WORK begins later this month on the £6-million Tamar Valley Mining Heritage Project ? it will open up areas of the valley that have previously been inaccessible to the public. The first stage of the three-year programme, to celebrate and conserve the rich mining landscape of the area, will create a network of paths and trails on the Devon side of the valley and cost around £2-million. Contractors move on site in mid-August to create a new stretch of trails between Morwellham and Newquay. The trails will run through woods and drop down by the historic lime kilns, creating access to the docks at Newquay. They will run for 1.3km and the work will take six weeks to complete. Later in the autumn, the old mineral tramway between Morwellham and Forest Gate car park ? next to the sawmills, near Gunnislake Bridge ? will be transformed as a multi-use trail for cyclists, horse riders and walkers to enjoy. Further work concentrating on Morwellham begins before Christmas and include restoration of part of the railway track bed that connected the quay to mines further up the valley. The restoration will encompass a viewing area, where visitors can look over the Great Dock and the rest of the village, complete with new, state-of-the-art interpretation. Devon Great Consols Mine ? the largest copper mine in Europe in the 1800s ? will also benefit with circular trails being created through Blanchdown Wood, near Gulworthy. West Devon Borough Council and the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty are jointly managing the project. Cllr Robin Pike, who represents the Tamarside area for West Devon Borough Council, was delighted the work for the project is finally beginning. He said: ?I?ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. I?m thrilled that all our plans are now coming together and soon we?ll see real improvements on the ground.? Tim Selman, AONB manager, said: ?We are now in the position to create a fantastic resource, and access to the rich mining heritage of this area, for people to enjoy. ?We are still very keen to hear from local fencers, foresters, scaffolders, engineers, a whole host of local contractors who can work with us on the project over the next three years.? If you are interested, or would like to find out more, contact the AONB team on 01579 351681 or email: [email protected]">[email protected] The work may affect access to current trails and the surrounding area and the public is asked to be patient and keep away from the sites while improvements are being made and respect the privacy of residents of the area. For enquiries about public access during the programme of works contact Pete Leaver on 01271 374485.