The tin mines may be closed, but the ruins of the structures which once housed them near St. Just make a thrillingly dramatic counterpoint to the rugged rocks and wild seas of Cornwall's north coast.

The remnants of 3,000 engine houses built in the 18th and 19th centuries were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006.

Visitors can walk heritage trails, go underground to see how the miners labored, pan for minerals and gems or bike the 31-kilometer coastal trail known as the Cornwall Mineral Tramway; cornish-mining.org.uk