Windy Knoll

[Lu]

I didn't know about this entrance until I saw it one day when paragliding at Mam Tor sometime in 2007 and when I landed I checked the entrance and could see a way in but searching on the internet it's hard to find anything on this cave other than the news of the collapse back in 2005 when it was not considered stable.

I would like to go back and check it out one day. You know the feeling when you are not on a caving day out but you see a cave and you just know you have to go back for some proper "sniffing around"...

are there any access issues, is it confirmed stable and is there any survey on it or maybe it just doesn't go too far?
Is it worth checking?

Nat

 

[Mrs Trellis]

Unfortunately the link on the Peak District SSSI website is broken/incomplete. (btw - the Long Cliff Mine is similar)

EH have enclosed the entrance following the 2005 collapse and imho you should respect their wishes.

The general opinion is that the "way on" is choked with glacial debris. There are humungous dolines to the south (towards the road at the Rowter farm turnoff) and some think a possible link to White River/Kingdom in Peak.

Ford thinks these dolines (along with others in the area) may surprise the digger in the same way that t'owd man would have been surprised had he sunk a shaft to reach Titan.

The old purple/white Caves of Derbyshire warned against prolonged exposure because of the elaterite deposits in the cave & the quarry.

The cave/quarry was of archaeological interest in the 19th century.

 

[martinm]

There is a detailed survey here:-

http://www.peakcavemonitoring.org.uk/images/stories/Castleton/windy%20knoll%20.doc

But it has been 'checked out' by many people in the past...

 

[Pitlamp]

I don't know which one that is but there's definitely one in a SUSS Journal from the late 70s, in case that helps.

 

[Pitlamp]

. . . or was it in a TSG Journal in the 80s? Anyway, there's one about somewhere in one of the obvious journals.

(I wasn't able to open the Windy Knoll page on that website this morning by the way to look at that version.)

 

[Scud]

. . . or was it in a TSG Journal in the 80s? Anyway, there's one about somewhere in one of the obvious journals.

(I wasn't able to open the Windy Knoll page on that website this morning by the way to look at that version.)

There was an article published in TSG 15.  This journal is still available for purchasing, ?3.50 + postage and packing.  Send me a PM if you want a copy.

Wayne

 

[SamT]

bit of chat on here before...

http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php/topic,4568.0.html

well worth checking out, it seems to have put thwarted previous attempts, but with modern techniques, I dont see why it cant be done.

Not been there for a long long long time, but it sounds to me like you just need to follow the roof.

 

[martinm]

Soz for the incorrect link, I'll correct the link on the web site. This link works:-
http://www.peakcavemonitoring.org.uk/images/stories/Castleton/windy%20knoll.doc
(I've just downloaded it.)

According to the the survey:-
SOURCE:  FROM AN ORIGINAL SURVEY BY D.A.NIXON,  JANUARY 1994.

 

[Moose]

I have a Windy Knoll.3d file if you really want it, but it hasn't got on it the latest push at the end.

 

[Pitlamp]

Thanks Martin - that works fine now. Moose's survey looks very similar to the one I did many years before (which I still can't remember where it was published but if it comes to me I'll make a mention of it here). The TSG 15 article which Scud refers to describes one phase of digging in 1995 but is not a general overview of work in the cave. As is usual several independent groups have done work in there but many don't bother to publish. Perhaps the easiest way to track the history of digging in Windy Knoll is to gather together the various surveys done over many years and compare progress?

 

[Pitlamp]

Just had a flash of inspiration - I went to the comprehensive index of SUSS publications maintained by Tim Rivett (and what a fine job he's done!).

That Windy Knoll Cave survey (and some short notes to go with it) are in SUSS Journal Volume 2 No.6 (1978) page 44. This should be in any of the main Derbyshire based club's libraries if you want to look it up and it will at least tell you what the extent of the cave was about 3 decades ago. (Incidentally there are some useful references to very early work at Windy Knoll listed in the relevant entry in Caves of the Peak District on page 106.)

 

[Lu]

Thanks a lot for all the responses it's been very informative and I certainly know a lot more about Windy Knoll now than I did a week ago. Cheers.