Does anyone know if Yew Crags slate mine is owned by Mark Wier and Honister slate. They are only 1/4 of a mile from each other, and are opposit each other?

We may be planning to visit the working mine, every friday 5pm if there are at least eight people.
I reccomend visiting!

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I did the 'Edge' tour last summer and it is an interesting mine in an amazing location. Would have loved to have gone back and seen the workings on the other side of the valley. I think the tour guide (Mark's mother) said they owned that side too.

The other side is also interesting, but I guess you'd have to get permission. Of cource - you can walk on the external areas - no prob. I think its one of the Kimberley levels that still works.

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I went into Honister before it was re-opened as a tourist mine. I have never been over to Yew Crags side of the valley, are there any open adits over there ?

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The tour guide told us that there were open workings on the other side to explore. I would say its worth a trip because there seemed to be quite a few relics there. I was with somebody who had no interest in mine-exploring so I was lucky to have been able to do the tour!

Ahh well. Something else to add to the ever growing To Do List"

Its quite close the the Rigg Head slate mines, so the 2 together could make a good days explore..

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I've not done any mine-exploring outside Wales (except for the tourist ones which don't actually count) so would be good to get up there myself sometime.

Word from the Weir's is that the other side is in bad state and dangerous, so quite inviting really!
Never got round to it yet myself but will do eventually.
Honister is far bigger than it 1st appears and if you catch Mark himself he will do deep tours on an evening if he gets enough interest and bribery. Alternatively there are no gates on site....

Alternatively there are no gates on site....

well thats it then.. Sorted :thumbup:

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Count me in!! 😉
We've been looking up on Honister, and it would appear that the tours operate in Road End level, and lancaster Levels 2 & 3, if anyones interested. You can also get Mark, and some other folks to show you round the working high road end level at Kimberley mine, if you have a big enogh group. Anyone got Alasteir cameron's 'Slate from Honister' or Ian Tylers Honister - the history of a lakeland slate mine' - we now have both in library?
There is a map of Yew Craggs in both books.

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Count me in too! I fell in love with the place when we were there last year.

Us too, I love the way the inclines are kinda stuck into the hillside. |Notice though, that you never have one tunnel above another tunnel, due to the angle of the dip; it is worked in an underground gallery system. Amazing packwalls, and most of the rail is still in place along with many bogies and rubbish wagons.
Anyone know anything about the 650m. tunnel from Dubs to Honister Crag?

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Yew craggs isn't in that bad condition. The map is a little confusing, and shows no major inclines, meaning you'd have to walk up the tips and possibly stairways to access the level above. You could, in theory enter at Incline Foot level, take the eft passage, and ascend the tip to Cumberland/Doghole level. From here you might be able to explore the rest, though you'd probably have to climb, or re-enter from the hillside the next level being New Welsh. 😉

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Had an amazing insiight into the working part today!!
As for Yew Craggs - well, only a few levels are still open! 😞
Some very nice surface relics however, very good condition incline!! 😉

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Usually just lurk here,but:-
Back in 97 my ex :guns: and I entered honister by walking along the obvious tramway from the works,and climbing over a huge metal grid at a large adit with a generator next to it? We walked for a while along a dry arched level until reaching the foot of a huge incline.the incline was duly explored with everything to the left ending up in a huge cavern, with tipping tunnels to the right on every level, opening to the drop of death into honister pass!The upper levels to the left were blind headings? The most amazing part was getting to the old return wheel for the incline(no longer used for modern winch) and seeing daylight! Upon carefully moving a few slabs,we emerged on the top of honister crag :thumbsup: Is this where the modern tour takes you? sorry no photos as it was something we did whilst it was raining! anyone know exactly where we were from this crap description :angel:
Ps we put the slabs back after we got out.... 😞

It all depends on which incline your describing. If you mean the Honister incline, then you would have gone in at Lancaster no2 level, and if the Kimberley incline - Road End level. Kimberley incline is powered - where as - Honister is counterbalanced. then presuambly you ascended the floors on either the Honister or Kimberley veins. 😉

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Have no idea which one it was. It was originally counterbalanced because of the horizontal return wheel at the top(where it breaks to daylight)As we found it,it was a single track platform incline to carry wagons one at a time,with a ladder up the left side and powered by a modern winch at the head (but below the ancient sheave wheel)
Documents and dates on oil cans etc suggested that the last shift left here in 1986?


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You'd probably have gone in at Road End, and wondered around the Kimberely levels, and yes - at the top Kimberley incline breaks to daylight. above the top of the incline - you'd presumably have gone out one of many levels leading to Honister Crag, or if you went out via the very top Kimberley main level (upper road end) then you'd have come out near the Kimberley external incline head, and would have had to walk down the road to the hause.

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I’ve been reading with interest your Honister & Yew Crag posts. Good to hear some discussion on the old place! In the early 1990's, we spent most of our 'mining' days in there, systematically exploring every inch of the place.
Entered quite a few areas not previously explored by modern explorers.
At Yew Crag, we reopened the 1901 New Level beneath Sam New Quarry, exploring it to a choked rise up into the surface quarry. We also located reopened the Level at the foot of Yew Crag incline (adjacent to the winder control shed), it was previously ‘lost’, buried beneath tons of scree & packwall. We believe that this was the tunnel planned (but never completed) to go through the hill to Newlands to connect with a planned railway up the valley. It’s not shown on the plan in Ian Tyler’s book because we got in just after it went to the printers!!
We’ve been in Dubs bottom level, & the one above (via a small rise) which connected with a square stone lined shaft outside the present hut (now filled in). We think that the 650yd tunnel to connect with Honister was never driven. There’s certainly no sign of it in Honister (I think the Honister Top level or ‘Long’ Level goes the furthest into the hill) we have explored nearly all the Honister levels to foreheads. There used to be some nice sheds with carved names outside Dubs bottom level until Weir smashed them up with his diggers.

Interesting, I didn't think the Wiers owned Dubs?

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