After one of those shitty weeks where work seems to just take over, I found myself in dire need of some excitement and adventure to wash away the stress of deadlines and retarded angry users. So come the following morning I just packed up my shit and got the hell out, cruising straight down the M62 with no particular plan on where to go. Approaching the M66 junction I realised I had some unfinished business to attend to. A quick check in the glove box confirmed that my scrappy hand drawn maps were still present so I pulled off and headed north, destination: Accrington
The draining lifestyle is an up and down affair. Is it just luck? Is it just chance? Days spent lifting backbreaking lids, trying desperately to get into the system of dreams may well defeat those with weaker resolve. But push hard, never stop trying, for nothing beats casually wandering into a small tunnel with minimal expectations only to uncover something so hot it melts your face. Some days are impossibly hard, some days are ridiculously easy, just take the rough with the smooth, man up, and see what the drain gods have to offer. If you're lucky, you may be in for a surprise.
Triple Drop
The first stop on my list of 3 short culverts didn't disappoint. Downstream of My Shop on the River Hyndburn, Triple Drop delivers a textbook northern array of debris, stone arches and waterfalls. Woe betide the careless explorer who forgets to check their step here, for the murky peat laden waters of Accrington hide many a drop-off. The first two waterfalls are quite easily navigable when care is taken to test the ground with a tripod, but the pit at the final waterfall unfortunately presents an impassable barrier to those lacking either a boat or face waders.
(The mouth)
Entering from the other side, things size up considerably. A bold 15ft arch built from blocks the size of a small child provides one of the sturdiest looking drain ceilings I've ever seen. It's a damn good job really, seeing as it's supporting 80ft of man made hill topped with a canal.
(Official Harold approved styles)
Triple drop is one of those drains that doesn't really stand out as being particularly incredible. The tunnel is nice, the waterfalls are great, but it really lacks that killer feature to set it apart from the other arched northern drains. Certainly one to see if you are in the area, but little did I know it was just a warm up for what lied further downstream.
(David and Goliath)
The Cavern
It's 9pm, and your standing in the middle of the countryside. The dark is slowly rising, the trees sway lazily in the cool breeze, and the owls are beginning to fire up the usual evening w00p w00p banter. A thick mist hangs in the air, suspended just above the water line, which gurgles amicably as it trickles between your feet. But this isn't the serene image of tranquillity it aught to be, and this fog isn't just your bog standard autumn mist. Brutally carved into the river bank lurks an evil monster, an 8ft sewer overflow is busy doing it's business, busting out toxic flavours into the clear night sky.
After some debate over whether I really want to be doing this solo, it dawned on me that I really couldn't let this lie. It's not the sort of thing you can just walk away from and not constantly be worrying about what wonders could be concealed inside. So I made my way into the giant pipe, the dual fenixes barely penetrating 3m through the insane mist.
The roaring noise that had been clearly audible from outside was now pretty deafening, there had to be something good up ahead. There was to be no disappointment tonight, I broke out of the end of the pipe to find myself standing in one of the craziest CSO chambers I've seen, easily on a par with the Bradford monsters. The chamber itself was a concrete affair, 20ft tall, capped with an arch shaped rock blasted ceiling which had sadly been spraycreted over. Peeling off the layers of grime from the ladder I climbed to the top of the separating wall to find a very much explorable 10ft sewer entering the chamber at the far end. On the downstream side the tunnel continues as a large rock-blasted cavern, the flow passing through a small channel in the centre in the same style as Pandora's, presumably acting as an in-line storage tank.
I took a quick reference photo at this point, but annoyingly a general lack of camera skills saw it accidentally deleted and I haven't been able to recover it. Never mind, it's not like I won't be returning, especially given what lies further down the river...
Hall of Giants
Standing on the edge my stomach begins to turn. I'm pretty awful with heights, but right now my legs are frozen to the spot, my brain is taking it's sweet time to process what exactly is occurring. I watch as a lonely leaf slowly ambles up to the edge of the drop, it almost pauses for a second on the edge to contemplate it's fate, before plummeting 30ft into the thick white shroud below. I gazed into the pit in wonder, watching as the foamy water is consumed gallons at a time by the giant stone arch below. It's like Drabblecore on steroids. Best. Infall. Ever.
I'm beginning to think my kit is sorely inadequate for draining in Accrington. As with every other waterfall here, the the plunge pool is clearly not navigable without nautical assistance, not to mention that to even get down there requires a ballsy and wet abseil to the base of the falls. So I traipsed my way through the adjacent muddy field towards the outfall, being careful not to get too close to the somewhat agitated horses. This drain had better be passable, less I throw myself from atop the infall, my body spending it's remaining time floating calmly through Accrington's finest drain.
