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Name: | Hensbarrow Beacon |
Hill number: | 2884 |
Height: | 313m / 1027ft |
Parent (Ma): | 19290 Hensbarrow Downs |
RHB Section: | 40: Cornwall & Devon |
County/UA: | Cornwall |
Catchment: | Minor Rivers only (South) |
Class: | Clem, Other lists (Cm,O) |
Grid ref: | SW 99682 57557 |
Summit feature: | ground at boundary stone 8m north of trig point |
Drop: | 6m |
Col: | 307m SW 9968 5750 |
OS map sheet(s): | (1:50k) 200 (1:25k) 106 |
Observations: | all visible china clay tips are higher (Abney level) |
Survey: | obvious summit |
Comments: | on Clems list, Marilyn moved to hill 19290 Hensbarrow Downs in Feb 2017 |
Change log: | show changes for this hill entry |
GPS data: | show GPS entries for this hill |
N.B. Some hill summits are on private property or on land where there is no public right of way. Permission should be sought from the landowner where access to a hill summit is through private land.
Please report via the contact page any logs you see below which describe or encourage acts of trespass. Please quote the hill number and hill name.
Logged Descriptions (logged by 228 users) | By | Date of Ascent |
Should have done some more research on this beforehand. British Lithium have a pilot processing plant just to the NE of Hensbarrow Beacon where they have developed a patented process to produce EV battery grade lithium carbonate this year. On 29June they announced a partnership with local French miner Imerys to develop and expand production in the area. As a result the fp to the west has been closed and security in the viscinity tightened up with van patrols on the tracks. We managed to get to the trig point but no further. As a working day there was a lot of truck traffic on the roads/tracks, so next time we might try on a weekend. | richard69 | 30/08/2023 |
On a walk from Higher Trezaise, taking in Hensbarrow Downs, Hensbarrow Beacon and then on to Roche Rock. A magnificent Bronze Age round barrow on what would have been the highest point for miles around, it's sad that it's now dwarfed by the spoil heap. | thesweetcheat | 20/06/2022 |
An unusual place for a Trig. I can only assume that at the time of its erection the higher Hensbarrow Downs either did not exist, or was being worked for china clay. | summitter | 13/04/2022 |
On the way to Hensbarrow Downs | paulhilder | 21/02/2022 |
Walked in from Roche then circumnavigated the quarry | PhilipChaston | 04/02/2022 |
From muddy, potholed parking area to the west. Very busy industrial area. Awful, wet, overgrown, neglected footpath to trig. Solo. | Dangerous Dave | 10/01/2022 |
From small parking area to W with J. Followed the somewhat overgrown & wet path to the trig point. Then aimed at the obvious notch in the bank on the spoil heap behind. Took 3 goes & a bit of a battle through the growing scrub & small trees to reach it. Then followed the quarry track round one bend & cut up straight to the top. However the actual top could be almost anywhere up there. The quarrying activity seems to be on the W of the minor road now & the landscaping of the spoil heap has been done quite sympathetically. Very little suggestion of GOML here now with a lot of Open Access land defined. Panoramic view but it's difficult to look past the quarrying unfortunately. | NotReallyABagger | 28/09/2020 |
Two things about hills with 'Beacon' in the name... 
