Saturday - 26th May 2001
People present - Duncan Jones, Pete Dale, Martin Critchley

With foot and mouth keeping us away from home we were still looking for open places, having visited Nenthead four weeks previous we had decided to go back again and do the Brewery Shaft and explore Rampgill mine, but things didn't quite go to plan.

Andy had brought his dad along and Ian Eeles was coming as well so they had decided they wanted an easy trip and had planned to do Smallcleugh to Ballroom Flats again, myself and Pete had other ideas and decided we would try and find the route for the through trip to Caplecleugh. As we set about getting changed someone appeared and asked where we were going and if he could join us, we said yes and then we found out that this was the guy that had written the Nenthead journal/book (lucky meeting!)

We strolled up to Smallcleugh and happily entered it as things were getting warm outside, once inside we marched along reasonably easy passage for quite some distance passing numerous collapses and run-ins, the type that you run past and don't breathe on the walls. It wasn't until visiting this mine that I realised that shale is a pretty crap rock, theres not many rocks you can pull chunks off walls and watch it crumble in your hand.

Eventually we reached a junction where Andy, Jim & Ian left us to go in search of the Ballroom Flats and myself, Pete and Martin continued on with wetter things in mind. Varied going led for a while passing numerous flooded shafts, at one point we took a wrong turn and ended up at a nice looking collapse, retracing our steps we found the right way on and eventually reached a large passage and a hole at the far end with the 'ladders' disappearing down. We had heard about these calcited ladders and were interested to see what they looked like, it turns out that the entire shaft has a calcite flow down it (would put some caves to shame), some of which has flowed onto the ladders making descent a bit more interesting.

Arriving at the last ladder we looked at this sorry thing, two rungs at the top then nothing as it goes into the water of Caplecleugh Level, we knew this was the start of the wet bit we had heard about. After a brief rest I was told to get down there by Pete, it would appear he wanted me to test the depth of the water. I reluctantly stood on the ladder and levitated my way down the imaginary rungs and into the water, which turned out to be only waist deep, not too bad I thought, but this was just the start of it all.

The next section is fairly blurred, my mind being numbed by the cold water, well ok maybe it wasn't that bad but it is a fair distance along the level with lots of wet sections. The wettest parts got to neck deep which wasn't too bad, but in places the floor was silty and awkward to walk on and it filled your boots making it feel grotty, a couple of times we stopped to empty our wellies.

Quite some distance along the passage we came across some shafts going up with the usual accompanying iffy ladders, one of these Martin climbed up, showering us with rock along the way (it went nowhere). After we had passed some more shafts we came across one that looked similar to the others but this one also had a compressed air pipe going up it. Pete managed to hold or catch the pipe which didn't seem to be a problem until we heard a rattling noise from above, suddenly a piece of pipe about 7foot long appeared at great speed and nearly skewered Martin, his face was certainly a picture (note to Pete: Mines can be loose and dangerous in places).

Mixed going lead on for quite some distance, which basically means long wet sections of varying depth interspersed with short dry sections. The dry sections are collapses that have to be climbed over, it is these that create the dams holding back the water. We finally saw daylight and exited about 4hours after we had entered emerging into the sun we ditched our plan to go down Brewery and decided to save that for next time (third time lucky?).The next trip could be in two weeks time (if we keep this number of trips up we might get our own parking spot) and whilst on the way home Pete suggested that instead of Brewery/Rampgill we could do another through trip, Rampgill-Caplecleugh, even bigger than the one we had just done, Pete is also thinking of Nentsberry Haggs-Caplecleugh - that is a very big through trip, any takers??.

Well with the foot and mouth ban still enforced it was back to Nenthead again for the second time in three weeks!

An early start was planned (not!) so come 8.30am Saturday morning Duncan was late as usual. When he finally arrived we set off up north. Arriving at Nenthead mines in glorious sunshine, we waited for the arrival of Andy and his dad.

Earlier in the week me and Duncan had decided to have a look in Rampgill for the old horse gin and to go down brewery shaft to see the old hydraulic engines and compressors. Andy was going to take his dad to look at the ballroom flats and take yet more photos (Tut! Tut!) Well Andy finally arrived and informed us that Ian Eeles was coming as well. Eventually he arrived and we all preceded to get changed. As we were doing so a mysterious person turned up and came over and asked us where we were intending to go.

By this time me and Duncan had decided to give brewery shaft a miss and have a go at the through trip from Smallcleugh to Capleclough, it turned out that the mysterious man was non other than Martin Critchley, the author of the Nenthead mines! Well with him agreeing to show us the way through our trip was on!

Everybody ready we set off up the track to the entrance first stopping to inform the woman in the shop of our intentions. On the way up I was given a tour of the old workings with a detailed explanation of each area. Assembling at the entrance we all seemed a bit reluctant to leave the sunshine and enter the netherworld but as me and the chunkster had our neo-fleeces on we were glad to get underground and cool off! The passage was easygoing which led to a junction were last time we went straight on but this time we were going right along the horse level. As we made our way along the me and Duncan where looking for 'Prouds's sump' which is a sump dropping into Hagingshaw level in Rampgill. Having found it we examined the dodgy looking spits and found them to sound enough for use on a future trip. Carrying on again we came to a couple of roof collapses which we were able to crawl through back into more solid passage again.

Reaching a junction Andy and co left us and went in search of the ballroom flats. (Via Barnard castle!) So now it was just me Duncan and Martin left to find the way out. Lots of walking eventually led to some wet bits and roof collapses not to mention flooded sumps! (They really scare me!) Making good progress we reached the junction with Cowhill cross vein which was very impressive indeed with the roof some 20m above! Searching the numerous ways on, we eventually found the ladders if that's what you call them as most of the rungs had long since gone! Once down things got a bit confusing and we ended up crawling around in loose deads! Backtracking we found the elusive ladders down to Capleclough and what a sorry state they were to! As I carefully descended down the dodgy mass of wood I had time to admire the beautiful calcite which had formed over everything in site as I couldn't see them! (Maybe the wood had rotted away?) The last section of the ladders failed to inspire me with confidence though due to the fact that it didn't possess any rungs and disappeared under the partially flooded level of Capleclough. Realising that it would get wetter from now on I perched myself on a comfy ledge and waited for Dunc and Martin to catch up. After a bit of convincing Dunc entered the water which turned out to be only waist deep. All down and wet to the hips we chose the most convincing way on.

Having heard of tales of neck deep water by Ian and a few others we weren't surprised when we reached the start of it. Stood out of the water on a run in not one of us seemed enthusiastic to enter the water that contained 7" airspace! Getting fed up with waiting I moved Dunc and Martin aside and plunged into the water and slowly made my way along only getting one ear wet in the process. Mixed wet and dry passage followed to where we reached Bogg shaft, impressive but it wasn't entered since there was a hidden flooded shaft which Martin luckily found. A lot more wet sections followed and some ore chutes with laddered rises were passed. Martin decided to climb up one of them showering us with stones as he did so! (It didn't go!)

A great deal still remains from when it was a working mine and as we were passing another ore chute a handy compressed air pipe seemed like a good hold to help me along the wet section we were in, but upon grabbing it, it fell into the water. Seconds later a rumble was heard from above and was getting closer. As I turned around to see what was happening a 7ft section of the pipe speared the passage in front of Martin! Well, his face was certainly a picture, sheer terror! The rest of the trip was quite uneventful after that and rapid progress was made and we emerged into daylight just 4hrs after we had entered.

A good trip was had by all and plans are in motion for an even bigger through trip very soon!