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Photograph:

🔗Harnisha-Burn-Lead-mine-User-Album-Image-156[linkphoto]Harnisha-Burn-Lead-mine-User-Album-Image-156[/linkphoto][/link]
i drove past here today and never thought to stop, simply unbelievable!

compare to this:

🔗Harnisha-Burn-Lead-mine-User-Album-Image-003[linkphoto]Harnisha-Burn-Lead-mine-User-Album-Image-003[/linkphoto][/link]

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then consider its knee deep water in there on a hot dry summers day!! weardale certainly got drenched today!!

then consider its knee deep water in there on a hot dry summers day!! weardale certainly got drenched today!!

It did!
I abandoned our trip yesterday and sticking to the dryer bits of Nent today, I expect there could be a bit of damage in some levels after this.

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Cheers for that Chris, that is unreal and amazing to see it like that. I was just down there a few times in the last couple of months.

Can I ask, is it because of the water level in the mine itself or is it just from the nearby burn that burst its banks?

Hi that was the water in the mine itself ,Ive been going up there for many years and have never seen it like that

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Higher up the fell and running parallel to the B.6278 there is a gill which is normally dry: in the bottom of the gill is at least one run-in shaft. Surface water pouring down the gill (we've had a day and a half of continuous torrential rain up here in the north Pennines) could have found its' way down into the upper reaches of the mine via these shafts and out through the lower adit. The higher workings were meant as a secondary escape route, so are connected. I bet the mine has been well and truly flushed out by now.

This is a subject that I've given a few passing thoughts. With Global Warming parts of the UK will be subject to more frequent spells of torrential rain. This, perhaps, will make mines susceptible to flooding more so. And may even affect mines that don't at present fall into that category. Could even impinge on artifacts. No I'm not going there. 😉

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This is a subject that I've given a few passing thoughts. With Global Warming parts of the UK will be subject to more frequent spells of torrential rain. This, perhaps, will make mines susceptible to flooding more so. And may even affect mines that don't at present fall into that category. Could even impinge on artifacts. No I'm not going there. 😉

My perspective on that one is that its upto the likes of us to try and keep drainage maintained in the places we visit.
The water levels in the majority of disused mines is self maintaining at their present levels, if we keep the drainage relaively clear then water levels will hopefuly remain stable inmost places. In a lot of cases its a matter of keeping gully's clear at the portals. Half an hour with a spade in some of our favourite places can work wonders.....

I've never come across a mine where rainwater would preclude entry or worse still, exit. It looks pretty frightening.

For safety's sake should we be posting a notice on individual mines something like "adit level subject to flooding during severe weather". I don't mean rise from mid-calf to mid-thigh
but anything that gets up to chest high could pose quite a few problems, especially to those of us who are vertically challenged

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I think Roy M. could say a few words on that. I believe he once got caught in a flash flood in the County Adit.

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A mine doesn't have to be abandoned and no longer maintained to be at risk of flooding from storm water, East Wheal Rose being a notable example.

Changing the subject slightly, from flooding, back to Harnisha Burn...

The higher workings were meant as a secondary escape route, so are connected.

Does anyone know if the connection is still possible?

I've got into about 400m of passage in the higher level (about 15-20m above the lower level) but it was cloopased at both ends. There is another ladder shaft but I'm not sure if it connects and it'll be a lot of work to get up the last section.

Anyone know if it connects with anything worthwile and is worth pushing?

Cheers

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Just been across to have a look at the Harnisha Burn mine:- river levels have dropped but it doesn't appear that the Harnisha burn itself rose that far. The water coming out of the mine has also dropped and is about twice wellie depth, peaty in colour, moving slowly and draining into the ground some distance away. Further back above the entrance and almost at right angles to it is a second level which partially collapsed ages ago and from which is flowing quite an amount of water. It also contains half a ton of empty beer and lager cans..... a present from the picnic brigade.
This drains into a sink hole and reappears from under a spoil heap near the Harnisha Burn adit and then disappears down another sink hole. Neither of the two water flows seem to discharge into the nearby burn - a bottle of fluorescine dye would be really useful here, but the NRA would no doubt have something to say about that.
I'll post a couple of pics I took today on the Harnisha album when I get the chance.

Both adits do drain into the river.
They have drainage pipes to deal with excess water but these have been blocked for years, the lower adit drain still flows and can be seen on the river banks 30 or 40 yards downstream.
I did dig it out a few years ago and improve drainage quite a bit but I would imagine its silted up again since.

I have to say I didn't go that far downstream, but thanks for clearing that one up! Next time I go there I'll bring a spade ....... 😉