Great Wheal Seton & Bell Lake Marsh, Red River Local Nature Reserve near Camborne, Cornwall

Leader: Steve Jones

Meet and park along the road at SW657418, just past the Fire Brigade HQ & Fire Station at Tolvaddon.

We will be moving off from the meeting point at Tolvaddon for the short walk to Great Wheal Seton at 10.30am.

This is a great opportunity to explore the rich dragonfly life of the Red River Valley LNR with a visit to two of the reserves hotspots, Great Wheal Seton (am) & Bell Lake Marsh (pm), and help record the wonderful array of wildlife that has benefited from our management work over the winter months.

Our morning visit is to Great Wheal Seton, home to the Red River Valley’s last surviving breeding colony of the Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly, a nationally scarce species. Both the damselfly & the site were heavily featured in the recent BBC4 documentary “Cornwall’s Red River”.

We will move on to Bell Lake Marsh in the afternoon home to the Small Red Damselfly, another nationally scarce species. Both locations play host to a diverse range of dragon & damselfly species, as well as a wide range of other wetland wildlife and this is an excellent opportunity for all you hard working Red River Rescuer volunteers to enjoy the fruits of your labour!

Everyone is welcome and hopefully while we enjoy the sheer beauty of these fantastic insects we will learn a little about dragonfly identification, life cycles and habitats along the way. No previous knowledge of dragonflies is necessary as Steve & others will be on hand to guide you and answer any questions you might have.

Please bring a packed lunch, a drink, sun cream and hat, hand wipes and/or alcohol based hand gel. Wellies are essential!  A hand lens & close focusing binoculars may be useful, (but are not essential), as would a small plastic container/bug box for any exuviae, (cast larval skins), we might find.

Directions to Great Wheal Seton, (Tolvaddon):
If you are travelling in a westerly direction along the A30 from Redruth take the first Camborne (Tolvaddon) exit, signposted “Pool, Camborne, Portreath A3047”. After entering the slip road take the right hand lane signposted “Portreath” & then bear right as you drop down to the traffic lights. At the traffic lights turn right on to the dual carriageway and pass under the A30. Immediately after passing under the A30 turn left on to the minor road. After 60 metres you will pass the fire station, and after a further 100 metres you can park sensibly along the road, (not on the double yellow lines!).

If you are travelling in an easterly direction along  the A30 from Hayle take the second Camborne exit, signposted “Camborne, Portreath A3047”. After entering the slip road take the left hand lane. Immediately after the traffic lights at the Portreath junction, move into the right hand lane and take the next right, (if you pass under the A30 you have gone too far). After 60 metres you will pass the fire station, and after a further 100 metres you can park sensibly along the road, (not on the double yellow lines!).