"Thursday 29th March 2018. An ascent of Hangman's Barrow 235m/31m on Nine Maidens Downs, Cornwall, from the Stithians Lake visitor centre. 11.5km, with 170m of ascent. 2hrs 30mins. Spotting a weather window on Thursday morning, I headed from our cottage at Helford Passage to the Stithians Reservoir near Helston, parking in the deserted visitor centre car park. After watching a flock of Canada Geese on the wide waters, I took the lane past the Golden Lion pub, then west on a stony bridleway towards Menherion Farm. At a bend I turned onto a very boggy track, churned up by the hooves of a herd of Highland Cattle in the adjacent field. I passed by the northern flank of Carnmenellis, at 252 metres the highest hill in the granite moorland between the towns of Redruth to the north and Falmouth to the south. I had climbed Carnmenellis sixteen years ago and had no desire to repeat my ascent. The summit area is a horror of briars, gorse and brambles. Many of the lower Cornish hills are similar, but Carnmenellis is a prickly purgatory in a league of its own. I eventually emerged onto a lane near Nine Maidens Farm. From here it was a walk uphill on tarmac by various lanes to the to..." — marktrengove2 • Mar 29, 2018