Cults, Fife, November 2008

[RichardB]

This is a quick tour around the Cults area. The brick and lime works are the most obvious sign of the activity that went on here but there is much more, not all of which I managed to get to.

It has been a popular fly tipping site since at least the 1970s so a lot of the building remains you find are actually "imported". A lot of the exploring you do here is closer to archaeology than urbex, nature takes over at an alarming (actually it's probably more reassuring) rate.

I started off at the old limekiln. CB, my younger son, loves crawling through tunnels. RB, my older son, doesn't.

Sagging. You should be able to walk out through here but there's a pile of earth and rubble blocking the way.

Still inside the kiln

Who lives in a house like this?

On top- railway to nowhere. I used to think this was part of the railway that joined up with the main line but now I think it's been a tramway from the quarry across the road.

There are three holes in the top but they aren't immediately visible through the undergrowth. I took these pictures at arm's length and I didn't even know about the 205 until I looked at them on the PC. There was a spate of stolen cars being dumped and burned at Cults in the 1990s. For a while it was every weekend.

RB waiting for us to come out of the limekiln

Shed and railway platform

Back at ground level

The railway followed the line of these power lines and curved past the lime works.

A wander across to the quarry now

This used to be a ruddy great hole in the ground. You could see all the layers of soil and rock in the hillside and there was a very odd-coloured pool in the bottom. I regret not getting pictures while I could.

Disappointingly water-coloured water

I have vague memories of this going all the way across the road

Urchins

A very quick way into the mine. The tunnels must double back because the entrance is further into the woods. This was fenced off but I trod more carefully after I saw it. I had no idea it was there.

Then a quick look in the brick works

Still smoking...

Then we had to leave

As I said elsewhere- the works won't be there for much longer. If you want to visit them do it soon.

 

[Smellycat]

Did you managed to find the disused mines just across the road? They are defo worth an explore but you have to be careful not to get lost.

 

[foz101]

Is the mine vent on the hill up where you are on the pic before that?

 

[Smellycat]

Here's a couple of pics of 2 of the entrances to the mines

 

[Pincheck]

would suggest you are careful going into the mines here we spent about 6 hour underground, the place is a maze and you can very easily get turned around would alos say we did not go into every area due to bad air and flooding but a large system. see if you can take someone with caving or tunnel experiance.

 

[RichardB]

Is the mine vent on the hill up where you are on the pic before that?

It's in the woods behind me.

I've seen the entrances to the mines before but never been in. There are a few places like SC's pictures as well as at least two "proper" entrances. I think there used to be more but some were sealed off after some teenagers had to be rescued. Rather alarmingly the track alongside the other quarry appears to be on top of another tunnel. I would love to be invited on any future expedition into the mines but I certainly won't be venturing far in otherwise, I know my limits.


The Live Earth picture shows the quarry as it was a few years ago. You can follow the road along to the right and you reach the brick works, then a bit further and a bit south you will find the second quarry. This is why I don't mind the pictures being out of date.