RJV
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10 years ago
"exspelio" wrote:

Give some thought to Robins Shaft Mine, a frequently overlooked gem.


Unfortunately all the trip reports on the internet seem to be from caving clubs so lots of mention of the SRT pitches, none whatsoever of the actual mine...

That said, looking at the CCPC rigging guide it seems that there might just be a shaft with two short trials going off it and a little bit of natural.

Is there actually more to it than that?
owd git
10 years ago
Not much really, tho a good deal of scrambling 'not for the faint hearted' 😮.
lots to see / do / ad-hoc on t' w/end for all who are O.K. with 'leaving it loose'and trusting to fate and an Owd Git.:lol: probs Zomjon too.
O. G.
tangent_tracker
10 years ago
"RJV" wrote:

I'd be happy with the Daylight Shaft (is that the one down a short passage on your left you pass heading outbye?) though it would be a shame not to travel down the coffin level if anybody comes who hasn't been before. It really is a rather excellent example. But easy enough to split into small groups.

As for Gentlewomans, I seem to remember it being about the same width as Bitch Pitch but without the rebelays and possibly with a greater hade? I don't think getting out would be too much of a problem. Though I might not be remembering it correctly!

Snake is a really interesting little mine but we did the Masson mines & Snake on a previous Derbyshire weekend, I'm not sure how much enthusiasm there would be to repeat the full weekend. Though both could feasibly be done in one day if people hurry up...



Ah fair enough! Yeah Gentlewoman's shaft seems to be a bit of a dogs leg with the hades (is it sunk / raised on a vein?) - I just remember thinking I wouldn't like to go back up hehe. I seem to remember BP being spacier but might be wrong! Generally being tall I do not like prussiking anywhere near a wall or other surface, I find it a pain in the butt!
jones the slate
10 years ago
"RJV" wrote:

I'd be happy with the Daylight Shaft (is that the one down a short passage on your left you pass heading outbye?) though it would be a shame not to travel down the coffin level if anybody comes who hasn't been before. It really is a rather excellent example. But easy enough to split into small groups.

As for Gentlewomans, I seem to remember it being about the same width as Bitch Pitch but without the rebelays and possibly with a greater hade? I don't think getting out would be too much of a problem. Though I might not be remembering it correctly!:oops::)
Snake is a really interesting little mine but we did the Masson mines & Snake on a previous Derbyshire weekend, I'm not sure how much enthusiasm there would be to repeat the full weekend. Though both could feasibly be done in one day if people hurry up...




Yep, Day shaft is where you think it is RJV, 300' ish of 8'x8' shaft, turning more oval as you descend if I remember. 🙂
Any offers over a fiver....
pwhole
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10 years ago
I'm starting to quite enjoy climbing tighter pitches now I can ropewalk reasonably well, espcially since swapping to the Garma chest harness. I helped resurvey the Hillocks climbing shaft recently, and am pleased to say I managed the entire upward trip without using a single frog-step, and that was with the rope in a bag below me too. With walls to lean or push against I find it very easy and far faster than frogging. So I'd probably enjoy going up the 'entrance' shaft.

Anyway, after a little chat tonight, there is always an option on a certain mine on M*ss Rake, but it may be too sensitive for discussion! But that has everything...and more.
zomjon1
10 years ago
Couple of other ideas: A combination of Hillocks and Knotlow provides plenty and could be combined with Water Icicle and a booking of extensions, Ball Eye both lower and upper has a lot to go at, but really like Adam's idea of mines around Winster - not been in them.
exspelio
10 years ago
Access to Ball Eye is still being negotiated, please leave it out at the moment.
Always remember, nature is in charge, get it wrong and it is you who suffers!.
pwhole
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10 years ago
Indeed - my two visits to Burning Drake were rather special, but did take some prior arrangement, and wouldn't like to speculate at this stage, but hopefully AR can discuss. Horsebuttocks wasn't possible from surface at all due to a lack of permission, but there is an underground connection from Drake, generally passable in summer or dry winters. Sadly our visit was in winter and certainly wasn't dry. But we did get to see another fine coffin level going to Mary and Ann Vein, which sadly didn't provide that much entertainment for the walk required to get there! Another great 90° bend in that one too though. Doh!
zomjon1
10 years ago

