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Stunning views across the valley

Wheal Anna Maria – a copper and arsenic mine – covered 3.2 hectares and had over 6,850 cubic metres of arsenic flues! It was named after the Duchess of Bedford! Her main workings were on the ‘Main Lode‘ (the largest sulphide deposit in southwest England). When its rich copper waned, Devon Great Consols became the largest arsenic mine in the world because the margins of the copper-rich lode were dominated by arsenopyrite. In 1860 the copper lode at Anna Maria was up to 45 feet wide and yielding up to 80 tons per fathom, but by around 1880 the copper boom was over. Thankfully, arsenic production sustained the mine into the 1900s, until the company folded. Arsenic ore, unlike copper ore, was refined on site using the ‘calcination’ process – and at Wheal Anna Maria they yielded over 72,000 tons of refined arsenic! – Whoop!

Nice spot to take a break and enjoy the views

Map to show local trails

Siblyback Lake is a reservoir on the edge of Bodmin Moor. The dam blocks a small tributary of the River Fowey.

The dam was built in 1968 to create the reservoir which provides drinking water and tops up the water levels of the River Fowey during the dry months. Once a small tributary of the River Fowey, Siblyback Lake now holds 3 billion litres of water.

The path around Siblyback Lake is hardpacked, suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs and at 5km long is the perfect run. The lake is set in Bodmin Moor so you can appreciate the beauty of the area without having to climb up any Tors.

The dam was built in 1968 to create this reservoir which provides drinking water and tops up the water levels of the River Fowey during the dry months. Once a small tributary of the River Fowey, the lake now holds 3 billion litres of water.