Sunday 29 July 2012

A Walk Along Curbar Edge

A shorter day today so a later start.
First we stopped at Outside in Hathersage for breakfast, the a quick visit to Hitch'n'Hike for Keith to buy some Kahootla Microspike crampons for his trip to the Dolomites in September.
Next we drove to the car park at Curbar Gap and set off following the path along the tops of Curbar and Froggat Edges. It was coolish but sunny and dry and although we could see dark clouds and signs of rain falling in the distance, we luckily remained in the dry as we continued along the top of these well known rock-climbing spots.
Once we reached the wooden field gate leading to the woods above Nether Padley, we stopped and turned around to begin retracing our route back to where we started.
Again there were large, dark and threatening clouds in the distance and again we remained dry as we arrived back at the car park where we sat in the sun on a grassy bank eating the ice creams we had bought from the ice cream van parked in the car park.

Saturday 28 July 2012

Kinder Scout

Karen's brother Keith joined Karen and myself for a walk on Kinder Scout on a perfect day which was dry with quite a lot of sun but not too warm.
We started with breakfast at Outside at Calver Crossroads once it had opened for business at 09:30 as we had arrived early at 09:20.
After parking at the Edale car park at Grindsbrook Booth, we made our way along the start of the Pennine Way, then branched off along the path leading along Crowden Clough. We continued following Crowden Brook where most people leave it by following a steep path up towards the plateau's edge.
After scrambling along boulders near the water, we arrived at the easy, but unfortunately short, scramble at the top of the Clough.
We had a short rest sitting beside the path which follows the edge of the plateau before setting off along the bed of one of the Brook's tributaries heading north. Keeping an eye on the compass despite the clear whether to lake sure we didn't veer off our intended route across the moor to the waterfall of Kinder Downfall, we left the channel in the peaty bog we had been following, known as a “grough”, then crossed several other groughs and squelched our way over short stretches of peat, heading towards Crowden Head.
Soon we could see the landmark of the pair of large gritstone buttresses known as Kinder Gates which are on either bank of the Kinder River which heads for the western edge of the plateau in a corner where the plateau edge turns through 90 degrees from a north-south orientation to west-east.
Once we had reached the wide sandy bed of the Kinder River, we followed easy going along the river bed until we reached Kinder Downfall where the river tumbles over the edge into a large rocky amphitheatre.
The water is often blown upwards by the prevailing winds and today it was doing just that.
We sat on rocks overlooking the Downfall and the Kinder Reservoir with views across Cheshire and towards Manchester in the distance, The huge dish belonging to the radio telescope at Jodrell Bank stood out clearly.
After a short snack, we continued onwards along the path following the edge of Kinder Scout southwards passing near the trig point at Kinder Low and soon arrived at the large rock formation of Edale Rocks.
From here we turned off the route which heads for the top if the Jacob's Ladder path to arrive at the path on the path on the eastern edge of the plateau. This we followed passing the rocky tors of Noe Stool and Pym Chair and onwards as it wended through the weirdly-shaped gritstone boulders which have been sculpted by ages of wind and weather, known as the Wool Packs.
We passed the top of Crowden Clough, where we had scrambled up to the plateau's edge earlier in the walk and the followed the path along the edge as it headed towards the top of Grindsbrook Clough but we chose to follow a path leading off along the top of Grindsbrook Clough to arrive at the summit of Grindslow Knoll.
Leaving the windy top if the Knoll we made our way down the steep rock path eventually arriving back at pastureland by Grindsbrook Booth village, then following the path alongside the small stream running beside the large Coopers Farm Camp Site, we were back at the village beside the Old Nags Head Inn pub.
We had a mug of tea and slices of cake in the camp site café, then walked back along the road to our starting point at the car park.
Karen on the scramble in Crowden Clough

Keith on the scramble in Crowden Clough

A not too boggy bit!

A goughy area

Passing Kinder Gates while following the Kinder River

The top of Kinder Downfall

Water blowing upwards on Kinder Downfall

Sunday 22 July 2012

DCRO First Aid Cover Great Hucklow Fell Race


Karen and I joined various other Team members to provide First Aid Cover for the Great Hucklow Fell Race.