I find it's quite rare to find a drain that really makes you stop and stare in awe. Hall of Giants delivers on every front, from the layered bare rock floor to the 20ft diameter red brick ceiling. Is this the pinnacle of photogenicity? Is photogenicity even a word? None of it mattered, this was one of the most beautiful spaces I have ever been in. Words can't do it justice.
(Heaven under earth)
I made my way quickly to the bottom of the falls. There would be time for postcard shots on the way back. I approached the base with care, checking every step with my tripod. The night was cold and the water surprisingly sewer fresh, now was not the time to be taking a dip. As I reached the edge of the ledge the wind and spray was fierce, it's hardly confluence, but it might be as close as the UK is ever going to get! I cringed as I reluctantly removed my lens cap, exposing the glass to everything the sleepy town had to offer. 6 seconds and a few billion photons later I returned to find the front of the lens dripping with moisture. It seemed a small price to pay for a memory not lost, and thankfully it cleaned up no bother.
(Bottom 1/2 of the infall)
I made my way back through the tunnel, climbing over the largest pieces of debris I have ever seen. This one was particularly impressive, it's seemed a shame that it's triumphant descent down the falls probably went unnoticed, it could have made the worlds most hardcore surfboard.
(Surf's up!)
A small side tunnel led to a nice set of steps that would have once led to a door or hatch on the surface. At some point a goat had entered through here and presumably expired some time before the top was sealed. I felt a twinge of jealousy that it had managed to chose this as it's final resting place, after all, how many of us are going to lie buried in a tomb of such grandeur?
(Rest in pieces)
Minotaur's Lair
Back on the surface it was beginning to get late. I still had one more place to check out, but I felt a sense of hopelessness after the halls. It seemed like nothing could possibly top it, and I considered heading home. After a bit of umming and ahhing it really seemed a bit lame to head back, after all it was only a 300m culvert so I headed round the corner to meet yet another nice stone outfall.
Oh! What's occurrin! Once again the same three words echoed around my head in comedy welsh style as yet another scene of awesomeness unfolded. Barely 50m in and the brick tunnel ended abruptly, the water now emanating from a smaller 7ft rock blasted tunnel. Is this the first bare rock drain in the UK? I do believe it might be, something I've been desperate to see forever! It's not big, it's not long, but this is 250m of pure uncensored hardcore porn.
(The lair)
Venture half way in to receive your reward, an ancient relic from a lost civilisation. Presumably the location of an old sluice, this crumbling stone arch is still to this day guarded by one of the Minotaur's fierce slave drain snakes. A wonderful end to a long and rewarding night!
(Beware, the ancient guardian snake)
The draining lifestyle is an up and down affair. Is it just luck? Is it just chance? Days spent lifting backbreaking lids, trying desperately to get into the system of dreams may well defeat those with weaker resolve. But push hard, never stop trying, for nothing beats casually wandering into a small tunnel with minimal expectations only to uncover something so hot it melts your face. Some days are impossibly hard, some days are ridiculously easy, just take the rough with the smooth, man up, and see what the drain gods have to offer. If you're lucky, you may be in for a surprise.
Triple Drop
The first stop on my list of 3 short culverts didn't disappoint. Downstream of My Shop on the River Hyndburn, Triple Drop delivers a textbook northern array of debris, stone arches and waterfalls. Woe betide the careless explorer who forgets to check their step here, for the murky peat laden waters of Accrington hide many a drop-off. The first two waterfalls are quite easily navigable when care is taken to test the ground with a tripod, but the pit at the final waterfall unfortunately presents an impassable barrier to those lacking either a boat or face waders.
(The mouth)
Entering from the other side, things size up considerably. A bold 15ft arch built from blocks the size of a small child provides one of the sturdiest looking drain ceilings I've ever seen. It's a damn good job really, seeing as it's supporting 80ft of man made hill topped with a canal.
(Official Harold approved styles)
Triple drop is one of those drains that doesn't really stand out as being particularly incredible. The tunnel is nice, the waterfalls are great, but it really lacks that killer feature to set it apart from the other arched northern drains. Certainly one to see if you are in the area, but little did I know it was just a warm up for what lied further downstream.
(David and Goliath)
The Cavern
It's 9pm, and your standing in the middle of the countryside. The dark is slowly rising, the trees sway lazily in the cool breeze, and the owls are beginning to fire up the usual evening w00p w00p banter. A thick mist hangs in the air, suspended just above the water line, which gurgles amicably as it trickles between your feet. But this isn't the serene image of tranquillity it aught to be, and this fog isn't just your bog standard autumn mist. Brutally carved into the river bank lurks an evil monster, an 8ft sewer overflow is busy doing it's business, busting out toxic flavours into the clear night sky.
