Stoney Middleton

seh_notts

New member
Hello everyone - I'm new to the group and just visiting Stoney Middleton. We are struggling to find the location of Merlin's Cavern - walking up from Stoney Middleton we passed a number of caves but we don't think any of these were it.
can anyone provide directions please?
Thank you :)
 

martinb

Member
Recommend Caves of the Peak District by the late, great, John Beck. It has virtually all the caves and mines of Stoney Middleton - unless you know better! (like me! ;))

Anyways, If you park opposite the garage and walk up the road, take the right turn up towards Eyam, hidden about 150m or so up the road is the electricity substation on the right.

It is possible to park here, but DO NOT block the substation gates - you may be towed away, this location has been a hotspot for car breakins in the past, but I used it a lot about 4 or 5 years ago whilst digging and never had a problem. Which is tempting fate..... :spank:

Anyway, virtually opposite the substation is a path leading upwards, follow this and you will come to Carlswark Cavern Eyam shaft, the path then winds left and up, then doglegs back to Merlin adit entrance.

However, you have a choice:

(i) Go in via Carlswark Gin entrance, walk/grovel all the way through to Northwest passage, turn left and find bottom of shaft mentioned above, you then go past bottom of shaft through a low crawl into a chamber with a big heap of spoil in the middle, on the other side is another low thrutch which brings you into the Carlswark side of Gimli's Dream

(ii) Drop Eyam shaft and then as above

(iii) Into Merlins, along passage to T Junction, right, cross over 2 blind shafts and rig 3rd one with ladder and drop shaft to attain streamway and Gimli's.

Martin

 

seh_notts

New member
Thank you!
We found Carlswark shaft but not Merlins - I'll be on it tomorrow and I'm planning to order the book you recommend.
Greatly appreciate your help :)
Sally
 

martinb

Member
seh_notts said:
Thank you!
We found Carlswark shaft but not Merlins - I'll be on it tomorrow and I'm planning to order the book you recommend.
Greatly appreciate your help :)
Sally

No problemo.

I've been in most of the dark holes in Stoney whilst helping my mate do the Cave Audit of Stoney, which is available from DCA here http://www.thedca.org.uk/publications/conservation-plans-audits, which obviously costs and is a more conservation orientated publication, but Caves of the Peak District is available here http://www.thedca.org.uk/publications/cotpd

 

seh_notts

New member
I think we found it :)
Can  you confirm?
 

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martinb

Member
That looks like Merlins shaft entrance, however that could be another hole, the name of which escapes me, which is at the same horizon as Merlins shaft entrance, but further to the right, beware as there is a 7m drop a little way inside Merlins shaft.

You are a tad high and right of the adit entrance.

Martin
 

pwhole

Well-known member
A couple of us went up two months ago on a gloomy evening, and the path was still quite easy to spot, but I do remember one bit where you have to hop up onto the edge of a slab heading left, and the way on does get a bit hazy around there...
 

Lampwick

Member
Thanks for putting a name to that entrance @martinb, I'd got two different photos in my catalogue with the same description.

For the record, photos of the adit and top entrance on Sycamore Scrin attached.

 

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pwhole

Well-known member
Here's what Google Earth shows, with the Peak Cave Index waypoints marked. Substation at top right. Looks like you didn't walk far enough down the hill and took the wrong path - it's quite distinct at the roadside.
 

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Scud

Member
Lampwick said:
Thanks for putting a name to that entrance @martinb, I'd got two different photos in my catalogue with the same description.

For the record, photos of the adit and top entrance on Sycamore Scrin attached.

Lampwick

We are currently rebuilding the Peak District Caving website, the online access guide is being incorporated into this site, which are going to include entrance photographs. Could we use the above pictures of Merlins on the PDC site?

Also, if you have any other entrance pictures of other COPD sites, we could use them. They would be copyrighted to yourself. If you are willing, please email them to picsATthedca.org.uk replace AT with@

Thanks

Wayne
 

Mark

Well-known member
pwhole said:
Here's what Google Earth shows, with the Peak Cave Index waypoints marked. Substation at top right. Looks like you didn't walk far enough down the hill and took the wrong path - it's quite distinct at the roadside.

Beech Tree hole?
 

Scud

Member
Lampwick said:
Scud said:
Could we use the above pictures of Merlins on the PDC site?

Yarp,  no problem.  I'll have a browse to see if I've got owt else suitable.

Thanks, use this email address, typo is in the one above.

picsATthedca.org.uk
 
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