The Clay Trails are a series of

bicycle trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The ...

s located in mid

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...

, England,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The trails pass through the

St Austell St Austell (; kw, Sans Austel) is a town in Cornwall, England, south of Bodmin and west of the border with Devon. St Austell is one of the largest towns in Cornwall; at the 2011 census it had a population of 19,958. History St Austell was ...

moorland which for over two centuries has been extensively quarried for

china clay Kaolinite ( ) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is an important industrial mineral. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral ...

, hence the name. The trails are separated into several routes.

The Wheal Martyn trail - 8Km

Wheal Martyn China Clay Works - geograph

This trail connects the

Eden project The Eden Project ( kw, Edenva) is a visitor attraction in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, UK. The project is located in a reclaimed china clay clay pit, pit, located from the town of St Blazey and from the larger town of St Austell.Ordnanc ...

to the

Wheal Martyn The Wheal Martyn China Clay Museum is a museum of china clay mining, at Carthew, on the B3274 road about north of St Austell in Cornwall, England. A Victorian clay works has been preserved, and there is an exhibition building. Background The mus ...

China Clay Kaolinite ( ) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is an important industrial mineral. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral ...

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and th ...

. This also incorporates a short section of trail called the sky spur trail. The trail has views of several disused

pits with white walls and turquoise water. A feature of the trail is the ''white pyramid'', although it's now green, which is a disused china clay tip in which the waste sand has been tipped to form a conical hill. The trail then drops into the Trenance valley where it crosses its award-winning

William Cookworthy William Cookworthy (12 April 170517 October 1780) was an English Quaker minister, a successful pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), i ...

bridge. Here it joins the Lansalson branch line and is joined by the St Austell trail. A further kilometre through this historic valley is the Wheal Martyn China clay museum.

The St Austell trail - 2.5Km

This connects the town of

to the Wheal Martyn trail, this section follows the route of the disused Lansalson branch line along the Trenance valley and on its route passes several historical sites. At the beginning of the trail, views of the curved viaduct carrying the

Cornish main line The Cornish Main Line ( kw, Penn-hyns-horn Kernow) is a railway line in Cornwall and Devon in the United Kingdom. It runs from Penzance to Plymouth, crossing from Cornwall into Devon over the famous Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash. It directly ...

railway can be seen. A kilometre from the entrance to the trail is the disused Carlyon Farm china clay dries which are the largest of their type in Europe.

The Bugle trail - 6Km

This connects the village of

Bugle The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, normally having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure. History The bugle developed from early musical or communication ...

to the Eden project.

The St Blazey trail - 5Km

The Clay Trail near St Blazey - geograph

This connects the Eden Project to

Par Par or PAR may refer to: Finance * Par value, stated value or face value in finance and accounting * Par yield or par rate, in finance Games * Par (score), the number of strokes a scratch golfer should require to complete a hole, round or tour ...

beach via

St Blazey St Blazey ( kw, Lanndreth) is a small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. St Blaise is the civil parish in which St Blazey is situated; the name St Blaise is also used by the town council. The village of Biscovey and the settlements of ...

External links

Clay trails website

Sustrans website
{{Cornwall, state=collapsed Cycleways in Cornwall

The Wheal Martyn trail - 8Km

The St Austell trail - 2.5Km

The Bugle trail - 6Km

The St Blazey trail - 5Km

See also

External links