I was lucky enough to visit two Landmark Trust properties recently and Danescombe Mine was one of them. I drove down from North Devon through the Dartmoor national park to reach Calstock, making the journey itself a worthwhile venture. As I drove through Dartmoor, snow had reached the higher parts and it was more beautiful than I ever imagined, as I always thought it would be a bleak, foreboding place.
Danescombe Mine was restored by the Landmark Trust in the 1970s and has seen many visitors stay there, who have managed to get through several log books saying how wonderful they think the place is. It is located in the midst of a quiet wood and Cotehele House and Gardens (a National Trust property) can be found nearby.Danescombe Mine wouldn’t be everyone’s idea of a holiday, though I think it is wonderful. It is, as the name suggests, a former copper/arsenic mine and the accommodation is in what would have been the engine house of the mine. Other ruins of buildings are nearby and the National Trust have also restored two cottages that originally belonged to the mine up the track. When I say “track” that is a good description of the road that you need to drive on to get to the property. I don’t recommend driving to it in a sportscar, unless you want to smash up the bottom of your car on the large stones and potholes en route. I also wouldn’t recommend that you splash in the puddles, just in case you fall down a disused mineshaft. You can see blocked off tunnels to the mine near the buildings, but any sign of mining activity has long gone. All you will hear are the calls of owls at night and perhaps you might come across an occasional bat.
There are two bedrooms in the property and a kitchen and living area on the ground floor. The double bedroom at the top has a magnificent view from its panoramic windows.

Calstock is distinctive because of its viaduct that can be seen for miles.

You enter the mine up some steep brick steps.

This is the engine house of the building, now converted to living spaces, and would once have housed the wheel for the mine.

This mineshaft is very close to the property and you can see quite far down it through a grate and with the help of a torch or camera flash.

The Landmark Trust is a charity that restores interesting, historical buildings. To find out more visit their website landmarktrust.org.uk