Disclaimer: I sometimes chose to explore solo but I am not encouraging or endorsing repeats of any of my trips. Don't turn up to take a look yourself with some old climbing rope and prusiks - you might die. Many caving clubs use it for srt training so contact one of them if needed.
Summer Snow
(Apologies for terrible quality pic)
Permanent Snow in England
There is one spot in England where snow can remain year round. Sadly not every year but sometimes... just sometimes... if there has been heavy and prolonged snows in Winter some can remain year round. In the late 1940s it is documented that there was a period of at least a couple of years where snow lasted year round, some occasions (anecdotes, not documented) in the 1960s and 1980s, documented evidence in 2010 (and very nearly in 2017 but not quite). Those of you who live in Derbyshire may be familiar with the location even if not the snow.
Eldon Hole - "Bottomless" and "Gate to Hell"
In 1636 Thomas Hobbes described Eldon Hole as the 4th Wonder of Derbyshire. He also gives an account of an early "caving" expedition in which an unfortunate man called Charles Cotton (possibly not with his consent!) was lowered on a bit of rope but didn't reach the bottom, and after being hauled out in an incoherent state, died 8 days later.
"After a hundred yards he had below I’th’ earth been drown’d, far as the Rope would do, and long enough hung by’t within the Cave, to th’ Earl (who now impatient was to have His answer) he’s drawn up ...For certain ’twas he rav;d, this his wild eyes, His paleness, trembling, all things verifies. Where venting something none could understand, Enthusiastick hints ne’re to be feand, He ceasing dies after eight daies were gones."
This confirmed the existing belief that the hole was both bottomless and a gate to hell.
That said... I did find evidence of horse slaughter while I was there, plus human bones were recovered from there in recent years so maybe they weren't totally wrong?
Description
It is a slot in the ground in the limestone landscape of Eldon Hill. It's roughly rectangular and roughly aligned North-South a little South from the summit of Eldon Hill. It narrows from being a bit funnel shaped at the top to being a narrow vertical rectangular slot and is about 65m deep. At the bottom of the slot in a ladder which leads to a short crawl into a larger chamber with "Pretties" (nice formations etc) and following a 19m ascent with rope some further sections of Miller's Chamber and Damocles Rift. Any exploration requires caving rope competence (srt)
Derbyshire Caving Association's Rigging Topo see: Castleton : Eldon Hole : Details
Searching for Snow
Hearing a recent report that there was a decent amount of snow down there but melting and might not last long. Sadly, this year is *Not* going to be a permanent snow year. Anyway, I decided to go and take look for myself.
I drove up on a nice sunny hot day and parked on the narrow lane which ends nearby. This is a working farm please be considerate.
I asked permission from the farm if I could park please and asked where wouldn't be in their way. The farmer looked at me with concern asked me if I was on my own, I replied I was, she immediately questioned if this was sensible. I just smiled and laughed and assured her it wasn't at all, but to lighten the mood I offered she could sell my car if it was still parked there in 48 hours time, without saying another word to me she turned back to her work.
Solo Idiot
Eldon Hole surrounded by a ring of fence, roughly upper-centre in this photo in the distance (above the wall)
Lovely Bluebells
This next one is a 360 pic, so maybe you need to click into it after following the link, to get the 360 to work??
photos.app.goo.gl
The "Bottomless" gate of Hell -- or a very nice bit of countryside, depending on your perspective
Apologies but having left a rucksack with my lunch and some bits and bobs in near the top - which I later discovered included the camara and tripod!! The pics are shaky phone pics from no onwards - sorry! (I've done that sort of thing before on solo trips 😭, where I have been so completely focussed on checking safety kit and what I need to get down and... then back up again, that things not related to preserving life have been left behind)
The first sight of snow
Taken from standing where the red circle is marked on the rigging topo (pic above)
I'd guess that it's maybe 3 or 4 metres thick at thickest?
Continued...
Summer Snow
(Apologies for terrible quality pic)
Permanent Snow in England
There is one spot in England where snow can remain year round. Sadly not every year but sometimes... just sometimes... if there has been heavy and prolonged snows in Winter some can remain year round. In the late 1940s it is documented that there was a period of at least a couple of years where snow lasted year round, some occasions (anecdotes, not documented) in the 1960s and 1980s, documented evidence in 2010 (and very nearly in 2017 but not quite). Those of you who live in Derbyshire may be familiar with the location even if not the snow.
Eldon Hole - "Bottomless" and "Gate to Hell"
In 1636 Thomas Hobbes described Eldon Hole as the 4th Wonder of Derbyshire. He also gives an account of an early "caving" expedition in which an unfortunate man called Charles Cotton (possibly not with his consent!) was lowered on a bit of rope but didn't reach the bottom, and after being hauled out in an incoherent state, died 8 days later.
"After a hundred yards he had below I’th’ earth been drown’d, far as the Rope would do, and long enough hung by’t within the Cave, to th’ Earl (who now impatient was to have His answer) he’s drawn up ...For certain ’twas he rav;d, this his wild eyes, His paleness, trembling, all things verifies. Where venting something none could understand, Enthusiastick hints ne’re to be feand, He ceasing dies after eight daies were gones."
This confirmed the existing belief that the hole was both bottomless and a gate to hell.
That said... I did find evidence of horse slaughter while I was there, plus human bones were recovered from there in recent years so maybe they weren't totally wrong?
Description
It is a slot in the ground in the limestone landscape of Eldon Hill. It's roughly rectangular and roughly aligned North-South a little South from the summit of Eldon Hill. It narrows from being a bit funnel shaped at the top to being a narrow vertical rectangular slot and is about 65m deep. At the bottom of the slot in a ladder which leads to a short crawl into a larger chamber with "Pretties" (nice formations etc) and following a 19m ascent with rope some further sections of Miller's Chamber and Damocles Rift. Any exploration requires caving rope competence (srt)
Derbyshire Caving Association's Rigging Topo see: Castleton : Eldon Hole : Details
Searching for Snow
Hearing a recent report that there was a decent amount of snow down there but melting and might not last long. Sadly, this year is *Not* going to be a permanent snow year. Anyway, I decided to go and take look for myself.
I drove up on a nice sunny hot day and parked on the narrow lane which ends nearby. This is a working farm please be considerate.
I asked permission from the farm if I could park please and asked where wouldn't be in their way. The farmer looked at me with concern asked me if I was on my own, I replied I was, she immediately questioned if this was sensible. I just smiled and laughed and assured her it wasn't at all, but to lighten the mood I offered she could sell my car if it was still parked there in 48 hours time, without saying another word to me she turned back to her work.
Solo Idiot
Eldon Hole surrounded by a ring of fence, roughly upper-centre in this photo in the distance (above the wall)
Lovely Bluebells
This next one is a 360 pic, so maybe you need to click into it after following the link, to get the 360 to work??
New item by Tom Tom
photos.app.goo.gl
The "Bottomless" gate of Hell -- or a very nice bit of countryside, depending on your perspective
Apologies but having left a rucksack with my lunch and some bits and bobs in near the top - which I later discovered included the camara and tripod!! The pics are shaky phone pics from no onwards - sorry! (I've done that sort of thing before on solo trips 😭, where I have been so completely focussed on checking safety kit and what I need to get down and... then back up again, that things not related to preserving life have been left behind)
The first sight of snow
Taken from standing where the red circle is marked on the rigging topo (pic above)
I'd guess that it's maybe 3 or 4 metres thick at thickest?
Continued...
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