|
Media Centre > Cornish Cycle Tours
6th April 2009
Experience Cornwall's mining heritage with Cornish Cycle Tours.
A specialist cycling holiday company is offering pedal-powered tours through the heart of Cornwall’s World Heritage mining landscape.
Cornish Cycle Tours operate a range of self-guided cycling holidays, linking coastal mine workings and museums with former mining routes and picturesque harbours.
And with each night’s accommodation pre-booked and luggage transfers taken care of, cyclists are free to set their own pace en route to their evening destination and stop wherever the whim takes them.
“Cornwall’s mining heritage might not be the most fashionable facet of the county, but it’s a fascinating part of Britain’s industrial past,” said Cornish Cycle Tours founder Lanyon Rowe.
“All but one of our seven tours pass through the mining heartland around St Just, where ruined mine engine houses perch on the clifftops above the Atlantic Ocean. And for those who want to find out more about mining history, there’s the museum at Geevor Tin Mine and the restored steam beam engine at Levant Mine.”
Cornwall’s mining landscape was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2006, recognising the importance of the region’s historic landscapes, its outstanding mine buildings and its important role in technological innovation and scientific research.
The tours pass through eight of the 10 areas now inscribed as World Heritage Sites, giving ample opportunity for cyclists to stop along the route. Some of the highlights include:
Botallack Count House (West Cornwall Tour, Penwith Tour, Cornish Tour)
The impressive administrative building for this important 19th century mine, the Count House has an exhibition expounding the area’s rich mining heritage and also stages many community-related heritage events. www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Levant Mine and Beam Pumping Engine (West Cornwall Tour, Penwith Tour, Cornish Tour)
Levant is home to Cornwall’s oldest working steam beam engine, the Levant Whim, which was restored by volunteers in the 1990s. www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Geevor Tin Mine (West Cornwall Tour, Penwith Tour, Cornish Tour)
Geevor is the largest preserved mine site in the UK and where Cornwall’s mining history comes to life. Until 1990 Geevor was a working mine, but now hosts a museum comprising many surface buildings with guided underground tours through 18th and 19th century workings. www.geevor.com
King Edward Mine (West Cornwall Tour)
King Edward is the oldest complete mine site in Cornwall part of which is open to the public. It includes a museum, full-sized tin concentration plant (mill), specialist shop and the Mineral Tramways Exhibition. www.kingedwardmine.co.uk
Hayle Harbour (West Cornwall Tour, Penwith Tour, Cornish Tour)
Hayle is an historic industrial town and port of unique character and great historical significance. Much of its harbour infrastructure survives, together with key industrial and public buildings, and a good range of workers’ housing, villas and early shop fronts.
St Agnes Museum (Cornish Tour)
Housed in a listed 19th century chapel, the social and economic legacy of tin and copper mining in St Agnes is reflected in a fascinating collection which trace the impact of metalliferous mining on today’s landscape and community. www.stagnesmuseum.co.uk
The tours include accommodation in quality inns and guesthouses, luggage transfers, and daily route maps. Guests receive a comprehensive briefing before they set off, and Cornish Cycle Tours can also arrange cycle hire, and transfers to and from airports and railway stations in Cornwall.
Flexibility is a key feature of Cornish Cycle Tours holidays. Because all the tours are self-guided, guests are free to set their own pace and stop where and when the whim takes them. It also allows customers to book a holiday with almost any start date.
Detailed itineraries of all the tours can be viewed at www.cornishcycletours.co.uk. Prices start at £200 per person for the two night/three day Penwith Tour, including accommodation and luggage transfers.
ENDS
Images
High resolution images for media use.
Notes For Editors
Cornish Cycle Tours operate supported self-guided cycling holidays in Cornwall. With a choice of ten routes, Cornish Cycle Tours cater for cyclists of all fitness levels and abilities. The tours range from three to eight days, with the shortest able to be completed in a weekend. Cornish Cycle Tours is a member of Visit Cornwall, Cornwall’s official tourism accreditation scheme. Full details of the tour itineraries, prices and further information can be found at www.cornishcycletours.co.uk
Cornish Cycle Tours, Manyowners Cottage, Rosenannon, St Wenn, Bodmin, PL30 5PJ. Telephone: 01637 880710
Media Contact - PR on behalf of Cornish Cycle Tours.
For more information and images contact: Jim Michell at Barefoot Media.
Telephone: +44 (0)1208 895089 Email: jim@barefootmedia.co.uk |
