Discover Ruan High Lanes

Ruan High Lanes appeals to travellers who want to include nature watching and architectural history in their travel plans. At Fal-Ruan, the focus is on the estuary, molluscs and birds; Holy Well and the Church of St Rumon draw attention to historic architectural forms and different periods. These themes offer distinct perspectives: the estuary shapes the view of nature, while the well structure and church provide specific architectural details. This can help you decide whether landscape, wildlife or historic architecture best matches your interests for your trip.

Fal-Ruan: Estuary and Wildlife

Fal-Ruan is a broad, shallow estuary with a wealth of mollusc and bird species. Its distinctive character comes from two features: the shallow form of the waterway and the diversity of its animal groups. Nature enthusiasts can focus on molluscs and birds rather than associating the estuary with just one species. Fal-Ruan can be seen from the paths around Ruan Lanihorne. Exposed mudflats pose a safety risk; the paths around Ruan Lanihorne are the specific vantage point for the view.

Holy Well: Form and Dating

Holy Well has ancient origins; its present structure may be medieval. The origins and present-day architectural form therefore belong to different periods: the ancient origins should be distinguished from the structure’s possible medieval date. The architecture also combines several forms. The plan is semicircular; a semicircular slate-stone entrance leads to a hemispherical vault. The semicircle and hemisphere are related, but here they refer to different aspects of the site; the entrance is another clearly distinguishable detail. You can therefore take both the geometry and the possible date into account when considering the site.

Church of St Rumon: Building History and Details

At the Church of St Rumon, the building history of the tower can first be distinguished from the details inside. The tower dates from the 13th century; its upper part was rebuilt after the storm of 1658 and bears the date 1675. These three dates do not refer to the same thing: the 13th century dates the tower, 1658 refers to the storm after which the rebuilding took place, and 1675 is inscribed on the rebuilt upper part. The tower itself therefore belongs to an earlier building phase than its rebuilt upper part.

Inside, between the nave, chancel and north aisle, there is a six-bay arcade with four-centred arches. The capitals have a variety of carved details. An arcade is a series of arches; its six bays divide it into sections, while “four-centred” describes the distinctive shape of the individual arches. The number of bays, the shape of the arches and the carved details describe different aspects of the church interior. There are also three Dingle family tomb chests at the church, listed as Grade II.

Discover more destinations: Altarnun, Boscastle, Saint Merryn, Trewarmett, Bodmin, Launcells, Penzance, Leedstown.

For the regional travel overview: Cornwall.