Christmas 2024 newsletter
Nadelik Lowen! A very happy Christmas to all friends of Okel Tor Mine. Here’s a roundup of news from 2024.
Awards and returning guests
We’re delighted to announce we have earned the SECTA Green Acorn Award for environmental business practice this year, https://greenacorn.org.uk/, reflecting our commitment to reduce the impact of our business, and that of our guests, on the environment.
We have also retained our Airbnb Superhost status throughout 2024 and earned the “Guest Favourite” Award, which is based on guest feedback. Our heartfelt thanks goes to all our guests who have written such lovely reviews on all platforms. It means a great deal to us.
It’s also rewarding to see our returning guests now comprise 65% of all stays at Okel Tor Mine. It has been our pleasure this year to welcome back so many familiar faces and we look forward to seeing you again next year.
Renovations and Repairs
2024 has brought to us an increasing sense of being custodians, rather than just owners, of Okel Tor Mine. It’s a special place that deserves to be enjoyed by guests and visitors, walkers and naturalists, and it is home to a rich and diverse variety of wildlife. We ever more see it as our job to protect both its heritage and environment for the benefit of all.
We were therefore delighted to oversee the replacement of the boardwalks, interpretation boards and riverside viewing platform back in the summer. It was a substantial project, with all the timber having to be carried in by hand, and the remains of the old boardwalks taken back out the same way. The new structures are made from oak, replacing the old, rotten, softwood ones, so should last for many years to come.
One of the three old boardwalks...
...and its new replacement
The reception
On completion of all the works in late summer, it was a pleasure to host a reception to celebrate the opening of the new facilities, attended by sponsors, local Councillors and those who had helped with the project. We’ve also been touched by the many messages of support and approval from the local community.
One of those present at the reception was local resident and photographer Jan Simpson, whose wonderful wildlife photos appear on the new interpretation boards. Jan is a frequent visitor to Okel Tor Mine and her photographs are stunning. Here are a few of the mine and its surroundings.
Rumleigh chimney at dusk
The Calstock wetlands footbridge
Early morning on the riverside footpath at Okel Tor Mine
A view over the river to Rumleigh
Heavy winter rains back at the start of 2024 took their toll on our Cornish walls and the track that runs through the mine. The track surface had become increasingly washed away, exposing the bedrock below and not making for an especially comfortable drive down to the mine! We therefore had the surface dressed and 120 tonnes of local granite chippings added to level it up. We’re pleased to report it’s now a much smoother surface and a more pleasant drive down. We’ve also had wall damage repaired by local craftsmen and hope you agree they have done a sensitive job.
One of the collapsed walls
After repair
The new top dressing to the track
Our final major repair project of 2024 was the mine chimney. Photographs from the past decade showed increasing vegetation growth around the brick collar and gave us considerable cause for concern. We therefore commissioned surveys by both drone and steeplejacks, which revealed the alarming extent of the damage.
Roots from ivy and a sycamore tree had grown behind the brick collar, slowly but inexorably forcing the bricks outward, with many teetering precariously 60ft over our bedroom! English Heritage rightly considered this to be a safety hazard requiring emergency repairs, so the steeplejacks set about removing all the vegetation, the loose bricks and the roots behind them. Not a moment too soon! They then replaced the bricks with a traditional lime mortar. The result not only looks great, but is an enormous relief.
Some of the precarious loose bricks
The mass of roots pushing the bricks out
A head for heights required!
The finished job
Improvements have also been taking place inside the cottages during 2024. New mattresses, bed linen, cushions, rugs, curtains, lights and smart TVs have all helped us keep things up to scratch for our guests.
Calstock events and the community
Calstock hosts some wonderful events throughout each year, some of which we, and our guests, have thoroughly enjoyed in 2024. As well as productions at Calstock Arts, music gigs in the newly refurbished village hall, the heritage weekend, the rowing regatta, the Tamar Valley River Festival and the Christmas garland at Cotehele, two events stand out.
May Day is celebrated in the village by the Calstock May Revels, where the giant puppet “Tavy” leads a procession of musicians around the village before heading off on a boat down river. The evening concludes with a “shout” in the Tamar Inn – a lively sea shanty session where everyone is encouraged to join in. In November, we watched our first Calstock Fireworks display. This far exceeded our expectations and was truly breath-taking, with reflections on the river and echoes from the far bank adding to the spectacle. A wood-fired pizza from the visiting Lil' Pizza Heaven and local cider helped make the evening!
We’d encourage guests to check out the many events planned for 2025 in and around Calstock when planning their stay here.
Calstock Arts - what's on Cotehele House and Quay Tamar Valley - local events
Village events are also announced on the Calstock Community Facebook page, which is well worth following.
We look forward to welcoming guests old and new to this special place in 2025.
Very best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.
Jon and Jenny