Saturday 21 July 2012

Carlswark Cavern


There had been a plan for Karen, Keith and I plus maybe some others to have a trip down JH (James Hall's Over Engine Mine) near Castleton but as it had been so wet recently, we decided to postpone the visit to JH for another time and Keith would stay at home in Rugby.
So, we decided to visit Carlswark Cavern as we hadn't been there for quite a while and we intended to visit the outdoor gear shop "Outside" as well at Calver crossroads which is near to Stoney Middelton..
After breakfast at Monyash, Karen and I picked up a rope from the OCC hut and parked in Stoney Middleton at the large layby near the village centre.
We walked along the path passing the Gin Entrance and then to the Eyam Dale road and up the slope to Eyam Dale Shaft. We found the shaft had a rope rigged already but it had obviously been there for a while a the tail which was tied to an old bolt on the concrete step by the shaft was very dirty with grit and mud from recent heavy rainfall.
I rigged our rope and dropped down the shaft followed by Karen. We removed our SRT kits and tied off the bottom of the rope and then dropped down the short bottom section of the shaft and then the crawl into the rest of the cave.
We visited most of the cave except for The Big Dig which was flowing with quite a lot of water and of course the main part of the Dynamite Series which is just too small for us.
Afterwards we walked back to the car and cleaned our gear off in the stream flowing below the car park.

Later we heard that there had been a bit of collapse on the second pitch, called Bitch Pitch, so maybe it was just as well that we had changed our plans!

