St Cleer Parish

Explorer Tom If a giant tried to stack granite pancakes above Minions, the Cheesewring is about where his breakfast would land. These slabs really balance on Stowes Hill beside an old quarry, with Bodmin Moor spreading out below; the giant can keep the bill, because wind, rain and time did the cooking. The stack is a natural granite tor, its upper stones wider than some beneath them. Cracks formed as the rock cooled, then weathering worked along them over immense spans of time. People once credited the arrangement to druids, which is a fine story until geology barges in with muddy boots. Its name comes from the layered presses used to squeeze cider apples, not from anyone finding a lost wheel of Cornish cheese. This hill has human work to inspect as well. The collapsed walls of a prehistoric enclosure run around the summit, and quarry workings bite into its side. Look at the stone stack from a safe position and you get both stories at once: rock shaped by nature and a landscape repeatedly put to work by people. There is no need to scramble onto the tor or nose over the quarry edge to win an argument with either. Start in Minions, where there are two car parks, and follow the well walked paths north towards Stowes Hill. Visit Cornwall suggests approaching the Cheesewring from the western side; its Minions guide puts the walk at under half an hour. This is open moorland, with rough ground and livestock, so bring sensible footwear and keep to a safe route around the quarry. Stand back, take in the improbable pile, and let the giant explain why his breakfast is still here.