Little Duke Mine

Date:

07 Mar 2010

Party:

Big Dave, Lionel, Mike, & Jenny

Photos:

Big Dave

In Brief:

Not many takers for this Sunday morning trip, The four of us met up at the  Orestocks junction on the Gullworthy to Bere Alston road for ten o'clock sharp. Once all present it was off down the private road, and the gate was unlocked, we travelled several hundred meters along the disused railway line, to the parking spot.

Once there, we had a quick walk around the site identifying the hole that we had planned to descend, and also some other mining features, and the shallow adit portal. Then it was back to the cars, to get kitted up.

Continued:

Back at the entrance, a "Y" was quickly rigged from two nearby trees, and Lionel was the first to drop into the hole. Once all down Dave preceded to rig the pitch in the side of the shaft, and dropped to the shallow adit level. Perching on the submerged timbers blocking the the way on down to the bottom of the 70fm shaft, the way on into the hill side just a short walk over a plank into an heavily timbered propped level. The timbers holding up tones of stacked deads, had been put in, in the later 20th century re-working of the mine.

This was as far as Dave had decided to go for the day, Not wanting to get wet, it was a good point to take a few photo's as the other three waded up the short level into a stope.

On their return, Lionel decided to crawl through the a small hole under the stacked deads, and crawl out towards the shallow adit, about twenty meters in there is a junction leading into a stoped area were lead ore has been removed, whilst Dave led the way back up the shaft.

Just as Mike was climbing the shaft, Lionel reappeared from under the deads, and it was all up the shaft into the shallow stope. We then made our way back to the first pitch, were Jenny rescued 5 frogs, and a quick climb and we were all out.

After de-rigging it was back to the cars were Jenny released the frogs into a pound beside the railway.

It was a quick dash to the pub, at which point the day took a down turn. On arrival the pub was found to be closed, most unusual, so we then went our own way  back home.

Write up by  Big Dave

Added 07-03-10