Spooky Cornwall Bodmin Moor from Jamaica Inn
This route was brought to you by:
RouteXpert Nick Carthew - (MRA Master)
Last edit: 23-10-2023
Route Summary
Cornwall has been described as one of the most haunted places in the UK and Bodmin Moor has its fair share of ghostly tales and folklore. This round trip route starts from and returns to the famous haunted Jamaica Inn on Bodmin Moor. Some small roads are used to transport you across the bleak moorland to search out ghosts and visit legendary sites associated with King Arthur.
Without the ghostly attractions this is still a fantastic route to use, travelling through beautiful countryside, moorland and coast and for this reason I have awarded 4**** stars.
Share this route
Animation
Verdict
Duration
6h 37m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
128.26 km
Countries
Bodmin Jail. The most haunted site in Cornwall.
RouteXpert Review
This round trip route starts from and returns to the famous haunted Jamaica Inn on Bodmin Moor. Jamaica Inn:
Brooding, isolated, romantic. Just some of the words used to describe this most iconic of locations. At over 500 years old, the Jamaica Inn has both a unique atmosphere and history. It is said to be an incredibly haunted building, with the figures of a stranger sitting motionless on the wall outside, as well as a man on horseback seen on foggy nights. There is also a man in a tri-cornered hat and cloak that appears inside and then walks through solid doors, and the appearances are accompanied by a sudden drop in temperature. There are several reports of auditory phenomena that include the sounds of footsteps, disembodied voices talking in an unusual language and the “clatter of horses hooves on cobbled ground heard in the depths of night”.
The renowned novelist, Daphne du Maurier, was a former resident. She chose Bolventor as the setting for her novel about Cornish smugglers titled, naturally, Jamaica Inn. The inn has stood beside the main road through the village since 1547. It is now regarded as a tourist attraction for both its literary and ghostly reputation.
Bodmin Jail:
Bodmin Jail, which now houses a museum packed with artefacts to the jail's rich history, was built by prisoners in the 18th century on the order of Henry VIII. A ghost by the name of Selina Wedge is said to glide through the jail at night in a dress; her loud cries echo through the walls, grabbing the attention of children. Selina was believed to have killed her youngest son in exchange for marriage, however this malicious act ended up being a waste of time as the man didn't want her after all. Bodmin Jail has a dark and sinister past, famous for the hugely popular and well-attended public hangings that took place outside until 1862. Even just glimpsed from the road, Bodmin Jail is a creepy place.
Pencarrow House:
At Pencarrow House the folklore memory is of Lord John Arscott’s 17c hunt. The story tells of their ghostly forms riding out from Pencarrow House to the cliffs around Port Isaac, and it is said to end with the ghostly hounds, huntsmen and horses jumping to their demise from the cliff tops.
Wadebridge:
Every year on New Year’s Day, the ghost of a headless coachman rides across the bridge to the Molesworth Arms to frighten the guests.
Slaughterbridge:
The Vale of Avalon at Slaughterbridge. Camlann is the legendary site where King Arthur was mortally wounded in his last battle.
Tintagel Old Post Office:
Tintagel Old Post Office was originally built as a medieval manor. Constructed in around 1380, the house has gone through numerous changes and uses over the years, including a brief stint as a post office during the Victorian era. The building is also haunted; a flickering light spells out the name Norah in Morse code – Mrs Norah was a previous inhabitant! Many visitors sense a presence within and some claimed to have seen a woman in the bed upstairs, could this be Mrs Norah!
Tintagel Castle:
The ruins of this 12th century castle, is the setting for some spooky encounters. Three ghosts haunt the nearby Camelot Hotel where they play mischief on the guests. From knocking paintings from walls and tipping bins over, to even trying to give people a bed bath in the middle of the night. Tintagel Castle is where King Arthur was born. One of the most famous ghost sightings at Tintagel Castle is one of King Arthur’s mentors, Merlin the magician, babbling in a language that is foreign to all, even the Cornish, he is said to live in a cave just underneath the castle.
The Wellington Hotel:
The Wellington Hotel at Boscastle. The ghosts of Thomas Hardy and his wife are said to walk around the hotel and grounds. The quiet spectre of a coachman in a black frock coat who drowned in the 18th century when his horses bolted into the harbour, watches from the shadows and disappears when spotted. A ghostly smiling little girl dances about before slipping through a wall, much to the consternation of guests. In Room 9, the energy is malevolent and an older woman appears.
