Cornwall Info

[gus horsley]

Hi

If anyone's thinking about doing any trips down this end of the country I'd be happy to provide information about best trips, access, where to stay etc. There are a few decent trips, despite rumours to the contrary.

 

[Caz_mb]

I want to know about any caves/mines near(ish) to St Ives. I'm a caver, but live up in Yorkshire, and am planning on taking friends down (we have accomodation in St Ives) and getting in some caves or mines.

What is close and can I get surveys from anywhere?

 

[gus horsley]

There's a few short workings at Carbis Bay, good for a couple of hours scrutting about but nothing challenging.  The areas to head for are aound St Just, especially in the Cot Valley (Bellan Mine has a good through trip which requires SRT, Wheal Hermon has some scary traverses) or you could try Cligga Mine near Perranporth (about 1/2 hrs drive from St Ives), which is probably the most impressive in the immediate area.  Tywarnhaile Mine was really good but there's no access at present.  I've done surveys of a few mines in the area but not published anything.

You could always pm me nearer the time and maybe we could meet up.

 

[mrodoc]

Hi, Gus I am heading to Cornwall next weekend (dec 19/20). I shall be staying near Sancreed (outside St. Just) at my brother in laws and there is a chance I might be able to get out for a trip. Would be interested to know of any sites you know of in that area or whether you are interested in doing a trip that weekend.

 

[mrodoc]

Sorry, I see you have half answered the question. The only sites I have visited have been a trip into the Cape Cornwall mine as far as the rope climb up and a solo foray 30 years ago into the adit by the slipway at St. Agnes plus very short forays into some adits near Keneggy. Limitation has been lack of company and knowledge.

 

[gus horsley]

Sorry, can't do any trips this side of Christmas but if you're down this way again I'd be interested.

If you're not familiar with the area I'd suggest a look at the workings between the Cot Valley and Cape Cornwall.  There are about 20 adits if you can find them, mostly fairly short and quite old (18th century, often with stone stemples) but they're still worth a look.  There's also a few which go further, including one partially hidden behind boulders to the north of the old sewage pipe in the Cot Valley (has 18th century graffiti and connects with Bellan No1 Shaft to provide a through trip).  There's also a couple up on the hillside, one of which I dug into a few years ago which contained the skeleton of a dog and its food bowl - some minor tragedy there.

 

[alasdair neill]

Always best to contact St Just Mines Research Group if doing anything in that area. They probably can organise trips such as beyond the touristy bits in Geevor. Should be able to contact them through their website.

 

[mrodoc]

Thanks Gus and Ali.

 

[Caz_mb]

Thanks Gus for the info,

Can I probe you just a little further...?

I'm not looking at SRT stuff because i'll be taking beginner groups down. Do you have any more info on the mines at Carbis bay and cligga? Such as surveys for these?

 

[Maggot]

There's probably loads of info on Carbis Bay area at www.mine-explorer.co.uk
KH, Grimwald and RRX are good people to talk to on there.

 

[gus horsley]

There's several adits in Carbis Bay:

One about 100yds NW of the car park, reached by a short climb up granite boulders, leads into a large stope and traverse but ends soon after - part of Wheal Providence.

Two in the headland to the south of the car park share the same entrance and branch immediately inside.  One branch goes for a considerable distance but doesn't contain much in the way of workings.

Hawkes Point Mine is probably best reached from Lelant church and cutting through the golf course.  Scramble up grot and brambles to an overgrown traverse into an adit with a shaft and flooded winze and some carbonate staining.

There's a few other short adits and possibly some I haven't come across.

Cligga is a complex tin/tungsten mine with several entrances and possible through trips, one of which leads from the middle level (2/3 way down the cliffs) to exit at beach level and doesn't require SRT.  It's workings are on a series of closely-spaced parallel lodes.  Some bits are 19th century but most is mid 20th century, including a big stope.  My survey isn't hugely accurate but covers most of the living room floor!  If you're down this way you could always call in as I only live about 10 miles away and look at the survey.  Send me a pm.

 

[mrodoc]

Thanks Gus for the contacts. I have now arranged trip on Saturday thanks to your help

 

[gus horsley]

Thanks Gus for the contacts. I have now arranged trip on Saturday thanks to your help

No problem, any time. 

 

[jarvist]

Hi Gus & any others who enjoy the underground delights of Kernow,

Is there anything interesting + accessible on the Lizard? I'm there for a week learning to dive over Easter, so thought I could get a bit of subterranean action in.

I've got the 1:25'000 OS map, which shows a few quarries (disused), and a few 'Holes' on the cliff edge (sea caves?).

 

[mrodoc]

There are some attractive sea caves in serpentine at Kynance and a stunning submerged cave under Asparagus Island. This is a accessible at low tide and lies dead opposite the other caves following a fault across the island. Big sandy floored passage. Advisable only in calm conditions to avoid tidal surge. Martin Farr took some superb pictures in there last autumn. You can trolley down the kit to very near the beach. Not sure if suitable for a novice diver though :-\

 

[alasdair neill]

There's a lot of mining to the north of Helston, but very little south of there.

 

[gus horsley]

Hi Gus & any others who enjoy the underground delights of Kernow,

Is there anything interesting + accessible on the Lizard? I'm there for a week learning to dive over Easter, so thought I could get a bit of subterranean action in.

I've got the 1:25'000 OS map, which shows a few quarries (disused), and a few 'Holes' on the cliff edge (sea caves?).

As has been pointed out there's nothing in the Lizard area which would interest a serious underground explorer.  However, if you're prepared to travel a short distance west of Helston there's an adit at the east end of Keneggy Sands (SW564282) which is worth a look.  It's obvious as there's a lot of water coming out of the entrance (which will have stained the sea red by the time you come out).  A nice wade along a crosscut leads to a shaft where there's some impressive carbonate staining and a level which eventually passes below a stope to daylight and becomes increasingly tedious through deep ochre with a crust on top.  Total length about 2,000ft depending on how far you're prepared to go.

 

[mrodoc]

I have looked around the cliffs there. Do you have to climb down that ladder onto the beach to reach the adit and is it only accessible at low tide? It's only just round from Prussia which is a favourite dive site of mine.

 

[gus horsley]

If you walk along the coast path you should see where the adit is by the amount of water coming out of it.  I think you can scramble down the cliffs at several points or walk along the sand at low tide.

I forgot to mention there's also a few adits in Rinsey Cove, none are long but they're quite interesting.

 

[jarvist]

Cheers all,
Will hopefully make it to Helston to scamper around in Keneggy Sands.

Are Martin Farr's photos of the cave below Asparagus Island anywhere on line? Sounds absolutely stunning, but certainly not somewhere for a newly qualified open water diver to be