martinb
Member
Had a interesting couple of hours walking - not caving (yet!) around Ashover trying to locate various geological oddities. Dumped the motor in a lay-by by the bridge at Fallgate (just SE of Ashover GR 355621). Set off with young gumby in tow for an exploration of the limestone cliff that runs SE-NW from Fallgate to Kelstedge.
Taking a bridle path that runs parallel but lower than the cliff we wandered up past Milltown Quarry and into the fields - still on the path.
The first obvious outcrop was visited, but there was just a SE facing fissure about 8' deep with what looked like badger occupation - fresh soil and poo! Just to the right of the fissure close to the 'entrance' was a fairly deep hole about 18" square dropping down 4 or so feet with a small hole through the wall to the outside world.
Working our way NW about 100 metres we dropped half way down the hill to avoid large nettle patches then back up to the limestone outcrop. Here we found what we had set out to find. I'll list them in SE-NW order.
A large-ish cave entrance about 5' high leading almost immediately into a cavern about 10' in diameter, old and small 'tites on the roof with some exceedingly old flowstone and curtain deposits. Off to the right about 4-5' off the floor was a crawl sized tube leading north-ish with a window to the outside.
Next along, about 20 metres was another large entrance - again about 5' high with a narrower passage about 6-8' into a cavern - a bit smaller than the last one - again various water created formations were spied. A narrow crouching - becoming crawl like tube went off to the right running parallel to the cliff face. At this point young gumby was all for returning to the car, kitting up and returning!!
Time was against us though.
I assume this cave is Fallgate Cave as described in my copy of Caves of Derbyshire as it more or less fits location and description.
Some 20 metres further NW was a interesting oddity - a fissure lead into a cave(?) about 7-8' off the ground - someone had been there and left what looked like thick electrical cable tied around a tree root and left dangling over the edge!
Not trusting that and shinnying up using well worn hand holds I peered around and saw the cave/fissure leading on into the gloom. I didn't venture any further.
Dropping back to ground were young gumby was, we looked up and saw what looked like another entrance about 5' higher again.
We bumbled along and found nothing else of interest - the cliff petered out and lots of vegetation took over.
We wandered back to the bridge were the car was parked and took a path that lead up the hill between the 2 parts of Milltown Quarry and towards Overton Hall and Hawthorn pot.
Whilst walking along the first footbridge is over a huge fissure (man made?) in the hill side roughly at 353621, leaving young gumby on the path I scrambled down and looked around there were a large number of deep holes the sides and top I was walking on seemed to be comprised of deads!!
- the fissure ran roughly N-S and going south it dropped away steeply probably about 25' lower than the path.
Slightly further along the path was another depression in the ground to the N of the path with what looked like a wall made out of deads leading into it.
Further along again the path opened out of the undergrowth and both parts of the quarry are visible.
The quarry has been closed for a couple of years but the quarry to the S has been landscaped but in the North facing wall across the quarry were a few interesting holes - one about 8-10' off the ground seemed to be about 2' square disappearing into the face, the other, lower, was more tube like but seemed to be full of soil/rock with just the top foot or so going into the gloom.
On the northern quarry, the was a fissure in the NW corner of the quarry - from my vantage point it seemed to go back to the point were the badger hole described first was on the other side of the cliff. :-\
Anyway time was really pushing on at this point so instead of going to find Hawthorn Pot we returned to the motor and wandered off home.
We shall return kitted up in the not too distant future for more exploration.
Taking a bridle path that runs parallel but lower than the cliff we wandered up past Milltown Quarry and into the fields - still on the path.
The first obvious outcrop was visited, but there was just a SE facing fissure about 8' deep with what looked like badger occupation - fresh soil and poo! Just to the right of the fissure close to the 'entrance' was a fairly deep hole about 18" square dropping down 4 or so feet with a small hole through the wall to the outside world.
Working our way NW about 100 metres we dropped half way down the hill to avoid large nettle patches then back up to the limestone outcrop. Here we found what we had set out to find. I'll list them in SE-NW order.
A large-ish cave entrance about 5' high leading almost immediately into a cavern about 10' in diameter, old and small 'tites on the roof with some exceedingly old flowstone and curtain deposits. Off to the right about 4-5' off the floor was a crawl sized tube leading north-ish with a window to the outside.
Next along, about 20 metres was another large entrance - again about 5' high with a narrower passage about 6-8' into a cavern - a bit smaller than the last one - again various water created formations were spied. A narrow crouching - becoming crawl like tube went off to the right running parallel to the cliff face. At this point young gumby was all for returning to the car, kitting up and returning!!
Time was against us though.
I assume this cave is Fallgate Cave as described in my copy of Caves of Derbyshire as it more or less fits location and description.
Some 20 metres further NW was a interesting oddity - a fissure lead into a cave(?) about 7-8' off the ground - someone had been there and left what looked like thick electrical cable tied around a tree root and left dangling over the edge!
Not trusting that and shinnying up using well worn hand holds I peered around and saw the cave/fissure leading on into the gloom. I didn't venture any further.Dropping back to ground were young gumby was, we looked up and saw what looked like another entrance about 5' higher again.
We bumbled along and found nothing else of interest - the cliff petered out and lots of vegetation took over.
We wandered back to the bridge were the car was parked and took a path that lead up the hill between the 2 parts of Milltown Quarry and towards Overton Hall and Hawthorn pot.
Whilst walking along the first footbridge is over a huge fissure (man made?) in the hill side roughly at 353621, leaving young gumby on the path I scrambled down and looked around there were a large number of deep holes the sides and top I was walking on seemed to be comprised of deads!!
- the fissure ran roughly N-S and going south it dropped away steeply probably about 25' lower than the path.Slightly further along the path was another depression in the ground to the N of the path with what looked like a wall made out of deads leading into it.
Further along again the path opened out of the undergrowth and both parts of the quarry are visible.
The quarry has been closed for a couple of years but the quarry to the S has been landscaped but in the North facing wall across the quarry were a few interesting holes - one about 8-10' off the ground seemed to be about 2' square disappearing into the face, the other, lower, was more tube like but seemed to be full of soil/rock with just the top foot or so going into the gloom.
On the northern quarry, the was a fissure in the NW corner of the quarry - from my vantage point it seemed to go back to the point were the badger hole described first was on the other side of the cliff. :-\
Anyway time was really pushing on at this point so instead of going to find Hawthorn Pot we returned to the motor and wandered off home.
We shall return kitted up in the not too distant future for more exploration.
