If its all in shale, you have to assume that the Prouds sump route became more desirable for that reason.

Would be worth seeing from a completeness point of view, but you might stuggle to keep it open in the long term

Bri and I had an admittedly somewhat lacklustre go at it a few months back with little success. Its only shale though, if you broke it up a bit with a wrecking bar or suchlike you'd soon be through providing you weren't just bringing more down on top of course.

Its a one way trip though, you couldn't get through from Rampgill without it being pre-rigged from Smallcleugh.

it would be nice to have it open purely from a safety angle the more options for exit the better 😉

Bri and I had an admittedly somewhat lacklustre go at it a few months back with little success. Its only shale though, if you broke it up a bit with a wrecking bar or suchlike you'd soon be through providing you weren't just bringing more down on top of course.

Its a one way trip though, you couldn't get through from Rampgill without it being pre-rigged from Smallcleugh.

it would be nice to have it open purely from a safety angle the more options for exit the better 😉

I think that if you started picking at a pile of run-in shale with a wrecking bar, without proper support, bringing more down on top of you would be the most likely outcome - later if not sooner 😮

---

Bri and I had an admittedly somewhat lacklustre go at it a few months back with little success. Its only shale though, if you broke it up a bit with a wrecking bar or suchlike you'd soon be through providing you weren't just bringing more down on top of course.

Its a one way trip though, you couldn't get through from Rampgill without it being pre-rigged from Smallcleugh.

When I first tried to do the through trip via this route, it was collapsed, however 1/2 hr of digging soon got us through. Is the fall complete or can you get into the chamber?

See:

http://www.mineexplorer.org.uk/throughtrips/sm_to_rg_jirwins_110905.htm 

---

No you couldn't get into the chamber above, it was blocked up to the roof of the level. The shale was too compacted to make much of an impression by hand but at the time we were of the opinion that it wouldn't take any great effort to clear a way through at the top.

The roof SC side of the collapse was sound so presuming the same can be said Rampgill side it should be just a matter of spending an hour prodding & shovelling rather than proper digging.

Have a trip lined up to SC over Christmas so might have a proper look then if time allows.

My crystal ball is showing me a trip that way in my near future for a proper look.

(edit : RJV thought the same simultaneously)

One day I might even get somewhere Mike hasn't already been. :glare:

That's what makes Nenthead such an addictive place though isn't it?
Pretty much everywhere you're going to go likely someone has been before. There are so many plans about likewise exploration literature old and new that a visit there should be almost pointless, just a case of following a route description from A to B yet it never really seems to work like that. Something always seems to crop up that adds interest to the whole endeavour.

Something does indeed always crop up!

There is a lot of out of the way stuff left in SC, which does not get visitors that often - its just tricky or needs more than the usual equip to get to.

And then there is also a lot of interesting rises left that need investigating, they need scaffold poles and lots of bolting - a group effort may be needed to do some of those, then also be prepared for it not going anywhere - many a time spent doing something that took ages, and then nothing, still fun though - because you did it.

---

The Rampgill - Smallcleugh connection at the north end of SC flats was open from before 1964 until sometime in the 1990s. There are two vertical drops. The first is a short drop out of SC into a sub-level which eventually reaches a flat. Halfway along the sublevel is a sump down into Rampgill. There is also a further sump down into RG close to the flat. It was possible to climb this sump using the original ladders except for the topmost twelve feet or so. Surveyed all this many years ago - I will scan that section of the survey and post it soon.

Another useful dig to think about is in Carrs Level. Go east from the laddered rise into the flats. Push through the heaps of collapsed timber and the level ends in a sloping drystone wall. Climb the wall into a higher sub level which ends in a collapse. This collapse is a short distance from a similar collapse in the flat mentioned in the first para.

---

You wouldn't happen to have a plan of Carrs you could upload do you Pete, I've not been able to track a decent one down elsewhere?

From reading Dunham, Fairbairn et al you could easily get the impression it was an almost inconsequential mine though the size of the flats suggests otherwise.

Yes - I do have a survey of Carrs Level. I am just about to go off to Scotland for a short holiday. Back on Monday night - and I will upload both of them.

---

Yes - I do have a survey of Carrs Level. I am just about to go off to Scotland for a short holiday. Back on Monday night - and I will upload both of them.

That would be great, most surveys just seem to have Carrs as an afterthought rather than being the centre of attention.

Is Carr's Level the bit where the show mine is? Is there bits of this which are not the show mine but which can be accessed and explored?

Yes, thats the one.
Its an SRT trip to get to.

You can get there without SRT easily enough if you don't mind a bit of a climb.

And from what we've seen definatly requires a serious looking at. 😉

You can get there without SRT easily enough if you don't mind a bit of a climb.

You will get your boiler suit dirty this way Dean. :lol:

You can get there without SRT easily enough if you don't mind a bit of a climb.

You will get your boiler suit dirty this way Dean. :lol:

Bah! honestly Bri, that boilersuit gets filthy really, it just is the type of dirt that doesnt show up in photos 🙂 😉

You can get there without SRT easily enough if you don't mind a bit of a climb.

You will get your boiler suit dirty this way Dean. :lol:

Bah! honestly Bri, that boilersuit gets filthy really, it just is the type of dirt that doesnt show up in photos 🙂 😉

Just pulling your chain Dean. Iam sure it does get filthy just after you put your camera away.

Just pulling your chain Dean. Iam sure it does get filthy just after you put your camera away.

Ooh thats fighting talk mate! Just you wait till my next trip, I'll show ye what filth is :tongue: