Nice little mine again another one of fazyuks mines
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Report - Woodfield Ironstone Mine Northamptonshire April 2010
- Thread starter diehardlove
- Start date
Re: Woodfield Ironstone Mine Northamptonshire April 2010 Explosives
Re: Woodfield Ironstone Mine Northamptonshire April 2010 Explosives
Haha they are proper ones hi viz so if you need cave rescue they can locate you easily.
Haha they are proper ones hi viz so if you need cave rescue they can locate you easily.
Re: Woodfield Ironstone Mine Northamptonshire April 2010 Explosives
Il have to tell everyone not to wear the standard kit then in ironstone mines
IRONSTONE goes orange when exsposed to air and forms iron oxide before that it is a shity brown and they are hiviz fella that means they have reflective strips
Look at the colour of the walls not the colour of the floor.
can tell you havent been in many mines.
Lol are you for real fella !!!
Il have to tell everyone not to wear the standard kit then in ironstone mines
IRONSTONE goes orange when exsposed to air and forms iron oxide before that it is a shity brown and they are hiviz fella that means they have reflective strips
Look at the colour of the walls not the colour of the floor.
can tell you havent been in many mines.
yeah mate i was taking the mick
Ah sorry fella just opened my eyes lol not quite with it yet.
Yes mate its quite badly flooded in places but all the three mines flood at this time of year,You have to wait till summer to do parts of it as it gets that bad.
wevs yes its alot better to,Alot more stuff in there as well.
me im ancient..and yes working on a group trip end of feb then when the wife allows
lol fuck em mate they are all a bunch of cunts put your foot down and tell her you are going and thats that lol
Wevs wait till you see the other 3 we have found,Il take you down the new one
church you have been and willow close but we have found another one that i cant find any pics online of lol
Its quite a big mine but runs in a grid pattern,Hi im new to the forum and the whole underworld lol, i have a few questions about the woodfeild mine, i discovered it last saturday but didnt go in far as i wasnt really equiped well enough, i just wondered how big it is and how far it carries on for? From what ive found out it is safe enough as long as you use common sense and the air quality is ok, is this true, also what sort if lighting do you use is it just a conventional torch and head light and the pictures posted on this sight are very well lit is that the torches or a camera with a good flash.
Plus i have heard roumers of a mine leading from a nearby villiage to a small town near the 14, and talking of the A14 I heard there is a ventilation shaft visable from it were is this just as an observational interest.
I have seen that you dont reveal locations on this site and i no you dont need me to say that very wise as it stops yobbo's and the wrong people from going there but what about the wright people how do they discover new mines and enterances.
Thanks alot and any help and advise would be much appreciated
Swales 87
Regarding the air quality it can vary quite alot 2 things you must take into account one is the ground water leval can go down and expose mud which has bacteria that can make the air quality vary from one week to another also bear in mind that as you go further in you are using the oxygen and releasing c02 which means the way you came in may not have the best air quality on the way out all these are influcenced by alot of things be it water leval/also when water exposes new iron it starts to form iron oxide the red pigment you see in these mines that uses air as well to form the oxide,
Even the wind can effect air quality as on a windy day the wind will act like you sucking a straw and draw the poor air out which is replaces by air being took back in where it can but if we dont have muchwind for a few months then the air can go stagnant,
What im trying to say is learn about all this before going in as one day you might be fine the next you might suffocate to death a four gas meter is your best bet failing that the old way is a candle and knowledge as the candle goes out and will not relite before you die
thats not taking into account of c02 however.The way to find there mines is research research and more research some are passed on by word of mouth most however are found from old plans or google earth or even the mine websites but alot of them try to hide the better stuff.
Dont take this wrong but you should not be going in them mines if you are having to ask these questions you will die if you get these mines wrong,Why not start on a easy one just to get your feet wet and used to it then work up to it or go with someone who has experience,
To answer your question it makes no difference with the water clarity as these mines are only over 1 leval so there isnt any shafts in the floor or atificial floors however these mines really are deadly,They are massive and every turn looks the same the air quality changes very quickly in there from good to weezing for air also most of the supporting beams have rotten away,
Im sorry im not answering anymore questions as i dont want it on my mind when you die in there TRUST ME GO WITH SOMEONE WITH KNOWLEDGE OF THE UNDERGROUND OR START SOMEWHERE EASIER.
@swales87 This is probably a bit lengthy (get the 
!) but hopefully it mentions a few new tips and puts your question to bed, satisfied!
{If a moderator deems this more appropriate elsewhere after it has done it's job here feel free to move it!}
To reinforce DHL & Wevskys advice it is not a good idea to go in any of them if you rely on temporary markers like glow sticks only. As I posted on Trog's report 'Northamptonshire Ironstone Mines June-Aug 2010': I go well equipped with food & drink, spare kit etc)[as DHL says: for emergency scenarios lasting 12 hours+] never alone (3 if possible) & always phone ourselves in with a 'due back' time & intended route of exploration with another friend ... and call them back when you're out!
