Carlisle & District Rambling & Fellwalking Club

Force Crag Mine    

Sunday 20th July 2014  an “extra programme alternative”

Force Crag Mine

Kathryn Bowstead recently posted some information on the website about tours of the Force Crag Mine site carried out by the National Trust ( who own the mine) on certain Sundays throughout the summer.Yesterday Kathryn, Joe, Sue and myself ( plus a friend of mine from down country) decided to do the tour and we were so impressed that we felt we should report back as we are certain that it would be of great interest to many other members.

The tours are principally of the surface workings of the old mine at the head of Coledale Valley.Visitors can look into the mine adits but not go underground but do not think that this in any way diminishes the quality or interest of the tour.

Like us you may all have seen the old tin shacks that stand on the mine surface workings but these house one of the last ( perhaps the last) mineral separation and processing units in the country.The experience is a step back in time to one of the amazing industrial activities that went on in our home walking territory of the Lake District.

The tour was conducted by an absolutely superb guide who was extremely knowledgeable and who brought the whole thing to life in a way easily understood by laymen like us.

We walked to the mine (some of us over Grisedale Pike and others up the valley) but The National Trust do run a minibus service from Braithwaite to coincide with the tours.

I understand that full details are on the National Trust website but, if you have any interest in the industrial history or the geology of the area this is for you.

Well spotted Kathryn for informing us of yesterday’s tour and I believe there may be others arranged for later in the summer.Definitely worth checking out.

John Harrison