Over & Under!



"The Ball Room": Smallcleugh Mine
Picture courtesy: Nigel Ball


The last week has seen the return to something of a more normal rhythm of life: school group on outdoor ed week; walking group & a church visiting the Centre. Underground trip in Smallcleugh Mine (see below) & a day in the fells with the walking group (see also below). Some minor running, although this has been temporarily blighted by me picking up the lurgy that seems to be circulating Centre staff at the moment, however, if recovery continues I hope to run in the fells this weekend.
I think the new "widget" seems to be working quite well in at least summarising mileage info.

The Centre is looking magnificent at the moment:

12/04/11 High Pike & Carrock Fell

6 miles & approx 1200' ascent

With: Rob Bianchi walking group

I got out with Rob Bianchi (very rare to get out walking with Rob even though we've known each other for the best part of 20 years now!). Rob runs regular walking weeks at the Centre & it was great to be get out with everyone. We set off from Calebreck and ascended High Pike via Sandbeds Mine (need to come back & have a more detailed look at these quite extensive mines). The day was fine & dry but it was wild on the top of High Pike - a summit I do enjoy visiting again & again. We headed off to the south before veering off along the broad ridge to the east to pick off Carrock Fell. There was much evidence to support the statistics that we have had a very dry early Spring - there was virtually no bog on top of Carrock!!

The wind had died down by the time we reached the summit & we descended back towards Carrock Beck along the motorway of a path that does not exist on the OS map!!

A visit to Priest Mill in Caldbeck rounded off a very pleasant day.

14/04/11 Smallcleugh Mine; Prouds Sump

With Ferg & Alistair Myers (http://www.np-ta.com/)

Ferg in Smallcleugh; picture courtesy Nigel Ball

The plan was to check out the recently approved route from Smallcleugh Mine via Proud's Sump down into Rampgill Level. First abseil down Proud's was fine, however, it appears that some of the "native" mine metal work from which the traverse on the approved route was rigged is no longer there, this will take a bit of work to replace & puts the route out of use for a while. As such we went down the other way into Prouds Sump Flats. This is an excellent area for the Mine Explorer - SRT to get there and outstanding archaeology in the area: tubs; wheels; explosives boxes / wrappers even some remnants of explosives. Although not the trip we planned - still a good evening out.