Before I became 'confident' with them or had mine plans, I used to rely mostly on drawing my own map (noting magnetic north) on a grid paper clipboard as I walked, marking turns I walked past and ones I took & noting any distinguishing 'landmark'. That way I could not confuse my route markers with other explorers (unlike wooden arrows, tinfoil etc). Don't forget, others might be down there at the same time as you, so please do not move other markers to use as your own & remember somebody may remove their own marker on their way out - which is not good if you rely on it still being there! I also disciplined myself to walk in a set way (mainly in straight lines through crossroads and turn only at T junctions), with a tiny arrow of soluble chalk at a set height on the wall (if necessary) to double confirm the way I came from after any change of direction.
My key bit of advice:
Even if you acquire a mine plan (with a compass to orientate), do not rely fully on them & (again) I recommend marking your route on the plan as you go. They are abandonment plans & not "up to date" plans. This means roof cave-ins can block paths/junctions and most significantly, many tunnels were bricked up for ventilation purposes meaning you can find your way into a large section of mine and need to find the same single path out which may be a long way in the opposite direction to your intended destination. This isn't much of a problem if you have time but if you are experiencing bad air and need to get out with haste you do not want to be trial and error exploring all avenues shown as open on the plan for the real open one.
Discuss your route and map as you go with the others if they do not have their own.
Getting lost
It is inevitable at some point exploring, no matter how prepared, you will have a sphincter clenching moment and believe yourself lost.
You may just be holding the map at the wrong orientation for that split second or be one junction away from your last marker/landmark. So have an arrangement to take a seat, calm down and discuss your thoughts of location with the others (where 3 brains is better than 2) before methodically walking a short way in all directions to locate familiar ground and return to your seating to discuss the most promising before venturing off, rather than walking miles in one guessed direction, hoping. Please for all our sakes do not run around in an uncoordinated panic - you dramatically increase your risks of getting in a worse situation and the rest of us discovering you as an 'historical artifact' at a later date which will close the mines.
Lastly
Don't underestimate the scale of these mines and scope for error. As I discussed with Troglodyte, from the mine plan my calculated estimate was that Church has 8400 chains, (105 miles) of excavation. Church is not the largest of the Northamptonshire ones either.
!) but hopefully it mentions a few new tips and puts your question to bed, satisfied!{If a moderator deems this more appropriate elsewhere after it has done it's job here feel free to move it!}
To reinforce DHL & Wevskys advice it is not a good idea to go in any of them if you rely on temporary markers like glow sticks only. As I posted on Trog's report 'Northamptonshire Ironstone Mines June-Aug 2010': I go well equipped with food & drink, spare kit etc)[as DHL says: for emergency scenarios lasting 12 hours+] never alone (3 if possible) & always phone ourselves in with a 'due back' time & intended route of exploration with another friend ... and call them back when you're out!
Before I became 'confident' with them or had mine plans, I used to rely mostly on drawing my own map (noting magnetic north) on a grid paper clipboard as I walked, marking turns I walked past and ones I took & noting any distinguishing 'landmark'. That way I could not confuse my route markers with other explorers (unlike wooden arrows, tinfoil etc). Don't forget, others might be down there at the same time as you, so please do not move other markers to use as your own & remember somebody may remove their own marker on their way out - which is not good if you rely on it still being there! I also disciplined myself to walk in a set way (mainly in straight lines through crossroads and turn only at T junctions), with a tiny arrow of soluble chalk at a set height on the wall (if necessary) to double confirm the way I came from after any change of direction.
My key bit of advice:
Even if you acquire a mine plan (with a compass to orientate), do not rely fully on them & (again) I recommend marking your route on the plan as you go. They are abandonment plans & not "up to date" plans. This means roof cave-ins can block paths/junctions and most significantly, many tunnels were bricked up for ventilation purposes meaning you can find your way into a large section of mine and need to find the same single path out which may be a long way in the opposite direction to your intended destination. This isn't much of a problem if you have time but if you are experiencing bad air and need to get out with haste you do not want to be trial and error exploring all avenues shown as open on the plan for the real open one.
Discuss your route and map as you go with the others if they do not have their own.
Getting lost
It is inevitable at some point exploring, no matter how prepared, you will have a sphincter clenching moment and believe yourself lost.
You may just be holding the map at the wrong orientation for that split second or be one junction away from your last marker/landmark. So have an arrangement to take a seat, calm down and discuss your thoughts of location with the others (where 3 brains is better than 2) before methodically walking a short way in all directions to locate familiar ground and return to your seating to discuss the most promising before venturing off, rather than walking miles in one guessed direction, hoping. Please for all our sakes do not run around in an uncoordinated panic - you dramatically increase your risks of getting in a worse situation and the rest of us discovering you as an 'historical artifact' at a later date which will close the mines.Lastly
Don't underestimate the scale of these mines and scope for error. As I discussed with Troglodyte, from the mine plan my calculated estimate was that Church has 8400 chains, (105 miles) of excavation.
Church is not the largest of the Northamptonshire ones either.
