Crystal Hunting in the North Pennines (Summer 2017)
School Summer Holidays 2017
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After I found a nice quartz cluster when hiking up Cross Fell, my daughter was eager to go looking for crystals. So I gave her some choices for the summer break and she chose to go crystal hunting.
Our first visit was Groverake Mine and Frazer's Hush as these used to mine for fluorite. We picked up a couple of small samples but the place had clearly been looked at by other people. We found a place where they had covered up a site where they had been digging into one of the smaller hushes for better commercial value crystals and a quick look on ebay suggests they were professional hunters.
Our next outing we headed up to the fluorite mine at Middlehope. If you visit this area you need to be careful because the lead mines further down stream are protected sites. But the fluorite mine is not but it is still private land and taking rock samples without permission is technically illegal. So use your commonsense if you are out.
I am not a geologist but I've been learning quite a bit on our outings as we try to identify our findings. The two samples I mention about finding near Nenthead were not from the Nenthead site. Do not take stuff from there. I found what I think is Dolomite in a stream on the other side of Flinty fell. The piece that I am hoping is Alstonite but probably quartz, I literally picked up from the side of the road when I stopped to do the timelapse in my last mines video. All the rest are from various streams in the North Pennines... we were out just about every week, sometimes a couple of times a week. We bumped into a few professional hunters collecting crystals for jewellery or to tumble and sell on ebay. Also a couple of amateur geologists and rockhounds.
Once you get into the habit of checking the geology where you are walking, you find stuff like the Cheviot agates which, we picked up on our last two hikes in the Cheviot hills. There were many and the two that we picked up were of no value. Even the nice quartz cluster I picked up is of no monetary value because it has substantial damage on the top.
All in all it was great fun. We both learned a lot about geology and it was a good bonding experience with my daughter.
Our minerals:
Quartz, Fluorite (Fluorspar), Sphalerite (Zinc ore)?, Calcite, Dolomite?, Agate, Ironstone (Iron ore), Galena (Lead/Silver ore).
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Music
Hooky with Sloane by Bird Creek
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Ether by Silent Partner:
lifepainting by Muciojad
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Music provided by Audio Library
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Places to see in ( Yorkshire - UK ) Bondville Model Village
Places to see in ( Yorkshire - UK ) Bondville Model Village
Bondville Model Village Bridlington is in Sewerby on the outskirts of Bridlington. Come and see Bridlington’s miniature masterpiece, with over 200 buildings including a castle, ruined Abbey and Harbour, See the villagers going about their everyday lives. Watch the train pull its carriages around the village and across the river where fishing boats and cruisers are moored.
Hidden behind trees on the top of Sewerby Cliffs is a magical little kingdom just waiting to be explored. Set in one acre of beautiful gardens Bondville is a unique family attraction. It’s cottages, houses and shops are lovingly hand-crafted and give a taste, in miniature, of traditional village life. Originally conceived in 1987 Bondville Model Village took 2 years to build and the village is not modelled on any particular location but everybody seems to recognise somewhere even if not quite sure where. The model railway is in correct scale and correct outline which is very rare and here we have both. Everything has been built in a correct 1:12 scale with everything in proportion with everything else.
Bondville Model Village is wheelchair and pram friendly. We also welcome well behaved dogs but need to insist that they are kept on their lead. Little Treasure Gifts and Sweet Shop is our latest addition to Bondville Model Village where you can pick up gifts for all as well as ice cream and sweets.
( Yorkshire - UK ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting Yorkshire . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Yorkshire - UK
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Model Village Beaconsfield (Hero4 Silver 60fps)
Bekonscot in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, is the oldest original model village in the world. It portrays aspects of England mostly dating from the 1930s.
Address: Warwick Rd, Beaconsfield HP9 2PL
The Lake District Keswick
A Day In The Life Of Alston, Cumbria
Bekonskcot Model Village - a mini adventure
Ali and Zairah go on an adventure to Bekonscot Model Village - a miniature village in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.
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The Cumberland Hotel, Alston
The Cumberland Hotel, Townfoot, Alston, Cumbria, CA9 3HX, England
Click on the blue link above to read more about The Cumberland Hotel or to book your stay there.Or visit for bargain prices on many more hotels in Cumbria in the UK and around the globe.
The Mines of Flinty Fell (24th August 2017)
24th August 2017
I had a free day and wanted to get some fresh air. When researching the walk I originally wanted to do, I found walk reports suggesting it was best done in the winter when the vegetation has died down a bit... so I couldn't make my mind up whether to do the Cheviot once more or whether to head into the Pennines. The weather made the choice for me.
It wasn't the best of days with frequent showers, some quite heavy. So it meant I had to put the camera in its waterproof box but that meant I wasn't going to be heard. I thought that would mean putting the video to music but considering the nature of the walk was exploring the sites of old mines, a music video wouldn't really work. So I thought I would try giving it a voice over at home. I think I can probably make it a lot more interesting with better editing but for now, it is an experiment to see if I could put a voice over. So let me know in the comments what you think.
I planned the walk on my own and as far as I know it is not a tried and tested walk. Certainly the so called paths would suggest that they were infrequently visited... as in they existed on paper but not on the ground. I should maybe have used a compass after the last stile on Alston Moor but when I got to the other end of the 'field' had I followed the marked path I believe I would've ended up in a field that had recently been woodland with large stumps and roots sticking up all over the place... and not a good place to walk. Sadly, the terrain meant that I lost sight of visiting the old mine workings there and instead concentrated on not getting stuck in a bog.
Still, I managed to visit Wellhopeknot mine, Whitesike (whitesyke) mine, and Bentyfield mines which were my main goals. Smallcleugh and Caplecleugh mines were a nice added bonus. A change in the weather with a passing heavy shower and black skies deterred me from taking further detours to visit further level mines that I considered and in hindsight it was probably wise to miss those because it allowed me to return to the car for 6pm instead of after 8pm had I gone in search and explored further sites.
It should be noted that Whitesike and Bentyfield mines are a protected site and nothing should be removed. It is fine to have a rummage about the spoil heaps but put back anything you find and don't take any samples with you. There are plenty of other places for taking samples.
All in all a nice walk. I met a very interesting amateur geologist who was returning from Flinty Fell quarry and had a good natter with him about fossicking (rummaging around old mine spoil heaps for mineral samples). I met a lady with her two children visiting Bentyfield mine and other than the home owner who was curious as to what I was doing outside his nice house, I met nobody else until I got back to the car. Peaceful solitude, a bit of history, some fantastic views, and the beautiful moors... put me back in a nice frame of mind.
Nenthead Smelt Mill:
My route (8.22miles/13.23km):
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July 2012 Holiday in Brampton, Cumbria