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The North of England Lead Mining Museum at Killhope in Upper Weardale (http://www.killhope.org.uk/Pages/KillhopeHomePage.aspx) is a wonderful place to learn more about what must have been one of the toughest ways to earn a living yet devised, hacking lead ore out of the Pennines. The fully restored mine and lead processing equipment, including a giant overshot water wheel, and the exquisite collection of mineral crystals extracted from local mines, are just a few of the delights that the museum has to offer. In the spruce plantation behind the mine you can still watch red squirrels at close quarters, at two feeding stations that have been set up there. They are probably extinct elsewhere in County Durham but a small population still thrives here. During our visit yesterday we watched four red squirrels , including this almost white-tailed example which is typical of our native sub-species – re-introduced populations of European origin tend not to display this distinctive feature. A couple of the squirrels still carried their long ear tufts, which red squirrels are supposed to lose in summer; presumably they hadn’t read the ID guides. If you visit Killhope, which opens at 10am., head straight for the squirrel hides, before the visitors to the mining museum start exploring the woodland trail, and you’ll stand the best chance of seeing these fast-disappearing animals.
The North of England Lead Mining Museum at Killhope in Upper Weardale (http://www.killhope.org.uk/Pages/KillhopeHomePage.aspx) is a wonderful place to learn more about what must have been one of the toughest ways to earn a living yet devised, hacking lead ore out of the Pennines. The fully restored mine and lead processing equipment, including a giant overshot water wheel, and the exquisite collection of mineral crystals extracted from local mines, are just a few of the delights that the museum has to offer. In the spruce plantation behind the mine you can still watch red squirrels at close quarters, at two feeding stations that have been set up there. They are probably extinct elsewhere in County Durham but a small population still thrives here. During our visit yesterday we watched four red squirrels , including this almost white-tailed example which is typical of our native sub-species – re-introduced populations of European origin tend not to display this distinctive feature. A couple of the squirrels still carried their long ear tufts, which red squirrels are supposed to lose in summer; presumably they hadn’t read the ID guides. If you visit Killhope, which opens at 10am., head straight for the squirrel hides, before the visitors to the mining museum start exploring the woodland trail, and you’ll stand the best chance of seeing these fast-disappearing animals. 
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