On the tourist trail

Been a busy few days, yesterday we did the Eden project and then today we were back in St. Ives, this time without the fog.

Tin Mining

As St, Ives was fogged out we went a touch further down the North coast to the Geevor Tin Mine .  Normally it looks like this.

But yesterday it was like this.

This was a working Tin mine up until it closed in 1990 when the price of Tin no longer made it viable.  Now it is a World Heritage site and museum with the majority of the machinery and buildings intact.  There is a guided tour that took us through the processing plant, which was used to extract the mineral from the lode, about 0.7% metal to that mined we were told, and then a chance to don overcoats and head underground with our knowledgeable guide Barney.  

This was at the start of the tour where we went in about 40 feet, and then waited for a minute I think to check that everyone was comfortable being under the ground with water dripping down the back our necks.  In places I had to bend almost double to get under.

This particular working was very old and had nothing to do with the operation that finished twenty odd years ago.  This bucket was called a kibble, which I believe is a type of cat food in some parts of the world.

The winding gear used to haul the miners up and down the 2,100 feet to the bottom of the mine. The seams and workings then extended up to 1 mile out to sea, there was approximately 100 miles of tunnels.

Air compressors used to power the tools for the operations at the face, especially the drills, this was a safe way of providing power and fresh air.

Built in Glasgow.

I'm smiling because I'm getting out shortly, the miners did up to 10 hours underground grafting.  

On the way out of the washrooms there are photos of all the last miners to work at the mine.

Off to the seaside

Being in Cornwall this week, one is never far from the sea so today we decided to head off to St. Ives on the North coast.  For those of you who don't know St. Ives is famous as one of the UK's premier seaside resorts, its glorious beach, fourth cleanest in Britain, the amazing light that has attracted many artists and a branch of the Tate gallery.  So it came as a bit of disappointment when we arrived today.

There is sea and a beach out there somewhere, but we couldn't see it.  To help with my humour, on the way back to our cottage I foolishly listened to the enforcer on my TomTom commanding me down ever narrower Cornish lanes with mud underfoot and brambles scraping down both sides of the car.  Me praying quietly that there wasn't going to be a Massey Ferguson round the next blind corner.  Grand day out.

First day of the Cornish holiday

Looking back at the Mill

Our first night here in the cottage at Polwheveral Mill and we woke to the sound of the local stream gushing down the hillside. This was due to the pouring rain, regardless we set off through the narrow lanes to Falmouth and walked around the windy streets with lunch in a pub overlooking the harbour.

This is the view from our bedroom window looking down the Creek towards the Helford River

Some locals.

In Cornwall for the week.

Sitting down to a Cornish clotted cream and jam scone in our converted mill house.

Looking out on the Bay

We took about 500 odd coach passengers out to the island and back again today and I don't think that they could have had a better day for it. Not a breath of wind and just enough clouds to make the sky interesting.

At the counter

For some the rally is over.

This is the weekend of the Mull car rally, unfortunately this driver's race ended on the Saturday.

Duart Castle first thing

Our spell of settled weather continues, much cooler this morning only
2 C when set off at 07:45 this morning. The Castle was looking good
washed in the early morning sun as we passed by. The Mull car rally
starts in a couple of days and we have started to take across the
ancillary vehicles, ambulances, doctor's cars and breakdown wagons,
not for the faint hearted this rallying game.

That's it, no more Panoramas

Well it was too tempting this morning when the sun came up over the hills above Oban.

And this was a few seconds later.  

Yes I have a Panorama function on my iPhone

Quick photo taken today heading back to Oban on the lifeline service.
Lovely weather since I joined on Wednesday.