I have recently moved from yorkshire to ambleside, to go to university and am keen to get underground. I've done a fair bit of caving but no mine exploration so could do with having a look round some basic ones first. Does anyone have any ideas of where I should go.
cheers

Welcome to the forum PsychoBilly. There are one or two Cumbrians on here, so I'm sure some ideas will be forthcoming :thumbsup:

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I have recently moved from yorkshire to ambleside, to go to university and am keen to get underground. I've done a fair bit of caving but no mine exploration so could do with having a look round some basic ones first. Does anyone have any ideas of where I should go.
cheers

Are you looking for any particular sort of mine? i.e - what mineral/rock type

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To be honest I know nothing about mines I just want to get exploring underground and as far as i know there are no caves in cumbria? I might be wrong.

well... plenty of slate mines on the coniston old man and around langdale, plus there's a lot in the way of coppermines around coniston, though some of which are not easily accessed. But try the ones around Elterwater to Little Langdale 1st...

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Hello matey,
If you are staying in Ambleside then you are easily within reach of one the country's finest caving regions less than an hour away. The Kingsdale and Chapel le Dale areas of Yorkshire are home to some of the finest pots in the UK.
http://www.rrcpc.org.uk/ 

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[img]http://www.aditnow.co.uk/showimage?f=/community/Saddlestone,-Moss-Head,-Spion-Kop-and-Scald-Cop---August-2007-Image-039/[/img]


Probably Cumbria's largest man-made underground chamber. A chamber at Kentmere and one at Hodge Close go up over 100ft in height, but nothing matches up to this. Neither are there any massive chambers in Honister.

The chamber cuts it's way through three floors, I'm on the lowest when taking this pic and about 50ft higher up is the next level called Moss Head upper. Above this is Spion Kop level, which would have once been much bigger until this monster broke into the base of it. At the very top of the chamber, on the other side of the pillar behind my dad (out of viewing) is a small shaft leading up to Scald Cop working a long way above. This is only recognisible by a flow of water from the roof, and some iron bits stuck into the rock. I will upload a pic of this later


regards

linden

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if your new to mine exploration please dont try the copper mines..eg conniston or goldscope as they are deadly without full srt gear..400 year old false floors and hanging death in the stopes,join a local club who will guide you and do organise trips( see ian at keswick mining musium) for details of one of the better ones.
failing that treat mines like caves but be carefull of where you walk if the floor sounds hollow it proberly is rotten timbers your stood on with huge drops below you,plus flooded pasages sometimes hide fooded shafts.
try nenthead for some easy stuff but get hold of some maps first as the mines there are huge,also raughton gill,kinniside,or carrock mine shouldnt be too hard.force crag is still interesting but getting a bit grotty now.

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I haven't done a great deal in Cumbria, but I have done a through trip in Coniston and would really echo what bograt has said - massive scope for death or injury here. Go only with somebody who knows them, and fully equipped.

It was a fantastic trip though.

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