Waterfall Swallet For Sale

[david3392]

Spotted this ad on P40 of the current 'Buxton Advertiser':

Property Auction to be held at 7.30pm Wednesday 26 June 2013 at the George Hotel, Tideswell, SK17 8NU.

Land off Foolow Road, Eyam, Hope Valley, S32 5QS.

23 Acres or thereabouts.

Ring fenced sound grassland
Good road frontage
Includes Waterfall Swallet

The ad goes on to say that it 'provides a unique investment opportunity'. The selling agents are Graham Watkins of Leek.

Folks may be aware of this already but I'm sure this is of potential interest with regatds to future access etc. There is no guide price!

 

[pwhole]

It says here that it's going for ?200K:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/commercial-property-for-sale/property-38957287.html

Also included is the text below - I doubt that caving access wouldn't be considered, given the status - although some units for the depth estimate would have been handy! Furlongs perhaps?

Included in the sale is an investment opportunity to acquire a piece of one of Englands hidden natural treasures, namely Waterfall Swallet, which is designated as an SSSI by Natural England. More details regarding the SSSI status of the land is available on request.

Waterfall Swallet is a spectacular waterfall, falling into a deep limestone crag of around 45 making this one of the highest waterfalls in Derbyshire. A wealth of information and photographs can be found by searching Waterfall Swallet on the internet. Inspection is necessary to appreciate the natural beauty and uniqueness that this hidden British landmark has to offer.

For the avoidance of doubt, from our calculations we believe that the land edged in red on the attached plan, including the waterfall, extends to approximately 22.87 acres or thereabouts.

 

[cavermark]

The brochure has 45' .......the feet obviously didn't make it over to the rightmove bit.

 

[EwanCameron]

DCA are keeping an eye on the matter and the DCA access team will do everything it can to keep access to the cave open

 

[Jenny P]

The Waterfall Farm land, including the cave, has now been sold but it will take a wee while for the new owners to take over and sort out access to the cave.  For the time being we are asking everyone who wants to go down the cave to follow the access arrangements sorted out last October when the land first went on sale.

P.1:22, WATERFALL HOLE (INCLUDING CROCK POT).  (11-10-12)
Cavers covered by the BCA insurance scheme are welcome to visit the cave at any time, but cars must not be parked on the track at any time. (It is just possible to tuck a couple of cars in on the left at the top of the hill towards Foolow).
The land on which the cave sits will probably be sold next year but until then the access agreement stands.
The owner has also asked if visiting parties will email Mark Noble at eyam_explorers [at] talk21.com so he can let them know that cavers will be on their land.

Once new arrangements are in place we will post them on the DCA website, on UKcaving, etc. and make them as widely known as possible.  There is every hope that access will continue under the new owners.

Jenny Potts,
DCA Hon. Sec.

 

[Mark]

Apparently the National Trust have bought Waterfall Swallet and the adjacent land, & the current owners will remain as tenants, so hopefully no problems 

 

[bograt]

Superb news 

 

[pwhole]

As long as they don't start asking for risk assessments for private caving trips...

 

[martinm]

As long as they don't start asking for risk assessments for private caving trips...

Why would they do that? They don't do it for any of the mines on their land at Monyash or any of the caves/mines on their land in the Manifold! 

 

[martinb]

As long as they don't start asking for risk assessments for private caving trips...

Why would they do that? They don't do it for any of the mines on their land at Monyash or any of the caves/mines on their land in the Manifold! 

Whilst I have not had direct involvement with NT themselves, they have put a large number of stipulations on cave exploration in other areas within Derbyshire.

This isn't heresay, it's first hand from someone who owns a cave.

 

[bograt]

Then the only advice I can give is ask the landowner to get in touch with DCA, their relationship is good with N.T., and any problems should be referred for agreement, the most you are likely to need is a spanner and a BCA insurance card!, don't forget that part of DCA's remit is negotiation with landowners and tenant farmers.
Risk assessments are usually done by DCA in agreement with the landowner, the tenant, and any other interested party (e.g. PICA), because of the nature of Waterfall, I doubt the latter will be involved, I am sure that DCA would be more than interested in your allegation if there is a dissatisfied cave owner.
Although in your citation the term "cave owner" implies ownership of the cave, in which case I can't see how the N.T. can stipulate!!, (unless, of course you are thinking of the National Park (PNP), or Natural England (NE) ), both of which recognise DCA as the representative caving organisation that looks after preservation (and caver access) for the region).
If you have any reservations about airing the specific details about this incident on line, I and I'm sure Ewan (DCA Access Officer) would readily respond to a P.M.

 

[martinm]

Then the only advice I can give is ask the landowner to get in touch with DCA, their relationship is good with N.T. If you have any reservations about airing the specific details about this incident on line, I and I'm sure Ewan (DCA Access Officer) would readily respond to a P.M.

Hear, hear! Was just about to say similar!  I am an NT volunteer and regularly meet members of the NT Peak District team, including some of their senior management. (Even have my own uniform now! ) They have been nothing but helpful to me and DCA. PM Ewan. If there were any stipulations, there must have been very good reasons...

 

[pwhole]

Yeah, sorry, that was intended primarily as a joke, so no dig at the NT intended - my contacts with them have been more than helpful too. It's just that occasionally officialdom requires steps that can seem faintly surreal in a caving scenario. I can't really go into details, but I'll have to provide one for a possible project to go ahead, and to most here the 'risks' are obvious and probably manageable, but to a non-caving administrator who might make the final decision it could sound like pure hell on earth  :-\

 

[Gollum]

I would advise any risk assessments by taken through DCA. I remember when access from Willersley crag was stopped because someone submitted a risk assessment to the land owner for a sponsored abseil.

 

[EwanCameron]

Yes we do not wish to put them off with a evil looking risk assessment if they are submitted they need to be well made