St Germans - Eliot Quay & Estate

Navigating The Route

This is a circular Spy Mission around St Germans Eliot Quay & Estate, with Agents helping stop a disgruntled groundsman who has planted a dye in the sprinkler system at Tideford Cricket Club - your team must work through St Germans, crack the clues and disable the device before the grass turns bright pink.

The operation covers approximately 2 miles and should take about 2 hours to complete. You'll begin by the lychgate near St Germans Church, investigate the village, head into the old graveyard and towards the church entrance, continue around the river and sailing club, pass the lime kilns and bottom of Quay Lane, then work through village lanes including Church Street and Bag Lane before the final stretch.

This Trail is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. The route has steep hills, uneven paths around the river and sailing club, narrow roads with no pavements, muddy and/or slippery sections near the lime kilns and bottom of Quay Lane, and steep steps.

Take care when crossing busy roads, including a busy main road at the end of one lane, and at other road crossings without pavements. Keep Mini Agents close near the railway bridge and footbridge, watch for traffic movements, and be prepared for muddy or slippery sections in wet weather.

Getting There

By car: Start your operation from the layby near St Germans church, along the B3249 (PL12 5LG). At the end of the mission, retrace your steps past Memorial Cottage and along Fore Street to return to your car or the railway station.

By public transport: If arriving by train, you can start at Clue 05 and loop back around. At the end of the mission, retrace your steps past Memorial Cottage and along Fore Street to return to your car or the railway station.

Need the Loo?

Plan ahead, Agents - there are no public toilets on the route, so make a tactical comfort stop before you begin your 2-hour operation.

Bring Your Furry Sidekicks

If you are bringing four-legged Agents, keep them under close supervision throughout. 🐾

The route includes roads with no pavements, narrow lanes, traffic movements and muddy or slippery sections, so dogs should not rush ahead, especially near road crossings, the railway bridge and the footbridge.

Food & Drink Stops

Espionage is hungry work, so plan your rations before the pink-grass crisis escalates.

There is a small shop and a pub towards the end at Clue 17, and The Eliot Arms is also on the route. If you prefer to pack your own provisions, you can perch on a bench overlooking the river for a picnic after Clue 09.

Want to Make a Day of It?

Port Eliot Estate and Port Eliot Arts Festival

Port Eliot is described as a fascinating estate in a forgotten corner of Cornwall, and it gives this mission a hefty dose of local character. The Elephant Fayre took place there each July in the early 1980s and drew crowds of up to 30,000, with acts including Siouxsie and the Banshees and poet John Cooper-Clarke in 1982. It has since been succeeded by the more genteel Port Eliot Arts Festival, which takes place annually in July.

St Germans Church and lychgate

The mission begins by the lychgate to St Germans Church, then later takes you into the old graveyard and towards the church entrance. It is a key part of the village route, so allow time to slow the surveillance pace and take in this atmospheric corner once the clue-cracking pressure is off.

Treland Play Park

The route takes you down to the playground entrance at Treland Play Park, making it a useful bonus stop for Mini Agents who still have energy to burn after tracking suspicious activity through the village.

St Germans railway station

St Germans railway station adds a neat bit of railway history to the operation. The main station building has now been converted into a private residence, but it is one of the few remaining original buildings of the old Cornwall Railway and is a Grade II listed building.