What’s wanted for a Christmas Caving trip? Something not too serious, ideally well decorated and most importantly: it cannot be excessively wet and muddy. The Alderley Edge Mines fitted the bill perfectly!
After battling unsuccessfully with the parking app (and sending George on a diversion to find enough change to pay for all of our cars) we met up with Ollie and a few other members of the Cheshire Branch of Derbyshire Caving Club who were our leaders for the day. They gave us a quick tour of the Mine Museum where we learnt that the mines below Alderley Edge are the oldest metal-mining sites in England. Disconcertingly we also discovered that it holds the record for most number of deaths. Lorelle and Wayne, who had foolish agreed to accompany George again, were looking slightly paler at this point! (Throughout our tour Ollie would stop and tell a tragic tale of someone who had come to a sticky in Alderley).
It was a quick walk up to the Engine Vein. Even outside the mine there is a hint in the colours of the rock as to the blue-green copper lurking below. The original entrance has been blocked up and sealed with concrete slabs making for an unusual ceiling in the high chambers. Near here we were shown a Roman altar (possibly an offering to compensate the god Vulcan for raiding his unground treasures).
The Engine Vein lived up to it’s reputation as incredibly beautiful. There are many sections of wonderful bluey-green formations where the copper veins have oxidised in dripping cascades. Absolutely stunning.
To get across to Wood Mine, instead of coming back to the surface, there was a much more fun alternative: a flooded connection. Most of this was only knee deep but there was at least one very deep shaft hidden in the water so we crossed in a jumbled flotilla of old canoes and two bathtubs. Piloting a bathtub is as challenging as it sounds, particularly when there are no oars – the idea was to push off using the walls. Imagine floating pinball crossed with dodgems.
We had a pootle around Wood Mine, admiring the Halloween decorations and playing around in some more floating bathtubs. On our way out we found several frogs and a whole family of newts who had probably been washed into the mine during the recent heavy rains. A rescue operation proceeded and all the casualties were safely released near a pond on the surface.
Next we had a look in West Mine: a very impressive, cavernous mine – much more like a cave in character. Here there were some more turquoise, toothpaste-esque formations. There was even a section that smelt as minty fresh as it looked (although this was apparently a curious form of iron, not copper).
Even more intriguing were the fungi in this mine. There was one large chamber where the remains of a strange purple fungus carpeted the rockfalls and walls. Apparently when this section of the mine was first discovered the floor was also covered in these purple growths, however most of this has now been disturbed.
On the way out (with a second batch of rescued amphibians) we passed through a tunnel where flies clearly came in to lay their eggs – there were many resting passively on the walls. What we didn’t expect to see were little tufts of white fungus with the tips of fly wings poking out: this was a carnivorous fungus which had infected and eaten many of the flies. We were assured that the fungus hasn’t transferred to humans yet (although this may explain Alderley Edge’s death statistics!)
All in all a fantastic and fun, if slightly unnerving trip. A Christmas to remember. 😊
Cavers: Ollie, Jamie, Dorota, Jennifer, George, Wayne, Lorrelle, Mel, Dave & Anne
Photos: Dave & George
Trip Report: Anne
