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.
