Trace the peaceful shores of Siblyback Lake, set high among the tors of Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. Close to the springs of the River Fowey, it is surrounded by the remnants of ancient settlements, standing stones and Viking battles. The valley—once dry—has been transformed into a shimmering lake, its waters flowing onward to the cascades of Golitha Falls. Set out from the café and circle the water’s edge, through quiet stretches of woodland and past the impressive Siblyback Dam. Return along the southern shore offering wide open views and a variety of wildlife paddling in the water.
Distance: 3.5miles/5km
Time: 1-2 hours
Ability: Easy.
Max height: 756ft
Min height: 722ft
Total climb: 40ft
Terrain: Tracks and roads. All accessible.
Start Point: Siblyback Lake Car Park. Car parking is just £2.50 for two hours, and £5 for the whole day. (Postcode: PL14 6ER, Grid Reference: SX236708, What Three Words: rentals.tensions.duos).
Map: OS Explorer 109 Bodmin Moor
How to get there: From Liskeard, travel north on the B3254. After a mikle or so, diver off the main road to the left, flowing signs to Siblyback Lake, Haed straight through St Cleer to then turn left then right over the main road. Follow the little lane for just over a mile bringin you straight to the car park at Siblyback.
Dogs: On leads where livestock is present and in accordance with any notices on the walk and The Countryside Code.
Refreshments: A café Olive & Co. is next to the car park.
Toilets: Next to the car park
Related Walks: Clatworthy Reservoir, Sutton Bingham Reservoir, Bikes and Horse Rides and Dorset Rivers.
walk
Set on the edge of the wild landscape of Bodmin Moor, Siblyback Lake sits at the heart of the Cornwall National Landscape, as well being in one of just twelve Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the county. The surrounding moorland and water’s edge creates a number of varied habitats for wide range of wildlife, especially valuable for birds. In July of 2017 it was officially recognised as an International Dark Sky Landscape, making it a perfect place for stargazing.
Siblyback Lake was created to meet Cornwall’s growing demand for water in the 20th century. One early plan suggested damming the main Fowey Valley upstream from Golitha Falls, which would have drowned farms, homes, and a great stretch of countryside. The idea was abandoned and instead, work began on a smaller scheme in the late 1960s, damming a tributary of the River Fowey. The dam was completed in 1968, and though a handful of farm properties were lost, it was far less destructive than the earlier proposal.
Today, three streams feed into the lake—one near the park entrance, another on the eastern bank, and the third in the far northeast corner. At full capacity, the reservoir holds a total of 3 billion litres of water (around 700 million gallons), all managed by the South West Lakes Trust. It plays a key role in regulating the Fowey’s water levels, particularly in dry summer months. During the warmer seasons, the waterline can fall dramatically. As the levels drop, the outlines of old field hedges can reappear providing ghostly reminders of the farmland that once stood here before the valley was flooded.
From the car park, skim past the café down to the water’s edge and curve to the right. Follow the little gravel path along the lake’s shore as Craddock Moor comes up on the right. The name of the Moor may derive from Caradoc – the Iron Age king, also known as Pendragon (Chief) Caractacus, who led a fierce resistance against the Roman invasion. His defiance was so renowned that when he and his family were eventually captured, they were paraded through the streets of Rome as spoils of war.
The ground still bears the marks of lives long gone. Scattered across the heather and granite are hut circles, cairns, ancient field systems, enclosures, and standing stones. A stone row runs here too, which is claimed to be part of an enigmatic alignment that unites ritual sites across the moor. Hidden within the rough grass lies the Craddock Moor Stone Circle—sixteen fallen stones and a stump of another, worn and overgrown. Some believe it was placed to mark the midsummer sunset over Brown Willy, the highest summit on Bodmin Moor, binding earth and sky into their sacred beliefs.
Near the village of Minions, just to the east, stands the isolated 15th century Pontius Piece Cottages. Until only recently Tony Trewin and his unlikely companion—Scrunch, a Highland cross bull – lived in the property. Tony discovered Scrunch as a calf, abandoned, hungry and frozen wandering the moor near the cottage. He nursed him back to health, bottle-feeding and grooming him until the calf grew into a gentle, giant bull. The name came from the way Scrunch would wrinkle his face, as if to ask, who are you?
For more than a decade, man and bull shared their life in the tumbledown cottage, where Tony’s own story echoed Scrunch’s. While wandering the moor himself, Tony met a kind stranger who handed him the keys the cottage. When Tony passed away, Scrunch remained in the old house until his own time came. The then ruinous Pontius Piece Cottage was put up for auction in 2022 and restored into a smart property in 2023. Tony and Scrunch’s ashes rest together in the neighbouring landscape as a quiet testament to loyalty and an unlikely friendship, adding another human tale to the ancient moor.
Cross over the little stream using the log flanked bridge and up to Sparretts Farm. Curve around the lake’s northern corner, over another bridge and back to the shore as Wetton Downs rises on the right. Wetton Downs comes with tales of both battle and industry. A few miles to the east lies Hingston Down, thought to be the site of the Hingston Down Battle of 838. Here, King Ecgberht of Wessex led his army against a force of Cornish warriors—then known as the West Welsh—fighting alongside Viking allies. The West Saxons claimed victory and it was the final recorded clash (after over a century of warfare throughout the moors) between the Cornish and their Saxon neighbours. Centuries later, the moor was shaped by the search for tin. Trewhitten Mine, a small working on Wetton Downs, once stood just northwest of Siblyback Lake as part of Cornwall’s long mining heritage. Its engine house was built on the slope, and a tall chimney rose above until it was finally demolished in the late 1950s. Today, no traces remain on the surface.
Weave through the woodland to then pass the café on the opposite banks. Continue following the route up a small climb to then arrive at the dam. The river flows out below to continue in its journey through the moors to the sea at Fowey. Just further downstream are the Golitha Falls. A series of small waterfalls that cut though ancient mixed woodland of oak and ash, littered with a selection of industry remains. During the winter months the River Fowey can swell, making the waterfalls even more torrential.
Cross over the dam and curve to the left. Pass the water along the lake’s southern edge where the landscape rises up to more ancient standing stones. To the south is the Kings Doniert Stone which is actually two separate, richly carved, pieces of a 9th century Celtic cross. An inscription commemorates Dungarth, King of Dumnonia and last King of Cornwall, who drowned in about AD 875. His death was sometime after the Hingston Down Battle, suggesting that his reign would have been restricted by the now all powerful Saxons. His death is also surrounded with conspiracy with some suggesting he was murdered by the Saxons for still collaborating with the Vikings. Another stone stands closer to the lake, just off the entrance road. It is believed to be the Shaft of another Celtic cross, but its top is missing.
Follow the path into the trees and out through a gate onto the road. Turn left to pass a car park and then curve to the left up to the main Siblyback car park to return to your vehicle.
