Coniston: Flemings through-trip

[snebbit]

Has anyone done this recently? If so, how's the state of the in-situ stuff? If not, expect a report on the state of the in-situ

To be clear this is the Flemings through trip, not the main Paddy End through trip

 

[dougle89]

Planning a pre-meet recce trip?

 

[FreddoChomp]

Hi chaps - I am currently working out Lake District way.
Based in North Wales usually.
I did a quick mooch around the surface workings of Coniston this week as it's new ground for me.
I'd be happy to jump in on a reccy of the underground workings. Saves me jugging up and down ropes aimlessly

 

[FreddoChomp]

Evening gents -

Anybody up for showing me some new ground in Coniston?
Currently working up this way but have a few upcoming weather days.

Happy with a general mooch or an SRT trip. Always better for a 'local' to show the better spots! Saves me jugging up and down ropes aimlessly

 

[petemonkhouse]

Has anyone done this recently? If so, how's the state of the in-situ stuff? If not, expect a report on the state of the in-situ

To be clear this is the Flemings through trip, not the main Paddy End through trip

I suspect my information is way out of date so (almost certainly) ignore it! I asked the same question in Adit now in June 2019 and was told it wasn't rigged. I went in both Taylors and Flemings as far as the stopes - Taylors ended in a wheelie bin with the bottom removed but the lid was jammed with (I think) fallen stones and I couldn't get through. Hopefully it's all sorted now!

 

[snebbit]

Yep we got through the wheelie bin when we had a gander in Taylors last month so it must've been cleared, it's not the easiest manouevre though as a scaff bar stops the lid fully opening. But immediately after popping out you're on a false floor high up in a stope. There was an insitu traverse line heading off from there and the rope looked reasonable. Will have to take rope obviously but at least if the traverses are still rigged that'd be nice

 

[dougle89]

I suspect my information is way out of date so (almost certainly) ignore it! I asked the same question in Adit now in June 2019 and was told it wasn't rigged. I went in both Taylors and Flemings as far as the stopes - Taylors ended in a wheelie bin with the bottom removed but the lid was jammed with (I think) fallen stones and I couldn't get through. Hopefully it's all sorted now!

we pushed an arm through and dug the gravel and rocks off the lid, made it to the stopes and got as far as the bottom of the last pitch down. Given the state of the maillons on the traverses to this point, i didn't fancy putting any weight on the rigged line for pitch. Need to Go back and have a look from flemings with some anchors and stuff.

 

[tdobson]

I've also been to the end of the orange rope in Taylors, but not gone up the up rope. I reckon it'd be fine, but I'd prefer to find it from above...

I popped into Flemings mine on Saturday.

From what I understand - when the crosscut hits the stope, you turn right - and then meet the area where the collapse was reported in the CATMHS journals. Originally there was floor + stemples across this area, with a pitch descending, underneath this towards another pitch.

The floor of this area is now totally relocated downwards, but the pitchhead is there, and sports at least one newish bolt and is totally descendable. The way on is "floor" of the chamber, not the deep hole to nowhere (as my friend found out for me).

Along the chamber where the floor is now broken rock, there is a bathanger with a hawser-laid rope handline - which leads underneath some adrenaline-inducing roofing to a dead end. My understand is that *this* is where the blockage is. It is proper blocked, and is a "bold" place for a dig.

The next pitch is supposed to be "the narrow stope".

people who did it back in the day:
> Carrying on, we crawled through some very interesting-looking stacked deads to reach a stemple way. Proceeding along, I pointed out that the way on was actually halfway along the stemples down a 15m pitch known as the narrow stope.

> We crossed this carefully making use of stemples that CATMHS had installed. This led us via a short prussik to a large stope gallery where the Thriddle Shaft could be seen. We retraced our route and climbed back onto the stemples, where we proceeded to abseil some 9m down. Here we carried on along the stope passing under stemple supported deads, until we reached a second pitch some 15m deep known as the Narrow Stope.

I've no idea what used to be there, just done quite a bit of armchair research.

My understanding is that that from the top of the initial pitch in flemings, you can look across the stope at the other side, and originally there used to be a viewpoint from the otherside of a large stope with the Triddle shaft in the distance. I suspect that if a route from Flemings to Taylors is to be restored, then it will involve bolting a traverse in Flemings - very similar to the one in Taylors - to allow passage across the area with broken floor, and then a "safe" route will need to be found down the stope on the otherside.

I'm fairly sure that in the distant past, routes have been found through that area, but I suspect that the original explorers (who chronicle their discovery of the narrow stope in CMR-1.pdf) probably felt it was likely the safest and best.

I'm not super local, and have lots of other commitments, but would be keen for the through trip to be restored.

---

Blue: absolutely "fine" Flemings level
pink: missing floor
red: blockage on original route
Yellow: speculation about possible route around.

 

[dougle89]

That's a great bit of research, i agree with you that there is most likely a through route there somewhere. As you say, the ground is in a state of agitation with the false, and probably once solid floors just not being there anymore, as sign of the fate for the other areas of the mine maybe?

I'm pretty local but time and availability are sporadic, but if you fancy a wander round with ropes give me a shout and i'm sure we can get an exploration posse together. Pretty sure we'd need someone who is wise in the ways of bolting too.

I've also been to the end of the orange rope in Taylors, but not gone up the up rope. I reckon it'd be fine, but I'd prefer to find it from above...

I popped into Flemings mine on Saturday.

From what I understand - when the crosscut hits the stope, you turn right - and then meet the area where the collapse was reported in the CATMHS journals. Originally there was floor + stemples across this area, with a pitch descending, underneath this towards another pitch.

The floor of this area is now totally relocated downwards, but the pitchhead is there, and sports at least one newish bolt and is totally descendable. The way on is "floor" of the chamber, not the deep hole to nowhere (as my friend found out for me).

Along the chamber where the floor is now broken rock, there is a bathanger with a hawser-laid rope handline - which leads underneath some adrenaline-inducing roofing to a dead end. My understand is that *this* is where the blockage is. It is proper blocked, and is a "bold" place for a dig.

The next pitch is supposed to be "the narrow stope".

people who did it back in the day:
> Carrying on, we crawled through some very interesting-looking stacked deads to reach a stemple way. Proceeding along, I pointed out that the way on was actually halfway along the stemples down a 15m pitch known as the narrow stope.

> We crossed this carefully making use of stemples that CATMHS had installed. This led us via a short prussik to a large stope gallery where the Thriddle Shaft could be seen. We retraced our route and climbed back onto the stemples, where we proceeded to abseil some 9m down. Here we carried on along the stope passing under stemple supported deads, until we reached a second pitch some 15m deep known as the Narrow Stope.

I've no idea what used to be there, just done quite a bit of armchair research.

My understanding is that that from the top of the initial pitch in flemings, you can look across the stope at the other side, and originally there used to be a viewpoint from the otherside of a large stope with the Triddle shaft in the distance. I suspect that if a route from Flemings to Taylors is to be restored, then it will involve bolting a traverse in Flemings - very similar to the one in Taylors - to allow passage across the area with broken floor, and then a "safe" route will need to be found down the stope on the otherside.

I'm fairly sure that in the distant past, routes have been found through that area, but I suspect that the original explorers (who chronicle their discovery of the narrow stope in CMR-1.pdf) probably felt it was likely the safest and best.

I'm not super local, and have lots of other commitments, but would be keen for the through trip to be restored.

---

Blue: absolutely "fine" Flemings level
pink: missing floor
red: blockage on original route
Yellow: speculation about possible route around.