Epic Entomological Adventures...

[Stew]

and I wonder how many people know about them, thinking that no one else knows about them.

 

[JonathanD]

There's a place not far from here with ancient and now unused sewage tunnels that come from the big house like those.
The lack of height (assuming that there isn't four foot of stuff on the floor lifting the level up) would suggest that to me.

I won't say that you never get caves in sandstone as there are areas where its water or windworn and creates hollows and all sorts but proper cave tunnels are far more likely in limestone.
Consequently I go by the idea that if the cave is in pretty much any other rock than limestone its man made. Ones by the sea might not abide by that rule exactly but you get my drift.

Anyway, I reckon that if you got to the end of those tunnels you would find an old toilet.

No toilets here. No houses either.

and I wonder how many people know about them, thinking that no one else knows about them.

That was what I thought when I first found them. They may be monitored for bats on the outside, but since I went in last year not a single person has set foot in there. There is some old graffiti carved into the sandstone face, but none of it recent. The newspaper was left folded and undisturbed on a sandstone shelf. Still in the same position I left it this time last year. There is also some old cooking utensils in excellent condition from the same date as the rat packs. They were exactly as they were left in the mid 70's. It's cool that if people go there, then they are as careful about disturbing the place as me.

 

[demographic]

No toilets here. No houses either.

But has there ever been dwellings at the end of the tunnels?

There's also a couple of places not far from me that have been carved out of similar soft sandstone, one as an area to entertain guests near Penrith and another as a place of solitude and possible refuge during the boarder raids near Carlisle.

Both of those have far bigger areas where a person can stand fully upright in them and also attract a lot of visitors each day.

Kind of takes the shine of an ace hidden place when there's dog walkers taking their Labrador's in there every ten minutes but its on land anyones allowed on so its everyone's right.

 

[JonathanD]

No dwellings on the end of these tunnels. Which is why they are so strange.

 

[Shewie]

Different caves but there's some interesting theories mentioned ...

http://www.aquiziam.com/kinver-edge-rock-houses.html

 

[JonathanD]

They are certainly part of the Kinver Edge system as they are only 15 mins walk away.

 

[JonathanD]

 

[Bushwhacker]

If those caves were common knowledge there'd be graffiti, fire scars and tins of super strength lager all over the shop.

 

[Toddy]

Unfortunate but true
There are a lot of them about that area though; that this run of them appears to be mostly forgotten isn't a bad thing. It allows the wildlife to thrive in them virtually undisturbed

I have to say JD, those last photos look 'water' to me How wet are they at their founds ?

cheers,
M