A cycle from the South to the North Coast and back again fitted nicely into a bright Sunday. From home to Devoran and then into the Wheal Maid workings (an area known as the richest square mile on earth in the 18th and early 19th Centuries). Looking down the gaping open shaft next to an old engine house, it was easy to believe the mines go 350m below the surface where temperatures are around 40 degrees C. I reached Portreath where the North Atlantic was gently lapping the beach. Portreath grew up around the copper mining in the early 1700s, the ore being shipped to South Wales for smelting. This industry gave rise to a tramroad conveying copper one way and coal back to fuel the mine engines. Happily, the tramway now provides a pleasant off-road route for walkers, cyclists and horses. 4 hours there and back - not a bad day out.
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