Red Rose Cave and Pothole Club - Newsletter Vol 5 No 1 - Spring 1967
STRANGE ‘CAVFS’ OF THE BERTRAM DISTRICT,
WATERSCALES CAVE -
N,G.R. SD 699. 682 — Length 200ft
From the road
bridge at NGR SD 692.682 (first turn right from High Bentham to Clapham) a path
can be followed up stream along the river bank to the cave. This path goes past
a barn and into Waterscales Wood and at the steepest
part of the wood an archway in the rock leads to the 5ft. high entrance of the
cave. This entrance suddenly leads to an impressive chamber 10ft x 10ft x 50 ft
long, at the end of which is a junction leading to three other smaller chambers
one of which contains very fine calcite pools. Despite the inaccessibility of
this place, this I think his definitely been a mine for flagstones and grit
stone slabs for roofing. In fact nearby lies a Quarry for the same materials.
THE BLANDS - At
N.G.R. S.D. 625.696.
There is
farmhouse under which lies 500ft plus of tunnels, 300ft of which are through solid rock. The strange fact is that
the entrance lies in a highly ornamental garden containing 12 bee hives, one bee hive
shaped stone house and ornamental stones. Inside the tunnels themselves (most
of which are 8ft high inside) is a rock strewn path, steps and a wash basin. This Place was almost certainly built by the same
crank that built the garden (which is in fact on raised ground 5ft or so above
the original). However most of the passages are in solid rock and we did notice
coal chippings and fire clay in the system and it is known that it is on the
edge of the Ingleton Coalfield, so it is possible that this place is a private
coal mine.
The above two
places provide enjoyable summer evening trips as they are dry and in very
pleasant surroundings - good mystery trip for the family.
A. WALSH