# Cults Limestone Mine, Fife – May 2008.



## wolfism

This is the mine connected to the Cults Lime and Brick Works which I explored several months ago, and first reported on 28DL. It was worked for at least a century – Cults Hill produced some of the purest lime in Scotland, and was large enough to warrant its own internal tramway system. first serving the mine, then the quarry which succeeded it. The mine closed around 1949 or 1950 when the quarry opened, and at the same time the old lime kilns were replaced by a new limeworks.

















Several parallel adits were driven at a shallow angle into the hillside by Cochran of Cults, and they extend southwards for several hundred metres, with many cross-galleries running off them. Although I understand that all the accesses were backfilled when the mine closed, at least three are now accessible, which also means that the mine still has a degree of through-ventilation. At least 3km of underground chambers and galleries remain, but the surface works connected with the mine have all gone. For me, this explore was about becoming accustomed to the underground enviroment, rather than taking photos – but I’ve posted a few of the better shots.
















Narrow gauge rails are still evident on a couple of inclines, along with the remains of a steel haulage cable (the engine houses at the head of the lines used electric motors, at least latterly). Cast iron pumping mains also run at the side of a couple of inclines, and are in better condition than the cables, which crumble to the touch. We located the remains of a 2-foot gauge Hudson-type skip frame, some axles and wheel bearings, plus a skip body lying elsewhere. Occasionally there are impressive pieces of flowstone, a toadstool, or pit props covered in a white, “deep pile” fungus – mostly there are long successions of galleries and chambers around three metres high, four or five metres wide, many with fallen rocks on the floor. There are some arrows and notations painted onto the walls, and long coloured twines which are said to be the result of a police search of the mine during a murder enquiry …
















Cults Mine is a labyrinth, and I became disorientated quickly: it would have been too easy to get lost if I hadn’t been in the company of more experienced mine explorers. That emphasised that the risks in old mines are of a different magnitude to those in derelict buildings: there is bad air in the western part of Cults; there are several big roof collapses, and several more dodgy parts held up by rotten timber props, or 20 lb steel rails deformed way beyond their yield point. The furthest reaches of the inclines have flooded, and the areas close to them have a deep layer of “high suction” mud on the floor … on the way to a sump.






Explored with Number Six, V70 (see above!), Pincheck and Cuban – big thanks to Number Six for his knowledge of mine safety, and also his patience while I scuttered around with torches and bulb mode. A little understanding of limestone mining has given me a great deal of respect for this mine.


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## Cuban B.

I do enjoy exploring mines and this was no exception, here's a small selection of different pics:



































Is that the filter giving the violet tinge on your second pic Wolfie?


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## wolfism

Cuban B. said:


> Is that the filter giving the violet tinge on your second pic Wolfie?


Partly - I lit it with two different filters, then fiddled around in Photoshop to balance them.

That tangle of green twine looks familiar ...


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## foz101

Interesting stuff guys, shame I couldn't make it.


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## spacepunk

Wow! fantastic. So this was the big secret. Great find.


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## sqwasher

Nice report & pics guys, i take my hat off to you!


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## numbersix

Glad everyone had a good day, it's a massive place, I don't think we even saw half of it because of all the side galleries and the less accessible deeper parts.

I will be going back with a gas monitor next time as the air was starting to feel a bit thin to me in places. I've attached a picture showing a bad air warning chalked under one of the nastiest rockfalls, doubling the reasons for not going under it!

As can be seen from the pictures there are a lot of unstable ceilings, falls and some nasty mud and water with deep mud underneath it that you can't see. I ended up to my waist in bright orange mud with zero warning on a previous visit. If you visit, make sure you're properly equipped and you know exactly what you're doing!

Preaching over, onto the pics 


























This next photos shows the chalk warning more clearly from the previous photo:


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## Foxylady

Wow, what a fantastic place. You can see how dangerous it is from the photos...those rock falls are incredible. Excellent pics and report guys. Really good stuff!


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## V70

Photos have turned out great guys!!... not had a proper look at mine yet, however one or two look quite promising. Just noticed that I managed to scratch the lens on my camera when I knocked it over..... doh! 

Your coloured filters have worked well Wolfism. I was looking forward to finding out what they would do. I'd personally take the very lazy option of Photoshop'ing mine.. but thats just me


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## Pincheck

I did enjoy the day I would have prefered a slower pace though as i am used to taking longer exposures which takes time not really a fan of flash even when i can use it. 




supporting what ?


































