Additional information
Terrain
- Forest tracks and paths, can be very muddy after rain
Landscape
- Mixed woodland
Dog friendliness
- Dogs are welcomed throughout the woods, but the authorities ask that owners clear up their dog's mess
Parking
- Forestry car park, north of Idless, near Truro
Toilets en route
- None on route
About the walk
The woods in Cornwall are always a delightful antidote to the county’s surfeit of sea. Bishop’s Wood near Truro is a part of the much larger St Clement Woods, and acquired its name from the time it was owned by the Bishop of Exeter during the late medieval period. Long before this, when the ancient... woodland of the area had already been stripped bare by the early farmers, the highest point of the wood was crowned by a fortified Iron Age settlement. Woodland industry Today, the substantial banks of the settlement survive, muffled by dense woodland cover. In later centuries, when tree cover was re-established here, the area would have been a typical working woodland. The Iron Age site is densely covered with coppiced oaks, identifiable by multiple trunks at the base. When the woods were actively managed for coppicing, the trunks would be cut so that new growth started in several places at once. They would be allowed to grow like this for up to 20 years or so before being harvested for charcoal making, basket making or a host of other wood products. Up to the beginning of the 20th century many woods were managed in this way. The practice is beginning to be re-introduced in some areas in Cornwall because of its beneficial effects on wildlife habitats. Eerie track The walk starts from the forestry car park at the south end of the woods and leads along its eastern edge through Lady's Wood, on a track that is wonderfully eerie and enclosed. A robust little stream runs below the track. Beech trees dominate here and further into the wood, oak, hazel, birch, Japanese larch and holly lie to either side of the track. In spring the trees are bright with fresh leaves and the rich earth beneath the trees supports a wealth of plants, ferns and mosses. Look particularly for wood sorrel, bluebells, three-cornered leeks, and the feathery fronds of male ferns. The track leads on to the top end of the wood just before Lanner Mill. Here you turn uphill and on to a broad forestry road that leads back south along the higher ridge of the woods. Halfway along you can divert left from the track to visit the site of the Iron Age settlement. The large bank and ditch that encircled the site is still visible. The rigid upper branches of the numerous coppiced oak trees enclose the central trunks of the trees like cages. This is a well-preserved site, although the trees and scrub blur the impact of the large bank and ditch construction. Such hilltop sites date from between the Bronze and Iron Ages and reflect a growing territorialism. Commercial centres These were not forts in the narrow sense of being built purely for defence. They were defensible sites, certainly, but they were commercial and cultural centres as much as anything else, being the focus of a large territory of scattered farmsteads and settlements from which the unforested hilltop site would be easily seen. The hilltop 'fort' or 'castle' represented a central refuge in times of trouble, but served also as a place to bring livestock to market and to exchange household goods and to socialise and celebrate. From the Iron Age site, the last part of the walk takes you on to even higher ground through mature conifers and then through deciduous woodland.
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Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Cornwall has just about everything – wild moorland landscapes, glorious river valley scenery, picturesque villages and miles of breathtaking coastline. Known for its popular surfing spots, the region provides ample opportunities for water sport enthusiasts, and for those who prefer to stay on land, visitor attractions like the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan offer a lovely day out.
