RSPB Geltsdale, New venture drift/Howgill collery and Forest head lime works

 

New venture drift -wast tip

"Howgill Colliery - Another early Thompson project was the Howgill Colliery which was a drift connected to the Blacksyke Branch near Forest Head. Howgill was closed in 1880 but sections of it were worked many decades later to help boost the dwindling coal resources. In 1919 the Naworth Coal Company was again considering fresh mining activities closec to the old Howgill Colliery and the Venture drift was reopened beside the Gairs Branch south of Forest Head which entered the Howgill seam this was called the New Venture Drift. At its peak in 1923 it employed 46 below ground and 16 on the surface and finally closed in 1934".
taken from http://www.cumbria-railways.co.uk/brampton_railway_mines.html

pipes from the mine -these are used to vent gases from tunnels

entrance to the drift mine  -taken from the top of the drift entrance

we heard  water which sounded like it was from a  hollow tunnel -one of the other entrances to the drift mine!

railway cutting  to Gains colliery  disused  

a wall - look carefully a pipe !

a pipe to fill the water tank in the  steam trains ?

a water tank - pipe to the railway cutting  + valve found to control the water flow

a rainbow 

capped mine shaft

mine waste tip

red lichen flower found on mine waste tip

forest head lime works,

very windy and wet on the ground

lime kilns

info about Lime Kiln's

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lime_kiln

inside a lime kiln

mine ?

Railway loading bay

railway cutting disused

lime kiln waste

kirkhouse brick

RSPB Geltsdale -back at last 

http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/g/geltsdale/

Weather: very wet ,windy high chill factor very strong winds which were very gusty visibility generally good  though, very tiring to be out and about on the high fells so we kept to the lowland parts , we will come back to this area.

Links to local area 

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/uk/respb-geltsdale.html#cr

http://www.northpennines.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=12999

http://www.northpennines.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=9091

Local places to shop 

http://www.alstoncraftworkers.co.uk/

http://www.made-in-northumberland.co.uk/

http://www.madeincumbria.co.uk/

local photo 

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1539500

route 

http://www.sanoodi.com/routes/geltsdale-mines-and-quarries-302340/

Lambley colliery, memorial for Roachburn pit disaster along the A689,

a mine memorial for Roachburn colliery disaster

web links for facts about this disaster and the memorial


 http://www.beamishcollections.com/rrc/audiolist.asp?MainCatId=1&SubCatId=10


http://www.healeyhero.co.uk/rescue/pits/Roachburn/Roachburn.htm


http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk/news/mine-disaster-memorial-restored-100-years-on-from-the-tragedy-1.273417?referrerPath=news/barrow

 New coal reserves were opened out near the railway between Hallbankgate and Tindale the first of these being Roachburn Pit which produced 23,259 tones of coal between 1860 and 1863 its output being loaded into railway waggons from carts at a small tipping dock. The buttreses can still be seen today at the side of the A689 near Tindale. In 1912 Roachburn had produced 21,900 tons of coal but this was to be its last prioduction due to the poor quailty of its coal. At its peak in 1902 it employed 258 people below ground and 85 on the surface and finally closed in 1912. With the closure of the mine at Roachburn the washery at Midgeholme also closed as it used to wash all the coal from the former colliery taken from 
http://www.cumbria-railways.co.uk/brampton_railway_mines.html


Lambley Colliery

the old mine buildings

 up the bridge

the bridge over the disused railway

modern building for the mine 

part of an old mine building

Kirkhouse Bricks -local brick  we found these across a lot of our trips near mines

http://www.penmorfa.com/bricks/england4.html
gives a view on the history of Kirkhouse bricks

another mine building

the end of the walk showing the old mine tips

Lambley Colliery links
http://www.mine-explorer.co.uk/mines/Lambley_2506/Lambley.asp
http://www.dmm.org.uk/colliery/l011.htm


Lambley Colliery was taken on lease by James Thompson in 1846 and had very good coal potential but due to his poor health he was not keen to open new collieries until the Alston Branch was built. The extension of the line accross Hartleyburn Common was built and in operation by late 1849. At its peak in 1957 Lambley Colliery employed 155 people below ground and 29 on the surface and finally closed in 1957
taken from 
http://www.cumbria-railways.co.uk/brampton_railway_mines.html

