We offer 2 types of Stories:-
- the local history type (STORY WALK ADVENTURES) and
- the HEARTS of GREEN guides, for a more sustainable future.
The drop down menu gives further information on both types, plus an overview of other activities.
The Walks section has greater detail about the routes from Meadow Barns and in other parts of the St. Austell Bay area.
TO START
When you visit, we begin beside a giant map, which is perfect for helping to choose a walk route.
There are 4 options of Story Walks, increasing in length from 1.5 to the maximum 4 hours. You will have 10 stories in your rucksack, to read aloud on any route:-
- The White Walk through woods, to a waterwheel pit and back near a tin mine
- The Eastern Mines route, which descends to a hamlet called Ponts Mill, followed by a short but steep climb on steps & last section in the woods
- The White Walk extended, to visit an impressive granite viaduct & return on a narrow country road
- The Rails and River option, down to Ponts Mill, all along the side of the Par River to the viaduct with options to return on road or woodland paths
2nd THE LIBRARY
The Library is where you will be issued a set of stories, in a waterproof folder or packet. If telling stories aloud sounds too scary, then we offer an alternative of having stories as audio tracks to play through your phone.
3rd = LEARNING SESSION and/or straight to the WALK ADVENTURE
If you have booked a learning session, you will be guided around our 12 different activity areas, each with its own displays and models. OR for a pre-school session, it will be directly to the House of Green Play. Either way, there is so much to learn!
When ready we will accompany you to the start of your walk, dropping in a few extra stories along the way!
DISPLAYS & MODELS
Waterwheels are often featured in our stories and our displays. There are 3 different types of wheel, each suited to one particular river situation. With water going over the top, it’s called Overshot; water beneath the wheel is Undershot, and water on the shoulder, turning the wheel backwards, is Backshot.
We have 2 rocks areas and a mining tunnel, which introduce you to copper, tin, lithium and our local types of Cornish rocks. Visiting the granite area offers opportunities to design and install a viaduct. And in the Big Shed we can stoke the boiler of a steam engine and learn how to crush and process ores with various tools.
Last, but not least, is the magnificent new inclined plane and trucks. Big thanks indeed to our engineering (STEM) expert, David Skelhorn, for the many hours spent constructing this. Under the table is a little version, with rails and tiny trucks for small children to play with.
More information about sustainable technologies may be found under Hearts of Green.