The Lecht Mine

Today a hugely enjoyable burneside walk in glorious sunshine to the Lecht Mine. This short walk at the foot of the Lecht has been a favourite since I was introduced to it by a friend - it was the last decent walk the old dog managed and today I introduced it to the puppy.
The Lecht Mine was operated by the York Building Company for a period of about 6 years from 1731. Iron ore was extracted from the hillside before being carried by pack pony to Nethy Bridge for smelting. The mine was unprofitable and was closed for over a century - reopening as a manganese mine in 1841. This, the largest manganese mine ever to operate in Scotland was also short lived. It's failure was due to the drop in the value of Scottish manganese in the face of cheap foreign ore. The manganese was used in the manufacture of bleach.
The rather forbidding building which housed the crushing mill and mine offices is now all that remains of the mine. A huge water wheel, powered by water from the burn drove the crushing machinery.

Spoil heaps - one of which is shown in the extra still scar the hillside.

The mine building - incongruous but perfectly positioned in this barren landscape can be seen from the Lecht Road directly opposite the Well of the Lecht.