Lanyon Quoit, is a dolmen, a portal tomb, which is located close to the village of Madron, near Penzance.

This particular dolmen has 3 supporting legs which hold up a 5.5 metre long cap stone which is reputed to weight 12 tonnes. There are also many other neolithic stones on the site which surround Lanyon Quoit.

This is a beautiful place to sit and absorb the energy and the sun rays on a beautiful day, but is remote and wind beaten even on a good day.

It is currently owned and maintained by the national trust.

The mine building in the background is Ding Dong mine and can be seen for many miles around.

Close to Penzance, by the sea
There’s a beautiful island, just off the beach
By a place called Marazion
Sits an island paradise
Atop which sits a Castle
It does look really nice

Across a causeway, access you will get
And if the causeway is flooded,
Catch or boat or get real wet
But when you arrive at this place
The majesty you’ll see
Because this place is St Michael’s Mount

An island in the sea
With beautiful buildings, a castle atop
A harbour, and some shops
Lots of steps, and pretty flowers
And sights to make you stop
Stop a while, and look, towards land, or out to sea

This place it is a beautiful one
Well, it really was for me
I climbed the steps, up to the top, we did merrily go
And look at the amazing views
Towards Penzance, Marazion, and fishing boats, yo ho ho
Inside was nice, but the views, they did it for me

They were really worth the cost, not just financially,
But for the breath that I had lost
Price of admission, a paltry £30,
and 2 ice creams, the price it made me frown
But worth the trip, this island tour
Of St Michael’s Mount, an island by the sea

I will return, I promise this
Your beauty, still more to see
Stand on the seaside, Right on the shore
Stare and look, At your majesty see
St Michaels Mount your beautiful
Beautiful to me

 

The official St Michael’s Mount website is available here

 

Some of my photos of the day at St Michael’s Mount

On the way back from Cornwall on the 26th May I took a little detour to see Mr  Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s monumental erection that is the Tamar railway bridge at Saltash, Cornwall.

I’ve just spent a great week away in deepest Penwith, Cornwall. I needed a break after lockdown 3.0 or whatever number it is now!

I needed to go chill out, relax, and breathe. Away from work, away from my house, and away from my family. I also needed to go and see some of my friends and spend time with them as I don’t see enough of them with them being so far away.

Spent many hours walking, many hours sitting on a rock thinking, and many hours in the pub drinking.

Here’s a selection of my photos from the last week.

Botallack Crowns, Mine building at Botallack, Cornwall

Below are 2 images of the Botallack Crowns Mine at Botallack, near St Just in Cornwall. The first image was taken in October 2020 and the second image, Photography unknown, was taken circa 1860’s and shows the mine in its hayday.

For those that dont know the Botallack Crowns Mine at Botallack are Cornish Tim Mines, the Building on the left housed a pumping engine which removed water from the mine, while the building on the right housed a lifting engine which was used to bring materials and transport men in and out of the mine,

These days the buildings stand on the edge of the cliffs defiant at whatever weather the Celtic Sea can throw at them and on the days I was there in October there were 40-50mph winds and I have been there before when its been to windy to hold a camera to take pictures of waves rising over the higher of the two buildings.

The second image shows all the workings and buildings which were on the site in the mines hayday and shows just how extensive these buildings were. This photo is available at Geevor mine. If you are interested in Tin Mining or mining heritage in Cornwall it is well worth a visit.

Location Map

Photo date: 1st October 2020

Photography copyright: Mikki Tiamo / Unknown

St Michaels Mount, Marazion, Cornwall

I go to Cornwall a lot as its my soul food place and one of the place I like to visit is St Michaels Mount, Marazion.

For those who don’t know, St Michaels Mount is tidal island in Mounts Bay at Marazion, close to Penzance. At low tide a causeway is exposed which allows vehicular and pedestrain access to the island.

The castle on the island is the home of the St Aubyn family who have a long lease of the castle which is now owned and managed by the National Trust.

This photo was taken just before low tide and as such you can see the causeway is still partly covered by water.

If you want to visit St Michaels Mount then at the moment the island is closed sue to Covid restrictions, October 2020, but I am sure it will be open soon.

