Hi, i recently signed up to find out locations and information on explore areas in and around the peaks and if worthy of a trip anywhere really! I have visited Holme Bank Chert mine a number of times recently, completing all the mine above water level. We then stepped up and found the Long Rake mine, we have also explored all of this mine to the water level but will not be returning again after recently finding out its history of carbon monoxide in 2009 😞

More recently we have visited the Devonshire Cavern mine in Matlock Bath and just last Thursday we ventured to the Wapping Mine and Cumberland Cavern. We spent a good amount of time lost in the 'Maze' part of wapping but i find this part of the fun and once we familiarised ourselves we were fine and had no problems getting to the spiral staircases which were impressive albeit a little nerve racking to climb...

Anyway my name is Matt, there are usually about 5 or 6 of us that travel around these places together, mixed ages between 19 and me being the oldest at almost 28! I am yet to meet any other guys in our age range that find this stuff interesting??? I guess our generation are more intersted in gaming consoles and vandalising the old derelict industrial sites rather than exploring and appreciating a bit of history...

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Long Rake looks awesome 😃 And you'd be surprised... I'm leaving this week, but I've been going out with the Thursday nighters for over a year now, and there are a good few of us in the mid 20s - although the rest could be considered mining artifacts! :angel::angel::angel:

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Long rake is by the most intense and scary place ive explored, the ladders are safe enough but take some reassuring words from yourself to actually get on them and down to the bottom level at 420ft down! We spent a whole night down here and covered every part as far as we could without waders.

We all got a headache in one part of the lower levels as our night drew to an end, so we moved back up the ladders to the upper level of the mine then made our exit up some more very very shady ladders... wouldn't recomment that way out! Definitely don't attempt to enter that way its far too dangerous as its the least used and the beams supporting the ladders are rotting badly!

No sign of the monoxide anymore though, as we all are still here to tell the tale and all of us covered the accessible parts without trouble. Just CO2 in one area of the lower level which i assume is because there was 12 of us having a ciggy in the lowest part at the same time :ohmygod: the tunnel runs to water which could block the tunnel completely and stop the ventilation working as it should maybe?

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Might I suggest that you join the Peak District Mines Historical Society - www,pdmhs.com. Among other activities we organise underground meets and surface walks. We also publish a journal and a newsletter. We also run the Peak District Lead Mining Museum at Matlock Bath and Magpie Mine at Sheldon.

A couple of us are planning to do this very soon! I have the PDF downloaded ready to fill the application form, £21 a year was a pleasant surprise, as i have the impression that the PDMHS put quite a lot of time and effort into keeping a lot of the mines and caves accessible and relatively safe! Along with the DCC and other member communities of course.

Because of my lifestyle, it is difficult to attend most of the weekend day time meets, hence why we were all down long rake from 11pm til 5am! I have a night lifestyle at the weekend and and 9-5 lifestyle through the week, its quite hectic!

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