Hadrian's wall -Once Brewed to Winshield crag

old mine

near peel   turret

near turret 39a

the wall near turret 39b on way to winshield crag

me on the wall

the trig point at winshield crag

route we took 

http://www.sanoodi.com/routes/hadrian-s-wall-302338/

local Links 

Local YHA

http://www.yha.org.uk/find-accommodation/northumberland-north-pennines/hostels/once-brewed/index.aspx

Info about Hadrian's wall trail 

http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/hadrianswall/text.asp?PageId=186

Winshield Crag 

http://www.hill-bagging.co.uk/googlemaps.php?qu=S&rf=5281

Winshield crag  picture 

http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=16554004 

Forest head to Gains - disused railways,Old Mines and quarries -Cumbria

 


image of area  from 
http://www.cumbria-railways.co.uk/brampton_railway_mines.html

we went from Blacksyke colliery to the  Blacksyke quarry  to Gairs colliery  

along this route ran the famous  Rocket  steam engine


"In April 1837 James Thompson purchased George Stephensons Rocket from the Liverpool and Manchester Railway for the sum of £300"




background note:


Blacksyke Colliery


"Blacksyke Colliery's first shaft was sunk during 1820-1 and went into production in 1822-3 using a steam engine for pumping and coal winding. To serve this Blacksyke colliery a branch line was put in East of Hallbangate climbing in a south westerly direction via a rope hauled line to reach this bleakly sited colliery".
http://www.cumbria-railways.co.uk/brampton_railway_mines.html


http://www.dmm.org.uk/articles/8510805.htm
 details of accidents at colliery

this is a coke oven

mine in the mist 

at the top of the hill  of mine waste

steam engine where it used to be
note from dad : used for mine and the railway -incline was too steep for engines on their own !

video of Blacksyke mine 


Blacksyke s quarry 

red sandstone
note from dad -not from this area looks like Eden red sandstone ?

smmmmmooooth stone looks like wood !

Blacksyke quarry from above 

Forest head Quarry 

try and spot the railway line

Here are the railway tracks to Gains Colliery


background note :
Gairs Colliery  - Work began on Gairs Colliery on the bleak windswept fells above Hallbankgate during 1909 and was completed by 1912. Besides the main seam there was a blacksmith shop and screens for sorting the coal. With this new development a further extension of the Brampton Railway was completed with a branch leaving the Blacksyke route near Forrest Head and following the course of the older line to Howgill. Beyond Howgill the new line climbed steeply to Gairs Colliery with gradients of between 1 in 27 to 1 in 18 which was one of the steepest worked adhesion lines in Great Britian at the time. At its peak in 1921 Gairs Colliery employed 180 below ground and 51 above ground and was finally abandoned on 6th September 1936


 http://www.cumbria-railways.co.uk/brampton_railway_mines.html

 an old railway bridge  on the way to Gains colliery

the spooky house  ( dads note :Gains house where the mine manager was supposed to live but its split into two houses  which are equal ? ) 

-Dads note we did not explore the mine because of the weather moving in see right hand side of the photo 

safety choice - Jake was tired due to adverse weather conditions , don't take risks and become a casualty  there's always next time !

 I am in the fog wind and rain again

note from Dad -we dropped height and took the protected route next to the stone wall to avoid the wind

video showing high wind ,rain and low level cloud

a mine opening  ?
(one of the small breaks in the weather to allow a good photo )

note - from dad 

weather for route 

high winds leading to high chill factor -cold due to driving rain  and wind , poor visibility at times  -down to 5m ,

above this area is a place called cold fell - a name not without reason !

route taken
blackberry played up due to getting wet so distance is underestimated times/speed not accurate
http://www.sanoodi.com/routes/forest-head-to-gains-4.6-miles-302292/
point to point run

links 

Local mountain rescue team

http://www.penrithmrt.org.uk/

walk links
http://www.markrichards.info/
http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/elibrary/Content/Internet/544/932/4009111315.pdf
http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/elibrary/content/internet/544/932/4009111739.pdf

we used a combination of the above two walks plus the Cumbria railways site to explore this area

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/461843 Gains mine in better weather than we had !