The Great Flat Lode Trail is a 7.5 mile (12km) multi-use route that encircles Carn Brea, the hill that overlooks the former industrial towns of Redruth and Camborne, in central Cornwall. The route leads you through a mixture of farmland and moorland on both unsurfaced paths and some minor roads.
Along the route you will pass by the remains of many of the building associated with the mining, from the large engine houses with their tall chimneys, to other buildings such as the miners dry at South Wheal Francis, where the miners could take a bath after returning ‘to grass’ after their shift 100’s of feet below ground. Many of these mines have now been closed for over 100 years, but at the King Edward Mine you can still visit a mine that was working up until 2005, albeit as a training mine. The museum here still has its original equipment in working order and tells the story of hard rock mining in Cornwall.
WHERE: Various possible starts, but King Edward Mine has ample car parking and refreshments.
Points of Interest:
King Edward Mine Museum, aka South Condurrow Mine.
Carn Brea, the site of a Neolithic hill settlement, can be climbed for superb panoramic views including out to the north coast. Prehistoric hut circles can be seen, as can the ‘Cup and Saucer Rock’. The ‘Castle’ on the eastern end has, for many years, been a restaurant - which is great, but needs booking well ahead.
South Wheal Frances Mine, one of the best-preserved mining complexes to be found in Cornwall. Here you can not only see the large engine house (which housed a very unusual engine) but also the miners dry and an ore shoot.Note: Many of the mines are on private land and/or are unsafe ground with covered shafts!
Interesting fact: The name comes from the fact that in the 1860s, when many of Cornwall mines that had been mining copper were closing, tin was discovered to the south of Carn Brea. In Cornwall, minerals are found underground in ‘lodes’ just as coal is found in a seam. This lode of tin was eventually found to be two miles long, and was flatter than most, lying at an angle of about 30 degrees instead of the usual 70 degrees from the horizontal, hence its name, the “Great Flat Lode”.
Note: Please do not trepass. Some mines and remains are on private land, and/or can be unsafe, and have partially covered shafts!
Route type: Gravel