There is nothing i love more than a midweek foray into the underground, and when Urban Junkie, Coleman and Myself made the journey to Reigate on a cold and clear night, we were in for a real treat. It gets that little bit better when the location is in the most unsuspecting of places. In this case, a college in a leafy Surrey town. Add to that the three grown men, lugging rucksacks that would warrant a week in the wild, trying to slip in undetected with the odd folk on the commute home, it gets even better.
After snaking through some undergrowth, casting shadows from the throng of light from the buildings, we located our access point, and more convieniently, the nearby tree that would provide a useful anchor point. Unnervingly, this all occurs at the top of a gentle slope in the grounds, meaning you can see more clearly into the first floor than the ground floor, and thus maybe visible to anyone who might be passing by. Luckily for us, any untrained eyes wouldnt be looking out for the type of activity we were partaking in.
Anchor secured, harnesses on and karabiners clipped, one by one we descended along with our bags. Looking back up through the darkness to the square of night sky 20ft above, you get the feeling that you're where you set about to be, and that is half the job. And a good feeling it is too.
For those that are not aware, Reigate, Merstham, Godstone and the surrounding areas are probably home to the largest collection of underground mines and quarries in the South-East, before you have to venture down the M4 or M1 for similar subterranean goodness. Access to the vast majority of these is regulated by the local caving club. But as we have discovered in the past, and on this occasion, some are 'freely' accessible to those that are willing.
This particular quarry was more akin to something you would find on the continent, more specifically Paris. And just like Puiselet , the walls in here crumble away at the pinch of the fingers. And lit by the warm glow of carbide and halogen, it made the visit all the more nostalgic.
Comprising a few small main passageways with numerous dead-ends off each, the sand was seemingly quarried over two levels linked by an awesome egg shaped decline. On further discovery, it seems the two levels merge together in a few places. Coupled with the vaulted pillars and arches, the plethora of carvings inscribed into the walls, it is so difficult to picture yourself in leafy Reigate, under a college campus. The siting of underground workings fused with a municipal setting is not something we get too much of the UK, which makes it all the more fun.
Moving deeper into the quarry through the main haulageway the chambers start to open out a little , still with numerous offshoots along the way. It was nice to stop in here and enjoy the calming atmosphere these places bring, albeit with the rumble of road traffic overhead.
The layout feels like a real labyrinth and although it may not be the biggest of places, this doesn't detract from the experience at all. Before long it was time to extinguish the spent carbide, pack the bags, turn the lights out and ascend back to reality, like it had never happened. And this was the time the only scare of the night would come. Somebody walking past the buildings in our field of view, follwed by a car forcing us to lay flat out on the grass, all the while hurriedly lifting the bags out followed by Coleman. Crisis averted, all out safely and with the lid replaced, we scurried back into the undergrowth. Time to pack away the ropes and harnesses and disappear. And the best bit? Walking down the road feeling victorious, as a speeding police van hurries off to some such unfolding incident. If only they knew...
A massive thank you to Bauhausgirl and to Soylent Green for their invaluable knowledge, and for putting this place on the map. We owe you folks!
After snaking through some undergrowth, casting shadows from the throng of light from the buildings, we located our access point, and more convieniently, the nearby tree that would provide a useful anchor point. Unnervingly, this all occurs at the top of a gentle slope in the grounds, meaning you can see more clearly into the first floor than the ground floor, and thus maybe visible to anyone who might be passing by. Luckily for us, any untrained eyes wouldnt be looking out for the type of activity we were partaking in.
Anchor secured, harnesses on and karabiners clipped, one by one we descended along with our bags. Looking back up through the darkness to the square of night sky 20ft above, you get the feeling that you're where you set about to be, and that is half the job. And a good feeling it is too.
For those that are not aware, Reigate, Merstham, Godstone and the surrounding areas are probably home to the largest collection of underground mines and quarries in the South-East, before you have to venture down the M4 or M1 for similar subterranean goodness. Access to the vast majority of these is regulated by the local caving club. But as we have discovered in the past, and on this occasion, some are 'freely' accessible to those that are willing.
This particular quarry was more akin to something you would find on the continent, more specifically Paris. And just like Puiselet , the walls in here crumble away at the pinch of the fingers. And lit by the warm glow of carbide and halogen, it made the visit all the more nostalgic.
Comprising a few small main passageways with numerous dead-ends off each, the sand was seemingly quarried over two levels linked by an awesome egg shaped decline. On further discovery, it seems the two levels merge together in a few places. Coupled with the vaulted pillars and arches, the plethora of carvings inscribed into the walls, it is so difficult to picture yourself in leafy Reigate, under a college campus. The siting of underground workings fused with a municipal setting is not something we get too much of the UK, which makes it all the more fun.
Moving deeper into the quarry through the main haulageway the chambers start to open out a little , still with numerous offshoots along the way. It was nice to stop in here and enjoy the calming atmosphere these places bring, albeit with the rumble of road traffic overhead.
The layout feels like a real labyrinth and although it may not be the biggest of places, this doesn't detract from the experience at all. Before long it was time to extinguish the spent carbide, pack the bags, turn the lights out and ascend back to reality, like it had never happened. And this was the time the only scare of the night would come. Somebody walking past the buildings in our field of view, follwed by a car forcing us to lay flat out on the grass, all the while hurriedly lifting the bags out followed by Coleman. Crisis averted, all out safely and with the lid replaced, we scurried back into the undergrowth. Time to pack away the ropes and harnesses and disappear. And the best bit? Walking down the road feeling victorious, as a speeding police van hurries off to some such unfolding incident. If only they knew...
A massive thank you to Bauhausgirl and to Soylent Green for their invaluable knowledge, and for putting this place on the map. We owe you folks!
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