Various unknown items, nr Penicuik, Midlorhian, Scotland.

Various unknown items, nr Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland - Feb '09.

Hey folks, was off work today, and went for a drive with a friend. I've just moved in to this area, where he has stayed here all his life, and he decided to show me some things he thinks are cool in the area. Just as well I had my A200!!!

Mobility was restricted because of a) the snow and b) my mate is on crutches at the moment, so we didn't go everywhere we wanted to.

There are a few sites, I'll label them as follows.... If anyone has any insight into what the could be, please feel free to suggest away, we're perplexed?!?

1) Possible mine entrance - complete with angry looking sheep. shown on map as a quarry. Nothing else around it at all.



One of the blocked up entranceways...


2) A strange tower my friend has known of since he was a child, shows on map as a 'tower'. Encased in an outer wall, which has signs of recent repair.



Pic from inside, showing the strange grooves and various heights.


3) A second tower about a mile down the road, my friend didn't even know about this one. Is exactly the same as the first with no outside wall, no marking of any kind, and again, nothing else around it.



4) Another tower, about a mile from the road, looks of different build, was too far away to hike to in the snow


5) A strange arrangement that looks like a tunnel entrance, goes under a very old railway line in the countryside, nothing shown on current OS map.



6) Penicuik ROC Post. Lots of angry looking cows beside, didn't venture for a closer look...


7) We headed home, and drove through Rosslynlee Phsychiatric Hospital. stayed away from the hospital itself (too many people around, private property), and looked at some of the old unused buildings. Found these abandoned cottages/houses.


Anyone home...? Didn't enter as we had no masks/torches.

You can still see the clothes hangers in the cupboard...freaky.

Old swingpark

Inside a greenhouse

A freaky face on the telphone pole...



Well, I hope you enjoyed my first go at this stuff with the camera. Will endeavor to poke around these sites more in the better weather.

1) Look like kilns. For a quarry.

2,3 and 4 - not sure. Markers for something?

5) Looks like a mine entrance to me. Or something very similar.

6) ROC post is locked on subbrit. And still is I think.

Sounds like a nice little wander.

Is 4 a trig point?

First ones are kilns

Ahh, kilns, that ties in with the map showing quarry, as it is in a depression in the land, next to a small stream.

There no trig point showing on the map for 4), just a small square showing building.

I was thinking 5 was a mine related thing, need to do some research on iit....

If the ROC post is locked, it must still be in good nick inside!!! Not many left like that now.

Try Geograph, it's often quite good for solving mysteries like that.

http://www.geograph.org.uk/

Indeed, thanks for that tip, may have that mystery solved...
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/750088

Great stuff undeterredham !

First site defo looks like lime kilns, theres quite a few in the local area. You'll see very similar ones on the North side of the Straiton junction off the bypass. (Theres also what I assume is an abandoned house round the back... although I didn't venture too close to check).

#2 Not sure about the square tower... I first thought a dovecot but is that a chimney inside??

#4 looks like a trig point, however judging by the scale of the photo it looks about three times too tall. (Trig points are only about 5 feet high).

#5 looks like the entrance to a mine, or at least something that leads below ground (!!!!! ) although not a design I've seen before. The fencing around the end most likely protects livestock from falling into something I guess.

I like the abandoned houses too, I'd probably poke around and take loads of photos even if they never ended up been seen by any other living soul

Cheers for the post

undeterredham said:

Hey folks, was off work today, and went for a drive with a friend. I've just moved in to this area, where he has stayed here all his life, and he decided to show me some things he thinks are cool in the area. Just as well I had my A200!!!

Mobility was restricted because of a) the snow and b) my mate is on crutches at the moment, so we didn't go everywhere we wanted to.

There are a few sites, I'll label them as follows.... If anyone has any insight into what the could be, please feel free to suggest away, we're perplexed?!?

1) Possible mine entrance - complete with angry looking sheep. shown on map as a quarry. Nothing else around it at all.

One of the blocked up entranceways...