'Ah fair enough! Yeah Gentlewoman's shaft seems to be a bit of a dogs leg with the hades (is it sunk / raised on a vein?) - I just remember thinking I wouldn't like to go back up hehe. I seem to remember BP being spacier but might be wrong! Generally being tall I do not like prussiking anywhere near a wall or other surface, I find it a pain in the butt'

Quote:



Myself and Owd Git have been back up said shaft on a number of occasions, (both planned and unplanned) and it is not too onerous a task - though I'm hardly tall, I am a little on the rotund side, and an exchange trip has proved very successful in the past (saves the down group having to go back for the rope!)

RJV
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10 years ago
Somebody has put a report of the Gentlewoman's trip up on UK Caving.
http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=17695.msg232435;topicseen#new 

Sounds like the squeezes have reestablished themselves. Or somebody has chucked a load of gravel in!
zomjon1
10 years ago
Nope, first squeeze is as usual, it's the second one that has basically disappeared now.
AR
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10 years ago
I've asked John Wood about the possibility of him taking us into one of the Winster mines that weekend, he'll check and see whether he's free that weekend. If not, Robin's shaft is worth a look?
Follow the horses, Johnny my laddie, follow the horses canny lad-oh!
pwhole
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10 years ago
TSG went down Robin's Shaft with a gas meter last week, and it looks like the CO2 problems have cleared - however, late Spring may be different...something to bear in mind there anyway.
RockChick
10 years ago
Is Robins Shaft in the same system as Hillocks mine near moneyash? It's the only one I can think of in the area with CO2 problems?
Crocodile 1, Space ship 0!
AR
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10 years ago
No, Robins is over near Ilam.

Provisionally , a trip down Drake is looking OK though it's half-term and our man on the ground may find himself pressganged to do family stuff in which case, engage plan B either Robins or if the weather's been dry, I do have another site in mind. Otherwise, expect a 180' shaft down into extensive workings.
Follow the horses, Johnny my laddie, follow the horses canny lad-oh!
RockChick
10 years ago
Super- thanks for that!
Crocodile 1, Space ship 0!
pwhole
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10 years ago
Well I know my way around much of it, so if J wasn't free, I'm sure we could still manage it, though it may be impolite due to the entrance location - we shall see. But there's some photos from down below here:

http://www.aditnow.co.uk/album/Burning-Drakes-Lead-Mine-User-Album/ 
RJV
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10 years ago
Looks good.

75m shaft? Might have to polish up the SRT, not sure I've done a fully-fledged SRT trip since we did that Snake weekend a few years ago... :oops:
pwhole
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10 years ago
It's a lovely shaft - hand-trimmed all the way, with a garland cut into the sides at the step-off. The inclined coffin-level is literally round the corner. It does go deeper to lower, wetter workings - I think it's about 90m total depth. About 30m down there's a very strange abandoned passage leading off in shale, with some very strange formations - looked like an early sough, but no idea where it went - I must re-read the old article and see what is.

The best bit was the totally wrong surveying that resulted in a a 2m-long coffin level at the bottom of Motorbike Shaft (shown in the photos) - once they realised they were too high and 90° in the wrong direction they blasted a larger, cruder passage below it into a flatworks. A fantastic site.
RJV
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10 years ago
I quite fancy this trip actually. I've been trying (failing) to make sense of the paper in the PDMHS memoirs and it sounds a really interesting spot.
http://www.pdmhs.com/PDFs/ScannedBulletinArticles/Bulletin%2014-2%20-%20Horsebuttock,%20Shack,%20Little,%20Drake%20and%20Pitt.pdf 
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