Cuban




Wolfism and V70




No.6


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## BigLoada

Great to see more mines here. Some nice calcite formations there.


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## MonkeyGirl

great looking stuff guys! Looks a bit of a maze


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## wolfism

*Wee message for Grumpyoik *– thanks for your PM, unfortunately I couldn't reply to it as you're unable to receive PM's. 

Anyhow, if you read this … thanks very much for the info – I've been gradually collecting material on Cults, and I'm always open to corrections!

Is it OK if I ask a few questions? I wondered about the machinery which was used to cut the tunnels through the limestone – were they blasted, or did they use something like the Anderson Mavor cutting machines they used to use in coalmines? If you can remember, how many adits were open in the 1970's? We found three which were still open, but several more had been backfilled. Presumably the ventilation fans located at one of them?

Cheers again for your help,
-Wolfism


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## RichardB

This is the thread that led me to DP, although I haven't been able to view it till now.

I've been down a couple of mines before, but on official guided tours. 

I live very locally to this and I would love to be included on a future visit, if there is one. I've looked longingly down the tunnels many times but I've never had the confidence to go properly in. Going in with people who know what they are doing would be ideal. The first time I found a tunnel entrance there was the remains of a burnt out Montego and some spent shotgun cartridges in it


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## wolfism

Hi Richard,

Provided you know a little about mines, you'd be safe enough going a short distance in to Cults, definitely better to take a long ball of string with you so that you can find your way out. Stating the obvious … but you shouldn't go alone, and you'd be better to take someone experienced with you (not me!), especially if you want to see the deepest/ furthest parts of the mine. As No.6 said, there's bad air at the extremities so anyone exploring beyond the well-ventilated parts (which are obvious as you can feel the air currents) would need a gas monitor to warn them. Hope that helps.


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## wolfism

*Cults mine trip, October '09*

Return trip with Foz and RichardB … this time armed with a proper camera and a powerful flash gun. 






Using the Agfatronic "off camera" reveals that Cults is a magical place – but the mine plans we now have show a labyrinth far more complex than any of us imagined. It looks like there are over 10km of adits and tunnels, along with several shafts that suddenly open up in the floor of the woods. As I mentioned before, please don't go into Cults unless you're familiar with mines, and have a guide or a map: it bears no resemblance to "gridiron" plan mines like the bathstone quarries in England, and the markings on the walls are often contradictory.
















The eastern adit, lined in brick with steel RSJ's supporting the roof, and timber sleepers propping up their ends. Apparently it was in use until the mid-1970's, much later than I'd thought before, and it dips down towards the south-east at a steady gradient. The flanges of the steel joists are splitting, and much of the timber has crumbled away – about 100 metres in are a series of collapses, and beyond them the floor slopes down into a flooded section. The mine's main haulage still has iron rails set on the floor, with steel cables rusting away at the side; earlier parts of the mine have wagon ways still bearing the imprints of sleepers and rails.


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## BenCooper

Those are fantastic pictures 

I'd completely agree with your warning - it is a very confusing place if you don't map it carefully...


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## lost

Stunning photos. It sounds like quite an intimidating place but I'd still love to go.


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## Bryag

Very nice, Wolfism. I have never done a mine, but as you know I have been to Cults. I woud love to see this. Maybe if I give you a shout next time I'm in the area you could introduce me (or indeed us if Zimbob decides to tag along)


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## RichardB

Your pictures are superb. Much better than any others I've seen, and certainly much better than my ones. I'll try and improve on my ones next time, today I was concentrating more on exploring. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.  

It was an enjoyable afternoon, a return visit is definitely in order.

I'll add a couple of mine from today if you don't mind.








Rusty rails leading to a rock fall. I followed them in and I followed them back out. If I'd been following my sense of direction instead of the rails I'd still be in there yet.




A shaft, but it's not connected to the mine. We couldn't decide what it was for.


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## foz101

And finally some of mine (if you'll pardon the pun...)

















There is a lot of rockfall from the roof in this part.





Following the mini railway tracks.





We must go back soon. With string


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## RichardB

Bryag said:


> Very nice, Wolfism. I have never done a mine, but as you know I have been to Cults. I woud love to see this. Maybe if I give you a shout next time I'm in the area you could introduce me (or indeed us if Zimbob decides to tag along)



I live about 5 minutes away (10 since the flash floods and landslides a couple of months ago) so if you want an incompetent, inexperienced and frankly foolhardy guide I'm your man.


