Goss Moor

Goss Moor lies twelve kilometres south-west of Bodmin in Cornwall, a vast stretch of peatland and lowland heath that forms the largest continuous mire complex in south-west Britain. The moor sits within four parishes and neighbours Tregoss Moor to the east, together making up the Goss And Tregoss Moors Site of Special Scientific Interest. The River Fal begins here at Pentivale and flows seventeen kilometres to the English Channel. Castle an Dinas overlooks the northern edge while the church of St Dennis stands to the south. The A30 once cut through the moor until a dual carriageway opened in 2007, leaving behind a cycle lane. Centuries of tin streaming scarred parts of the moor before 1838, when Davies Gilbert described how the land was turned over to bedrock. Between 1908 and 1916 steam-powered dredges extracted around seventy tons of tin concentrate before moving on to other sites. The area gained protection in 1988 as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Matthew Taylor, MP for Truro and St Austell from 1987 to 2010, later became Baron Taylor of Goss Moor. The Atlantic Coast railway line also crosses the moor between Par and Newquay. Visitors find a landscape shaped by water and rare wildlife. Twelve poor fen sub-communities were recorded in a 2003 study, alongside plants such as yellow centaury and marsh clubmoss. Invertebrates include the small red and variable damselfly, while butterflies like the silver-studded blue and marsh fritillary fly over the heath. Moths such as the narrow-bordered bee hawk and double line add to the moor’s diversity. The cycle lane along the old A30 route offers a quiet way to explore the edges of the reserve.