Giant mechanical puppet begins walk across south-west England to celebrate mining history

A giant mechanical puppet of a Cornish miner has taken its first steps on a 130-mile journey across south-west England.



The 10-metre (32.8ft) tall The Man Engine is making an historic journey to celebrate the area's mining history.





The puppet, which weighs 40 tonnes, is the same height as a double decker bus when in "crawling" mode but more than twice that height when standing.


YouTube link. Additional YouTube video showing The Man Engine in "crawling" mode.

It was launched in Tavistock, Devon, and will reach west Cornwall on 6 August. The Man Engine is operated by a team of volunteer puppeteers, who use ropes to control the giant model.