Easy access (someone has to get the firewood up there) and Good Views. (Almost) two ticks for this one as the natural summit is very much overshadowed by spoil heaps. | M3WDD | 25/09/2020 |
Walked up footpath, gorse was very painful in shorts. While a summit the views are better on top of the hensbarrow downs spoil heap which has been nicely regenerated. | FelixClayhill | 18/08/2020 |
Met a non-SOTA radio ham broadcasting for charity on a revisit (for me) who couldn't stop thanking me for taking a portrait of him at the trig! | Eddie | 10/07/2019 |
Came down here to visit the trig point after visiting the new Mayilyn top nearby. Afterwards I took the footpath north back to the main road. | Father Ted | 05/05/2019 |
My 2000th log on hill bagging | Alan Caine | 31/03/2019 |
After visiting the Marilyn's new location. | NormanW | 30/03/2019 |
Easy but waterlogged walk from small car park at SW991575. | Isbjorn | 04/11/2018 |
Directed here by security men. An oddest of tops | tumpawumpa | 05/10/2018 |
on return from new summit with elizyanne | GmacT | 04/07/2018 |
trig point on way to marilyn | cjo | 21/06/2018 |
If only ascending this hill it is an easy walk from the car park to the west with the trig visible most of the way. If you are also climbing Hensbarrow Downs read on. After the trig the next 250m is through deep vegetation including brambles, gorse and bracken and includes a short, but steepish, cliff face. This is all best done in descent. The advice is to to look up the logs for the other hill and then ascend this one on the way down. | moorsman | 17/06/2018 |
From car park to west en-route to Hensbarrow Downs | Kate_and_Euan | 19/07/2017 |
En route to re-located summit. | richtea5040 | 21/04/2017 |
A revisit because I feel sorry for it. Poor thing has lost its status and it must be bad enough to have to put up with slags as neighbours. | Martin R | 17/03/2017 |
Second visit, in the mist, with Chris Peart. The spoil heap is now transformed | Colin Crawford | 16/01/2017 |
Revisit en route to newly designated higher summit | RHW | 27/11/2016 |
Parked in layby 992 575. Walked straight up / down path. Easy walk but boggy / wet underfoot. Great sunset views over StAustell. | Hippy77 | 05/11/2016 |
TD, C & H. | This Dog | 22/10/2016 |
Parked in layby on B3274 to the north. Followed PF around landscaped spoil heaps to much lower trig and high point. | mart0797 | 22/09/2016 |
Missed carpark to west and parked into the side of the road slightly to the north as was early morning. Walk to the trig was straightforward from west but some water on the path so wished I had wellies not approach shoes. Also made ascent up to plaque on actual summit to ESE on rewilded workings. | Danmawr | 30/07/2016 |
A walk up with my 2 daughters to the summit trig and boundary stone. We went up on to the slag heap and we were surprised by how pleasant it was with short cropped grass and great views. We saw Golden Plover, Snipe, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits as well as a Kestrel hunting. This tip should be the recognised summit. There was a plaque close to the summit in memory of Roger Woodland who helped with the rewilding. | isabelle | 04/04/2016 |
From the west in rain and low cloud. No views. Solo. Stopped off on the way to Penzance for a few days break. | mike.hoult | 03/04/2016 |
Expect to be back when higher surrounding land is given top status | Bramley | 13/10/2015 |
KeithByTheC | 06/05/2015 | |
A Truly Mindless Experence! Found the trig point and looked up at the St Austell Alps. I suppose we will have to come back one day when its decided that the summit is the top of one of the slag heaps. The path from the north was a prickly little number not appreciated by Mrs M. | mindlessflogger | 09/04/2015 |
From N. V brambly start. Would have been better off driving up to china clay workings to W. | squeegs | 01/04/2015 |
Parked in the small car park to the west (SW99230 57536) - Made way along overgrown path to the boundary stone and trig point on the natural summit, a distance of less than ½km. (S) | gerrybowes | 13/03/2015 |
4/7 Parked to west and went to top of landscapped slag heap may be higher yet ! | Fergalh | 12/12/2014 |
A short solo walk from the west in very wet onditions. Parked at 992575. | bolton | 17/11/2014 |
Second visit to boundary stone top, but this time visited new top on landscaped old china clay workings. | PeteF | 01/11/2014 |
From rough car park across heath land to trig point where I operated for SOTA. Thunderstorm on summit with flying sparks around our radio equipment so we packed up earlier than expected on safety grounds, it was also inclement needless to say... | G4OBK (Phil) | 07/10/2014 |
Not the best of summits! Crappy weather, and lots of earth movers nearby. Got soaked. Still, picked up a couple of nearby geocaches. | Munroist3935 | 25/05/2014 |
From the CP, soggy field, overlooked by slag heap. Bagged that just in case. W Jenx | nordicstar | 17/04/2014 |
A simple walk to the trig from the free car park at the top of the road to the west. | Sprog | 15/04/2014 |
Bagged whilst in the area geocaching. Nabbed trig point too. Odd being on a peak that is lower than ground (man made) around it! | CornishGazza | 30/11/2013 |
From the West. | tim747 | 13/05/2013 |
