Hi, has anyone had any strange experiences in Hillocks mine or any one nearby?

In a word, no, and I've been in there on my own on Christmas Eve to do T'Owd Man's Candle in the past without seeing or feeling anything in the slightest bit untoward...

I did however find that the acoustics part-way down are absolutely superb, just wish I could persuade enough other singers down there to do real justice to the Bradda Anthem or Leadmill!

Many years ago I was helping place the DCA P bolts in various caves and mines, and the hand picked shaft in Hillocks needed rebolting. No one else was around to help so I went on a solo trip through the oil drum entrance. Bit of a struggle as had the drill, batteries, resin, bolts, hole washing and cleaning kit as well as personal SRT kit and ropes. In due course crawled up the coffin level to the shaft and "spread out" all the kit in the crawl. Drilled and cleaned the holes and placed the bolts. Originally had planned to descend further and do some more on the lower pitches through the stopes, but as I sat on the lip of the pitch I had a feeling of unease and being unwelcome, being out on a limb and intruding where I shouldnt be. As a resullt once the resin was in and the bolts placed I packed up and left with perhaps undue haste. I put my feelings down to being on a solo trip, resin fumes in a confined space causing localised bad air, and psyching myself out. Being alone in a system is an awful lot different to being there with others, even if only in distant/intermittent contact! After exertion and resting, your breathing sounds really loud, and it is even possible to hear your own heartbeat depending on acoustics with your lamp off in the velvety black with just the odd drip or settling stone from where you have disturbed rubble in your passing.

Depends on your definition of "haunted". Yes, I do "feel" that there's an element of something in many of the mines round here, but only in the same way as you get that feeling with an old house. These places have been worked/lived in by humans for a long time & there's almost bound to be a sense of that occupancy. Some feel it, others don't. I don't think there's anything sinister to be concerned about, but I do still always show my respects to t'owd man underground in these parts!

Was in Hillocks 2007 with a couple of friends on a training course and one of them turned white and immediatly had be escorted out from the coffin level area.
The brain plays tricks on you and I've had the odd feeling of being overlooked in the past but I have no direct experience of T'owd man. Come to think of it I've not been down the oil drum route since. I should probably go again.

I think many of us will have had a feeling that T'owd man man is watching us.  Had it in Bagshawe in the past, but not these days.  Bothers me less as time goes on.  Mind you, not sure I'd fancy a solo trip to the cart gate in Odin 

I've always found Hillocks a very friendly place, (except the squeeze through the puddle at the start of the coffin level, lol.) If there is such things as Ghosts then  I am sure they would like my appreciation of their hard labour down there! Goodness knows  how long it took to hand pick that coffin level. Amazing work. I have great respect for them ... 

I had a dog who caved a lot. Some of his favorites were Devonshire, Mouldridge and Giants but he didn't like Bagshaw and wouldn't go through the door.
On one occasion in Water Icicle I was de-rigging and swear I could hear voices down one of the passages. When my mates announced they were freezing and going back to the car to change I was soon on the surface. Been back loads of times and never experienced it again  :-\

Nope.

Now, if we're talking Water Icicle, that's a different matter!

I considered telling you a "true" story about Water Icicle but I suspect it might stop many of you going down it- especially alone!!

Come on Ralph, spill the beans!

solo trips to the Cartgate in Odin were ok. the crawls off to the right of the head of the first down pitch (not the entrance) was, however a very spooky experiance. I turned round as was convinced someone was about to grab my ankle.

Never had any problems in the solo trips down Knotlow, but then i normally talk to the old men to keep them happy

I was in Hillocks with a bunch of people once on a Crewe trip, and folk were busily taking various routes through the system. Some were going out through the hand-picked shaft to the oil drum entrance, some were taking the Meccano route to the Knotlow 210 shaft and some were going up the Whalfe Engine Shaft, which is where I left them as I showed the Knotlow group the way into the Meccano Passage.

When I returned to the foot of the shaft, there was a short length of rope  with a frayed end lying on the floor of the chamber, the equally frayed end of the main part of the rope could be seen some 18 feet up the shaft, and there was nobody anywhere in sight .... 

on a EPC trip in Knotlow in the 70s a group of us went along the coffin level towards Cimbo Swallet and I was last in line when I came to climb up the boulders at the Crimbo end something grabbed my right shoulder and pulled me back and pushed me into the water. I thought it was someone taking the p**s but on gaining my composure I looked back and there was no one to be seen. Needless to say that the hairs on the back of my head were standing on end and I made good time catching the others up.

T pot

A true account of a trip in Water Icicle.
Some years ago several of our club had a trip into Water Icicle, needless to say before we went down we discussed in some detail "odd" experiences" various members had reported on previous trips.
One of our group was particularly disturbed by these stories, as a child he had briefly occupied a house the had to be exorcised.
Needless to say he was the last person out, as he sat at the bottom of shaft in the entrance chamber his imagination began to get the better of him and he was most unhappy (scared stiff). A call came from above "rope free", thankfully he stood up but as he walked towards the rope he heard something (someone?) shuffling towards him along the passage. He turned round but there was nothing there. Imagination?
He clipped onto the rope and began to climb. Suddenly he felt a tug from below, not daring to look down he climbed as fast as he could. Once inside the narrow part of the shaft he felt a little less "exposed",he paused for a brief rest and plucked up the courage to look down. Below him he could see the glow of what appeared to be a miner's candle!
He immediately set off at high speed but no matter how fast he climbed  the "candle" followed him, when he stopped it stopped! When he climbed it too began to climb. By now he was petrified, an understatement if ever there was one.
I was sitting at the top of the shaft and as he hauled himself unceremoniously over the lip I .......

( to be continued-maybe)

....laughed?

Come on Ralph don't be a tease!

... sent him back down again?

Never in Hillocks, but I've had someone whistling (a long multipitched whistle) while last one down the pitch there. Scared the crap out of me,

On a derigging trip later that day my mate also saw a light floating around while waiting in the same area 

EDIT: That was in Nenthead

On a 3 man trip in silver eye mine in march a felt something/someone grab the back of my leg whist crawling through the entrance. Now knowing my buddy likes to mess about i presumed it was him and ignored it. It was only when i got into the  mine and stood up i realised my mate had gone first and as  the other member of the group had gone second  i was last in so there was nobody behind me.
  I kept quite about to avoid the jokes and abuse i knew would follow.
The next morning my buddy (the joker who went first in) sent me a text message  saying " weird one last night mate i swear something grabbed my leg as i crawled through the entrance"
Now hows that for strange, actual contact with unknown source.