Redruth

Redruth turned its own river red digging up the copper that built half the Industrial Revolution, then watched the money leave for Mexico, Australia and South Africa with most of the workforce following it. What is left is a granite town with a proper high street, a rugby club that has produced England captains, and absolutely no interest in charming anybody. The coast is a short drive away and the holiday crowds mostly stay on it, which suits Redruth fine. This is a working town that never got round to reinventing itself as a lifestyle, and there is something restful about a place with nothing to prove to you.