I've seen a few references to the Pleasley Vale Caves and Pleasley Vale Railway Cuttings Pot in Nottinghamshire. Does anyone have any further info on them - access/length etc?

There is also references to 'Yew Tree cave' in the same area which yeilded animal bones.

I also found an interesting article here: http://www.pleasley-colliery.org.uk/html/fissures.htm about big cracks in Lower Magnesian Limestone - is this evidence of larger spaces below? 

Ta

Martin

I dont think the mag lime is that deep to have developed any serious caves - even Creswell crags are only relatively small (get Jim Anderson in CCC to take you down).  I have seen a gated fissure in the Pleasley Vale cutting along the meden trail (just over border into dirty notts) which looked tight and not very exciting.  There are also several fissures in the Skegby and Teversal cuttings from Plealsey Pit which Ive not bothered to stick my head in as they tend to be used by brock or reynard.  These sites are under countryside stewardship agreement and owned by Derbyshire County Council, so thered be no chance of digging. 

There is a small cave just west of whitwell called Ash Tree cave at Burn Hill grips.  Its a while since I lats went to survey it for bats but seem to rememebr its a chamber of about 10ft x 12 ft with a narrowing crawl at the rear.  The farmer doesnt like folk poking around in it. It was the site of a neolithic burial.

There is also a sandstone mine nr Pebley Reservoir which is only about 30m long.  Entrance at south corner of crabtree wood SK 4895 7850.  Park on left as the road enteres the trees, cross the road and its about 10m away amidst the humps n hollows. I often find bats and womens underwear in here (tranny bats???)

There was also a small cave in Steetley/Armstrong Quarry north east of whitwell but this is now flooded and the whole site is being trashed by Lang O'rouke despite being one of the best post industrial areas for wildlife in the area - a real shame Derbyshire Wildlife Trust didnt get their hands on it. Sod the breeding Little Ringed Plovers, wintering bitterns, dingy/grizzled skippers, great crested newts, flamingo moss etc etc etc. Wankers!  :chair:

Rant over.

The above posts are quite interesting, but as reguards the potentiality of serious caves existing in the "Mag Lime" I have to say there is eveything available for this to be realized.

There are many sinks and risings,some quite impressive!

A potential depth of limestone for caves to develope in could be as much as 200'-400' in places along its outcrop!

If anyone is fortunate enough to have visited the caves at Wentbridge, explored by the Yorkshire Subtterranean Society, they will have seen some fantastic beuatifull stalactites and curtains and especially the long calcite flows of tranlusent yellow!

In the caves along the belt of Mag Lime I've seen stalactites white, yellow, orange and even blue!

The caves are varied, some are dry sandy tectonic (slip) rifts, others smooth walled phreatic systems such as at Cresswell Crags, if you are priveledged enough to be allowed beyond the gated entrances here you will walk along comfortablely proportioned phreatic rifts and tubes.

So if this is a taste of what has so far been revealed in England's Magnesium Limestone starta then surely there is is waiting for the person, or persons who have the expertise and luck to discover and explore what might well have the potential to be somthing really quite spectacular! and well worth the effort.

Do not think because recorded caves are few that it impliys they don't exist! Wow! when you think of it, we've got so much to go at in our Island for the New year and beyond.

 

     

Cheers Guys,

Whetted my appetite with that info. Its just that some of the fissures mentioned in the link seemed to be quite deep and that no-one has bothered to explore them.

Martin

Finally managed to have a look at the Pleasley Vale stuff today (half-term, hurrah!).

First stop was the Pleasley Railway cutting just SW of the old colliery. Most fissures looked V. tight and didn't go that far. A lot of the smaller holes did have evidence of quadraped inhabitation.

One larger cave was on the S facing cutting wall about 12' up. It seemed to be larger than the rest going back about 3m  to a dip in the floor on the R. By the looks of it, the local 'yoof' had paid a visit given the footprints and digging evidence in the hole described.

I then drove over to Pleasley Vale and found the gated fissure just off the old railway track, it certainly does look tight - unexciting? hmmm.  :-\

I don't know if it was the conditions in the cutting - outside temperature was about 6 or 7 degrees, a bit lower in the shade in the cutting but I could have sworn there was a cooler draught coming out from inside.

On the opposite side of the cutting was another fissure that seemed to drop a good 8' and then under another block.

None of the fissures and caves seemed to have 'standard' cave features i.e. evidence of flowstone or created by water. Most seemed to be created by breakdown. Plenty of evidence of sickensides though.