Tuesday 7 February 2023

Wendron Forge and Mine, and Porthleven

Tuesday 6 August 1996. All those adventures in Mevagissy and it was still only just after lunch! We drove to Wendron Forge, which has a tin mine open to the public.

The mine is called Poldark Mine after the books and TV series. The mine is probably the most interesting part of the visit. You can go down and explore but are not allowed to start knocking chunks from the walls...

Hard hats were a must as the roof is only 3 feet high in places - usually those places where you find yourself going down very steep steps. We all had cause to be thankful for the hats! There is only one way round so you can go at your own rate and there is a choice of routes for different abilities. We went round the hardest, having to bend lower, climb steeper, get wetter, and bang your head more than the other routes.

We had tea in a village called Porthleven where the cafe owner gave as good banter as she got from us and the only other customer in the place lingered over his meal as he was enjoying all the comments from our table!

Porthleven is the most southerly port in England, Great Britain and the UK, helped by the fact that England is the most southerly of the latter two... As such it was a place of haven in the days of sailing ships and bad storms. It was historically lumped in with Helston, the place with the Furry Dance, but became a town in its own right as it grew.

Although he was born in India, Porthleven was the home town of the World War II Dambusters Squadron Leader, Guy Gibson.

Return to Cornwall 1996 Holiday Index

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