Location Map

Photo date: 3rd October 2020

Photography copyright: Mikki Tiamo

Scillonian 3, the Sciliy isles ferry from Penzance to St Mary’s

Picture if the Scillonian 3 ferry which is the main Sciliy isles passenger ferry from Penzance to St Mary’s I’m the Sciliy isles.

Hee she is in Penzance harbour sat on the bottom at low tide.

There were 50mph winds a choppy seas on the 2nd October 2020 and perhaps because of this she was moored here. She is usually moored against the main harbour sea wall.

Location Map

Photo date: 2nd October 2020

Photography copyright: Mikki Tiamo

Situated about half way between St Just and St Ives on the B3306 close to Pendeen village is the remains of the Levant Tin Mine and the Levant Steam Engine.

Firstly, when you arrive you will notice you are atop a cliff and the views around are stunning. If you look to your right as you look out to sea you can see the Pendeen lighthouse, then closer still you can see Geevor Tin Mine.

Although many of the buildings on the site where destroyed many years ago when the buildings where blown up so that scrap metal merchants could get to the iron steam machinery inside, the original engine house and steam engine have been rebuilt and are now the main exhibit on the site.

There are other structures on the site which house the original mine shaft and a copy of the old steam boiler house but these have limited appeal as there are only so many minutes you can find looking down a hole interesting.

The building which houses the steam engine contains many pictures and stories of the mine and the people who worked there, but at a quarter to the hour the steam engine is set running for all to see. The engine fills almost all the building and you can walk right round and upstairs looking at the engine as guard rails cover the engine to prevent you touching it.

The engine for me was the best part of the mine as this is one of the oldest beam engines in the UK and when its working its burbling and swishing noises as well as the clicking of bearing oilers which constantly supply oil to the engines wheels and push rods, sounds fill the room. This coupled with the heat of the boiler is an amazing sight, sound and feeling.

Levant Tin mine itself is now nearly all flooded and therefore inaccessible but maps of the mine give you some idea of the scale in which tin was mined here. The mine goes down 260+ fathoms (1 fathom equals 6 feet) and stretches over 1.5 miles under/out the sea.

At levant tin mine you can also see and the guide will also show you pictures of the man engine lift which the miners used to get down into the mine. The man lift is a device where a miner stands on a platform atop a 12ft beam, this beam then descends on the down stroke of the engine above. Once down 12ft he would then step off this platform on to a fixed platform before waiting for the next platform to rise, he would then step onto this platform and descend a further 12ft into the mine.

The lift was installed to speed up the delivery of miners to the pit face as previously the miners would have to climb down ladders before work and up after work. This was a massive waste of time as the miners would typically take over 1 hour to descend into the mine. The new lift took just 30 minutes.

The mine has a guided tour which starts on the hour and takes approximately 45 minutes and ends in the running of the steam engine for 10 minutes. Both of the guides we spoke to knew lots about both the engine and the history of the mine. One of the workers had helped to rebuild the engine and was now responsible for its everyday maintenance and another had lived in the adjoining village her entire life.

As this is one of the National Trusts ongoing properties there presently isn’t enough to keep you amused all day long but hopefully time and money will remedy this.

Prices for the Levant Mine are listed on their website, link below, but its free for National Trust Members. At present there are only very limited toilet facilities, there is also no café or restaurant however the Geevor mine and the local village both have decent facilities.

This is an excellent look at the an olde world steam engine and mine workings which offer an excellent insight into a Cornish Tin Mine life, however I would expect the price to be slightly lower for this attraction.

The Geevor Tin Mine (http://www.geevor.co.uk) is just up the road and offers the chance to look inside a tin mine but doesn´t have a steam engine. So the choice is yours, inside a tin mine or a steam engine and history. Personally I’d choose the later.

I would be interested to visit Levant tin mine again in the future, maybe in 10 or 15 years time to see if more of the buildings have been restored and there is more to do.

Please note that due to the nature of the site there is very limited access for the disabled. The entire site is built on a hill with steps everywhere.

Levant Steam Engine,
Trewellard,
Pendeen,
nr St Just

Telephone
01736 786156 (Opening hours only)

Web: Levant Mine and Beam Engine | Cornwall | National Trust