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The Tamar Valley was once at the heart of Devon's thriving minerals industry.

For centuries, tin, silver, lead, granite and copper were all mined in this part of West Devon, and you can still see remnants of the industry to this day.

Morwellham Quay became a thriving port, and minerals were shipped out from here for 1,000 years.

Now, there are multi-million pound proposals to protect the mining landscape heritage of the Tamar Valley - and to open it up to the public, with plans for 60km of new trails and footpaths linking the old mine workings.

Waterwheel at Morwellham Quay

Managers at the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) are drawing up a list of projects, and have been boosted by lottery funding of Β£5.8 million.

Among the ideas is a trail between Bere Alston and Plymouth for walkers and cyclists. There are also plans to have mine rides and other visitor attractions, while there areΜύ Β£1 million proposals for Morwellham Quay.

There was another boost, when a World Heritage Site bid for Cornish and West Devon Mining was successful.

The World Heritage Site designation gives the area - regarded as among the most precious landscapes in England - a much higher profile and open up other avenues of funding.

All the projects will be carried out with the valley's natural environment in mind, and special care will be taken to protect habitat and wildlife - such as an important population of bats.

For much more information, click onto the links to the Tamar Valley websites.