Honister Mines
If wild weather puts you off heading onto the Lake District fells, head to Honister where there’s adventure to be found beneath them…
Trail goes deep underground in the Lake District’s slate mines
The Honister via ferrata, which snakes and climbs along the steep north face of Fleetwith Pike above Buttermere, has become a magnet for thrill seekers looking for a different take on the Lake District experience. But, in its exposed location, it’s not an activity for the wet and windy days that – let’s be honest – are far from uncommon in Cumbria. Besides, although the via ferrata dips in and out of the mining heritage of Honister, it never truly commits to delving much below the surface. There are walking mine tours, if all you want is a tourist’s history lesson, but if you’re after something a little more adrenaline inducing there’s a superb alternative: Climb the Mine...
Donk. The reason we’re wearing helmets is immediately obvious. We’ve just entered a low tunnel, and I’m incapable of keeping my head off the rocky roof. Donk. Perhaps the extra inch or so the hard hat adds to my height is the reason. Donk. Or perhaps I’m just a clutz. Donk. On the whole, I’m glad I’m wearing it. Donk.
As we exit the tunnel we pass a rusting iron bogie, an industrial looking rail-cart that has probably not moved from where it rots since its slate transporting services were no longer required. It looks sad, resigned to its fate, but beyond the bogie is a more impressive remnant of mining infrastructure. The Lancaster Aerial was a large cable winch, much like you see at either end of a chair lift, that moved blocks of slate from high up the face of Honister Crag down to the pass below. It is the route of the Lancaster Aerial Flight that Honister’s proposed and approved zipwire is set to follow; an element of Lake District history brought into the 21st century