alastairgott
Well-known member
A good weekend was had weaselling about, in and around Castleton.
The weekend Started slowly with a search in all the bike shops around the Hope valley for a bicycle part for my commuter which apparently is ?old hat?, so I moved my search to Sheffield and after more disappointment I settled on Decathlon where they had the part and fitted the freewheel 7 speed in a few seconds (probably could have got the part at Stockport Decathlon and saved myself the time and petrol, Oh well!)
So late afternoon, I had a task to do. I?d spotted a crevice at the end of Pindale above Pindale cave a couple of weeks ago.
I wanted to abseil down to it last weekend, but was thwarted by some local youths revving their motorbikes down at quarry floor level.
So this weekend I was determined to get down to it, and after talking to some climbers who know Graham Wolstencroft (Grum). I was off, down the hill from the quarry top entrance and into the first bench. Here I quickly ?Vandalised? a boulder by putting some throughbolts into it (or at least that?s what the visitor wearing shorts and selling things at the hut had said throughbolts were
).
After using up all of the throughbolts I?d brought along, with several rebelays, I was down to the crevice, it didn?t look good! So I pulled my head out to see what was going on outside the crevice. And yes, low and behold it was just a block which had sheared away from the face. (so much for my grand plans of the ?Pindale Flyover?).
Roll on Sunday, where we?d planned to do some digging, but sadly lacked enough people for our regular dig in Longcliffe. So we went after some more holes, this time up on top of the hill between middle bank and Cowlow.
First was a hole which Pwhole presumed must be an older mine (as there were no shotholes), but was quite tight and seemed to end in a rubble floor about 5m down. This was North of the Hurdlow Plantation but about 15m south of the Wall which Bounds the Top of the ?track? down from cowlow which passes slate-scrin mine half way down. This hole was a crack down and was on the East side of the ?dale?.
Second we went to some Nettles near the wall on the West Side of the same field and looked at a post which was quite large and presumed to be a sighting post for the Speedwell Canal (but yet to be proved).
Third we escaped the field and went down the East side of the Valley/Track Down from Cowlow, and Pwhole threw himself at another 2 holes, to no avail!
Fourth CMCooley went back into the first field to have a look at a hole which we?d spotted in the cliff by a tree, which went for a bit, but mostly upwards into a choke (as far as I know).
Fifth we went into some holes on Cowlow Itself, with one which Pwhole Dropped into which went down (3m) to some sheep bones, but seemed to draft from the dig-able continuation. Either due to good prospects or a circular draft from another hole further up the hill.
Finally we went for a foray in Slate-Scrin Mine and a look at Middle bank Cave and Pot. Both of which were interesting, and left us feeling that we?d had a good nosey at some of the holes (some of which had been bugging me for a while, at least now I know none would go without significant effort).
I will hopefully post a photo of the locations which we scoped out later.
The weekend Started slowly with a search in all the bike shops around the Hope valley for a bicycle part for my commuter which apparently is ?old hat?, so I moved my search to Sheffield and after more disappointment I settled on Decathlon where they had the part and fitted the freewheel 7 speed in a few seconds (probably could have got the part at Stockport Decathlon and saved myself the time and petrol, Oh well!)
So late afternoon, I had a task to do. I?d spotted a crevice at the end of Pindale above Pindale cave a couple of weeks ago.
I wanted to abseil down to it last weekend, but was thwarted by some local youths revving their motorbikes down at quarry floor level.
So this weekend I was determined to get down to it, and after talking to some climbers who know Graham Wolstencroft (Grum). I was off, down the hill from the quarry top entrance and into the first bench. Here I quickly ?Vandalised? a boulder by putting some throughbolts into it (or at least that?s what the visitor wearing shorts and selling things at the hut had said throughbolts were

After using up all of the throughbolts I?d brought along, with several rebelays, I was down to the crevice, it didn?t look good! So I pulled my head out to see what was going on outside the crevice. And yes, low and behold it was just a block which had sheared away from the face. (so much for my grand plans of the ?Pindale Flyover?).
Roll on Sunday, where we?d planned to do some digging, but sadly lacked enough people for our regular dig in Longcliffe. So we went after some more holes, this time up on top of the hill between middle bank and Cowlow.
First was a hole which Pwhole presumed must be an older mine (as there were no shotholes), but was quite tight and seemed to end in a rubble floor about 5m down. This was North of the Hurdlow Plantation but about 15m south of the Wall which Bounds the Top of the ?track? down from cowlow which passes slate-scrin mine half way down. This hole was a crack down and was on the East side of the ?dale?.
Second we went to some Nettles near the wall on the West Side of the same field and looked at a post which was quite large and presumed to be a sighting post for the Speedwell Canal (but yet to be proved).
Third we escaped the field and went down the East side of the Valley/Track Down from Cowlow, and Pwhole threw himself at another 2 holes, to no avail!
Fourth CMCooley went back into the first field to have a look at a hole which we?d spotted in the cliff by a tree, which went for a bit, but mostly upwards into a choke (as far as I know).
Fifth we went into some holes on Cowlow Itself, with one which Pwhole Dropped into which went down (3m) to some sheep bones, but seemed to draft from the dig-able continuation. Either due to good prospects or a circular draft from another hole further up the hill.
Finally we went for a foray in Slate-Scrin Mine and a look at Middle bank Cave and Pot. Both of which were interesting, and left us feeling that we?d had a good nosey at some of the holes (some of which had been bugging me for a while, at least now I know none would go without significant effort).
I will hopefully post a photo of the locations which we scoped out later.