Pool is the place where Cornwall's mining past is easiest to see, because it lies along the main road between Camborne and Redruth, and the engine houses are right beside it. East Pool Mine, now cared for by the National Trust, was one of the richest tin mines in the county, and it kept working until 1945. Two huge beam engines still stand under their roofs, and the big granite engine house, with its tall chimney and arched openings, dominates the village. It is one of the sites that make up the Cornish Mining Landscape, inscribed by UNESCO in 2006.
The industry that grew up here was global. Cornish engineers designed pumping and winding engines that were used in mines from Mexico to Australia, and Cornish miners, known as Cousin Jacks, carried their skills and their pasties to every continent. Richard Trevithick, who lived in nearby Camborne, built one of the first steam road vehicles in 1801 and drove it up Camborne Hill, an event still celebrated in the town every April. The great engines at Pool are among the survivors of that age.
Close by, the Heartlands centre, a former mine site converted into gardens and exhibitions, gives you a feel for the world of the miners. Camborne's School of Mines trained generations of engineers, and the town still has an air of practical, workmanlike pride. The small terraced houses and Methodist chapels, plain and sturdy, belong to the same story, since Methodism took root deeply among Cornish miners.
The country around is not dramatic but intriguing. The ground is scarred by the old workings, and the fields are scattered with stone ruins, but the scenery is open and the light is bright. The coast, a few kilometres north, offers wild cliffs and good beaches. The A30 runs past on its way to Penzance, and you want to get off it quickly onto the minor roads, which are narrower and slower but more rewarding.
Camborne is the place for fuel, supermarkets and cafés, with twenty-two thousand people and three kilometres to go. Opening times of the engine houses vary by season, so check before you arrive. Bring a waterproof, since the Cornish weather changes fast.