Cardinham Woods Loop

A valley loop through Cardinham's working forest near Bodmin, following the Lady Vale trail line along the stream and back on forestry road. Nothing here is dramatic, which on the right day is exactly the appeal.

30 min – 50 min

Cardinham Woods car park to Cardinham Woods car park

Desk-researched / Not yet field-checked

Distance: 9.5 km
Elevation: 244 m
Start: Cardinham Woods car park
Terrain: Woodland
Difficulty: Easy
Route type: Loop

Practical notes

Best for

Gale-day running under real shelter
Buggy-adjacent family miles
An honest easy day between hard coast efforts

Watch for

Mountain bikes on the shared and crossing trails
Storm debris on the paths after big blows
The valley floor holds standing water after sustained rain

Facilities

Pay car park with toilets
Woods cafe by the trailhead, seasonal hours

Season

The wet-weather banker. Autumn colour is the bonus round; February mud on the streamside stretch is the toll.

Parking: The Forestry England car park is pay-and-display and comfortably large outside school-holiday weekends.
Public transport: Bodmin's buses get within a couple of road kilometres; realistically this is a drive-to run.
Conditions: Compacted forestry road and firmer single-track, with the streamside line the muddiest stretch in winter.
Navigation: Waymarked trails leave little to solve; this route follows the valley out and the forest road home.