Bere Alston

For centuries, Bere Alston was a thriving little port on the River Tamar from whence the products of Dartmoor’s tin mines were transported around the world. All that commercial activity has long since gone, but the river here is still busy with the to-ings and fro-ings of sleek pleasure craft. Just a few miles upstream from Bere Alston is one of the county’s most popular visitor attractions, Morwellham Quay. The port fell into disuse following the arrival of the railway and by the 1980s it was a ghost harbour with the Tamar valley breezes whistling through its abandoned buildings. Now restored, this historic site faithfully re-creates the busy atmosphere of the 1860s when half the world’s copper came through this tiny harbour. Visitors can journey through the mines on a riverside tramway, watch demonstrations in the blacksmith’s and cooper’s workshops, and explore the restored Tamar ketch Garlandstone. Although Morwellham lies some 20 miles upstream from Plymouth, the Tamar river at this point was deep enough for 300-ton ships to load up with the precious minerals. Once known as the Devon Klondyke, Morwellham suffered a catastrophic decline when cheaper sources of copper were discovered in South America.

The quayside inn has also been restored. It was here that the dockside labourers used to meet for ale, food and the latest news of the ships that sailed from Morwellham. In those days, the news was chalked up on a blackboard, which is still here. Though out of date, the stories nonetheless remain intriguing.