The Saints' Way follows a possible reconstructed route taken by early traders and Christian travellers making their way betweem Ireland and Mainland Europe. Rather than risk the difficult passage around Land's End, they could disembark from ships on the coast of Cornwall and progress over land to other coast ports such as Fowey on foot.
As the Way approaches Helman Tor from Lanivet, the Way diverges into two routes, both leading to Fowey.[7] The eastern route passes Helman Tor, through Lanlivery, to Golant, and to Fowey.[5] The western route passes through Luxulyan, to St Blazey, to Tywardreath, to Fowey.[5][8] The Saints' Way via the Luxulyan route is a total distance of 28.5 miles (45.6 km), and via the route Lanlivery totals 29 miles (46.6 km).[7]
Part of the route is a bridleway so can be used by horse-riders.
Early seafarers travelling between Ireland or Wales, and Brittany were often reluctant to travel around Land's End and The Lizard peninsulas due difficult sailing conditions due to frequent storms.[1][5] Instead, travellers disembarked along one of Cornwall's coasts, and travelled over the Cornish peninsula toward the opposite coast where they would then reëmbark.[1] Such travellers included traders and religious figures took various transpeninsular routes across Cornwall.[1][5]
Between 55–50AD a Roman trading centre was constructed at Tregear near Nanstallon and it is thought its purpose was to serve the main communication and trade route linking the north Cornish coast at the River Camel and the southern coast at the River Fowey, the 'transpeninsular route'. However the centre was abandoned after only 20–25 years and it was not used again. It is thought that the trading route served the Celtic peoples of Ireland, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany as Nanstallon was built close to major mineral bearing areas.[9]
In 1984, two villagers from Luxulyan—Cliff Townes and Alf Fookes—discovered of a section of abandoned pathway surfaced with cobbles and a series of granitestiles that had been covered by overgrown vegetation.[4]
^ abCornwall. Ordnance Survey. Basingstoke : Publishing Division, Automobile Association. 1987. p. 36. ISBN978-0-86145-512-6 – via Internet Archive.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
