Peak District Caving

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HomeThe CavesCastletonPindale End Mine - Upper Shaft

Pindale End Mine - Upper Shaft

Entrance of Pindale End Mine - Upper Shaft

Access

build Derbyshire Key required.

No access agreement in place, but access is permitted. There is almost zero public parking here, and the road is very narrow (single lane) - please walk to the site from Castleton or Hope if you can.

Upper shaft is 22m deep and is by roadside on SW side, just before the Pindale road bend at Black Rabbit cottages (coming from Castleton), and has a large concrete plinth with a 2022 DCA concrete cap and lid on top. Walkway mesh lid with scaffolding tube for the main belay, inset into the plinth - 24mm or adjustable spanner required. There is currently no backup anchor in place other than nearby trees - take great care opening the lid. Close the lid after entering, and ensure the lid is locked tight with both nuts after exiting.Workings enter the Pindale Tuff in places - soft volcanic ash/clay, which is crumbly - take care.

Please be considerate of the houses and businesses nearby, especially when undertaking evening trips. Noise should be kept to a minimum. Parking may be possible at Pindale Farm if you call ahead to ask if space is available.

Description

Upper shaft is a small-diameter hauling shaft, and is 22m deep with a slight dogleg halfway down, with huge rope grooves at the rub point (deviation and rebelay anchors in place to rig around this), into a worked-out stope, blocked by collapse to the NE and landing on a blockage in the shaft. A climb down a loose hole in the floor behind a large block (with relatively modern and fairly solid timber stemples in situ) leads to a short continuation of the shaft and a lower blasted passage heading NE to a chamber with extensive pickwork - the walls are faulted with limestone on one side and soft tuff or 'cat-dirt' on the other. Straight ahead leads to a choke which would almost certainly connect to the climbing (lower) shaft workings if dug out. Turn 180° and down a short slope past a wall of pale-blue tuff to a low crosscut at left which opens into a short branch vein working, soon reaching a further 8m-deep internal shaft to the Pindale Sough level (blocked with silt and semi-flooded even in summer).

Tackle

30-40m rope required for shaft and further free-climb down, depending on experience. Internal sough shaft (approx.8m to water level which varies) currently rigged.

References

Knight, P. (2022), Pindale End Mine - Shaft Capping, The Derbyshire Caver No 156, Page 4-5., Derbyshire Caving Association

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