Gold travelled from Ireland through Cornwall and down to Mediterranean via sea or overland through Brittany to early centres of civilisation. Before River Camel and River Fowey in East Cornwall became silted through tin streaming they were navigable much further inland. Prior to tin mining there would have been only a four mile gap overland between north coast River Camel (at Padstow) and South Coast River Fowey. This is a serious short-cut to alternative of travelling right round peninsula of Cornwall with its dangers of rocks, ridiculous weather and hungry pirates.

All getting and giving is possible through an organization called Freecycle, a grassroots movement of people who give away things for free in their own towns. Each local group is run by a local volunteer moderator. All of trading is done online. Membership is free. Freecycle is open to individuals and non-profit organizations.

The Freecycle Network was started in 2003 in Tucson, Arizona, to promote waste reduction and help save desert landscape from being taken over by landfills. In just two years idea has spread worldwide. The process is quite simple. Go to www.freecycle.org and find a group near you. (If there's not one close, consider starting one yourself.) Then when you want to find a new home for something, just send an e-mail offering it to members of your Freecycle group.

Some groups have restrictions on what you can and cannot post, but most limitations are simply that item needs to be completely free, legal, and appropriate for all ages. What you offer doesn't matter: computer parts, couch, clothing, an old window, broken car, perfume, whatever. If you have it and don't want it, someone else probably can put it to good use.