Hartsop Hall Mine

Looking towards Kirkstone Pass.

Continuing my lacking lustre series I miraculously got out the house before midday to give Fanad a run to charge her battery and to stock up on more daylight and fresh air for me.

I was fed up of reading so-called evidence based, so-called clinically significant mind numbing not so nice guidelines. Too much for my CSE maths and being very much of the Wordsworth view of ‘we murder to dissect’ I thought it might be safe to head down Ullswater but was disheartened when I saw Aira car park packed out.

However it was pretty quiet further on and I got parked at Cow Bridge and headed along Brothers Water. I was worn out by the time I got to Hartsop Hall but that was okay because I was heading for the lead mine where G said his grandad had worked. I explored all the workings and optimistically wondered if I might find some fluorite, not that I’d really know it if I saw it. Apparently it yielded a fairly high silver content, 30 ounces per ton of lead.

I meandered along the wonderfully made tracks up to the next level and had my head torch with me so ventured in a short way (extra). How...how on earth did they do it?! Just a few minutes in there and I was mightily relieved to return to a dull day which suddenly seemed infinitely brighter.

Looking down to the valley bottom I had a great view of the ancient Romano-British settlement below and with my interest piqued I went down to have wander around and marvel at the massive (presumably glacial) monolithic boulders that formed part of the earthworks.