2) A strange tower my friend has known of since he was a child, shows on map as a 'tower'. Encased in an outer wall, which has signs of recent repair.

Pic from inside, showing the strange grooves and various heights.

3) A second tower about a mile down the road, my friend didn't even know about this one. Is exactly the same as the first with no outside wall, no marking of any kind, and again, nothing else around it.

4) Another tower, about a mile from the road, looks of different build, was too far away to hike to in the snow

5) A strange arrangement that looks like a tunnel entrance, goes under a very old railway line in the countryside, nothing shown on current OS map.

6) Penicuik ROC Post. Lots of angry looking cows beside, didn't venture for a closer look...

7) We headed home, and drove through Rosslynlee Phsychiatric Hospital. stayed away from the hospital itself (too many people around, private property), and looked at some of the old unused buildings. Found these abandoned cottages/houses.

Anyone home...? Didn't enter as we had no masks/torches.

You can still see the clothes hangers in the cupboard...freaky.

Old swingpark

Inside a greenhouse

A freaky face on the telphone pole...

Well, I hope you enjoyed my first go at this stuff with the camera. Will endeavor to poke around these sites more in the better weather.

Click to expand...

The first couple of pictures - looks like a lime kiln to me.

Yeah V70, I know the one you mean, right over from birdiehouse??? I'll need to take a closer look next time I'm driving to TA.

The towers appear to be part of a marking system for some kind of underground water tunnel, apparently dug out a very long time ago. There should be another two, I'll need to buy a map and mark them out.

No. 5 is still the most intruiging to me. It's well filled in and bricked off. There are another three 'walls' in a line behind and in line with these two, where the 'tunnel' would go under the farm road.

Here is a pic showing the other walls, and a slight raise in the ground....

This is fabulous stuff, Undeterredham. It's great just to have a wander and see what's around..amazing the amount of weird and interesting things to be found. Love those marker towers. Cool!

There's a pair of kilns similar to those at the side of the A38 in Derbyshire.

Interested to see any info on the mine tunnel type place. Not sure if any info would be on either OS maps, or magic.

Cheers,

Sal

smileysal said:

There's a pair of kilns similar to those at the side of the A38 in Derbyshire.

Interested to see any info on the mine tunnel type place. Not sure if any info would be on either OS maps, or magic.

Cheers,

Sal

Click to expand...

The A38 is a long road Sal

undeterredham said:

Yeah V70, I know the one you mean, right over from birdiehouse??? I'll need to take a closer look next time I'm driving to TA.

Click to expand...

You can drive right up to them, however I stopped at the end of the road and walked up. I also noticed a few things on the top of them and wondered if the site was used in WW2 for something (searchlights?) although I am probably well off mark on that one

The towers appear to be part of a marking system for some kind of underground water tunnel, apparently dug out a very long time ago. There should be another two, I'll need to buy a map and mark them out.

Click to expand...

I presume there would be manholes/access points somewhere along the route. Finding them is another challenge though!

No. 5 is still the most intruiging to me. It's well filled in and bricked off. There are another three 'walls' in a line behind and in line with these two, where the 'tunnel' would go under the farm road.

Click to expand...

Have you checked the www.magic.gov.uk OS maps?

I'd have a look but not sure exactly where it is to begin with

Here is a pic showing the other walls, and a slight raise in the ground....

Click to expand...

Interesting........... I wonder what lays beneath! (if anything!)

Great stuff this

smileysal said:

There's a pair of kilns similar to those at the side of the A38 in Derbyshire.

Interested to see any info on the mine tunnel type place. Not sure if any info would be on either OS maps, or magic.

Cheers,

Sal

Click to expand...

In between Ripley and Alfreton.

V70 said:

Great stuff undeterredham !

First site defo looks like lime kilns, theres quite a few in the local area. You'll see very similar ones on the North side of the Straiton junction off the bypass. (Theres also what I assume is an abandoned house round the back... although I didn't venture too close to check).

Click to expand...

These ones?

Didn't check out the building behind it, plenty of rabbits in the area though!!

Yeah that's the one