The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic:
The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic can be found at Boscastle and makes for a spellbinding experience! Established here in 1960 by Cecil Williamson, it has become one of Cornwall's most popular museums and it has the largest collection of witchcraft and witch-related artifacts in the world.
Davidstow Moor:
The WW2 airbase at Davidstow Moor. In 1945 most of the buildings, including the hangers, were removed but the iconic control tower remains to this day. And this now derelict building is one of the places on the old airfield said to be haunted by the ghosts of departed aircrew. 83 men flew out from here never to return. The sound of returning ghostly planes are often heard.
The Kings Head:
Peggy Bray was a former landlady of the Kings Head pub at Five Lanes. Her ghost is most often heard walking in the corridor on the first floor, it's thought she walks around the building to make sure it's all being run correctly. Some visitors have said they can feel a chill near the doorway halfway along the passageway.
The Hurlers:
The area around the village of Minions has a magical feel and is surrounded by bronze age burial mounds, ancient stone structures and abandoned mines. The Hurlers is one of the most famous ancient stone sites in Cornwall. It comprises three adjacent and regular circles of standing stones and is located next to Minions. To the west are a couple of stones standing together. They are called the Pipers. According to the legend, The Hurlers' name comes from the fact that they formerly were men who were petrified after they played Cornish hurling on a Sunday.
As for the Pipers, they are said to be men who have played music on a Sunday and had the same punishment.
Another legend says that no one will ever be able to correctly count the number of stones the site has.
The rockpile known as the Cheesewring is nearby and legend has it that the peculiar rock formations were created as a result of a contest between giants who lived on the mountaintops and an early Christian saint. According to the tale, when Christianity first came to Britain the giants were unhappy. They sent the largest, strong giant, named Uther, to rid Britain of saints. Uther confronted St Tue, a very frail, slightly built saint, who proposed a rock-throwing contest. The consequences were clear; if Uther won, the saints (Christian missionaries) would leave Cornwall, but if Tue won, then the giants would convert to Christianity. The pair alternated, throwing huge slabs of granite to the top of Stowe Hill. The rocks landed one atop the next, creating the odd stacks of granite we see today. Each contestant threw a dozen stones successfully, but Uther's thirteenth stone missed and rolled down the hill. Tue threw his thirteenth stone, and an angel miraculously appeared and carried it to the top of the pile. Uther conceded the contest and most, though not all, of the giants converted to Christianity as they had promised.
Lunch at the Crow's Nest:
Visitors to The Crow’s Nest have, in the past, seen four different ghosts sighted at the pub on the edge of Bodmin Moor. These sightings have included the spirit ‘Eddie’, which is believed to be the ghost of the former landlord Edward Charles Murch, who had been in charge in the early 1900s and died behind the bar at the age of 72. The inn is also known for its spooky clock – it runs 10 minutes fast.
The Beast of Bodmin Moor:
The Beast of Bodmin Moor is a black panther like creature that is believed to inhabit Bodmin Moor. There have been around 60 big cat sightings recorded in the area since 1983 and experts believe there is a population of big cats in and around mid-Cornwall. However there has been little physical evidence to support the sightings baring dead livestock. That was until recently when a 14-year-old boy discovered a skull with large fangs, in the River Fowey on Bodmin Moor.
St Neot's Church:
The ghost of St Neot’s Church The church is haunted by the ghost of clerk William Penfound, who was murdered in December 1356. His ghost has been seen in the graveyard and standing at the church altar.
Dozmary Pool:
Dozmary Pool is where the Lady of the Lake caught the magical sword Excalibur from Sir Bedivere after King Arthur was mortally wounded at the Battle of Camlann. Sir Bedivere tried twice to throw the magic sword into the lake but failed because he couldn’t find the heart to lose such a mighty weapon. On his third attempt he swung it high over the water and saw the Lady of the Lake reach out from under the water to catch it in her hand. The Lady of the Lake was the ruler of Avalon and had previously given Arthur the magic sword Excalibur to help him defeat the enemies of Britain.
