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Treryn Dinas



Treryn Dinas and Logan Rock


OS grid ref:- : SW397221

Treryn Dinas

Logan RockThe Iron Age promontary fort of Treryn Dinas or Treen Castle is situated on a narrow granite headland between Penberth Cove and Porthcurno.

The promontary slopes away very steeply to the sea on three sides, the fort's landward (north) side is defended by three pairs of widely spaced ramparts and ditches, which still remain impressive, the first rampart measures 6.5 metres high and is 275 metres long.

The headland has a very narrow neck, and this is defended by a ditch and stone wall. Traces of roundhouses are situated nearby.

Logan Rock

Treryn DinasAt the end of the promontory is a great mass of rock on which perches the famous Logan Rock, weighing 65 tons, it is a naturally balanced rock standing atop the cliffs about 30 metres above the sea.

In April 1824, a group of ten or twelve sailors from the Royal Navy cutter, Nimble, decided to disprove a previous assertion that the rock could not be moved. Under the command of the young Lieutenant Hugh Goldsmith, who was a nephew of the poet Oliver Goldsmith, and armed with bars and levers, they succeeeded in tipping the rock, which then lodged in a narrow crevice.

Following complaints from locals about the incident, the Admiralty ordered Goldsmith to return the rock to it's former resting place at his own expense. Once the stone was put back it no longer rocked as it did before. The anchor holes used to haul the huge rock back into place are still visible in the surrounding rocks. Consequently, the village of Treen lost a good deal of it's tourism and was even nicknamed 'Goldsmith's Deserted Village'.

The cost of this enterprise totalled £130 8s 6d, the original receipt for which can be found today in The Logan Rock pub at Treen. The Admiralty contributed to the cost, however it is unclear how much of this amount Goldsmith actually had to pay himself.

Treryn Dinas is now owned by the National Trust. Coastal views from the cliff fort are superb.

The South West Coastal Path runs along the outer earthwork of the fort. A car park is available at Treen from which a signposted path leads across the fields to the headland.

Image 3 courtesy of Rod Allday




Prehistoric Sites in Cornwall