The walk begins at a small, unsigned parking area beside a granite bridge, where the lane dips into the valley. From the first few steps, the landscape tells its story: grey spoil tips rise on either side, a leat runs beside the path, and a single ruined engine house stands against the sky. This is a circular route of about four miles, taking in the heart of an abandoned Cornish mining valley. It is rough underfoot in places, with steep sections and boggy patches after rain, but the rewards are constant: industrial archaeology, quiet woodland, and a profound sense of a vanished industry.
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, this valley was one of the most productive tin and copper districts in the world. Hundreds of shafts were sunk, following lodes deep beneath the surface. The engine houses you see were built to house beam engines, which pumped water, wound ore, and crushed rock. The Cornish engine, a high-pressure steam engine developed here, was exported across the globe. Alongside the mines grew a network of leats, tramways, and dressing floors where ore was crushed and washed. The valley's population swelled, and with it came chapels, schools, and a distinct culture of hard rock mining. When the price of tin collapsed in the late nineteenth century, many mines closed almost overnight. The buildings were left to the weather, and the valley slowly returned to nature.
From the parking area, follow the track upstream. Within a few minutes you pass a fenced adit portal — a horizontal tunnel that once drained the mine — where a trickle of ochre-coloured water still flows. The path climbs gently through scrub and ash woodland, crossing a footbridge over a stream that runs red with iron oxide. Keep left at the fork, following waymarkers uphill. The ground becomes rougher, with loose stones and exposed bedrock. After a stiff climb, you reach a large spoil tip with panoramic views across the valley. Below you, a second engine house stands roofless, its chimney reduced to a stub. The route descends past this engine house, then follows a stone-walled lane back towards the start. Allow two to three hours, plus time for stops.
Mining landscapes are beautiful but hazardous. Treat every fenced area as a serious danger zone.
Once you know what to look for, the valley becomes an open book. A shaft is often marked by a circular fenced depression or a mound of waste rock. Spoil tips are the grey or reddish heaps of crushed rock; some contain traces of arsenic and should not be disturbed. A leat is a narrow channel that carried water to the engine house or dressing floor. Look for flat, terraced areas — these are dressing floors, where ore was broken, sorted, and washed, often by women known as bal maidens. Chimney stumps and stone foundations show where boiler houses and engine houses stood. The pattern of walls and paths reveals how people and materials moved through the valley.
The mining industry demanded skilled craftspeople: stonemasons who cut granite blocks for engine houses, carpenters who built and repaired timber machinery, blacksmiths who forged drills and tools, and miners who could read the rock. Many of these skills were passed down through generations. Today, traditional crafts survive in different forms. Cornish hedging — building earth-and-stone banks — is still practised by local craftspeople, and drystone walling competitions keep the skill alive. You may see hand-carved granite or slate work in nearby villages. The Cornish language, too, has seen a revival, with place names and mining terms woven into everyday speech. Supporting local craft fairs and workshops is a good way to help these traditions continue.
Finish with a pot of tea and a pasty in a nearby village. Take time to reflect on what you have seen: the quiet valley was once a noisy, smoky, industrial hive. The ruins are not just romantic follies; they are monuments to labour, ingenuity, and hardship. Before you leave, check your boots for mud and remove any seeds to protect the fragile heathland. And if you have enjoyed the walk, consider joining a local heritage group or volunteering to help maintain footpaths. The valley belongs to everyone, and its stories are best kept alive by those who walk through it.
The Tinners shares practical, down-to-earth guidance on cornish heritage, tin mining history and traditional crafts for readers across the UK.
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