Tehidy Country Park
OS grid ref:- SW 651 443
Attractive Tehidy Country Park near Cambourne is one of four country parks in the county of Cornwall. The country park is located about a mile and a half from the coastal village of Portreathand is situated in a valley of one of the upper tributaries of the Red River which flows into the sea near to Gwithian.
The park consists of two hundred and fifty acres of woodland and offers the visitor a range of recreational facilities, including birdwatching and mountainbiking. The Tehidy Country Park is the largest single area of woodland in West Cornwall. The woodland is mainly composed of Ash, Alder, Oak, Beech, Birch, Sycamore, Birch, Japanese Maple, Conifers and Chestnut. There are also a wide range of species of colourful rhododendrons, while woodland plants such as bluebell, aromatic wild garlic, daffodills and a wide range of ferns carpet the floor.
Tehidy offers lakes, ponds and cascades, and a delightful series of weirs on the stream that empties from the highly attractive large main lake which was created for the Basset family in 1739. Carn Brea Hill has a large granite monument on its highest point, which was erected to the memory of Lord de Dunstanville, a member of the Basset family- who died in 1835.
The lake lies to the south of the park and contains a number of species of wildfowl including swans, geese, ducks and moorhens. The Tehidy Bird Club operates monthly meetings as well as walks around the park. The park contains a wealth of wildlife including otters, bats, weasels, foxes and badgers, the grey squirrels are a popular attraction and are quite approachable, having become very accustomed to being fed by visitors.
Tehidy Country Park has over nine miles of footpaths
to explore in all, with walking trails to suit all abilities and also offers a sensory trail for the visually impaired. It has an events field, where a range of activities are held, barbeque hire facilities are available in a specially designated area of woodland, a Summer and Winter Events Programme, outdoor education facilities, a permanent orienteering course and a Schools and Youth campsite.
Tehidy Country Park also offers bridle tracks and the mountain biker will find over three miles of traffic free, wide tracks through the woodland for cycling use. The tracks are well waymarked and all have good visibility for the rider.
The park was opened in 1987, it was once formed part of the estate of the influential and wealthy local Basset family, who made a fortune from mining tin, it then consisited of formal parkland surrounding Tehidy Mansion. The Basset family obtained the Manor of Tehidy in the middle of the twelfth century. The park was purchased by Cornwall County Council in 1983 for the enjoyment of locals and visitors to the area.
To the west of the park is Magor Farm where the remains of a Roman villa were discovered. In the area of the North Cliffs area there lies an ancient earthwork nestling in the woodland, while in Oak wood, earth banks that were once field boundaries are visible.
Occupying a central position in the park is a large building which was once the Tehidy Hospital. Sometimes known as Tehidy Sanatorium, it was originally the home of the Bassett family but was converted into an isolation hospital for patients with tuberculosis. It is now private property.
Accessible from either the Camborne Redruth Area or from the North Cliffs between Gwithian and Portreath, Tehidy Country Park is open to the public all year round. Admission is free.
Directions
Take the Pool exit from the A30 and follow the brown signs