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Description
A walk from the village of Hessenford that sits in the bottom of a wooded valley. The River Seaton runs North to South through the village, going uphill to Bake (not to be confused with Bake near Pelynt further West) Woods and return. Roadside parking (3 spaces only) is available beside the church/village hall. Please DO NOT block access when the hall is in use, alternatively if you are going to use the Copley Arms public house, the restaurant has fantastic food (especially the curry) use their car park, the pub opens at 1200hrs daily.
From the roadside parking place, walk North with the Copley Arms on your Left into Church Hill (Note > 6' - 0" < / Unsuitable For Motor Vehicles signs), this narrow road gets increasingly steeper, on this lower section of the road is St Anne Church, renowned in the past for having no bells and those getting married were greeted with a volley of shotguns instead of a peal of bells, making every wedding a literal shotgun wedding.
Immediately on passing the church take the steep footpath on the Left (Not signed but has a handrail), that passes through the church cemetery. Resident (Κοινή) Τσίχλα can be found here throughout the year and sometimes even joined by it's bigger cousin the Γερακότσιχλα. In late Autumn and into Winter both Κοκκινότσιχλα and Κεδρότσιχλα may turn up. Leaving the cemetery and entering Bake Wood, a walk that can best be described as challenging in places. Listen out for the 'Pitchoo' call of Καστανοπαπαδίτσα, a speciality of woodland in the Hessenford valley. (Κοινό) Αηδόνι were once occasionally seen here (nearly 60 years ago), their song sadly virtually gone from the whole of Cornwall today except for a few scarce passage migrants in Spring/Autumn. Another species lost to the area is Τσιφτάς, once regularly seen on hedges towards the highest part of the walk, perhaps the lack of weedy field margins has done for them here, they are only regularly seen on a coastal strip of the North Cornwall coast today.
Continue to climb uphill through the woodland listening out for Δεντροφυλλοσκόπος and Μαυροσκούφης in Summer, unfortunately Θαμνοφυλλοσκόπος seem to be scarce here nowadays. In dense areas of the woodland and on Ivy (Hedera) covered trees look out for Χρυσοβασιλίσκος. Nearing the highest part of the walk the woodland becomes narrower and the trees thin out, giving views of surrounding farmland and the large white wind turbine. Ανθρωποπούλλι regularly hunt the fields here but mostly near dawn and dusk. The footpath eventually ends at a road, turn Right (watch out for LARGE lorries using this part of the road) and after passing the timber yard take the next Right into Church Hill (note >6' - 0"< / Unsuitable For Goods Vehicles signs). On this very narrow road with high hedges in places in Summer numerous (Κοινή) Σιταρήθρα can be heard with σταβλοχελίδονο flying overhead feeding across the fields.
The road continues to go down hill and following rainy periods can be extremely wet with runoff from the surrounding fields. On the hedges look out for (Κοινός) Σπίνος, (Κοινή) Καρδερίνα, (Ευρωπαϊκός) Φλώρος, (Κοινός) Πύρρουλας and lots of (Κοινό) Φανέτο. Arriving back at the start point check the river in the pub car park for Σταχτοσουσουράδα.
Details
Access
The A 374 road from Plymouth (in the East) to Trerulefoot Roundabout A38 (to the West) runs to the North. From Plymouth direction take Torpoint (chain) Ferry and follow signs to Liskeard A374. At village of Anthony follow sign Liskeard/Sheviock/St Germans/Looe A374, passing through Sheviock pass through the village of Polbathic and take a Left turn at sign Looe/Hessenford/Downderry/Seaton A387. From Trerulefoot Roundabout (A38) direction take exit signed Looe/Torpoint/Plymouth A374 and then take first Right (note actual first Right is a farm entrance) signed Looe/Hessenford/Seaton/Downderry A387, this road continues to Hessenford.
The circular route is about 3,5 km.