. | CreakingHiker | 13/05/2013 |
left the littered car park, walked past the summit and climbed the large tip beyond, in the poring rain - it's nearer than you think. | jimbloomer | 28/01/2013 |
Trig and spoil heap from B3274 lay by near footpath. Spoil heap worth it for view if it's a clear day! | Matt Hicks | 11/09/2012 |
Quick walk with Mum, up to the trig point from the north. It was misty and drizzly so we weren't tempted to explore the artificial summits - in fact you could only just see that the trig point wasn't the highest ground! | davidpettit84 | 09/10/2011 |
Trig set amongst stunning colours of gorse & heather. Industrial activity on the slag heaps both sides of the road, so couldn't explore either of them. However, they've clearly not reached their full height yet, so no point bagging them - stick to the t | wheresthepath | 16/09/2011 |
quick out and back from small parking area, weather thundery showers. | stig_nest | 16/09/2011 |
Sorry to its lovers but I disliked this hill - easily amongst top three worst of 250 marilyns so far - it is just depressing and who knows which topt it the highest | gigglejon | 04/08/2011 |
Snowy slopes led up to the top of the much higher man-made hill. The summit of this seemed well established and there was a small cairn. Then descended to the trig, on a small hillock. | Aye Jimmy | 22/12/2010 |
Light drizzle, gale, low mist, mediocre views to sea. | iangalbraith | 12/11/2010 |
Visited the trig area (Hensbarrow Beacon) and new top (Hensbarrow Down) | RobertP | 16/02/2010 |
Parked in quarry entrance off road to the east and dashed up the spoil heap, descending via the official top. | Herbert Anchovy | 22/01/2010 |
Continued up the now grassy spoil heap behind the 312m trig point to reach a height of 366m on my altimeter. Other nearby tips may be higher though! | AndyS | 31/10/2009 |
With Kate. From car (17:20) at nearest point on road to E followed track and sometimes overgrown path to huge regrassed china clay spoil heap. Quarrying seemed active on top; couldn't find trig point. Highest pt was at edge of a crater. | dbb | 19/09/2009 |
Upright stone near the trig pillar. Spoil heap to East is about 50m higher (c. 360m) - "current" top is at SX 00031 57397 on crater rim. | webmaster | 14/08/2009 |
Sad little top dwarfed by the spoil heaps. | Overthehilljill | 09/05/2009 |
Parked in small car park to west at SX 99230 57536. Upright stone a couple of yards from trig is obviously higher. A veil of thick mist blotted out the true ghastliness of this 'hill'. (And any possible higher point for that matter!) | David Gradwell | 06/04/2009 |
original Marilyn but many tops visited during extended visit. | lordtonult | 14/01/2009 |
Difficult to count the trig point as the high point. I clambered all over the much higher spoil heaps. All rather surreal and feel that tomorrow there will be a higher point when another lorry load arrives. | clivevilla | 28/10/2008 |
First time the summit is smaller than everything else around....very strange but it is a quick tick...and its still dry and clear. | Dugswell2 | 01/06/2008 |
What can you say- Mobile Marilyn. Bagged trig then current top which some comedian had marked with a cross. | Eddie | 19/04/2008 |
Easy trig 'summit', followed by a wander over the much higher neighbouring spoil heap. | mae | 15/03/2008 |
Horrible hill with virtually no ascent and overshadowed on 3 sides by clay spoilheaps | M0ZZO | 07/03/2008 |
For many people hillbagging is a pointless activity. We disagree!! But hill bagging when the 'top' isn't the highest point? For me this is the worst Marilyn. Perhaps when work finishes and it's possible to go up the highest spoil heap it may be worthwhile. Diversion on way to Eden project with Mom. | pwheeler | 27/09/2007 |
petey | 17/09/2007 | |
Nice views of grassy spoil heaps. top over shadowed by taller heap to the east | Rhayader_wander | 31/05/2007 |
Trig pillar dominated by a 'mountain of rubble' behind. Carry on from the west past the trig point for 55m then join a 'road' very wide and easy walking. Ascend to the 'top' (SX 00044 57391 - which is possibly the top but who cares - another 50 metres in | destaylor | 13/03/2007 |
Completed revised summit on consolidated and replanted tip, substantially higher than previous strange hp. This involved leaving Leicestershire at 03.00 and arriving at Hensbarrow at 07;.30. New hp was shrouded in thick mist. Date 08/12/2016. | Campbell Singer | 28/05/2006 |
http://tomread.co.uk | m1eyp | 27/07/2005 |
Parked near Roche Rock and walked up to the trig. No doubt I will come back once the spoil heaps are stable. | garyhoney | 17/10/2003 |
Parked at the entrance to the quarry and made my way initially to the OS triangulation column then to the top of the slag heap beyond which over-tops it. | yorkie | 28/09/2003 |
With: hb sb ab; Parked at quarry entrance to W by radio masts then walked to Trig Point. From here we scrambled up the waste E of trig to locate the summit somewhere about SX000573. | Ian Baines | 03/08/2003 |
With: ib sb ab; | Helen Baines | 03/08/2003 |
Fun scrambling up the quarry waste which towers over the trig. Highest point could have been several places on the volcano-like rim (or even on the tip on the other side of the road!) 
