From high on this hill see Luxulyan Valley (a mining World Heritage Site) and the edge of Eden Project to the west, St. Blazey and Par Harbour ahead, Tywardreath and Fowey to the east – a great sweep of landscape that takes your breath away and is fascinating to watch. But it is not so much the ships, trains and traffic of today that you will remember after a visit, rather the horses, carts, mules and miners who you will imagine travelling and tramping the roads and paths to work.

You see, in Victorian times, this hillside was known world-wide as a ‘Richly Yielding Piece of Ground’, a place where one could make big profits from rocks and ores. As a visitor, your mining adventures will start at a wall map, with stories of the Ice age and granite rocks.

You will look for hidden clues of potential mining wealth, go prospecting for tin, copper and even – a rich yield of the present day – lithium. You will tackle challenges of underground work, engineering design, transport and survival. It is a very active and betterway2learn, interspersed with just enough lovely restful moments at ‘Crib Time’ (that’s the Cornish name for a food and drink break), when you can listen to stories and enjoy miner’s snacks.

Every moment of your fun-filled morning is planned to ensure you are brilliantly well prepared to spot clues of mine history, walking in the nearby valley. Most of those are historic, but some much more recent, including the water turbine, which generated £140,000s worth of green electric not long ago. Caroline, the centre director, will explain how local people are co-operating to re-instate or replace the turbine – all part of the Green Awareness, she wants to share.

So come prepared to be entertained, to explore, to learn and to think about the bigger picture, pondering what the industrial revolution did to cause global warming, but what can yet be done, through modern mining and technology, to turn things around in a more positive direction.

GREEN means picnics on the wildflower banks, gazing at those amazing views.

GREEN means listening to tales of mining and the Green Hero, Mr. Treffry, who built the magnificent viaduct in the World Heritage site. Then walking little-known woodland paths to explore the history and heritage.

And GREEN means watching demonstrations of eco-building processes and energy systems – solar, biomass, hydro and geo-thermal, with monitoring equipment located here, for the Eden Project. (Click to enlarge images).

Past and future, old and new, east and west … we have quite a lot of opposites at Meadow Barns.

There are opposite accommodation options too – camping, or indoors; a rustic old barn, or one that is a fresh and new conversion. You can choose the simple and basic, or opt for all the extras – stories, walks, food. Find out more in the Overnight section.

CAMPING

Finally, if you cannot visit in person we have loads of other things to offer at a click of the mouse, in the ‘Do More!’ download area for the weekly Green Fridays Blog, plus films and publications, soon to include the big book of our Green Hero, Mr. Treffry. http://www.betterways2learn.co.uk/green-campaigns-blog/

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