Beacon Local Nature Reserve
The Beacon Local Nature Reserve – comprising the Beacon Monument and 18.3 acres (7.4 hectares) of open land and community woodland is managed under a Countryside Stewardship Agreement in partnership with Cornwall Council.
The Town Council has responsibility for the main playing field which houses the obelisk itself. A granite memorial to General Sir Walter Raleigh Gilbert, who was born in Bodmin in 1785, the Beacon Monument stands at 144 ft tall and engraving around the base details accounts of General Gilbert’s Sikh and Afghan campaigns during the mid-1800s.
The Beacon is a popular spot for local walkers, dogs and families and provides stunning views across the town and surrounding moorland. The open field which is under the Town Council’s control is enclosed by mature hedgerows and set back from the road, making it great for exercising dogs or just for a kick-about.
The area forms a vital part of Bodmin’s biodiversity corridor, allowing wildlife to travel between forest and moorland.
