We were exploring the deep level this afternoon (from the stone arched entrance), turned left at the flooded shaft and after a while came across a dig (and a "men at work" road sign!). We ran out of time - what is beyond that dig?

I asked the same question on my website when we came across it a few years back. Answer I got via email:

I was a (very small) part of the team that worked on the dig and acheived the breakthrough. This is now so many years ago that I can't quite remember when! The work was done by members of the LMQT (Lakes Mines and Quarries Trust) with, I think, one Roy Garner being the driving force.

The dig is (was) relatively short and leads upwards into Deep level, which is blocked to the East but is (was) open right along to short drop down to the deep water section below the open stopes of Red Dell. The level here (really little more than a horizon in the middle of the huge
vertical stope) could be passed some of the way along on a series of planks bolted to the wall just above water level. At the end of the planks you could (apparantly) use an inflatable to reach the level proper again and proceed further west but I never got that far.

You could also reach this point by an abseil from the surface and/or from Taylors Level, and one particularly fine through trip was to go in Taylors and out of Deep Level.

The LMQT wrote up some of its explorations in journals/newsletters but never quite acheived the quality of output that their rivals in CAT (CATMHS) managed. I don't know if these can still be got hold of. LMQT itself seems to have done a disappearing act: I'm pretty sure some of
its members are now MOLES but I suppose the rest have just grown old!

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