Trig pillar (S1736) DOES NOT COUNT on this one!! | signyred | 02/08/2003 |
Man made mounds looked higher, not the most pleasant of hills. | PeterD | 25/07/2002 |
Climbed to the natural high point and ignored the shifting mounds of china clay leavings on either side. | Man of Kernow1 | 25/03/2002 |
Trig point is the natural top, over topped by China Clay spoil | ChinnockC | 16/02/2002 |
Annual bagging/climbing week with Darren. 5 Cornish marilyns in low cloud and drizzle- heading to Bosigran for climbing (in the sun next day) | Chris Pearson | 13/08/2001 |
Galltywenallt | 30/07/2001 | |
Jamie's first marilyn, three weeks after his 2nd birthday, on his own little legs a trifling walk with the curiosity of much higher new ground on the slag heaps that must surely in future be considered to be the new summit. | vegibagger | 22/07/2001 |
Date is first visit. Notes from later...spoil heap overtops trig pt, cairn @ 000575, track goes most of way. track from road summit @ 992575 | RHW | 28/08/1999 |
A short walk off a by road in middle of clay spoil heaps. | arranc | 31/10/1998 |
The real summit, and I will continue to count it in my marilyn total whatever the relative bing soc chunter on about. The bings were unstable and being actively worked at this time. Did consider a scrabble up, but it would have been futile - the rbsoc summit did not exist then. | fasgadh | 01/10/1997 |
Solo trip | Invicta14 | 17/10/1996 |
2004? A bizarre experience. | summitsup | blank |
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Neil Midgley | 01/10/2012 | |
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Ben Rinnes | 23/07/2012 | |
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Lionel Bidwell | 03/04/2012 | |
Susan Bidwell | 03/04/2012 | |
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Owen B | 24/06/2011 | |
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melly1 | 18/06/2011 | |
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Rob Pen y Garn | 11/06/2011 | |
m0tub | 10/06/2011 | |
Tony J | 09/04/2011 | |
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ARC | 08/07/2010 | |
ChrisM | 09/06/2010 | |
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parlick | 14/04/2010 | |
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PGCE | 08/11/2009 | |
Lawbringer | 04/10/2009 | |
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Jim.Fothergill | 30/09/2009 | |
Dusty | 25/09/2009 | |
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annamaria | 20/06/2009 | |
jondudley | 18/04/2009 | |
Moorponder | 18/04/2009 | |
Edwin Gradwell | 06/04/2009 | |
George Gradwell | 06/04/2009 | |
theczernobog | 25/01/2009 | |
chriswatson | 18/11/2008 | |
Martin R | 16/08/2008 | |
andrew brown | 24/05/2008 | |
ian brown | 24/05/2008 | |
kath smith | 24/05/2008 | |
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Alan Whatley | 21/10/2007 | |
PM | 02/07/2007 | |
Tony S | 12/04/2007 | |
Lorna S | 12/04/2007 | |
stevent0809 | 08/12/2006 | |
johnabutler2 | 27/08/2006 | |
DARRENG | 14/08/2006 | |
Kiltie | 01/08/2006 | |
Barbara Singer | 28/05/2006 | |
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DanKanaris | 07/08/2005 | |
Tricky | 06/07/2005 | |
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David Bell | 19/05/2004 | |
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RichardM | 12/10/2003 | |
StephenDawson | 30/09/2003 | |
kanderson | 28/09/2003 | |
Jon F | 14/04/2003 | |
BaggerGutt | 08/03/2003 | |
ianwatson | 28/05/2002 | |
tomandivy | 02/02/2002 | |
Tony Rogers | 09/08/2001 | |
Dee Rogers | 09/08/2001 | |
johnbarnard25 | 31/07/2001 | |
GordonAdshead | 00/09/2000 | |
rpettit | 01/01/2000 | |
andrew.allum | 01/01/2000 | |
Halfdecent | 00/00/2000 | |
Smudge | 01/10/1999 | |
David Rawden | 10/08/1999 | |
Adrian | 01/06/1999 | |
chalky1953 | 13/03/1999 | |
David Purchase | 29/10/1997 | |
Clive G | 27/03/1997 | |
alda | 01/08/1996 | |
Calico | 22/07/1995 | |
GaryJones | 01/04/1995 | |
Sherlock | 28/08/1994 | |
IainT | 17/05/1994 | |
kanderson | 01/01/1970 | |
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