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Day two was the undoubted highlight of the trip - a visit to the Rio Tinto mines.

This area has been mined for some 5,000 years. It was very important to the Romans.

A group of mostly British investors bought the mine complex in 1873, forming the company that was to become Rio Tinto Zinc, one of the biggest mining companies in the world.

Rio Tinto Mines

Driving up to the museum, we were in awe of the scale of the operations and the stark beauty of the modified landscape.

We visited the museum, which covers the history from pre-Roman times, up until the British consortium pulled out as copper prices fell.

Then we visited an abandoned open-cast mine, which we accessed by way of a short tunnel.

After lunch we went on a train ride down the banks of the Rio Tinto itself - you can see this on the next page.

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