Cwmorthin housekeeping/work weekend 6-7th October

[darkplaces]

http://www.c**tplaces.co.uk/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=19
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Friends of Cwmorthin are running a Cwmorthin housekeeping/work weekend 6-7th October. Your welcome to come along and help tidy away the fridges and mess etc. Its amazing slate mine and worth the effort. Help out for a bit and go for a wander about (with bin bags).

Warning to cavers - Excessive space you may feel confused and unrestricted!

See;
http://www.cwmorthin.co.uk/
http://www.c**tplaces.co.uk/phpBB2/article.php?t=6617
http://www.c**tplaces.co.uk/Wikka/Cwmorthin

 

[ttxela]

Damn, I've got to go to a wedding that weekend. I really want to get over and see Cwmorthin. 

 

[spikey]

Is Cwmorthin the large mine above Blaenau, with, at one point during a round trip, a huge chamber with a ladderway rising 100ft plus back to adit level, that some knew as the "stairway to heaven"?

 

[vanoord]

Is Cwmorthin the large mine above Blaenau, with, at one point during a round trip, a huge chamber with a ladderway rising 100ft plus back to adit level, that some knew as the "stairway to heaven"?

It's certainly one of the large mines near Blaenau with huge chambers with ladderways in! That said, Cwmorthin is a bit short of ladders, so I suspect it may be a different one you're thinking of?

 

[spikey]

It's certainly one of the large mines near Blaenau with huge chambers with ladderways in! That said, Cwmorthin is a bit short of ladders, so I suspect it may be a different one you're thinking of?

Dunno. I did the trip about 20 years ago, and seem to remember climbing to the top of a huge chamber on a system of walkways and stairs ("ladderway" may have been a bit misleading), randomly firing flashguns for someone at the bottom taking a picture. The top of the chamber led back to the adit.
I also seem to remember the entrance being near a lake??

 

[vanoord]

It's certainly one of the large mines near Blaenau with huge chambers with ladderways in! That said, Cwmorthin is a bit short of ladders, so I suspect it may be a different one you're thinking of?

Dunno. I did the trip about 20 years ago, and seem to remember climbing to the top of a huge chamber on a system of walkways and stairs ("ladderway" may have been a bit misleading), randomly firing flashguns for someone at the bottom taking a picture. The top of the chamber led back to the adit.
I also seem to remember the entrance being near a lake??

Lake? That's probably Cwmorthin, yes

 

[T pot 1]

Fantastic mine Brings back memories of when the EPC had an hostel at Llyn Cwmothin beside the lake
Loads of water wheel houses hauling ramps and navie villages

T pot

 

[darkplaces]

Well we've got a gate on it now and your not allowed in... OOps that should read access is easy yet casual passer-bys cant get in and your all welcome to visit the mine, do some tidy up work go for a wander about. Bring some beer and get a kebab at the local and sit in front of the fire and have a sing song or a fight or something. We can talk about how beardy cavers are  :ras:

 

[cap n chris]

we've got a gate on it now

Why does this sound so strange, coming as it does from Darkplaces?

Would there not be some irony if the gate has been gas axed off its hinges?

 

[darkplaces]

Actually I've never been involved or know of any cases were gates have been gas axed off. what's the point you go round gates

The difference is not much granted, but the aim is to make access as easy as possible, while keeping out people passing by (walkers/bikers use the area a lot). Signs have been placed people know exactly who to contact and regardless of club status, club membership or independent, people can visit cwmorthin, you DONT have to join BCA, you DONT need to be in a club, you DONT need a permit, a donation system exists but that's it. Unlike PUG, Dan-Yrogoff (whatever, that welsh one) and many others who have managed to get it all wrong insisting on individual insurance, in 'some' cases requiring you to be part of a club, and defining BCA as the only acceptable insurance, other liability insurance system exist, granted they are costly.

A bit like Box, the gate is to stop casual 'oo I wonder whats inside' visits resulting in call-outs, signs tell the visitor exactly who to contact but if your interested its easy to get in.

Just the way it should be.

May I add Mendip has done very well in this way of providing access, including the CCC which seams an acceptable way of dealing with access. The only thing Mendip and other areas have failed on (and I mean no disrespect to current and ex-access officers) is putting information in gates to tell people WHO to contact for access. I've been saying this for years, 'haven't I'...

 

[Peter Burgess]

 

 

[darkplaces]

I got it from the same place you got yours  :ras:


Anyway, come and enjoy the amazing slate mine, its brill plus meet the members 

 

[darkplaces]

To keep you all up to date here is my own trip report with links. Not the official one its just mine.

Oct 6th & 7th Cwmorthin Cleanup Weekend

Arrived at Cwmorthin power station cafe at 07:30am having had NO SLEEP since Friday morning icon_mad.gif After breakfast we scampered up to the LakeLevel Adit, being a nice sunny day we started various random maintenance on the adit and pathway, others turned up to help from Mine-Explorer and in no time at all we had installed tubes to help with the drainage and covered them in slate. We painted the gate, cleared slate off some knackered wood. Cleared the remaining slate pile from the inside. In the afternoon we started to clear a lot of rubbish in the 1st two chambers, wheel barrowing them out for burning as most of it was rotten wood. We set-up a generator inside so we had plenty of light. Came the evening and we were all knackered and in need of some food so beer and food (pizza & kebab) was gathered from Ffestiniog and we sat around the rotten timber fire in the evening with the sun going down feeding and drinking beer. When it was chilly we retired to the specially built slate mine managers house and set fire to the chimney and boarded up the doorway (no window in the second room you see). So we all settled down for a night of heated discussion about clubs and insurance (as usual) but this time with a twist then a night of extream snoring, farting and talking while asleep. We all awoke refreshed around 8am(ish) for a cup-o-tea(tm) brewed on the wall outside, then off to LlechweddSlateCaverns for breakfast. After we carried on with clearing out the 1st two caverns of burnable material and arranging the artefacts on tables. Finishing around 2-3pm, however still with plenty to do!

A big thankyou to everyone who turned up, THANKYOU!
The album of pictures for this working weekend can be found here.
http://www.c**tplaces.co.uk/phpBB2/album_cat.php?cat_id=548