In search of fairy folklore on Cornwall’s northern coast

SUNDAY DRIVER Jeremy Taylor takes the slow route in his classic Land Rover to investigate the region’s magic and mythology

The woman across the table is quite serious – she’s definitely seen fairies around these parts. Here in Cornwall they’re known as “piskeys”, mischievous vagabonds who allegedly steal babies and even the occasional cow.

The bar in the Golden Lion at Port Isaac remains hushed as the speaker goes on to explain the spirits of the tin mines. “Knockers” were the fairy miners, who warned workers of coming disasters and helped them find rich seams to exploit.

It’s a storyline that has yet to feature in Poldark – or Doc Martin, also filmed in the county – but I’m pre- pared to keep an open mind. And besides, a scholarly new book on fairies claims that 44 per cent of the 1,000 people surveyed have actually seen the little folk at play.

Magical Folk: British and Irish Fairies – 500 AD to the Present dives into the hidden world of fairy folklore. There has been a tidal wave of sightings in recent years, while the world’s first Fairy Census highlights the best places to experience genuine Tinkerbell “activity”.

Among them is Cornwall, soaked in folklore and tradition. While Tolkien is said to have found inspiration for The Hobbit from hedgerow fairies at his aunt’s house in Worcestershire, and Yeats met a fairy queen in Ireland, Cornwall is a gossamer-winged hotspot.

There’s no guessing where one might pop up next, but woodland is a favourite. The north coast of Cornwall has plenty, and for a daylong whistlestop tour of the inaccessible sites I’ve brought my ancient Land Rover. We plan to scrabble over some rarely used ancient byways in the search for Neverland.

Green-laning involves a rufty-tufty four-wheel drive tackling the roughest of these tracks. Go unprepared and you’re more likely to meet an angry farmer than magical folk, or become stranded in the middle of nowhere. Consult the Green Lane Association for advice and locations.

A full complement of purposedesigned off-road tyres with deep tread will come in handy, too. You might carry a spare, but the potential for punctures from rocks and flints is huge.

My 46-year-old Land Rover has already lived with the goblins of Dorset and the fairies of Ireland. It has taken five hours to reach Cornwall from Oxford at a steady 55mph, but now the Series III is about to come into its own. Even the cabin is infested with little wings, if only because a nest of wasps has taken up residence in the air vent.

Byways are few and far between along this section of the north coast – head south to Truro for more challenging routes. However, there are a few tracks further north from Port Isaac, near Tintagel, and the one we are heading for is close to Boscastle, at Tresparrett.

The overgrown lane is a haven for butterflies that take to the air as we slowly edge forward. High up near a cliff edge, I can see the sea to my right and a few distant wind turbines to the left. We are in the middle of an Indian Summer, so any hope of fun in the mud is quickly forgotten.

There is no sign of a fairy, either, so we head down the B3263 past Boscastle to St Nectan’s Glen. According to the woman in the pub, this place is famous for fairy sightings. Deep in the woods,

Who is Thomas as the Tank Engine’s ine’s new friend? (a) Nia the homeless Kenyan engine (b) Sparky the electric car (c) The Positive Body Image Controller

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