Dozmary Pool also has another tale:
The name of the demon Jan Tregeagle is well known name in every part of Cornwall. His wild spirit rages on cold dark nights when his ghostly wails can be heard along the rugged coasts, across the bleak moors and through the wooded valleys. For Tregeagle was doomed to being the Cornish "Wandering Jew"; his spirit can never rest, since in his life he was perhaps the most evil man the Duchy has ever known. an Tregeagle was a wicked & greedy magistrate who terrorised the folk of 17c Bodmin, he thought he could redeem his sins by paying the clergy to keep him out of Hell. But when he is summoned from his grave to settle a legal dispute, the court faces a dilemma: how can they deal with Tregeagle? Their conclusion: set him to tasks that will last until Judgment Day. The Churchmen decided that the task they would appoint Tregeagle was to empty Dozmary Pool using a limpet shell with a hole drilled in it.
Beast of Bodmin.
Jan Tregeagle emptying the Dozmary Pool with a leaky shell.
Usage
Want to download this route?
You can download the route for free without MyRoute-app account. To do so, open the route and click 'save as'. Want to edit this route?
No problem, start by opening the route. Follow the tutorial and create your personal MyRoute-app account. After registration, your trial starts automatically.
Disclaimer
Use of this GPS route is at your own expense and risk. The route has been carefully composed and checked by a MyRoute-app accredited RouteXpert for use on TomTom, Garmin and MyRoute-app Navigation.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Nearby routes
South West
About this region
The points of the compass are an evenly spaced set of horizontal directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and geography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each separated by 90 degrees, and secondarily divided by four ordinal (intercardinal) directions—northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest—each located halfway between two cardinal directions. Some disciplines such as meteorology and navigation further divide the compass with additional azimuths. Within European tradition, a fully defined compass has 32 'points' (and any finer subdivisions are described in fractions of points).Compass points are valuable in that they allow a user to refer to a specific azimuth in a colloquial fashion, without having to compute or remember degrees.
Read more on Wikipedia
View region
Statistics
42
Amount of RX reviews (South West)
23179
Amount of visitors (South West)
3460
Amount of downloads (South West)
Route Collections in this region
Great 6 day tour of Wales
This collection of 6 routes all pass through at least 1 of the 3 spectacular national parks of Wales'. Each park is unique and individual and the landscapes vary from the vast, remote and wide open moorland of the Brecon Beacons to the rugged mountains and glistening lakes of Snowdonia and the spectacular coastline of the Pembrokeshire coast. Each is a delight to travel through and these routes will take you to some of the best beauty spots.
There are some great attractions to visit too, as well as having more than it's fair share of fantastic castles and historic buildings, there is the worlds fastest zip line, a balcony road used for world rally stages, mysterious caves and magical waterfalls and a museum of land speed records. All of these can be seen on the routes in this collection.
Although each route in this collection is a separate stand alone route, they will all link up seamlessly to make a 6 day tour that you will remember. The tour starts and ends in Gloucester which can be easily reached in a day from any of the Channel ports.
Enjoy Wales.
There are some great attractions to visit too, as well as having more than it's fair share of fantastic castles and historic buildings, there is the worlds fastest zip line, a balcony road used for world rally stages, mysterious caves and magical waterfalls and a museum of land speed records. All of these can be seen on the routes in this collection.
Although each route in this collection is a separate stand alone route, they will all link up seamlessly to make a 6 day tour that you will remember. The tour starts and ends in Gloucester which can be easily reached in a day from any of the Channel ports.
Enjoy Wales.
View Route Collection
6 Routes
1377.09 km
37h 8m
Top 10 Downloaded UK routes by RouteXpert Nick Carthew
Hello and welcome to this collection of the Top 10 MyRoute app downloaded routes in the UK.
There will be a great new event to be announced soon, where all these routes can be ridden.
Download them all now and place them in a new "Top 10" folder, so that you always have them at hand.
If you are going to drive one of these routes in the meantime, track them with the MRA Mobile App or with MRA Navigation. Take some photos (moments) along the way as these will come in handy.
Create a travelstory of your Top 10 driven routes and add the recorded track to it.
There will also be some great prizes on offer, so keep an eye on the MRA-RouteXperts page and your email.
There will be a great new event to be announced soon, where all these routes can be ridden.
Download them all now and place them in a new "Top 10" folder, so that you always have them at hand.
If you are going to drive one of these routes in the meantime, track them with the MRA Mobile App or with MRA Navigation. Take some photos (moments) along the way as these will come in handy.
Create a travelstory of your Top 10 driven routes and add the recorded track to it.
There will also be some great prizes on offer, so keep an eye on the MRA-RouteXperts page and your email.
View Route Collection
10 Routes
2903.33 km
84h 49m