I spent Sunday wondering around looking at familiar places, not being well lately I am having easy weekends, for a change!

Some time ago a manway shaft opened up at the above mine and a length of timber propped against the side tells me that someone has probably climbed down, its only 10 feet or so. There appears a solid floor with possible ways off, I did not go down but shone a powerful light down, (I do have these).

The shaft is circular and dry stone lined, the 'ginging' as we say was originally supported by heavy timbers mounted on iron pegs. From what I could see these have rotted away leaving a gap, what appears as a 'way on' below the now totally unsupported ginging, which is what you would be seeing looking down. Further, the 'solid floor' will of course be collapse fill probably supported on the collapsed timber collar that opened the shaft up, with a nice drop below.

Further down the valley there is a similar manway next to the run in Esgair Fraith Engine Shaft. Again, drystone lined with the lining on very rotten timber. I went down some years ago and came back up PDQ.

Other news, I am pleased to report that Camdwrbach (mine of the black cave pearls) is still open but looks wet. The ground above the open stope where water pours in appears to have stabilized so we may well be able to hold on to this one.

---

Other news, I am pleased to report that Camdwrbach (mine of the black cave pearls) is still open but looks wet. The ground above the open stope where water pours in appears to have stabilized so we may well be able to hold on to this one.

Glad to hear that Roy, I very much enjoyed our trip there a few years back, it was a nice highlight after you taking us down that evil smelling hole full of dead sheep nearby :lol:

....which is also still open. But somewhat spoiled when a surface shaft opened up and dumped a load of debris into the stope.

Carcasses and smell now gone, from what I could see. I did some digging in the Engine Shaft a while back as the stoping is shown on the section to continue in the other direction for a short distance, the spoil was dumped over the smelly bit.
Got no where though.

The Engine Shaft is about 700 feet deep and I suspect blocked with old iron rails and covered over, something I was constantly thinking of when I was digging.

---

Is the Bog Shaft between Esgairhir and Esgairfraith still open?

Its position was for many years the site of a Forestry Commission road turning-circle, where I often parked during the fieldwork for my MPhil - until one morning when I turned up and there was a dirty great open shaft there in its place!

Is the Bog Shaft between Esgairhir and Esgairfraith still open?

Its position was for many years the site of a Forestry Commission road turning-circle, where I often parked during the fieldwork for my MPhil - until one morning when I turned up and there was a dirty great open shaft there in its place!

You have answered my question if I have the location correct, why a made up forestry road that just ends at an open shaft?

Yes, and there is the holding down bolts for a balance bob to be seen. BM 22 is very good, I have a copy, but unfortunately there is no surface plan which would be useful.

When I descended the manway shaft some years ago, I found that it picked up the underlie and my rope would have been on a cant, the ginging was supported on very heavy timbers that I could push my fingers right into. I have heard that someone has been down and found the workings all under water.

There was abit of a run at the adit mouth some years ago and I was tempted to have a dig at it, but the cutting to it is so full of muck it would take a digger several days to clear it. Water must be backed up in there.

I have been up the Esgair Hir adit, that is the 'wet end', and it was! Nearly drowned in there years ago. I got up as far as just past the gate. There was a rise I tried to maypole but could not, pity as there was a way on up there, maybe connected to shaft Issa.

You want to get out of Mach and go and have a mooch around.
;D

---

Glad to have solved that problem for you!