When I found a tunnel from the Goyt heading straight towards Welkin (Ark Ring) Mill, my first thought was -
it must be a tailrace. However, on further investigation Welkin Mill, being built in the early 1900s, didn’t utilise
water in the same way as older mills. Electricity was used to drive the mill’s machinery. Water came from
several boreholes under the mill, 7“ wide and 30‘-90‘ deep. Cotton production ceased in the 1950s when it
became Buckleys printers, which closed in 2008. Currently it houses a paintball centre.
So if the tunnel wasn’t a tailrace... I waded in to take a look in from the river, though it was a bit deep and my
waders turned into a buoyancy device. A watching boy told me his brother had swum through the tunnel (blue
line) and come out on the opposite side (orange line). I was dubious but... it was possible the ‘diverted’ Goyt
had just been covered over.
Green - Route of the river Goyt until the M60 was built
Purple - 1848 tunnel
Orange - Old carved graffiti in the rock from times when the river was lower
Yellow - Old culvert
Blue - Crooked Willlie’s culvert
So, with SoundLightGo, headed upstream and aimed to follow the brook down to the river.
Crooked Willie's Garden
In the woods, the brook slowly cuts its way through soft, red clay and splashes noisily into a large concrete pipe.
Removing some debris made exiting this grille a lot easier, and drier. It’s so satisfying to move some sticks
and mud and have water pour out freely. The opposite of damming, if there’s even a word for that.
These falls occur because old ceramic pipes cross the brook.Not sure if the weir effect was intentional but it
made for an auditorily and visually pleasing tableau.
Crooked Willie's Stoop
The brook goes underground again right next to the mill. Easy access for slender explorers
It didn’t exactly look inviting, but we had checked the weather and this was as high as it would get for now.
In we go...
It was actually half full of sand and therefore, a stoopy struggle through boot-grabbing, sticky ground. We came
to this chamber with a pipe to the north.
We ventured a little way up the side pipe before I bottled it due to fish swimming around my hands and knees.
Not so keen on fish. This may lead to the hidden Goyt. Or not...
This is a picture of the exit. It doesn’t look far away but when you are stumbling/crawling through silt it sure feels like it is.
Despite the Goyt being low, the exit turned out to be a lot deeper than we expected.
Still, it was a lovely day for a swim...
it must be a tailrace. However, on further investigation Welkin Mill, being built in the early 1900s, didn’t utilise
water in the same way as older mills. Electricity was used to drive the mill’s machinery. Water came from
several boreholes under the mill, 7“ wide and 30‘-90‘ deep. Cotton production ceased in the 1950s when it
became Buckleys printers, which closed in 2008. Currently it houses a paintball centre.
So if the tunnel wasn’t a tailrace... I waded in to take a look in from the river, though it was a bit deep and my
waders turned into a buoyancy device. A watching boy told me his brother had swum through the tunnel (blue
line) and come out on the opposite side (orange line). I was dubious but... it was possible the ‘diverted’ Goyt
had just been covered over.
Green - Route of the river Goyt until the M60 was built
Purple - 1848 tunnel
Orange - Old carved graffiti in the rock from times when the river was lower
Yellow - Old culvert
Blue - Crooked Willlie’s culvert
So, with SoundLightGo, headed upstream and aimed to follow the brook down to the river.
Crooked Willie's Garden
In the woods, the brook slowly cuts its way through soft, red clay and splashes noisily into a large concrete pipe.
Removing some debris made exiting this grille a lot easier, and drier. It’s so satisfying to move some sticks
and mud and have water pour out freely. The opposite of damming, if there’s even a word for that.
These falls occur because old ceramic pipes cross the brook.Not sure if the weir effect was intentional but it
made for an auditorily and visually pleasing tableau.
Crooked Willie's Stoop
The brook goes underground again right next to the mill. Easy access for slender explorers
It didn’t exactly look inviting, but we had checked the weather and this was as high as it would get for now.
In we go...
It was actually half full of sand and therefore, a stoopy struggle through boot-grabbing, sticky ground. We came
to this chamber with a pipe to the north.
We ventured a little way up the side pipe before I bottled it due to fish swimming around my hands and knees.
Not so keen on fish. This may lead to the hidden Goyt. Or not...
This is a picture of the exit. It doesn’t look far away but when you are stumbling/crawling through silt it sure feels like it is.
Despite the Goyt being low, the exit turned out to be a lot deeper than we expected.
Still, it was a lovely day for a swim...
TL;DR Lidl drybags make an excellent buoyancy aid.
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