Brownley Hill - Nentsberry Haggs Connection

With: Alan & Clare

Weather: Snow showers in Nenthead!

Where: Brownley Hills, Bloomsberry Adit, Nenthead, North Pennines

We went back into Brownley Hills again on Wednesday aiming to build on our knowledge of the Wellgill Cross Vein area and locate the connection to Nentsberry Haggs mine. It took slightly longer than we anticipated (due largely to our own misinterpretation of a trip report we had read). In typical Nenthead style just before we entered the mine there was a heavy snow shower - it didn't stick - just got me soaked on the way back from the Community Shop & gave everything a distinctly chill feel.

Once in the mine, via the Bloomsberry Adit, we turned a sharp left at the sump & headed off down the Wellgill Cross Vein. The first site we suspected might be the connection was accessed by a short climb up to the left about 175m along the vein, not far from the white stone arching photographed in a recent post. The area was bolted out (picture below of Alan de-rigging) but unfortunately led nowhere.

Back into the main passage we headed on along the vein in the knowledge from the survey that the Nentsberry Haggs connection was no more than 250m from the sump. On past the area from where it is possible to climb up into flats on the right we continued NW for a short distance (less than 25m) and found another climb up on the left which led into a passage containing a wooden ladder & a slightly awkward climb up into an engine house, we knew from research that the connection was beneath the engine house.

Engine House in Brownley Hills

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Me Descending Ladder Into Nentsberry Haggs

 At this point we were temporarily confused as we had interpreted our pre-trip research as indicating the way on to Nentsberry Haggs was from this engine house. This is in fact not the case. It is necessary to continue on in the passage below (i.e. effectively ignoring the climb up the wooden ladder) for a short distance before climbing down & doubling back in the direction of the engine house - to reveal the top of the first metal ladder leading down into Nentsberry Haggs, Alan & myself descended the ladder way (2 ladders separated by a wood boarded landing) and took the opportunity to dip our toes in the watery Nentsberry Haggs passage below. All told the connection is no more than 25 minutes in from the Bloomsberry Adit.