Report - Blebo Quarry - Fife - November 2009

[zimbob]

Visited this with Foz101 and another explorer, who's not on this site....

Sandstone has been quarried here for centuries, apparently it is particularly good in this area :

Vast deposits of sandstone are to be found in Kemback Hill. Because of its silicon content it was easy to hew and dress and had the added quality of taking a fine polish. Consequently it was in great demand by builders and a thriving industry developed with Blebo Craigs as its centre.

(Taken from 'A Short History of Kemback Parish' by Maurice Milne, Session Clerk)

After a wee stroll through the woods (past the 'slipper'o'doom') and left at the rope-swing, we arrived at our destination :

In we went

All the supports that had been left in place had been hand-dressed, I can only assume this was done as practice for the masons.

Further in, a small pond of water, the only real damp in this place :

We also noticed the vein of shale, visible at the top of every support, and often visibly crumbling

The curved, dressed wall, a real work of art

The infamously well-endowed 'Ladyboy of Blebo'

This place has seen severall rockfalls, I cannot stress enough how dodgy the roof in here is :

It may look as though the large slab is resting on the rocks in the middle of this shot, but that is due to the perspective - it's just hanging there

Cracks abound in the roof, sometimes you only notice 'em on the photos! This was a rather neat little timber arrangement, packed with rocks, a form of support I assume :

Another timber and rock-packed arrangement :

The 'wall of deads' - pretty much the most stable part of this place

This place is not as spacious as it appears - here's a 'ghost' crawling in to give a sense of scale :

More ceiling-collapses litter the floor :

A ghostly Foz101 doing his thing :

Daylight beckoned, time to go

I really enjoyed my first foray underground

​

 

[novice_strength]

Pretty banging photos (y) Ive been there a few times. Itching to find out whats down the two crawl through tunnels. Could lead to nothing or a whole different passage.

 

[novice_strength]

There is so much rockfall now im amazed its not sealed off, dont know if its that well know about though

 

[DaveFM]

Good pictures, you'll have to have a look at Cults mine, thats on a vastly bigger scale than this small mine, about a mile across and extends in three or four hundred metres, not too far away from this place.

 

[RichardB]

Pretty banging photos (y) Ive been there a few times. Itching to find out whats down the two crawl through tunnels. Could lead to nothing or a whole different passage.

Nothing much, it just opens out a little bit at the end.

This one seems particularly unstable for some reason, the other Blebo quarries haven't deteriorated anywhere near as much.

 

[novice_strength]

I

Nothing much, it just opens out a little bit at the end.

This one seems particularly unstable for some reason, the other Blebo quarries haven't deteriorated anywhere near as much.

That's disappointing lol
I think I've been in all of them. Are they all lined up next to each other?

 

[RichardB]

Knockhill is the one that has loads of them lined up next to each other, there are a few smaller bits around this one, and there is another one in the same woods.

 

[novice_strength]

Knockhill is the one that has loads of them lined up next to each other, there are a few smaller bits around this one, and there is another one in the same woods.

You have me curious now, think I have a plan for next week