Is Panning for Gold in Devon Worthwhile?
The rich history of precious metal in Devon and the surrounding area has built fortunes and created legends. Yet, you might not realise that panning for gold is an activity that you can try here easily. How can you do this, and is it worth doing?
The Timeless Allure of Gold
Gold has been valued by humans throughout history, with the earliest artefacts we’ve found so far dating back to the 5th millennium BC. The idea of panning or mining for gold has been part of the entertainment industry for some time, with shows like Gold Rush and Alaska Gold Diggers taking different approaches to how this activity is shown on our screens.
It’s also cropped up in movies such as John Huston’s 1948 classic The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and 2016’s Gold with Matthew McConaughey. The emergence of online Slingo games like Slingo Gold Cash Freespins and Slingo Golden Envelope provides a new way of playing based on the power of this precious metal. These games use gold to represent valuable symbols and the top prizes. Slingo Da Vinci Diamonds shows how other precious objects are also used to add extra appeal to these games.
Where Can You Find Gold in Devon?
Small amounts of gold are found with relative ease in some streams in Devon, although you need to be careful to only remove gold from land where this is allowed. One way of doing this safely is by arranging a gold panning trip to Southcombe Farm in Holsworthy, which is an area renowned for its gold and mineral deposits.
Is there a chance that Devon has even greater deposits of gold that have yet to be discovered and exploited? This report from the late 19th century suggests that the idea of large gold deposits is often brushed off as a fable, but that there could be a lot of the precious metal in certain parts of the area. To date, there is still uncertainty over how much gold is located here.
Other Ways to Explore the Area’s History of Valuable Metals
Gold isn’t the only valuable mineral found in Devon. Checking out historic tin mines like the Wheal Betsy Tin Mine is a great way of exploring the region’s history. Located just off the A386, it’s easily accessible, and you can simply walk up to the buildings and enjoy looking around while soaking up the views. Eylesbarrow Tin Mine on Dartmoor is another option, with guided tours available of this 19th-century mine.
If you want to go slightly further afield, the Ding Dong Mine in Cornwall has an intriguing history, as it’s arguably the oldest tin mine in the country and was apparently visited by Joseph of Arimathea and Jesus, according to some sources.
By looking at these areas, we can see that gold panning in Devon is definitely possible, although for the moment, there is no evidence to suggest that it could lead to you finding massive deposits of the metal. However, as one of the interesting ways to explore the region through its link to valuable minerals, it’s definitely worth considering.
