25th October 2009 - Golitha Falls
SX 227 690 Golitha falls national nature reserve. There is a car park by Draynes bridge, a former clapper bridge.
The reserve is oak, ash and beech woodland, with meadow on the hillside, the River Fowey flows through a spectactular gorge.
Down by the river is an ancient planted beech avenue.
Hidden in the beech tree crevaces I came accross Pholiota Squarrosa.
Through a series of cascades the river leave Bodmin Moor.
Cornish legend has it that King Dungarth ( Doniert ) drowned here in 876.
Not far from here on the road to Minions, we can find King Doniert's stones.
When it rains on the moor, the volume of water in the river swells and it roars over the falls.
On a small stump, close to the ground is this group of fungi. Sorry I do not know what type they are.
The falls are not natural, the gorge was dymamited around 1900, as part of this area was the Wheal Victoria copper mine
Explore the reserve and you will find closed off adits and shafts. Old leats divert the river water to the ruins of water wheel pits which were used for pumping and tin stamps.
There are records of coppice management here at Golitha in the Doomsday book.
There are a number of trails through the reserve, close to the higer entrance I came accross another group of fungi.
Again I am not sure what species they are.
You may walk under a disused China Clay slurry pipeline which crosses the valley on its way to the Moorswater works from Parsons Park China Clay pits.
More information on this nature reserve can be found here.
