Mandale - water levels

Anyone on here an expert on Mandale mine?
I am wondering what the water levels are likely to be like in the next week or two- 12th November ish
I have had a few trips in there but don't know much about how it responds to water - does it get impassable, seriously unpleasant or just mildly unpleasant?
Thanks in advance

The first part of the sough can get pretty wet and may sump completely in very wet conditions; I've been not quite chest-deep in February in the stooping section (then come out into -4....). The stope after the climb-down was too flooded to carry onwards on that occasion.

I don't know how quickly it responds and how much wet/dry weather it takes to significantly change the water levels. Assuming we don't get anything torrerntial over the next fortnight, my guess is that you'll be waist-deep in places.

After today's deluge, I think I need to revise my previous forecast to rather unpleasant in the sough and probably inaccessible beyond the big stope. You might want to consider going somewhere else....

Hi AR,
I have been thinking exactly that all day!
Will leave Mandale for another time

The first time that I went into Mandale was a November evening in 1980. After a wettish couple of weeks beforehand it was torrential rain all day and the first part of the sough from the bottom of the incline was a minimal airspace, helmet off, head on one side, almost drowning, section of passage. Unless you love water I would definitely keep away until the weather improves!

Having done a couple of dogwalks in the dale over the weekend, I don't think you'd get much beyond the bottom of the incline at the moment - there was maybe six inches of airspace at the Mandale Sough portal.

I had a quick look in Batemans too, here there was water about 10' below the shaft lip and jets squirting out of every crack. Further up the dale, Lathkill Head was in strong flow and although it's stopped now, Critchlow had been flowing - it's been that wet!

Thanks AR. A new venue has been chosen for this week but we will go back to Mandale in drier weather!