Q: What is the definition of a mine?

A: A hole in the ground with a Cornishman at the bottom of it.

It seems that even in Devon they tell this joke!

It’s been a week since we last went underground, so it must be time again.  Our destination was Morwhellam Quay and the George and Charlotte Copper Mine, which is an amazing living history museum.  It felt like we had the place largely to ourselves (schools here are still in session) so we were able to see the whole village of Morwhellam and all the live exhibits in one full day.  Note, we were  well prepared for this visit, having seen the recent BBC documentary series “Edwardian Farm” featuring a historian and two archaeologists recreating and reviving the village.  Indeed, we had seen so much of the different places in Morwhellam, we felt a bit like we were coming home!

Highlights: riding a real mine train underground, putting the kids to work breaking up ore, making our own rope, attending a lesson at school (beware the cane for bad behavior!), making and eating chocolate lollies, and dressing up in period costume (with period expressions).

We took a taxi to Morwhellam, but we were delighted to discover that the once-a-week bus happens to run on Sundays, the day of our visit – so we continued our bus tradition and rode the bus home.  We took advantage of our self-catering-equipped B&B room to have a picnic ensuite, and Nick and Susannah fit in a run along the Tavistock Canal to see the majestic Shillamill Viaduct.