I recently took a trip inside the cliffs of Stoney Middleton. We started by parking opposite the lover's leap garage, walked onto the path across the road from the car park, and followed the first track which left the main path at the road level.

This took us up the cliff a little to small opening which took us through a tight tunnel consisting of turns. This opened out at a T junction, right taking us into a mine workings and left took us outside onto a ledge high up on the cliff face. We continued outside and nipped in every hole we could find until we came to a large opening besides some tree roots, using the roots to clamber down into a nice little cave system.

Does anybody know the name of this cave? we encounted a school trip down there and the kids made easy work of the low ceilings, we struggled but went as far as our backs would allow... Was wondering if there are surveys or maps of the workings in the stoney middleton dale area?

Ta in advance!

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Sounds like Carlswark Cavern.
Have a look on DCA website. Survey also in COPD.

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I thought carlswark but wondered which entrance it was? On the DCA cave registry it seems more likely to be ivy green cave? the pointer is closer to that than the carlswark pin but then they aren't always in the right place...

I will look at buying the COPD this weekend, any retailers that will stock it or will I need to buy online and wait for delivery?

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It's the Gin Entrance. Try Caving Supplies for a copy of COPD if you're not too far away.
Ivy Green is about 30ft up the cliff & about (IIRC) a HVDiff. climb to get to it.
It was the scene of a very tragic accident in the late 80's.
A young lad from Eyam went missing, who was known to have an interest in caves in the area, but no known equipment to facilitate exploration.
When he'd been missing for some time, DCRO were tasked by the police to search all entrances that he could have crawled in, or fallen down in the area.
His remains were eventually found by some climbers about a year later, in Ivy Green Cave.
Lord knows how he'd got up there. He was some distance in, at a narrowing of the passage.

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Bossons Hole is also a little through trip cave in the cliffs near Stoney Middleton. I am unaware of any mine connections though.

Chris.

I know the cave pretty well, it takes you out onto Windy Ledge, called Bossen Hole. It has a short drop just before the T-junction?

Spent many a happy night sleeping on Windy Ledge in the late 80's / early 90's after a few beers in the Moon. If someone hadn't been to Windy Ledge we often took them through the cave saying it was the only way, only to wander off the other end in the morning for a good breakfast in Lovers Leap cafe.

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Bossen hole is the first through route to the windy ledge, brilliant, it really was a treat to exit out on to that ledge! Is there any connection from the Gin entrance not requiring ropes? I have ropes but some of the guys i explore with aren't that clued up on abseiling and certainly not at SRT...

Also, where would the caving supplies shop be located? I live in Mansfield woodhouse now, originally from Tibshelf, always out and around the peaks 🙂

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http://smhccg.org/geology/the-caves/  found this brilliant link answering all my questions and naming the exact route i took, greeny ivy cave sounds interesting, may have a little peep in there next time!

Thanks all, much appreciated!

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Bossen hole is the first through route to the windy ledge, brilliant, it really was a treat to exit out on to that ledge! Is there any connection from the Gin entrance not requiring ropes? I have ropes but some of the guys i explore with aren't that clued up on abseiling and certainly not at SRT...

Also, where would the caving supplies shop be located? I live in Mansfield woodhouse now, originally from Tibshelf, always out and around the peaks :)

It's on London Road in Buxton.

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Excellent I will pop over at the weekend after I've done my speed awareness course at Casa in Chesterfield 🙂 Thanks again!

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Praada - If your mates aren't fully SRT savvy, you could always lower them down Eyam Dale Shaft yourself. Its an obvious hole on the hillside opposite the power substation further up the road (on the junction with the B6521 up to Eyam)

From the EDS it's a short, fun through trip out to the Gin Entrance. Everyone does it - follow the obvious trail.

It's been a while since I was there last, the tree used as a backup anchor was pretty ropey, I bet it's gone by know. There should be 'P' anchors at the top of the shaft though.

Reminds me of a cave walk through we used to use when I was a kid, somewhere on the south coast, I remember something like a zoo nearby, Torquay ?

Praada - If your mates aren't fully SRT savvy, you could always lower them down Eyam Dale Shaft yourself. Its an obvious hole on the hillside opposite the power substation further up the road (on the junction with the B6521 up to Eyam)

From the EDS it's a short, fun through trip out to the Gin Entrance. Everyone does it - follow the obvious trail.

It's been a while since I was there last, the tree used as a backup anchor was pretty ropey, I bet it's gone by know. There should be 'P' anchors at the top of the shaft though.

I'd never thought of that! I will get the COPD book first but that sounds like the ultimate plan 😃 I know the shaft, we scoped the area last time and entered the upper entrance above the shaft until that also required rope.

The plan is that this Saturday we park up and walk our way through the various caves and through routes all the way up to eyam house cave 🙂 Depending how the other non ropers feel will determine the plan of action on the day 🙂

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http://caving-supplies.co.uk/cgi-bin/psProdDet.cgi/66149 ||~@c~Surveys~@b|0|user|1,0,0,1|12 and they also sell a Carlswark survey.

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You aren't wrong there, just looked on their website and the list of surveys for the area is incredible and very reasonably priced! Thanks a lot AR!

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If it's the same one I have, get it. It is excellent. Very large & very clear. It will show you all the 'extra' holes you have been poking into lately, as per the origin of this post.

'Oooer Missus!'