Tapped 'Station Road, Lydgate' into my shiny new Sat Nav and stuffed my face with chips on the way from Butterhouse whilst my new electronic girlfriend read the map better than my fleash and blood one ever did! I was there in no time and it was a quick squelch along the cutting in my wellies to the tunnel mouth. It has palisade fencing with a gate (this is the west portal). For those of you with access to such things it has an 859 padlock (shhhh!). 50yds in is a pointless duplicate fence with a pointless duplicate 859 padlocked gate!
Inside there are a couple of places with a welly-depth of water so rubber footwhere recommended. There is also a misty section between two of the air shafts where photography is nye on impossible as everything comes out blurred. The eastern portal is breeze blocked up. There is a hatchway 20 feet off the ground with a new signal gantry style ladder up to a platform on the inside and nothing on the outside so the maintenenace crew can get in with a ladder. Of course, the local youth has provided a knotted climbing rope so access is possible at both ends.
More stalactites. And what the heck is that radio-active sign thingy? Anyone know? I assume it is nothing more sinister than the surveyor's personal way of marking the tunnel? This is a good, 'textbook' tunnel! Get it while it's cold! |