Wheelpit

The tin mining heritage of Cornwall gets a bit tangible once you actually stand at Wheelpit, just outside Callington. It's a flooded mine shaft - basically a massive circular depression in the ground where water has pooled, left behind from the days when men were digging for copper and tin. The sight of it stops you cold. You're staring at what amounts to an industrial scar that's been here for two centuries, water glinting at the bottom, the surrounding ground worn and scarred from centuries of extraction.

There's not masses to do here, to be honest. This isn't a visitor centre with interpretive panels and a cafe. It's more a place to walk round, get your head around the sheer scale of what Victorian mining operations looked like, and understand why Cornwall's landscape looks the way it does. The walk itself is straightforward enough, though you'll want proper footwear if the ground's been wet. You could spend twenty minutes here or forty if you're genuinely into industrial history.

Families will find it interesting if their kids are old enough to grasp what they're looking at - younger ones might get restless. For walkers and anyone who cares about Cornish heritage, it's well worth the detour from Callington. If you're based at Sunnyside Eco Glamping or Woodovis, both within striking distance, it fits nicely into a wider loop exploring the tin-mining routes that crisscross this part of Cornwall. Just don't expect the sort of experience that'll keep you entertained for hours.