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## foz101

The more I look back the more I'm not convinced we've been back to the same place twice. There are more than a few entrances dotted all along there I think.

More plotting required I think. It certainly has me wanting to spend more time down there. I tend to end up coming away thinking of things I could've and should've done. At the time you tend to get swept up in being there.


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## wolfism

Thanks everyone, these are the first underground photos I've taken where I managed to achieve the images I had in my mind's eye. 

Bryag - you're more than welcome to join us when we go back - and bring along your cohort too. 

ps. I had 1km of string with me - but it chose not to participate this time ...


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## lost

There must be a fair mass in 1km of string.
I propose leaving a trail of fun size Mars bars.


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## spacepunk

fantastic pix there Wolfie. Well done on a great return. I'd love to back again.


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## krela

Don't use string in mines, especially not nylon or synthetic string... if you need string you shouldn't really be going in.


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## JandChar

lost said:


> There must be a fair mass in 1km of string.
> *I propose leaving a trail of fun size Mars bars*.




Brilliant!!


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## foz101

krela said:


> Don't use string in mines, especially not nylon or synthetic string... if you need string you shouldn't really be going in.



In what respect? If it's too complex it's too dodgy? Or if you need string you're not sufficiently experienced?


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## krela

foz101 said:


> In what respect? If it's too complex it's too dodgy? Or if you need string you're not sufficiently experienced?



If you need string you're not sufficiently experienced, and if it's synthetic it doesn't decompose, it's nasty and a bad trip hazard.


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## Bryag

I know nothing about this, but surely one would wind up the string as you follow it back, that way it can be reused. Or maybe that is just the Scot in me


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## RichardB

That's what I would do too, but plenty people down there haven't. I believe even the police left all their string lying at their arse when they were down there.


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## lost

How do you gain the experience to explore it without the string?


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## BenCooper

The correct answer is you map it properly. However, I don't see anything wrong with string as long as you take it back out with you.


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## krela

lost said:


> How do you gain the experience to explore it without the string?



You go with someone who is experienced.


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## foz101

How does an experienced mine explorer know where to go? Or, more importantly, how to get back? Inherent mental GPS? Tea lights? Spray paint?

We had a map, but I'm not sure of it's content in the parts we were in, or whether our second entry point, was even marked. String would help us plot a map and become more familiar with a specific section. It's not really as simple as left, right, right, left, fork left etc etc.

The addition of a more experienced miner who's desperate to get back in would help as well


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## krela

foz101 said:


> How does an experienced mine explorer know where to go? Or, more importantly, how to get back? Inherent mental GPS? Tea lights? Spray paint?
> 
> We had a map, but I'm not sure of it's content in the parts we were in, or whether our second entry point, was even marked. String would help us plot a map and become more familiar with a specific section. It's not really as simple as left, right, right, left, fork left etc etc.
> 
> The addition of a more experienced miner who's desperate to get back in would help as well



I'm saying this for a reason...


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## foz101

krela said:


> I'm saying this for a reason...



Understood.


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## krela

Cheers.

Obviously it's a free world and people can do what they please, but on this public forum where anyone of any sense/stupidity level can see, I would strongly encourage people to do things the safe way


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## dantheman

hi there,the shaft (s) that richard b refered to are vent shafts, there are 4 of them, 3 of them are now capped with these which i made early this year: 


theres one biggy still to do,so i'll probably be back there soon to make another


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## foz101

dantheman said:


> hi there,the shaft (s) that richard b refered to are vent shafts, there are 4 of them, 3 of them are now capped with these which i made early this year: theres one biggy still to do,so i'll probably be back there soon to make another



Would you be able to point them out on a map? 

Is the reason for capping purely so someone doesn't fall down there, or some other bizarre reason such as making the mine more dangerous?


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## dantheman

yep,the reason is to stop people from falling down there,the man who owns the place is getting concerned about his liability regarding public safety,what with people having the right to rome and all that,also the reason that the mine entrance is just partially blocked is because hes not allowed to close it due to bat colonies living in there,he even had a new fence erected and danger signs put up at the kilns,but somebody pinched the posts!!!


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## dantheman

well i was here today and made 2 new caps and if u look when your there you'll see my sig on one,cheers-dan


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