What's happening at Masson Mine (being filled in)

Smudge375

New member
Anyone know what's going on at Masson Mine?
It looks like they are starting to back fill the open quarry. Is this going to continue and what's access going to be like? As so the climbers use this atea a lot as its bolted and rigged all over.
 

AR

Well-known member
No, it is not being filled in - whoever is doing the works has started putting a roadway down to the opencast floor where there's been tree felling going on. Infilling would require material to be brought from off site, which would need planning permission, and there has been no application for this.
 

SamT

Moderator
Hmm - bit of chat on UKclimbing.com along with this pic,

https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10213417686335369&id=1196119882&set=a.10206293943806258.1073741829.1196119882&source=57&ref=m_notif&notif_t=feed_comment_reply

It begs the question, why fell all those trees?? which must have provided a reasonable amount of habitat.  :-\  :confused:
 

ttxela2

Active member
A favourite spot of mine, I hope access can continue. Wasn't there some idea that someone wanted to build a house in there a few years back - a somewhat improbable scheme?
 

Smudge375

New member
Been down today for a full walk around. It is indeed not being filled but as pointed out it is indeed having a road way put in, but to what end? Most of the trees have been felled by chainsaw and the road way had been cleared on the public footpath to the left of the quarry.
I followed the cleared path past an old quarry building and it then went to an access road and then back around and up the hill in a big circle.
 

owd git

Active member
I'm on the case! owner lives in Youlgreave. is  a singer in a band and occasionaly drinks @  the Barley Mow according to local knowledge,
will pursue any lead i can  (y)
deffo not being filled in though !
O.G.
 

Jenny P

Active member
DCA are also on the case and will try to find out exactly what is going on and who is responsible.  Both climbers and cavers have an interest here so I have also contacted BMC.



 

Jenny P

Active member
No definite news yet but DCA is making enquiries in "official" places and is waiting for information on exactly what is being proposed for the site.  It does seem that it is not being filled in, as we had first feared. 

Access seems to be OK at present to all the usual sites in the quarry, it's just that the track is now extremely muddy.

If anyone has further information, please PM either myself or Pete Knight (whose details can be found on other threads).

Jenny Potts,
Acting Sec. DCA
 

Pete K

Well-known member
I have a little more 'local' knowledge on this now. Without going into details publicly, it does not appear that there will be any problems here for cavers and climbers. Access continues as before but with a bit more mud on your boots.
 

ttxela2

Active member
Pete K said:
I have a little more 'local' knowledge on this now. Without going into details publicly, it does not appear that there will be any problems here for cavers and climbers. Access continues as before but with a bit more mud on your boots.

Excellent, thanks Pete  (y)
 

Smudge375

New member
We went down into Masson again over the weekend and it looks like work has stopped (for the time being).
Due to all the felled trees access across the bottom of the quarry is now hard work, as all of the trees have been pushed inwards making for a rather tricky scramble across branches.
All of the climbing pitches are still accessible and the entrances into the mine are unaffected, it's now just a little harder to get to them.
 

pwhole

Well-known member
SRT route over the cliff edge to a hanging rebelay from the climbing plates on the overhang? That would make things more interesting ;)
 

AR

Well-known member
pwhole said:
SRT route over the cliff edge to a hanging rebelay from the climbing plates on the overhang? That would make things more interesting ;)

Speaking of SRT over the edge, has anyone had a look in the coffin level high up in the quarry face? There's a climber's anchor next to it and it's been on my to-do list for ages but if it doesn't go, I'll probably not bother!
 
I have been round the quarry twice since activity was reported there, last time on Apr 23. At the same time as the disturbances in the quarry, an excavator was run through the hawthorn scrub  SE  of the quarry face where there are many small wasteheaps on scrins going back towards Bacon (Great) Rake. This is adjacent to the footpath coming along from Crichman Shaft towards the quarry entrance. So far as I could see, none of those shafts in the scrubland had been open for many years.
 

AR

Well-known member
I think that area had already been disturbed by hillocking, so you're probably right that there weren't any open shafts there to begin with.
 

Big Jim

Member
A few of us had a walk up there last night looking for glow-worms.  Its the first time Ive seen it for years - what a bloody mess!  Anyway, walking down the track to the quarry approx. 20m before the gate we spotted a hole to the right of the track about 3ft deep and 2ft across.  It didn't look like much and jokingly a certain Mr Lampwick suggest 'sparking up' to test it for a draught.  I lit a rizla paper and held it in the hole...... the smoke and ash got sucked down really quickly under a rock towards the bottom of the hole, and not just a bit. It was like there was a hoover down there.  I doubt permission to dig would be granted though.......
 
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