West Cornwall

      The area that was once the engine room of Britain’s mining industry has a haunting beauty. The towns of Redruth and its sibling Camborne were West Cornwall’s mining heartland. It is a place where one must spend time to recognize the beauty. Five kilometers to the west, the village of Portreath overlooks an area of sand, book ended by cliffs.

      Portreath is the best village in the area. It began as the playground of the Redruth Camborn e miners. Now it is slightly middle-class resort filled in summer with families on holidays. In the mid 19th century the small harbour bustled with sailing vessels.

      Corwall’s mining land-scapes have been nominated for World Heritage status. At dusk, we climb Cam Brea, an Iron Age settlement and hill fort close to Redruth. We count more than a dozen mine chimneys against the evening skyline. Standing on top of Cam Brea, it is hard to believe that 150 years ago these relics of the mining industry shrieked with the sound of heavy machinery. Now, except for chirruping of the birds, all is silent.

     If you’ve got the legs and the stamina there’s no better way to get to know Cornwall’s wild Atlantic seaboard than to hike it. The National Trust looks after 260 km of Cornish coastline, sand dunes and sheltered bays for walkers. On a breezy day with the sun flitting in and out of clouds, we take the local bus from Redruth to St Agnes and hike 12 km south to Portreath.

      The 18 km cycling trail is the best in that part of the country. It takes you from Portreath in the west to the river at Devoran in the southeast. The path follows the tracks of the horse drawn tramways that once hauled ore to the ports.

      Surfing is popular on the beaches of west Cornwall. There is always a hardly group of surfers in the waves in all weather. New quay is the surf capital but there are plenty of good beaches north towards Padstow and south to St Ives.

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