In the mid-1800s the area where we live was completely different. The area was one of the powerhouses of the industrial revolution and what’s now quiet track was once a steam railway that took granite, copper, tin and other minerals to Looe to be shipped to where it was needed. Before 1842 our village didn’t exist and all of a sudden a whole infrastructure was put in place to house, feed and clothe miners and quarrymen whose numbers had been massively increased because of the use of steam power to extract the precious stone and minerals.

The relics of those times are littered all over the area. This stone is one such relic. I’m not sure what it’s for – it’s not on the route of the railway as far as I know. I can’t look it up because our local reference book is out on loan to some friends who wanted to return the windows of their house to look like the original 1842 windows and there was a photo of the house in the book. I must remember to ask for its return because although I’m not constantly referring to it, I do use it regularly to look up stuff like this!

It’s on “the extended loop” – the dog walk that’s longer than the standard loop and just right for a beautiful, sunny (if cold) day. There are times when the place where we live seems like little more than a sea of mud but this summer it’s been glorious. We’ve had fabulous weather and even the moor’s ponds are pretty much empty at the moment. Walking is a real joy at the moment for us humans. The dogs don’t care whether the weather is good, bad or indifferent as long as they have a tennis ball and as long as we are prepared to kick it for them to chase. They barely glance at the views or the historical things.