Logan stone and massive boulders loom strangely in the mist around Helman Tor, where rock basins on top are brimful of water. On this exposed hill, stunted hawthorns grow sideways and the few foxglove plants cower by rocky ledges. Rain obscures vistas but, on slopes opposite, tracts of gorse gleam yellow between the brown of sodden bracken. Downhill, bearded lichens smother branches and, on waterlogged Breney Common, sprawling tree trunks lean into a tangle of watery scrub, moss, fern and rush.
Granite underpins this landscape – shaped by humans since prehistoric times, common in construction works for centuries. Downstream, beneath dripping trees in the sheltered Luxulyan valley, moss and pennywort cover outcrops of granite. High above the gushing river, steep hillsides and strongly flowing leat is the Treffry viaduct. Piers, arches, trackbed and aqueduct were built of granite between 1839 and 1842 as part of an integrated power and transport system that allowed horse-drawn wagons to carry stone, ore and china clay along rails towards the harbour at Par.
Much older is nearby Lanlivery church, also built of granite blocks. Sited on a hill, the pinnacled bell tower is visible from all around and was valued as a landmark from out to sea. Peering up from the churchyard, through the drizzle, it is just possible to discern unusual carvings on the tower. Two lions stick out their tongues and, on the south-east corner, a pair of crowned figures hold a youthful head above that of a fallen giant and image of the flaming sun. Church bells traditionally ring in the new year and maybe these effigies hark back to ancient symbols of the return of spring. Here, thrush and robin sing and there are primroses and daisies among the gravestones.