28/06/2014 Elpha Green, Ayleburn and other bits and bobs 2

[Wormy]

And then eventually we got back in the car and Drove to Ayleburn, strangely there are a lot of coal workings all over this valley, we mooched about down the dry stream bed (the stream dissapears a few hundred yards upstream of the caves and does not reappear for as far as we walked down it which makes me wonder what is down there) until we found the caves and pot, it would appear that the local farmer has been using the pot as a rubbish dump for many years and its now pretty written off due to being full of plastic sacks, old wire and liquid sheep.  The caves however were another story! For such unnasuming entrances they were an absolute delight, Ayleburn 1 ends in a tightening tube that has some lovely formations even if it does have a very sketchy dangling rock at the entrance to squeeze under.

And Ayleburn 2 opens up from a fairly tight squeeze entrance into a massive water-worn pit, which needs to be edged very carefully around until it opens out into a further large aven with a number of clay choked tubes leading off it, definately somewhere I would like to go back to, especially to see if the rumours regarding a link from the bottom of the pot to the mine caverns are true.

All in all we buggered off back home knackered, covered in midge bites and desperate for a pint!

PS: apologies for the poor quality photos, didnt have my camera with me so these were all taken on my phone, I'll try and append some bettere ones once I get them from my mate.

 

[Wormy]

For some reason its not allowing me to post the pictures 

 

[Wormy]

Ayleburn 1

Ayleburn2

 

[Roger W]

Nice photos.  Sad to hear about the pot.

 

[Wormy]

Yeah, unfortunately farmers seem to find them convenient holes for the disposal of whatever crap they have lying around!

 

[martinm]

Yeah, unfortunately farmers seem to find them convenient holes for the disposal of whatever crap they have lying around!

Is it in a SSSI? If so, that is a PDO/OLD and might result in prosecution by NE. If not, is there a significant stream running into it? If so, contact your local EA office as there  will be a large risk of contamination of watercourses, maybe some of them even drinking water.

I emptied a cave in a similar situation in my area about 6 years ago and it's doing fine, but then I fixed a grille over the entrance to prevent further dumping! (Derbyshire key needed, that's all.) Works wonders, esp. if it's in a SSSI and/or on NT land...

 

[Wormy]

Its actually just outside an operating coalmine, there is apparently a streamway at the bottom of it that eventually feeds into Ayleburn mine caverns but nothing flowing directly into it.  I think the land will be coal board or whatever theyre called nowadays.  A few old drifts further up the valley, its really odd seeing coal mines in amongst limestone outcrops!

 

[TheBitterEnd]

Well done Wormy, you have really whetted my appetite for a trip or two into the northern dales. Keep it up.

 

[Wormy]

My pleasure, keep an eye out as Im usually out a couple of times a week.  The more remote, obscure and seldom heard of the better haha!