As this is a cave forum and mine explorers are guests so to speak, I am still interested how many people prefer caving , mine exploring or just simply being underground having fun in either ?

I enjoy being underground in the darkness. In caves, mines, quarries and other places I find so much of interest in the rocks, the geomorphology, history, archaeology, etc. If you take the time to look, learn, understand there is a huge amount to study.
Those that treat places as underground gyms or racetracks are a puzzle to me...

As a caver I do not mind a mine, but did recently describe it to a DCC member tongue in cheek as like caving without the pleasure as mines lack my favourite bit of a cave - A roaring steamway.

However I have since been shown me the Milwr tunnel which definitely has a streamway, so maybe I should eat my words - unless of course that stream is actually cave water that the mine has stolen!!!!!!

Overall a good cave makes a great trip and a good mine also works - Croesor Rhosydd springs to mind with its great blue lakes and chambers, plus the variety of fun filled obstacles, I just loved it.

In response to Brains though I do like a bit of original exploration and so see more potential in a cave!

If you want a streamway, try Wardlow Sough some time; you can wash your ears while you're in there!

AR said:

If you want a streamway, try Wardlow Sough some time; you can wash your ears while you're in there!

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I am going to research that I love a good streamway 

Mines are fcuking dangerous, with waaay more legislation affecting access and are generally full of crap, crapees and graffiti. Long may it continue.

Different dangers Chris. You are less likely to get flooded and drowned in a mine, but more likely to get squashed.

Personally, I like being underground and I can appreciate natural and man-made holes equally, despite their very different nature.

Though if I had to choose to between being stuck on a desert island riddled with caves, or a desert island riddled with mines, for the rest of my life, I'd take the island with the caves.

Got to say I love both but  to be honest I am happy anywhere underground , I like world war bunkers tunnels anything I find fascinating, I really want to get over to the battle of the Somme and find some of them old tunnels their !

I'm firmly in the mines camp, although I have been known to enter the odd cave. Some of the more popular mines with easy access have certainly suffered a little but the more remote spots have that atmosphere of times past and previous lives lived. I take the point that it can never be original exploration as someone will always have been there before - however if you access an area that hasn't been entered for hundreds of years it's still a pretty interesting feeling (not that I've ever managed that but I have been to areas that have only had a handful of modern visitors). The sense of human history in these places is extremely strong.

ttxela2 said:

I'm firmly in the mines camp, although I have been known to enter the odd cave. Some of the more popular mines with easy access have certainly suffered a little but the more remote spots have that atmosphere of times past and previous lives lived. I take the point that it can never be original exploration as someone will always have been there before - however if you access an area that hasn't been entered for hundreds of years it's still a pretty interesting feeling (not that I've ever managed that but I have been to areas that have only had a handful of modern visitors). The sense of human history in these places is extremely strong.

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I have been to some local gems that have all the tools, brattice, bottles of whisky, candles still in place with the horse prints these are really touching seeing them at  working face , if the men came back it would be how they left it in 1930s .

I did some caving years ago but drifted (there is a pun) into mines mainly as a result of various mine projects. I was intending to do some caving, err, as soon as I finish some current projects.

Tomferry said:

Got to say I love both but  to be honest I am happy anywhere underground , I like world war bunkers tunnels anything I find fascinating, I really want to get over to the battle of the Somme and find some of them old tunnels their !

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I had some contact with the Durand Group a few years back and visited a site they were researching. Incredible stuff.

I've only ever done 2 caves, Bull Pot on a COMRU "connoisseurs  trip" (because it wasn?t a mine) and Bar Pot to Gapping Gill with 2 fellow mine explorers who had done a fair bit of caving, really enjoyed it and had lots of fun making out that cave features where in fact mine features and we were in a mine really. There are stemple sockets in Flood Pot ? sure of it.

Does amaze me what the old man has done down mines, miles of level and the size of flats and stopes that have been excavated in a relative short space of time. I also like the research aspect of mines, record offices, surveying, abandonment plans, piecing it all together and the feeling of being in a remote place where only a few have been in recent times. Finding intact artefact?s is also a great feeling.

Seeing the Gapping Gill main chamber for the 1st time did fill me with awe and actually being there after having walked so many times by the entrance above just enhanced it. I have asked a few weeks ago for them to arrange a caving trip for me at some point again.

All in all I am in the mine exploration camp.

In much of Derbyshire its often difficult to decide which part is mine and which is cave.

I've spent most of my time in mines but most of these have natural features or even full cave passages/ chambers. I've also spent time digging and surveying new caves as well as mines. I guess mines generally have the edge for me as they have the combination of interesting geology, history and my admiration of all the work that has been done under difficult conditions and with limited conditions.

I'm not generally a fan of purely sporting caving trips but LNRC via the river entrance stands out as one that is just so much fun.

Fishes said:

In much of Derbyshire its often difficult to decide which part is mine and which is cave.

I've spent most of my time in mines but most of these have natural features or even full cave passages/ chambers. I've also spent time digging and surveying new caves as well as mines. I guess mines generally have the edge for me as they have the combination of interesting geology, history and my admiration of all the work that has been done under difficult conditions and with limited conditions.

I'm not generally a fan of purely sporting caving trips but LNRC via the river entrance stands out as one that is just so much fun.

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I'm in Derbyshire and its true mine a mine and then leads into a cave Wapping stands out as well as Masson/ Jug Holes . Love LNRC as well 

Longcliffe Mine is mostly a cave with some mining artefacts in it. There's one stope about 8m long and 20m deep, and a bit of pipe-working, but other than that it's just a cave that they seemingly used for access and for processing ore more than actually mining it - so far at least. It's somewhat baffling as the place was open for at least 100 years, so they must have been doing something down there, but we suspect there is more to find yet, but probably very inaccessible. Much of the Castleton cave system is so intermingled with the mining that in many cases it's a pointless distinction.

Well so far this poll is not going how I thought it would  :-\

Yes to both: Caves for the "sportynes" and pretties, mines for the industrial archeology, chuck in the odd bunker or two and I'm a happy hippie!!