South Caradon Mine
Caradon Mine
We had been in this area of Bodmin Moor before, parking in Minions to visit Stowe's Hill and the local antiquities - the Pipers and Hurlers and King Doniert's Stones - but we first learned of South Caradon Mine when it became a candidate for millions of pounds in a 2004 TV show called 'Restoration'. We decided to look for ourselves on a walk from Minions village. Total dereliction is the order of the day now but for 50 years from 1835 this was one of the world's most prosperous copper mines. Financed by the miners themselves, led by the Kittow and Clymo families, it paid dividends (in today's terms) of around �50 million from an investment of only �64,000! Other mines, too, were sunk all around Caradon Hill - Gonamena, East Caradon and West Caradon. I cheat a little by describing this as a museum since, to our delight, Caradon district council failed in its quest for TV show money. This is one of those magic places which needs to be enjoyed for itself, not prettified to meet the needs of the tourist industry and the demands of 'Health and Safety' regulations. The land on which the mine ruins stand is now Open Access; while you are free to wander anywhere on this land, take care as there are open shafts. To see how to find it, take a look at the walk Jane and I did taking in Minions, Crows Nest and South Caradon.
Kittow's Shaft at South Caradon Mine
Except at the Crows Nest Inn, there is no nearby parking
