The route

Boscastle harbour © Simon Lewis. click to enlarge

I set out on my southward journey from the tiny harbour of Boscastle one sunny morning in the early Spring of 1994. Several weeks and a few blind alleys later, after several visits 'back to the drawing board' and by recceing the sections of the route in no particular sequence, I reached the English Channel at the fishing port of Looe.

This traverse of the peninsula had far surpassed my expectations. I'd discovered a rich tapestry of Cornwall's finest scenery - sun-dappled stretches beside tranquil rivers, the lonely heights of Bodmin Moor, ancient bridges, sleepy hamlets and quiet bylanes flanked by high Cornish hedges, providing a myriad of flowers in spring and summer and an abundance of ripe blackberries in early autumn.

The name just happened. The route links two harbours renowned for their smuggling connections. It visits Jamaica Inn, the inspiration for Daphne du Maurier's novel of smugglers and wreckers. And on my journey I learned from local folk of the caves across the moor below Brown Willy once used by smugglers, and of the cellars beneath one of the farmhouses to the east of Jamaica Inn where contraband was stored. The Smugglers' Way it had to be.

The Cornish smuggler of yesteryear was not generally given to violence, just a simple rascal who used his cunning to improve his lot and that of his fellows by 'acquiring' a few luxuries - spirits and tobacco were the main commodities - and if he could turn a dishonest penny in the process so much the better.

A decent haul could earn good money 'up-country'. Under cover of darkness the ill-gotten gains would be taken inland on muleback along secluded river valleys, across the trackless moor where uncharted bogs lay in wait for the unwary, and so to the main turnpike road, now the A30. Here was bleak Bolventor and the cheering warmth of Jamaica Inn, where the kegs and boxes could be concealed on wagons and spirited away over the Tamar to Devon and beyond.

The Smugglers' Way offers an enchanting and demanding walk through much of Cornwall's finest inland scenery. For the most part the Way avoids roads, although quiet lanes account for about eight miles of its length. The crossing of Bodmin Moor will be both a challenge and a delight, for the Way visits the majestic twin sentinels of Rough Tor, with its granite turrets and battlements, and its loftier neighbour Brown Willy. Okay, I realise that no sensible smuggler would bother to take the 'scenic route' over these two peaks, but for you the walker - tough - that's the route of the Smugglers' Way.

The Way is not waymarked, although in the lowland areas it follows public footpaths and bridleways, many of them signposted. For the crossing of Bodmin Moor a compass and basic navigational skills are essential. With these two pre-requisites the walker should have no difficulty following the maps and route descriptions in the guide book.

Brown Willy, on the approach from Rough Tor © Simon Lewis. click to enlarge

BODMIN MOOR

Compared with the more popular moorland and mountain areas of Britain, Bodmin Moor seems almost insignificant. Indeed Brown Willy, Cornwall's highest summit at 420m (1377ft) doesn't even qualify as a mountain! Yet even on a fine summer's day the moor can be a desolate and lonely area. In bad weather and poor visibility it can be a dangerous place for the unwary.

As you cross Bodmin Moor on the Smugglers' Way it's quite possible that you won't meet another soul on your journey, yet thousands of years ago our ancestors made their homes on the hills and in the valleys as the remains of their farmsteads and burial places testify.

Legend and folklore abound. Following his battle with Mordred at Slaughterbridge, King Arthur is reputed to have died on the shores of Dozmary Pool - the same pool haunted by the ghost of Jan Tregeagle. If visibility is good, from the summit of Rough Tor you may be able to spot the monument at Rough Tor Ford to 17-year-old Charlotte Dymond, for whose murder Matthew Weeks was hanged at Bodmin Gaol in 1844 . . . there are some who say they've seen the ghost of a young woman on the slopes of Rough Tor. And is there really a beast of Bodmin Moor? Keep a watchful eye as you journey.

ACCESS and RIGHTS OF WAY

The route can be divided into three sections: North of the Moor, Bodmin Moor, and South of the Moor.

North of the Moor: The route follows public footpaths and bridleways, with some road walking.

Bodmin Moor: With the exception of one short section the route crosses areas designated 'open country' under the Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act 2000. The excluded section is Ten Acre Lane between Dozmary Pool and Brown Gelly. However, the landowner has given verbal permission for use to continue. Hopefully at some stage this section will acquire Permissive Footpath status.

South of the Moor: The route follows public footpaths and bridleways, with some road walking. A section through Forestry Commission land south of Herodsfoot, although not designated as public access, has been approved by Forest Enterprise.

THE SMUGGLERS' WAY IN STAGES

Some walkers will no doubt attempt the Way in one go, while others may prefer to break their journey into easy stages. In planning your attempt remember that because of the remote nature of the route there is no possibility of overnight accommodation other than at Jamaica Inn, Trenant and St Neot. There are campsites at New Park Farm on the north of the Moor, and Trenant to the south. Further details are given in the ACCOMMODATION section.

The distances for each section of the route are as follows:

Boscastle inner harbour wall - Davidstow Airfield mast

7.0 mi

11.2 km

Davidstow Airfield mast - Rough Tor summit

4.5

7.2

Rough Tor summit - Brown Willy summit

1.0

1.6

Brown Willy summit - Jamaica Inn

3.4

5.5

Jamaica Inn - Trenant

7.2

11.6

Trenant - Dobwalls

2.9

4.6

Dobwalls - Herodsfoot

3.5

5.6

Herodsfoot - Sowden's Bridge

4.0

6.4

Sowden's Bridge - Looe Banjo Pier

3.1

5.0

36.6

58.7

The photos on this page are reproduced with the permission of Simon Lewis. To see many more of Simon's photographs of Cornwall visit www.westcountryviews.co.uk .