Minions Cheesewring Walk

Standing stones in the central Hurlers stone circle. There are the partially restored remains of three stone circles - collectively called "The Hurlers" - near Minions. These standing stones are on the south side of the central circle. Little remains of the south circle. The stone on the right has been set in a concrete base. The engine house in the distance is now the Minions "heritage centre".

The Cheesewring. Looking north to the Cheesewring, which got its name because of the resemblance to a pile of round cheeses. Cheesewring Quarry face is just below. This is a classic granite tor, with the rock piles being naturally created by repeated freezing and thawing of the water-filled weaker joints in the rock layers.

View from Daniel Gumb's Cave, Craddock Moor. Looking out from Daniel Gumb's cave, next to the Cheesewring quarry. The loose granite in the foreground, referred to as 'moorstone', was once sufficient for local building purposes but as demand grew (for quality and quantity) the rock was extracted from places like Cheesewring quarry. In the distance is the hill between Stowe's Hill and the village of Minions - the Rillaton Barrow is just out of sight over the crest of the hill.

The Pipers - standing stones near the Hurlers. This is a pair of standing stones, not far to the west of the Hurlers stone circles on Craddock Moor. The name of this pair of stones is associated with the usual petrification folklore relating to stone circles - these are a pair of pipers turned to stone for playing on the Sabbath, presumably accompanying the Hurlers in their game of hurling. Looking to the north, directly between the stones, you see Stowe's Hill - site of a neolithic enclosure and the natural rock formation of the Cheesewring. The right hand side of the hill is scarred by the Cheesewring granite quarry. The dung in the foreground was left by one of the ponies that graze the open moorland.

Cheesewring Quarry. For centuries local people have been picking granite blocks from the surface of the moor and shaping them for use locally as building stone for walls, gateposts or just about anything, but better building stone is to be found deeper in the granite. Here on Stowe's Hill was an ideal place to find good quality granite and the building of the mineral railway provided a means to get the stone out. This quarry provided the stone for many building projects including the Albert Memorial and Tower Bridge in London. The quarry closed before it could threaten the Cheesewring itself, seen here just above the quarry face.

The Cheesewring overlooking Craddock Moor. The famous pile of granite known as the Cheesewring sits on the south-western slope of Stowe's Hill, next to the quarry. Beyond is Craddock Moor, a lofty expanse of moor long exploited by people for grazing, minerals and stone. The name derives from the resemblance of the piled slabs to a "cheesewring", a press-like device that was once used to make cheese

Cream Teas at Minions. At the heart of the hamlet of Minions are three establishments all willing and eager to sell you food. Here is one of them. Walking on Bodmin Moor is hungry work.

Miners Cottages in Minions. With the discovery of major copper lodes on the flanks of Caradon Hill and the establishment of mining along with granite quarrying and a railway in mid 19th century this remote moorland suddenly became an industrial boom area with shanty settlements springing up as workers moved into the area, mostly from west Cornwall. The village of Minions, originally known as "Cheesewring Railway" was one of the villages built as a more permanent replacement for temporary shacks. Photographed here is a row of workers cottages in the village.