Top Things to do in South West England
10 Mines in South West England That You Shouldn't Miss
Discover the best top things to do in South West England, United Kingdom including King Edward Mine Museum, Hopewell Colliery, Levant Mine and Beam Engine, Geevor Tin Mine, Wheal Betsy Tin Mine, Clearwell Caves, East Pool Mine, Botallack Mine, Poldark Mine, Wheal Peevor.
Restaurants in South West England
1. King Edward Mine Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 143 reviews
The award winning King Edward Mine Museum which specialises in the mining history of Cornwall. The mine dates from the 19th century and most of the equipment in the mill has been restored to working order.The buildings are all Grade II* listed and are of National importance. The site is part of the World Heritage Area of Cornwall. The Museum is open during the summer - see website for opening times.
Reviewed By Smudgynasher7
Personal 2 hour tour with lots of interesting detail and demonstrations about the tin mining process. Well worth a visit. Probably suit 10 year old plus.
2. Hopewell Colliery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 295 reviews
Reviewed By whiteleybob - Fareham, United Kingdom
Fascinating one hour tour with a short walk down the pit. Very informative and insightful. Couldn’t fault Richard who was our patient guide (and also a miner) - a real character with a great sense of humour. Loved it. Great cafe too.
3. Levant Mine and Beam Engine
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 610 reviews
Opened in 1820 and closed in 1930, Levant is one of Cornwall's most famous coastal mines where a good part of the mining operations took place far beneath the seabed.
Reviewed By Digidiverdeb - Holbeton, United Kingdom
What a stunning location and the knowledge of the guides here covering the fascinating history of the people who worked these mines was exceptional and delivered with enthusiasm, thank you National Trust and especially Steve our guide!
4. Geevor Tin Mine
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,277 reviews
This preserved mining site features a museum, underground tour and visitor center all perched on the rugged cliffs of Penwith, offering magnificent coastal views high above the crashing surf below.
Reviewed By GillianP519
I think I have to say that this visit was one of my favourite days of our holiday. We've been to a couple of mines in Cornwall but this one by far had the most to look at, read and learn about. The guys that work here are so knowledgeable and great fun to chat with, the sheer amount that there is to look at is incredible and for me I think the dry room etc was my favourite bit, it's so evocative as it's literally been left exactly as it was the day the mine sadly shut. All their clothes and towels and personal bits were left hanging up and it actually made me feel quite sad that they'd lost what they had. There is so much to see that we split it with a visit to the lovely cafe which has the most amazing views over the sea from full length windows and the food was amazing. Their baguettes are delicious. We then went and wandered the rest of the site and visited the mine. For me the mine was great fun if a little scary but I had expected it to be bigger as Poldark had been. I still loved it and would come back with my other two girls as they missed this trip but the whole family really enjoyed it and it's well worth the money.
5. Wheal Betsy Tin Mine
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 6 reviews
6. Clearwell Caves
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,052 reviews
While discovering the Forest of Dean, go beneath the Forest floor and discover a whole new world. This is a natural cave system mined for ochre pigments and iron ore for over 4,500 years. Nine caverns have now been opened to visitors, with exciting displays, on your journey through. The Lamp Room Cafe serves delicious cakes, soups, coffees and snacks. There's a great Gift Shop with studio ceramics, jewellery, gems and gifts; a picnic and children's play area. The Cafe, Gift shop and play area, can also be visited separately from the Caves. Nice walks over the surrounding common land (Clearwell Meend). Plenty of free parking. Exciting special events through the year, including underground music and theatre. Try the adventure caving, to the lower levels - check website for dates. Discover the Wonder of Under.
Reviewed By powdies - Bristol, United Kingdom
We went on a rainy weekday afternoon in term time and were lucky enough to have the caves to ourselves throughout our visit. A fascinating self-guided tour through tunnels and caves (part natural, part mined) with a history of local iron-mining given on signboards along the route and effective audiovisual effects and display artefacts. The projection mapping at skeleton pool is stunning. The caves were all the more atmospheric for being crowd-free. Cool underground, so sensible shoes and warm clothing required. Well worth the visit.
7. East Pool Mine
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 156 reviews
Reviewed By 453malcolms - Redruth, United Kingdom
Great place to visit, plenty to see good cafe and very informative of yesteryear. And it's at the bottom of my road.
8. Botallack Mine
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 69 reviews
Reviewed By ScfamilyAberdeen
We were really lucky to have a beautiful day of weather in October to visit this stunning location. Being first time visitors and unsure of which direction to head we went to the cafe/visitor centre where a delightful lady gave us all the information we needed to make the most of our visit. We were blown away with the scenery and all the remains of the mine workings around the area. We spent a good couple of hours looking around and taking photographs and probably could have stayed longer if we had more time. We have to agree with others that it isn't the easiest place to find but once you do it is well worth it. We can't recommend this place highly enough.
9. Poldark Mine
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 403 reviews
ACCURATE details on OFFICIAL WEBSITE & FACEBOOK PAGES [last admission one hour before closing] - MAIN MINE EXPLORER UNDERGROUND TOUR A - An atmospheric & memorable profound educational experience to 3 levels through the passageways & workings of historic Wheal Roots Mine DEEP MINE ADVENTURE TOUR B - [takes about 90 minutes] - An enlightening & unforgettable adventure deep into the 18th century mine workings unlike any other mine visit in the UK - 4 levels are explored by the light of genuine miners headlamps. BOOKING OFFICE 10 30 am- 1.30 pm -
Reviewed By DJ100_00 - Falmouth, United Kingdom
We visited as a group for the deep mine tour, our group had mixed interests and backgrounds but everyone thoroughly enjoyed the experience. After picking up and fixing on our safety helmets, belts and lamps there was short film clip explaining the history of Cornish mining and this site, it was informative and set the scene for the mine tour itself. Underground is very atmospheric, in places the rock ceiling above you is a little low so you do need your hard hat and in parts it is a bit wet but this just adds to the experience, quite a few steps down and back up if you do the long tour but worth the effort. Our guide was really informative explaining rock features, historic mine practises, including human aspects of being a miner which included women working above ground and young boys working underground, looked like it was a hard and dangerous life. I thought the price was very reasonable given how much work is done to keep the mine open, pumping out massive amounts of water to keep the lower levels of the mine accessible. I can highly recommend a tour of the Poldark mine, a fantastic opportunity to see a historic tin mine, complete with some beautiful gardens and a small museum area. I hope to visit again in the future.
10. Wheal Peevor
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 46 reviews
Reviewed By 753RuthH753 - Redruth, United Kingdom
Lovely place for walking although rather spoilt by dog poo. Beautiful and as long or short as you want. Beautiful nature area with lots of old mining buildings to explore
