Wheal Coates Mine

WHEAL COATES MINE - North Cornwall Coast

Wheal Coates Mine
View of the main engine house

Wheal Coates is set on the almost barren landscape of the North Cornish Coast, which at first glance seems empty and desolate, but on closer inspection, you will uncover a diverse and beautiful eco-system that certainly pleased us, and should please you.
The site is run by the National Trust and if you are a member then parking is free, otherwise, there is a small payment at the parking machines.

The mine first opened in the very early 1800s and carried on producing ore for nearly 90 years before the seam, that went out under the sea for quite a distance, ran out and made the workings unprofitable which forced the closure of the mine in its entirety. Putting, no doubt, many local people out of work and placing even more hardship on the families that relied on the income from the mine.

Heather and Gorse fields

Conditions in the mines were hard and dangerous with illness rife, and death was always close by due to the difficult and treacherous working practices that were followed throughout the Cornish mining fraternity at that time. Once fit young men would eventually suffer from illnesses such as bronchitis, TB, vitamin D deficiency, rheumatism, and so on. Dangers such as rockfalls, drowning from working under the water table was a threat, falling down shafts was common as ladders were damp and slippery, and miners were weary from long shifts in the darkness.
Copper was the main product of Wheal Coates and even women were employed to break down the ore into smaller pieces and they were known as 'Bal Maidens', this too was hard and heavy work wielding large hammers by hand for many hours a day. Children were also employed on the surface and underground, although there was a limited age of 12 years before children could join their fathers below ground.

View of the deserted mine building

As you would expect from such an exposed site as Wheal Coates, perched high on the cliffs facing the Atlantic Ocean, it is pretty exposed and subject to the harsh weathers of the Cornish landscape. The paths that criss-cross the whole site are well maintained but there are areas of mud and water to traverse as you walk around. Of course, the brighter sunnier days are much better and more pleasant to stroll around and take in the beauty of Cornwall.
After leaving the car park you can take three different paths, left, right, and straight down the middle. On our first visit, we went left which meandered through fields of gorse and heather which were in flower as you can see from the photo above. This path led us down to a small cove where a few people were sitting on the small beach whilst others were surfing in the swells of the Atlantic.
From there the path pulls around to the right along the shoreline and leads directly to the lower mine workings and the Engine Wheel House, which is pretty iconic and seen as one of the UK's most photographed buildings. From there we climbed back up to the main buildings and then back to the car park.

On our second visit, we went to the right and walked a mile or so along the coastal walk which was equally spectacular as the first walk, but took in unspoiled heathland with no buildings to be seen, just a few walls here and there. As the Cornish coast is so photogenic, we had plenty of opportunities to take stunning shots for us to use later on as we have on this site. The paths around all of the walks can be quite steep in some places, narrow in others, but usually firm and walkable in all weathers, but good walking boots are recommended to keep your footing.

Looking down at the bay
Looking down towards the bay

All in all, a great site to visit for walking and photography and the heathland is particularly stunning when the gorse and heather are in flower and carpets of lilac and yellow seem to flow over the ground into the distance. No doubt, we shall be making further visits to this famous place that emphasizes the history of the Cornish mining era of the 1800s. Of course, if you visit on, shall we say, a less than a gorgeous day, make sure you take suitable clothing as the breeze from the sea can be very chilling.

Fishing from the rocks