Buckden Gavel Mine

I’d been curious about this mine for a few years, and didn’t know much about it apart from the story of Buckden Bill:

(https://vetch.co.uk/buckden_archive/ThemysteryofBuckdenBill.pdf)

I was met at the village car park by Damian (who was a true local, having grown up in the shadow of Buckden Pike), Jason and his daughter Rosa. Together we took on the steep path beside Buckden Gill, which had some polished scrambly bits, and finally reached the adit entrance after a good walk.
After some initial sticky mud – nearly, but not quite high enough to inundate the wellies – we were into the mine proper. There were still a few small bats hibernating, which were definitely a different species from the Lesser Horseshoes that I’d seen in South Wales. We carefully set about exploring the various offshoots of the main passage.
There’s a lot of mine to explore here. We didn’t see that much in the way of artefacts – a few tools, the remains of a clog, and plenty of iron rail. There are obviously levels above and below, which presumably must be accessed by sketchy mud climbs (up) and unbolted shafts (down). Our survey seemed to have been compiled in the 1970s to show a safe route for novice groups, but we sensed that there was plenty more passage off the printed page… This mine would be a good option for a wet day in the winter, maybe with a scaffold pole and ladder to get into some of the higher bits.
After a good stomp around, we headed back down the hill. Damian and I wandered around the flank of Buckden Pike to walk down the easy rake, while Jason and Rosa opted for the gillside path. This trek to and from the adit would have been yet another hardship for the original miners, but it was pleasant enough for us on a dry Spring day.
Thanks to Jason, Rosa and Damian for a great trip!