Howdy peeps - we've had a busy week, this has been the first day that I've been able to update the blog in a whole week!
We consider ourselves very lucky that we have family dotted around the UK. Last week we headed off to Cornwall to stay with Lee’s family for a few days. Quite frankly, whenever we visit Cornwall, we often seem to bring rain with us! It tipped down all day on Friday so we headed out for a look around the shops in Bodmin before heading back so the kids could play with their cousins – marbles are the way forward – kept them entertained for ages!
Saturday was looking like the only sunny day, so we packed in as many activities as possible. We tend to stick to the same sort of places when we go to Cornwall – this time we were determined to go somewhere different!
My mother-in-law then told me about Carnglaze Caverns in the Loveny Valley, near the village of St Neot, between Bodmin and Liskeard. It is part of a slate mine and has an underground lake, and an enchanted dell – well, I was sold on that!
Carnglaze is affiliated to the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site. It is also an unusual concert and wedding venue.
Carnglaze Caverns is a constant 10°C underground, cool in Summer, warmer in winter! A jumper or coat and sensible footwear are recommended. As the Caverns are underground it makes for an ideal wet weather activity in Cornwall.
When we arrived we headed to the ticket office, and were each given a hard hat and one torch, we were welcome to roam inside freely.
It is eery and magical all at the same time, we were the only people in there! Being a cave there are bats sleeping up in the crevices but we couldn’t see them. The first of the caverns, the Rum Store, is so called because it was used by the Royal Navy during the Second World War to store its supply of rum. In 2001 it was converted into an auditorium with seating for 400 this is where concerts are held. Here you can look at the collection of minerals mined in Cornwall.
You will then have to go down 60 steps which will take you 60 metres underground, the steps are lit up by lights I have to say it looks stunning.
There are information points around the caves, you can use your torch to read them as it’s pretty dark. The final cavern contains the underground lake there are light switches which illuminated the crystal clear turquoise water when you switch them on, apparently it is nine metres deep! My pictures do it no justice at all!!
Once you’ve finished roaming about you need to take you helmets and torches back to the ticket office, you can then head to the woodland walk.
If the children want to, they can try and count up the faeries and dragons along the way, they will get a sticker at the end.
We wandered through the pathways leading to the Enchanted Dell, keep looking up and down there are little fairies everywhere as well as some carvings a toadstool and a hobbit house, complete with Gandalf inside.
The walk took around 30 minutes with the kids in tow, and a grumpy threenager who at on point refused to walk! When you get back to the car park you can visit the gift shop, where there are crystals, fossils, fairies, and of course fudge. There is also a walled garden picnic area with a little marquee and a small café.
Carnglaze is open Monday to Saturday 10am-5pm (8pm in August) and costs £6 per adult and £4 per child. You can get a cheaper deal on a family ticket. You are welcome to stay as long as you like.
We stayed there for around 90 minutes, and the kids loved it, I mean come on, it’s not often you get to go into an old mine?! Our day didn’t end there – our next port of call was the harbour towns of Fowey and Charlestown.