Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tehidy Woods
formerly belonged to the Bassets, one of Cornwall's four richest tin-mining families, who
made their fortune from extensive mineral rights across west and central Cornwall.
The estate has been owned by the council since 1983 and run as public woodland, criss-
crossed by trails, peaceful lakes, wildlife reserves and a golf course, as well as a good
cafe
(mains £4-8; 9.30am-5pm)
.
There are several car parks dotted around the edge of the estate, including one at North
Cliffs, on the B3301 coast road between Portreath and Gwithian.
WORTH A TRIP
CARN BREA
Brooding on the horizon above the old mining towns of Redruth and Camborne is
Carn Brea
, a barren granite
outcrop that's thought to have been occupied since at least 3500 BC. Various pieces of Neolithic pottery, flints
and arrowheads have been discovered here, as well as the remains of ditches, enclosures and platforms for long-
houses. It's not hard to see why ancient settlers chose this as a strongpoint: the 36˚ views stretch in all directions.
On a clear day you can see all the way east to Bodmin Moor and west towards Land's End, as well as both north
and south coasts.
The hilltop is now topped by a 90ft Celtic cross known as the
Basset Monument
, dedicated to the aristocratic
mine-owning family, and a peculiar part-medieval
castle
that now houses (of all things) a Middle Eastern restaur-
ant.
There are several trails to the top, including from the little hamlets of Carnkie and Carn Brea. The trails also
form part of the
Mineral Tramways
(
www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=13419
), a network of cycling
paths that wind amongst the old workings and disused mines surrounding Carn Brea.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Camborne, Redruth & the Mining World Heritage Site
Camborne and Redruth once sat slap bang at the deafening epicentre of Cornwall's mining
industry. Many of the county's most prosperous and profitable mines could be found
nearby, with names that hinted at their mineral wealth: Wheal Prosper, Wheal Fortune,
Wheal Bounty and so on. Local mineowners grew fabulously rich on the proceeds, and
built many smart townhouses in the area, but the towns entered a slow decline following
the collapse of the tin industry in the mid-1850s. The long tradition of mining continued
until 1998, when the county's last remaining mine at South Crofty, near Pool, closed down
