Men-an-Tol Nine Maidens, Ding Dong Mine
Starting from the roadside parking area by Bosullow, go through the gate and follow up the track.
The track passes by the farm buildings and field systems of Little Higher Bosullow. Continue heading up Coronation Lane.
Optional Diversion to Men-an-Tol – Look out for a stone stile in the hedge on your right at SW 425 349, and walk a short way across the moorland to the Mên-an-Tol. Retrace your steps to the lane.
Continuing up Coronation Lane and at SW 427 352, look through the field opening to your left, to see Mên Scryfa. This is a 6ft Bronze Age standing stone, with a 5th or 6th century AD inscription on the northern face.
Here the lane opens out. Continue straight ahead along the track passing a metal gate on the right, carry on to the crossing of tracks up ahead.
At the junction, go straight across, ignoring the trackways branching left and right. Ahead, just off the east side of the crossing is a low flat stone set into the ground SW 429 354; this is the Four Parishes stone. Past this, the path forks; the left fork is the line of the Tinners’ Way, while the right hand path climbs the small hill ahead and onto the main ridge of Nine Maidens Common. Take this right hand path.
As the path levels out onto the broad ridge, look for a low cairn on the summit immediately to your right, well worth stopping to admire the view. Continue along the now broad path across the ridge, south towards the stone circle SW 435 351.
Take some time to stop at the Nine Maidens Stone Circle, just to the left of the path at this point. When ready, return to the path heading south.
There is another Bronze Age barrow, this one obviously kerbed, just off to the left of the main path. Once ready, continue along the main path. More of Mounts Bay becomes visible as you proceed. The path crosses a couple of field boundaries, before ultimately coming out onto the Ding Dong Track SW 436 347.
Upon reaching the main track, turn right and follow the track, heading towards the obvious landmark of Greenburrow Engine House.
Shortly before the engine house, you reach a large junction of tracks. It’s useful to orientate yourself at this point! Take the smaller path that heads past the left of the engine house.
Just below the engine house, a public footpath line leaves the track, crosses a stile, and heads downhill to the west through an undulating landscape of mine spoil and pits. Follow the footpath to the gate and stile at the bottom, and cross over.
Over the stile, there is a junction of paths SW 430 343. Straight ahead leads towards the Bosiliack Settlement.
Optional diversion to Lanyon Quoit – to the left, a path crosses the moor to Lanyon Quoit. The path meanders down the edge of some rough ground, before opening on the edge of a large flat area of bogland. A boundary hedge skirts the edge of the bog; the path follows around the outside of this hedge, before crossing through it, then ascends gently to Lanyon Quoit. Return to the main path.
Continuing straight. After a short way the wide path bends to the left, and a timber gate in the fence in front of you just off the bend. Go through the gate, and out onto a much rougher area of moorland. The public footpath line heads straight down the hill to the lower corner of the moor. You reach a ford, clearly used more by cattle than people; at this point, the line of the footpath actually continues along the southern bank of the stream a short way, crosses the stream, up the other side to a gate in the boundary, and out to the road SW 424 342. Turn right and follow the road back to the start.