Hi - I like to think I know every inch of Minera/Esclusham/Ruabon mountain - the moors that extend from Minera through to Llangollen. Fascinating area. But I went on a walk I'd never been on before and spotted an entrance. It is about 100m from Ogof Cefn y Gist, literally 10 metres down from the road.
I could find zero mention online and if its from the old Cefn Y Gist mine, that's some serious distance (1km).
So I went back today with some basic gear, went in a little bit and it's definitely a mine level rather than a cave. Goes into the distance some way but the water was deeper than I anticipated so I'll have to go back with wellies.
Anyone ever been in it, or know what mine it may be part of?
Have you got a grif ref?
53.031242,-3.145589 or
Savings.extension.ritual on what3words.
Cheers
[quote="Dom" post=48914]53.031242,-3.145589 or
Savings.extension.ritual on what3words.
Cheers[/quote]
That translates to SJ 23285 49166
I have searched around Ogof Cefn y Gist looking for alternative digs, but have not come across the feature you have found. Well done Dom!
There are a few other areas of interest around here - see my comments on the thread:
http://www.ucet.org.uk/index.php?option=com_kunena&view=topic&catid=6&id=11630&Itemid=191#47657
Dave
Looks like cefyn y gist lead mine.
Hi Dave - is that you??!! (I mean obviously its you, but i meant is it YOU?!!)
If it is, then know I've lost a stone since our mine adventure that you probably still have nightmares about!!! Not that that would make me any better at ascending a ladder....
I don't have "permissions" to access the knowledge bank sadly. Not sure how I get it....
When I can find someone to go back to the mine entrance with me, I'll update you. Tho if you're up for it.....
That would be the logical conclusion, but its still a kilometre away from the above ground workings of Cefn y Gist.
I did find mention of a level emanating in that area, but its about 200 metres north (spoil visible on google earth) and it is supposedly blocked anyway.
It's the only explanation that makes any sense, which means potentially a very long tunnel!
I can't help but think that it must be blocked not that far in, as its proximity to Ogof Cefn Y Gist means that loads of cavers over the years must have seen it and investigated, yet there are no online reports/mentions at all.
The Cefn-y-gist company worked the sett from 1880-1883. A large shaft is substantially capped at SJ24254880 with a large whim cicle of approx 9.5m diameter forming a hollow to the south of the shaft. Its central pivot is a visible hollow. Spoil mounds surround the east and north-western perimeters of the shaft. Two smaller shafts lie to the north and south of the large whim shaft. A pond remains to the east of the whim shaft at SJ24304880. The vein can be traced as a line of shafts running north-westwards from the whim shaft. A large shaft at SJ24004880 has an ore waggon in the infill. Smaller shafts surround this area and much waste. Small platform areas surround the large shaft and a small hut of approx 3 x 1.5m lies to the east of these spoilheaps; the area being to the west of the Lead Wash. An adit level was driven in to the limestone half a mile to the west of Cefn-y-gist (Smith 1921). This appears to be driven in to the east slopes above Aber Sychnant at SJ23304910, where a blocked level appears below the road amid spoil heaps. A trial shaft and an opencut lie slightly to the north of the above adit and a blocked level to the south. The levels and trial pits in this area could pre-date the 19th century workings higher up the mountain. To the east of the road that runs up from Minera, and attributed to West Minera on Brenton Symon's Map of 1865, shafts remain being to the west of Cefn-y-gist and along the lie of the Cefn-y-gist Vein at SJ23704895, SJ23754940, and SJ23904990.
Hope this helps.
Cheers for that Steve - that's the exact same source I read, as I checked the grid ref which shows the mentioned spoil heap. Thats about 200m further north from this adit. What I hadn't spotted, until I read your post, is the mention of a "blocked level" further south, which would fit, except its clearly (no longer) blocked. At least as far as I could see in, which best guess was 50-100 feet.
But I've been caught like that before - wade in somewhere, go round the first corner...and blocked! But hey, it'd be no fun if it was predictable....
Well your next post will involve some pictures of you going to find out for us lol
Haha! Well self-evidently not my NEXT post, but rest-assured (especially if you look at my previous thread when I found a mine I didn't know what it was) I can absolutely guarantee I will be up there to re-investigate soon and will post my findings!
[quote="Dom" post=48918]Hi Dave - is that you??!! (I mean obviously its you, but i meant is it YOU?!!)
If it is, then know I've lost a stone since our mine adventure that you probably still have nightmares about!!! Not that that would make me any better at ascending a ladder....
I don't have "permissions" to access the knowledge bank sadly. Not sure how I get it....
When I can find someone to go back to the mine entrance with me, I'll update you. Tho if you're up for it.....[/quote]
Yes, it's me!
Probably find time for a wander over Xmas - maybe 28th
Dave
Let me know if you do - but pref not 28th if you want company, I'm down Welshpool from Xmas day til 28th evening - but free 29th, 30th, 31st!
Dominic
Dom and I met up and had a look at the adit at SJ2327548828 today. It's just west of the road which descends to world's end near to an unofficial path going west. It starts OK with about 5-6" water in black limestone but after a while you reach some roof fall where there is a transition to shale and about 3m after this there is a collapse. This is about 42m from the entrance. It might be diggable when the weather improves, but shale needs some roof supports.
Smith notes: "an adit driven eastwards from near the foot of the limestone
escarpment, half a mile west of Cefn-yy-gist commences in Ordovician
shales and ends in dolomitic limestone"
So it is possible that once through the shale band the passage may be clear, but there is no reference to connecting up with the sett. Smith doesn't really have a lot to say about the cefn-y-gist mine...
We had a wander around to find what I described was a rift in a posting referenced earlier in the thread. With a bright light I could see that the hole wasn't a rift, but instead is a shaft. There appears to be some kind of metal drum at the bottom and it looks line the is a side passages. Depth is about 9m and the shaft is ~1.5m diameter. Probably worth a look - just needs a baulk of timber or piece of scaf to rig the rope. Sorry about the poor quality of the image. Accurate grid ref is SJ 2380849510 and its about 200m east of the road.
Dave