Another Door in Hill
- Thread starter Katie
- Start date
Cave_Troll
Active member
has is actually got a door in it or is it just one of the old levels with skinned sheep in it?
Peter Burgess
New member
Old Tor Mine?
paul
Moderator
Have a look at The Derbyshire Caver, Issue 124 for more information.
SamT
Moderator
Yep 0ld tor mine.
Went in there when I was younger - there used to be two entrances - one higher up around the back of the small tor to the right - however they concreted that over and put the gate on some time in the early 90's I think.
IIRC, stooping level leads to reasonably sized natural chamber. Window used to be up on the right. Pool towards the back left with a bedding crawl heading off behind it (along which we didnt venture too far). Was a blue john mine, not lead.
Went in there when I was younger - there used to be two entrances - one higher up around the back of the small tor to the right - however they concreted that over and put the gate on some time in the early 90's I think.
IIRC, stooping level leads to reasonably sized natural chamber. Window used to be up on the right. Pool towards the back left with a bedding crawl heading off behind it (along which we didnt venture too far). Was a blue john mine, not lead.
Mrs Trellis
Well-known member
Old Tor Mine was my first "cave" - back in 1959 (ish). School summer camp at Cooper's in Edale, maths master (and rugby coach) got us surveying it as practical trigonometry. I returned a few years ago. Someone (a lapidarist?) has had a go at the final sump and we certainly didn't need a ladder on the final steep slope of 6m or so back in 1959.
Mrs Trellis
Well-known member
Remembering that Jim Eyres' story about a "large cavern" on the Holochhohle survey turning out to be a speck of fly-shit all I remember were muddy fingerprints over everything.
If anyone is into minerals - the Old Tor Blue John Vein can be seen in cross-section above the "top" (concreted over) entrance and is practically the only major exposure of Blue John in situ outside the show caves. The limestone "tor" that Sam mentions is also fairly "purple". On the top of the Winnats above the top entrance about 50m to the west is an obvious blocked shaft. Ford says there were once 40 or so Blue John workings on Treak Cliff (as a whole). The Miller's vein workings somewhere between Treak Cliff cavern and Odin would be interesting.
(Puts "natural" hat on) Also I think some work on the limestone/shale boundary on the northern side (around Dielasma Cave ) would be useful. There's obviously huge fossil stuff around there at - 100m or more. The final choke in Blue John is humungous.
Mrs Trellis
Well-known member
Based on my admittedly hazy recollections from a couple of trips back in the late 80's /early 90's (when PB Smith and Mac were fitting the brattices to aid the radon extraction draughting) I was definitely under the impression that the "way on" was down through what I remember as a crater-like bouldery depression after the Razor Back ridge and before the final sump.
The interesting thing is the amount of large vadose development and the size of the passage where all three inlets come together at the foot of the Superior Gallery inlet. It's also interesting that even the small stream now gathering from percolation still finds its way to the Russett Well/Slop Moll risings. Does it get into the Speedwell streamway?
Imho there is still lots of potential in the Treak Cliff hill as a whole. Gaining access to some of the many old Blue John workings would be good. There seems to be a speleogenetic relationship between the phreatic tubes which are later invaded by vadose streams and the mineralised pipes. Is this "stating the bleedin' obvious" or gibberish?
Pitlamp
Well-known member
Thanks Mrs.T. I also think the "way on" is lost downwards in the floor of Far Razor Back Cavern - i.e. totally sediment filled.
I believe that the BJC stream has been tested to Russet Well without being seen in the Speedwell streamway on the way. It's only a misfit stream though - so where the main development goes is anyone's guess. Fascinating place though.
I believe that the BJC stream has been tested to Russet Well without being seen in the Speedwell streamway on the way. It's only a misfit stream though - so where the main development goes is anyone's guess. Fascinating place though.
Goydenman
Well-known member
Old Tor mine was one of my frst trips as well. I remember taking home my mum a nice piece of Blue John!
Once invited to stag do in there - two barrels of Old Rogers and 'stag' was given tour with sights like a friend in swimming trunks on a lilo floating on that large puddle not far in and other wierd things. We only drunk one barrel of beer and unfortunately dropped the other barrel off a wheelbarrow going back down the steep path. No sign of any drunken sheep after though
Someone once gave me a copy of very accurate survey - done with theodolite and placing small plastic rawplugs throughout the mine at station points if I remember right.
Once invited to stag do in there - two barrels of Old Rogers and 'stag' was given tour with sights like a friend in swimming trunks on a lilo floating on that large puddle not far in and other wierd things. We only drunk one barrel of beer and unfortunately dropped the other barrel off a wheelbarrow going back down the steep path
. No sign of any drunken sheep after though Someone once gave me a copy of very accurate survey - done with theodolite and placing small plastic rawplugs throughout the mine at station points if I remember right.