Constructive Rant:
(copy from my post on the Northamptonshire mines thread. Admin you may delete if you see fit after it has got it's massage across! )
I'm posting this here rather than a 'news thread' as I imagine it's applicable to the minority of people who arrive directly at this relevant 28DL thread from Internet search results read only what is immediately visible before thinking they're one-up'ing Professor Lidenbrock from the Jules Vernes novel and heading underground with beer, spraypaint and a torch! Due to the relative proximity to the portals/adits I imagine it's beginners who are responsible. (Or is irresponsible a better terminology?)
I have been back in Woodfield yesterday and litter picked an entire carrier bag full of cans, bottles and dead batteries that people have left down there. Please try to be tidy and take the stuff you take down back home with you. Chances are I missed a lot of litter too as it was my intention to re-survey the southern extent, not litter pick. I only cleared what I could see on my route south and in the reaches of torch light. Most of the rubbish was around the the tools room to the western end of what I term the 'south parallel' (the passage behind the tools room with the ladder for those without a plan). Please keep all these places tidy for us all.
On a second note. Spraypaint.
I personally do not believe it belongs in a mine but realise that in some places it is useful. (The two experienced blokes who use the tiny yellow arrow and cross that I believe I met in church once - this rant is not for you! Your arrows are small, uniform, infrequent/constructively frequent and do not seem to have been breeding between visits!) In Woodfield again somebody has sprayed arrows, letters "DE" presumably for 'dead end' and "E" for exit in huge 1 foot to 2 feet lettering around the same area of the litter near the tool room and leading to the South West. It's on multiple walls and even the word Tool room on the wall where if reading the paint you can see the tools!
Please go easy on the paint. I don't have paint remover or know what chemicals are suitable in such an environment to get paint off safely but nevertheless I feel like I'll be visiting to do this soon - if anybody wants to help a bit at a time please say! (Hint to the excessive spray painters - use soluble blackboard chalk. It stays long enough for a few trips, is easy to rub off or will naturally wash off shortly after.)
Final rant:
Also unless you're familiar/experienced enough in subterranean environment (yes you 28DL underground camping pros are excused!) getting drunk in an area where coherent thought might save your life is not a good idea. Plus if you go into a subterranean area and within the short 0-5 hour duration need to change a pack full of batteries (no modern torch using AA eats power like this!) you probably need to revise your equipment/preparation before going down.
Rather than list any more point I'll just give the advice of 'read posts by DHL and pay attention, he knows what he's on about'. The responsible ones do not want you dying down there - it's inconvenient for us!
I'll go back to being cheery now. Sorry the rest of you had to put up with the rant and thanks for listening!
(copy from my post on the Northamptonshire mines thread. Admin you may delete if you see fit after it has got it's massage across!
)I'm posting this here rather than a 'news thread' as I imagine it's applicable to the minority of people who arrive directly at this relevant 28DL thread from Internet search results read only what is immediately visible before thinking they're one-up'ing Professor Lidenbrock from the Jules Vernes novel and heading underground with beer, spraypaint and a torch! Due to the relative proximity to the portals/adits I imagine it's beginners who are responsible. (Or is irresponsible a better terminology?)
I have been back in Woodfield yesterday and litter picked an entire carrier bag full of cans, bottles and dead batteries that people have left down there.
Please try to be tidy and take the stuff you take down back home with you. Chances are I missed a lot of litter too as it was my intention to re-survey the southern extent, not litter pick. I only cleared what I could see on my route south and in the reaches of torch light. Most of the rubbish was around the the tools room to the western end of what I term the 'south parallel' (the passage behind the tools room with the ladder for those without a plan). Please keep all these places tidy for us all.On a second note. Spraypaint.
I personally do not believe it belongs in a mine but realise that in some places it is useful. (The two experienced blokes who use the tiny yellow arrow and cross that I believe I met in church once - this rant is not for you! Your arrows are small, uniform, infrequent/constructively frequent and do not seem to have been breeding between visits!) In Woodfield again somebody has sprayed arrows, letters "DE" presumably for 'dead end' and "E" for exit in huge 1 foot to 2 feet lettering around the same area of the litter near the tool room and leading to the South West. It's on multiple walls and even the word Tool room on the wall where if reading the paint you can see the tools!
Please go easy on the paint. I don't have paint remover or know what chemicals are suitable in such an environment to get paint off safely but nevertheless I feel like I'll be visiting to do this soon - if anybody wants to help a bit at a time please say! (Hint to the excessive spray painters - use soluble blackboard chalk. It stays long enough for a few trips, is easy to rub off or will naturally wash off shortly after.)
Final rant:
Also unless you're familiar/experienced enough in subterranean environment (yes you 28DL underground camping pros are excused!) getting drunk in an area where coherent thought might save your life is not a good idea. Plus if you go into a subterranean area and within the short 0-5 hour duration need to change a pack full of batteries (no modern torch using AA eats power like this!) you probably need to revise your equipment/preparation before going down.
Rather than list any more point I'll just give the advice of 'read posts by DHL and pay attention, he knows what he's on about'. The responsible ones do not want you dying down there - it's inconvenient for us!
I'll go back to being cheery now.
Sorry the rest of you had to put up with the rant and thanks for listening!
Last edited:
right finally got there (take 3)...found in church north (excuse poor qualitly done on small camera) any ideas what the formation is??
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