Saturday 14 July 2012

Snailbeach Mine


Yesterday evening, Karen and I left Winster to head for the Foxholes Campsite near Bishops Castle in Shropshire where we were booked into a bunkhouse on the campsite.
It was a very wet drive and there was quite a lot of deep water and debris on the roads in the Minsterley area after the day's heavy rain and recent wet spell so that the rain was simply flowing straight off the fields and collecting on roads and at least one case unfortunately flowing through someone's house.
We met Boyd and then later Pete Wagstaff at the bunkhouse in the evening.
In the morning, Dave Phillips also arrived and had caused a bit of consternation by walking in through the front door of the campsite owner;s house and into the living room!
We knew the bunkhouse had only and electric kettle, but it was next to a “wet room” shower and toilet and also a room with sink, hot and cold water, a fridge and a chest freezer. So we had come prepared for breakfast of cereal and sausage sandwiches by bringing mugs, plates, cutlery and a camping gas cooker.
We met up at the Village Hall car park in Snailbeach with Mike and Eileen of Shropshire Cave and Mining Club along with Keith Slatcher, Chris Jackson and Mat and Nikki Adlam-Styles. We left some cars there as others were driven nearer to the mine which wasn't that far away anyway and had limited parking space.
Karen and I were given a lift by Eileen right to the mine's entrance at Perkins Level. Once all had got changed into caving gear we headed into the adit and each person moved a brass disc from the lower section on a wooden board with hooks to a higher section, which is how the miners used to “clock in and out” and keep a record of who was underground.
Snailbeach was once considered "the richest mine per acre of ground in Europe", and was one of the most famous lead mines in Britain. The Romans probably mined the lead ore (Galena) on this site first and they were certainly busy at nearby mines in the upland country of the Stiperstones around 120AD.
After the Romans left, there seems to have been little mining until the late 18th century when Snailbeach and other Shropshire mines enjoyed a bonanza lasting around 150 years.
Not far along the adit we reached a metal bridge with a metal ladder on the other side of the bars along the side of the bridge. The ladder was vertical and about 5 metres long. We climbed down the ladder to a small chamber. From here we all dropped down a pitch with a very short wet vertical section followed by a slope with sandy material with a channel cut into it by the water flowing from above. Mike and Eileen had told us that this was usually dry but of course the weather had been very wet yesterday.
After reaching a rebelay further down the slope, two route diverged: the “Classic “ route and the “Scenic Route”.
Karen, Chris, Mat and Nikki together with myself followed Eileen on down the “Classic” Route while Mike led the others down the “Scenic” Route.
So, I followed Eileen down a diagonal route continuing down the sandy slope to a point where the roof came down towards the slope where there was a deviation.
After passing the deviation, the route dropped a bit more steeply the swung into a passageway continuing underneath.
We followed this passageway for a short distance to a right-angled junction, then a few tens of metres to a drop where the rope was rigged a s wide “Y-hang”.
This was the beginning of a section of “in-situ” ropes which were 11 mm diameter and therefore thicker than the 10 or 10.5 mm diameter ropes we usually used so there was quite a lot of friction.
Passing another deviation this rope followed a slanting wall to a sandy ramp where there was another “Y-hang”.
This rope was held clear from the sandy slope at the lower end by being passed through a pulley and having a weight attached which made it even more difficult to get through the descender.
At the end of this rope, where it passed through the pulley, there was an eyehole about 2 and a half metres off the still sloping ground with a double knotted handline.
Eileen clambered up the rope and into the eyehole and told me to make sure I didn't roll further down the slope as there was 30+ metre drop off to the right further down.
We waited for the others to arrive and Nikki was next followed by Mat, who gave Nikki a leg up to get started, followed by Karen and then Chris.
The other side of the eyehole was an easy clamber down for a metre or so then a very short horizontal passage to the top of an aluminium builders ladder.
After climbing down the 4 or so metres of ladder, another sandy slope continued downwards passing a short low section, then a higher and steeper section equipped with a handline.
At the bottom of the slope were a set of rails which were much wider apart than the rails usually scene in the Peak.
After walking along this passageway we soon reached a bend where there was a drop ahead and a passage going left.
After following this passageway, I could see someone ahead sitting down with a white beard and a caving light and first though it was Boyd, but it was actually Mike.
We walked into a larger section of passage where Mike was sitting which was a junction and also the point at which the “Scenic Route” comes in.
Mike was having a snack and waiting while the others had gone down a passage leading to another pitch dropping further down into the lower levels of the mine.
We followed down this passage leaving Mike to continue with his snack. Further along the passage, we met Pete, Keith, Boyd and Dave who had been to the pitch and found it was much to wet to descend.
So we also went to have a look at the pitch, which was by a set of rails rigged with a traverse line, and it did look very wet.
After returning to the junction,we wall sat and had Mars Bars or whatever snacks had been brought along, then Eileen started up the “Scenic Rout” as we began to exit the mine via the route the other party had taken.
The first section of the route began awkwardly as the rope dropped down over the lip of the passage we had taken earlier on our way in so the rope was free-hanging at the start for a metre and a half or so.
After passing this lip, the route continued up a slope to a flat area with a “Y-hang”. Next came a steeper section to the left which again was ascended by pushing jammers up the rope and climbing with the feet to reach s short steeper wall with a tackle bag protecting the rope as it passed over the top of the steeper wall.
Just above this was another “Y-hang” with a small platform to stand on where I met Karen who was waiting for Eileen to clear the next section.
After another short ascent we reached a horizontal section of passage leading to a slope protected by a traverse line with the top of the slope to traverse across about a meter lower so you had to clip into the traverse line and lower yourself down a step to reach the slope.
After crossing the slope, we reached another short, steep section heading up and to the left at the top of a steep hading slope with floor and roof fairly close.
There was a very short section of rope leading to a rebelay then it disappeared around the corner following up the steep floor. I waited on the flat section until Karen had shouted “rope free” from the section above as it was easier to wait where I was.
Soon Karen had shouted “rope free” and I ascended to 3 metres to the rebelay than after passing it, I followed around the corner and then up the steep floor which was covered with small gritty debris and water and again I rejoined Karen at a horizontal section again by a “Y-hang” while we waited for Eileen to clear the section of rope above.
Soon Karen was following Eileen upwards and we began to hear voices and see lights from the other group also ascending nearby.
Again I heard Karen's “rope free” and I followed the again, sloping climb to reach a deviation on the left-hand wall then a short section of the sandy, steep slope we had descended earlier as we reached again the convergence of the “Classic Route” and “Tourist Route”.
I waited for Mike who was ascending the slope above to clear the rope as Boyd began coming up the rope to the right which we had descended earlier with Mat waiting at the rebelay below me.
Once Mike had shouted “rope free” I followed up and joined Mike and Karen at the foot of the short metal ladder by the bridge.
After clambering up the ladder Mike showed Karen and I around some more sections of the mine nearby including sections which had been blocked with concrete as they were unstable plus short sections of corrugated metal arching, again supporting short sections of unstable passage, leading to a large chamber where the final mining activity, for Barytes, had ceased in the 1950's.
After this, we were joined by some of the others to again cross the metal footbridge back towards the entrance then having a look at the 200 metre deep Chapel Shaft at a passage which joins it about 70 metres from the bottom.
With our visit to Snailbeach at an end, we followed the adit back to the surface to get changed.
After walking or driving back to the Village Hall car park and narrowly avoiding a short heavy shower of rain, Mike and Eileen took us on a short tour of the mine buildings nearby including the Locomotive Shed, Blacksmith's Shop and the Miner’s Dry (now converted into a Visitor Centre), where miners placed wet working clothes over steam pipes to dry for the next day.
Later on, we all reconvened to have a meal at the Stiperstones Inn which was very good and at very reasonable prices.

Saturday 7 July 2012

Water Icicle Close Cavern

I accompanied Richard Halford, Martin Long and two others from Peak District Mines Historical Society to the North-West Passage extensions in Water Icicle Close Cavern while Karen kept her parents, who were visiting for the weekend, entertained.