After some debate over whether I really want to be doing this solo, it dawned on me that I really couldn't let this lie. It's not the sort of thing you can just walk away from and not constantly be worrying about what wonders could be concealed inside. So I made my way into the giant pipe, the dual fenixes barely penetrating 3m through the insane mist.
The roaring noise that had been clearly audible from outside was now pretty deafening, there had to be something good up ahead. There was to be no disappointment tonight, I broke out of the end of the pipe to find myself standing in one of the craziest CSO chambers I've seen, easily on a par with the Bradford monsters. The chamber itself was a concrete affair, 20ft tall, capped with an arch shaped rock blasted ceiling which had sadly been spraycreted over. Peeling off the layers of grime from the ladder I climbed to the top of the separating wall to find a very much explorable 10ft sewer entering the chamber at the far end. On the downstream side the tunnel continues as a large rock-blasted cavern, the flow passing through a small channel in the centre in the same style as Pandora's, presumably acting as an in-line storage tank.
I took a quick reference photo at this point, but annoyingly a general lack of camera skills saw it accidentally deleted and I haven't been able to recover it. Never mind, it's not like I won't be returning, especially given what lies further down the river...
Hall of Giants
Standing on the edge my stomach begins to turn. I'm pretty awful with heights, but right now my legs are frozen to the spot, my brain is taking it's sweet time to process what exactly is occurring. I watch as a lonely leaf slowly ambles up to the edge of the drop, it almost pauses for a second on the edge to contemplate it's fate, before plummeting 30ft into the thick white shroud below. I gazed into the pit in wonder, watching as the foamy water is consumed gallons at a time by the giant stone arch below. It's like Drabblecore on steroids. Best. Infall. Ever.
I'm beginning to think my kit is sorely inadequate for draining in Accrington. As with every other waterfall here, the the plunge pool is clearly not navigable without nautical assistance, not to mention that to even get down there requires a ballsy and wet abseil to the base of the falls. So I traipsed my way through the adjacent muddy field towards the outfall, being careful not to get too close to the somewhat agitated horses. This drain had better be passable, less I throw myself from atop the infall, my body spending it's remaining time floating calmly through Accrington's finest drain.
I find it's quite rare to find a drain that really makes you stop and stare in awe. Hall of Giants delivers on every front, from the layered bare rock floor to the 20ft diameter red brick ceiling. Is this the pinnacle of photogenicity? Is photogenicity even a word? None of it mattered, this was one of the most beautiful spaces I have ever been in. Words can't do it justice.
(Heaven under earth)
I made my way quickly to the bottom of the falls. There would be time for postcard shots on the way back. I approached the base with care, checking every step with my tripod. The night was cold and the water surprisingly sewer fresh, now was not the time to be taking a dip. As I reached the edge of the ledge the wind and spray was fierce, it's hardly confluence, but it might be as close as the UK is ever going to get! I cringed as I reluctantly removed my lens cap, exposing the glass to everything the sleepy town had to offer. 6 seconds and a few billion photons later I returned to find the front of the lens dripping with moisture. It seemed a small price to pay for a memory not lost, and thankfully it cleaned up no bother.
(Bottom 1/2 of the infall)
I made my way back through the tunnel, climbing over the largest pieces of debris I have ever seen. This one was particularly impressive, it's seemed a shame that it's triumphant descent down the falls probably went unnoticed, it could have made the worlds most hardcore surfboard.
(Surf's up!)
A small side tunnel led to a nice set of steps that would have once led to a door or hatch on the surface. At some point a goat had entered through here and presumably expired some time before the top was sealed. I felt a twinge of jealousy that it had managed to chose this as it's final resting place, after all, how many of us are going to lie buried in a tomb of such grandeur?
(Rest in pieces)
Minotaur's Lair
Back on the surface it was beginning to get late. I still had one more place to check out, but I felt a sense of hopelessness after the halls. It seemed like nothing could possibly top it, and I considered heading home. After a bit of umming and ahhing it really seemed a bit lame to head back, after all it was only a 300m culvert so I headed round the corner to meet yet another nice stone outfall.
Oh! What's occurrin! Once again the same three words echoed around my head in comedy welsh style as yet another scene of awesomeness unfolded. Barely 50m in and the brick tunnel ended abruptly, the water now emanating from a smaller 7ft rock blasted tunnel. Is this the first bare rock drain in the UK? I do believe it might be, something I've been desperate to see forever! It's not big, it's not long, but this is 250m of pure uncensored hardcore porn.
(The lair)
Venture half way in to receive your reward, an ancient relic from a lost civilisation. Presumably the location of an old sluice, this crumbling stone arch is still to this day guarded by one of the Minotaur's fierce slave drain snakes. A wonderful end to a long and rewarding night!
(Beware, the ancient guardian snake)
