park development
The large Tehidy Estate was owned by successive members of the Basset family from Norman times until 1916. They served there as Lords of the Manor. This long history of ownership covers a different period from the later development of the grounds into a country park.
The Tehidy lands were developed into a country park in 1983. This gives two clearly distinct dates in the estate’s history: 1916, when Basset ownership ended, and 1983, the year the park was developed. For those interested in history, this helps distinguish the estate’s earlier history from its later use as a country park.
Ancient fortifications and Basset's Cove
Near Illogan lies Carvannel Cliff Castle, one of Cornwall’s ancient promontory forts. Its clifftop location evokes the people who lived at and defended this dramatic stretch of coastline more than 2,000 years ago.
The monument Crane Castle overlooks Basset's Cove from the edge of Carvannel Downs. The part of the cliff castle known as Crane Castle is comparatively well preserved. Together, these details offer different historical perspectives: a coastal fort described as being near Illogan and a monument overlooking the cove.
Illogan’s former church
The earliest reliable mention of a church in Illogan dates to 1235. It refers to the Ecclesia of Eglosalau. The name provides an early historical reference point for the town’s church history.
Today, only the tower, some memorials and a few stones remain at the former church site. The 1235 mention and the surviving remains at the former site represent two different aspects of the town’s history: the written reference to the church and the structural traces that are still present.
Discover more destinations: Herodsfoot, Washaway, St Wenn, Portloe, Bodinnick, Lelant, Lanivet, Coverack.
Return to the regional travel overview: Cornwall.
