Luxulyan Valley Partnership

The Luxulyan Valley Partnership is delighted to be behind a new project to increase the reach of the Valley to a bigger and more diverse audience. Cornwall Council and the Cornwall Heritage Trust, both members of the Partnership, have worked together to secure funding from Great Western Railway's Customer and Community Improvement Fund to take forward the initiative which will see the delivery of a range of workstreams designed to improve the connectiveness of the Valley to local active travel links and breakdown barriers that sections of the community may face to exploring the outdoors.

Workstreams that have been made possible by the funding include:

A feasibility study into opening an active travel, traffic free route linking Luxulyan railway station with the Luxulyan Valley and the World Heritage Site

• Developing and launching a digital visualisation experience at Carmears Wheel Pit and Tramway across the Treffry Viaduct
• Children's wellbeing events in the February half-term 2024
• Volunteering days to help restore heritage features including the Crib Hut and the Treffry Viaduct
• Luxulyan Treasures': Heritage and Wellbeing Drop In Day in the Luxulyan Valley. Storytelling, bushcraft, guided walks, trails and family friendly activities linking Treffry Viaduct and Carmears Wheel Pit.
• Design of a new walking/ cycling trail from Luxulyan station to the valley
• Installation of posters at 5 stations including St Austell and Newquay, encouraging rail travel and visits to the Luxulyan Valley. Printed in Cornwall on MSC certified paper.
• Instagram ‘Rail Adventures’ reel promoting rail travel, the new walking trail linking Luxulyan station with the Valley

We expect the project to complete in March 2024.

Please all be advised that the loop path up through Trethevy woods, above the waterfall needs to remain closed for safety due to a dangerous dual-stem tree. A temporary fence has been placed across the path with a path closed sign to restrict access. It is important that this fence remains in place and we request that all valley users respect that the path has been closed for safety reasons and do not attempt to use it. The risk of the tree falling has increased now that it is in leaf, due to the extra weight. An onsite review of the tree this week found that the gap between the two trunks has increased, there is clear sky visible between the two canopies indicating that the trunks are moving apart. It is not a simple task to fell the tree and it has been classified as unsafe to climb, hence requiring further assessment by the tree team. Until the problem is resolved please use the old short cut from by the waterfall to access the top track and don’t interfere with the signage, leave it so that everyone can make their own informed decision whether to comply or not.

We are very grateful to the numerous volunteers that regularly attend the sessions led by ranger Jenny Heskett. Recently, they have been working a number of improvements that help keep the valley well managed for public access, heritage and habitat.

If you would like to get involved with volunteer sessions, please contact Jenny on jenny.heskett@cormacltd.co.uk.

The Checkers Hut, a historic building at the top of the Great Wheel pit and the Incline Plane. This has been recently cleared by volunteers along with the plinth beside. Vegetation has been cleared from the viewing platform at the top of the Wheel Pit.

Repairs to a dog run on the leat path at the Cascade. A really high quality finish that should last a long time. Please remember not to let dogs jump into the leat as this causes erosion to a historic structure for which the Valley is unique.

We are incredibly lucky that our special valley is so well looked after by Ranger Jenny Heskett and Lengthsman Don Simler, who undertake a whole host of responsibilities to keep the site open to the public and improve the habitat for wildlife.

From her regular visits to the site Jenny often collects a photo record of happenings and its natural changes through the seasons. Here are some of the recent images, chronically the valley coming through Spring.

Bluebells and fresh green leaves (09/06/2023):

The beloved show of bluebells has lasted into early summer this year, carpeting the floor of our rare temperate rainforest. They are an indicator of ancient woodland, with millions of bulbs persisting underground only to raise their nodding heads throughout April and May. As well as being highly attractive they are also scented and provide an early nectar source for our pollinators.

The shaded forest floor and understory is also home to a plethora of mosses, lichens and ferns (over 40 species recorded). The Lady Ferns have now unfurled, like a protective shield over the herbs and flowers that would be destroyed by footfall.

A resting place (09/06/2023):

Over the past two years, the Luxulyan Valley has benefitted from a programme of capital enhancements, including a resurfaced carpark, programme of repairs to the leats, installation of a trail of interpretation boards and new furniture at key locations to sit and take in the surroundings. This bench under the viaduct is a lovely spot to rest and this image shows the wood anemone at its feet. The star-shaped flowers of Anemonoides nemorosa dot the forest floor and edges early spring. There are many myths associated with this little but widespread flower; including that they grow where Aphrodite’s tears fell and named after the Greek good of wind, their appearance was also believed to forebear his coming.

A tree on the path (09/06/2023):

With its steep valley sides, windblow and natural decline regularly brings trees down. Where they fall in the woodland, they’ll remain with little attention from Jenny, but where they land across the various permissive paths that run through the site, she’ll be making sure the route is reopened as soon as possible. Timber is retained on site to provide valuable deadwood habitat, which underpins the forest food web as decomposers slowly but surely return the nutrient building blocks of life to the very start of the cycle, in the soil.

Last year, 2022 saw the first ever Luxulyan Valley Partnership open event which has created a tradition for a public facing event preceding the Annual General Meeting. We brought together speakers and organisations to encourage looking at the Valley, its challenges and opportunities from a much wider range of perspectives, including key note speeches from Garr Tregidga, Institute of Cornish studies, Matt Healy, Westcountry Rivers Trust and Bridget Whell, National Farmers Union as well as stalls and displays from Cornwall Heritage Trust, Friends of Luxulyan Valley, Wheal Martyn Clay Works Museum, Forest for Cornwall, China Clay History Society, Luxulyan Old Cornwall Society, Meadow Barns Centre, National Wildflower Centre / Eden Project, Cornwall Council and CORMAC.

This year, in a scaled back event, we'll be opening the Village Hall from 12noon for displays and activities, and giving you your chase to complete a survey about priorities for the valley as we embark on creating a new Vision Plan for the site.

Key Note Speeches will commence at 2pm

Cheryl Marriott: Time to Bring Back Beavers?

Cheryl is Head of Conservation at Cornwall Wildlife Trust and will introduce the topic of beavers and their role as ‘ecosystem engineers’.

Dan Cooke: Our Protected Landscapes – Challenges and Opportunities

Dan is Protected Landscapes manager at Cornwall Council and will discuss the challenges and opportunities in this new role with a particular focus on the future of the World Heritage Site.

Luxulyan Valley Partnership Open Event and AGM

On Saturday 17^th June the Luxulyan Valley Partnership invite you to an open event at the Village Hall prior to their AGM.

Doors open at 12 noon

Pop in for a tea/coffee and explore displays and models about the rich history of the valley.

2pm Keynote Speakers

Cheryl Marriott: Time to bring back beavers?

Cheryl is Head of Conservation at Cornwall Wildlife Trust and will introduce the topic of beavers and their role as ‘ecosystem engineers’.

Dan Cooke: Our Protected landscapes – Challenges and Opportunities

Dan is Protected Landscapes manager at Cornwall Council and will discuss the challenges and opportunities in this new role with a particular focus on the future of the World Heritage Site.

3pm Meetings Start

Ordinary meeting of the Luxulyan Valley partnership, directly followed by the Annual General Meeting.