Also known as Fish Cave, this is quite literally a tourist mine.
There’s a map showing the location in the nearby carpark and a plaque outside the entrance explaining that fish have been mined here since the 1700s.
Generations of locals have been playing out in this hole and there are numerous videos, so why was I interested?
Well, there’s a deeply flooded bit in the main level (adit/tunnel) and no pictures from beyond this so I had to see where that went.
Also, there are also a couple more levels (at least) to explore judging from old maps and other information.
Parts of the higher level are shown in a video by the salt of the earth types who like climbing around holes,
, link only posted here because it has a map of the place and forum-appropriate background music (skip to 1:00).
Lower Level. This seems to have started as an opencut, continuing as a tunnel which stops abruptly after less than 50 yards.
Middle (Fish) Level. A few for the record on the way in to a worked-out area before the deep section, with ore and calcite in the walls.
Now the bit which is too deep for waders, probably where some ore was dug out of the floor.
I crabbed across this but it would have been much easier and faster to float on something or just swim.
The other side goes on a fair distance with fist-sized chunks of calcite on the floor and in the walls and small excavations here and there.
The end.
Back over, looking up the shaft which dog-legs up to the higher level on the way out.
Higher Level. This starts off as an odd crawly little tunnel, with a shaft to the surface not far in.
There was a strong smell of bats in here, but nobody seemed to be home.
On to a crossroads where the shaft from below comes up.
One of the tunnels here carries on some distance with a few worked out areas, eventually fizzling out in a pile of rocks.
Back out to admire the view of the Prestatyn wind farm and caravan parks.
There’s a map showing the location in the nearby carpark and a plaque outside the entrance explaining that fish have been mined here since the 1700s.
Generations of locals have been playing out in this hole and there are numerous videos, so why was I interested?
Well, there’s a deeply flooded bit in the main level (adit/tunnel) and no pictures from beyond this so I had to see where that went.
Also, there are also a couple more levels (at least) to explore judging from old maps and other information.
Parts of the higher level are shown in a video by the salt of the earth types who like climbing around holes,
Lower Level. This seems to have started as an opencut, continuing as a tunnel which stops abruptly after less than 50 yards.
Middle (Fish) Level. A few for the record on the way in to a worked-out area before the deep section, with ore and calcite in the walls.
Now the bit which is too deep for waders, probably where some ore was dug out of the floor.
I crabbed across this but it would have been much easier and faster to float on something or just swim.
The other side goes on a fair distance with fist-sized chunks of calcite on the floor and in the walls and small excavations here and there.
The end.
Back over, looking up the shaft which dog-legs up to the higher level on the way out.
Higher Level. This starts off as an odd crawly little tunnel, with a shaft to the surface not far in.
There was a strong smell of bats in here, but nobody seemed to be home.
On to a crossroads where the shaft from below comes up.
One of the tunnels here carries on some distance with a few worked out areas, eventually fizzling out in a pile of rocks.
Back out to admire the view of the Prestatyn wind farm and caravan parks.
