A rather strange tale has reached the desk of Vanoord...

Apparently, a man has been found living in one of the (drier) mines in the Gwydir Forest!

A member of the public apparently saw a man walking into an abandoned working carrying shopping baskets. When a Forestry Commission worker went into the mine to see what was going on, he found a camp bed, tins of baked beans, a stove and a large number of candles - it seems the man had been living in the mine!

Now whether this is verifiable or not is perhaps questionable: my source is someone who lives in the forest (in a house, not a mine!), so it's not a bad source.

This might, of course, fit in with the story that most of the Gwydir mines have recently been re-secured with new gates and locks.

Can anyone cast any light on this?

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Strange? There was me thinking that a significant % of Aditnow members lived like this or aspired to do so! 😉
Don't know of this individual incident but after 30 years in the business it's no suprise. I would hazard that the individual might be Eastern European.
Any gating in Gwydyr, by FC, will be for other reasons, the possibility of occupancy being low on the list of priorities. Given the FC Wales's policy they should be most amenable to fair and reasonable constructive comment on the subject. Public use and recreation is a major objective and anything that gets them brownie points in this area would be welcomed.
I was once told of an alleged ex-US, Vietnam, tunnel cleaner who went bozo in Buckinghamshire and lived for months off the land. Then there's the question of bumping into SAS doing there thing!
Go and buy a Christmas tree from John Taylor up at Pen yr Allt Ganol, he'll know! 😉
It wasn't Simon? 😉

I'm told there was a bunch of hippies set up camp in Cumberland Cavern at Matlock bath back in the 1970's, and of course there's Defoe's account of a miner and his family living in a cave above Brassington. I''ve rough-camped in Jennet's Cave near Malham before, so if this chap was comfortable enough living in the mine, then why not?

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I don't know the circs of this individual case. I too, subject to qualification, agree why not?
However, the reality is a hard call!
There's a worrried neighbour. Do nothing.
Someone happens to notice. The local policeman hears something. Do nothing. Haven't time to visit site or meet person. One of my Officers, it transpires, sort of, knew; with the best of intentions, did nothing. Neighbours, more than one now, have written letter to you and cc'd it to local press. Local Bat Group have expressed concern. Local Cave Group are up in arms.
Vanoord has found out!
Hard call. An "informed do nothing" is not on the agenda.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't!

I was in the area over the weekend. We got a lovely Christmas tree, as well as very wet!
Unable to cast any light on this subject, no verification nor knowledge off. Nobody I spoke to knew anything about it. 😞

It wasn't Simon? 😉

I'll admit I was very quiet last week (and living in a mine is oh so tempting at times...) but just for the record, it wasn't me 🙂

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Speaking of people living in mines, has anyone heard about that hermit who once lived in a slate mine (Quarry cave) on Castle Crag in borrowdale. I've been meaning to take a look there, there are a few levels on Castle Crag itself + a some bigger ones between Castle Crag and Rigghead quarries.


:oops: :offtopic:

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I was told about 4 years ago of someone living in a mine to the right of Parc area as you come out of Llanrwst on the narrow lane.

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Speaking of people living in mines, has anyone heard about that hermit who once lived in a slate mine (Quarry cave) on Castle Crag in borrowdale. I've been meaning to take a look there, there are a few levels on Castle Crag itself + a some bigger ones between Castle Crag and Rigghead quarries.

This was back in the 1930's - the man in question was a kind of Ray Mears of his day, making a living teaching a mixture of outdoorsmanship and rock climbing, and certainly practicing what he preached by living where he did!

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There is a book:

MILLICAN DALTON / A Search for Romance and Freedom the Life & times of a Borrowdale Caveman by M D Entwistle 2004 106 pp many photos. This book is a biographical tribute to the life and times of Millican Dalton who, throughout his life and ever since his death, has never failed to capture the imagination. SB

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My folks have a quarry at the bottom of their land, Faenol http://www.aditnow.co.uk/mines/Faenol-Slate-Mine/ , a small open pit, with a short tunnel (which leads off their land unfortunately) to (what was) a nice row of splitting sheds (now lived in) and an incline down to the Padarn railway. Years back I remember a tramp used to holiday in the weigh bridge hut every summer. Rather a nice place to spend a few weeks of a good summer to be honest.

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My folks have a quarry at the bottom of their land, Faenol http://www.aditnow.co.uk/mines/Faenol-Slate-Mine/ , a small open pit, with a short tunnel (which leads off their land unfortunately) to (what was) a nice row of splitting sheds (now lived in) and an incline down to the Padarn railway. Years back I remember a tramp used to holiday in the weigh bridge hut every summer. Rather a nice place to spend a few weeks of a good summer to be honest.

Yes, I'd rather there than underneath a damp bridge!
Many of Cumbria's holes are good for temporary living/camping... in one at Hodge Close there was even a birthday cake, and some sleeping bags still inside (rotton of course). It's a real shame though that people don't bother to clear up the simplest of things.

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there was a hermit lived in the compressor house at force craggs high force level mouth for many years..well documented in ian tylors book on the mine...ive been there all it needs is a door and window glass...stove is still there...hhhhm tempting.

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