Wednesday 6 July 2022

Visit to Abraham Heights  

John and I rendezvoused at Leeds Railway Station for the 10:11 Plymouth Train to Derby but splitting the Tickets Leeds to Sheffield and Sheffield to Matlock via Derby saving around £25 alighting in Matlock Bath adjacent to Abraham Heights at 12:06 ostensibly making the Cable Car’s £19.20 fee a free ride. There were no reductions for Seniors unless you showed them your train ticket  reducing the full price from £24.95 to £19.20. 

The cable cars were great getting on the slow moving car with ease taking us about seven minutes to get to the summit. 

We decided to do “The Great Masson Cavern Tour” at 13:00 giving us a few minutes before the tour started to descend the Heights for a quick look round. Climbing back up we sat for a few minutes waiting for The Great Masson Cavern Tour to start. 

The group was around twenty-five tourists and we descended into the Cavern very slowly as the tour leader had warned us about uneven floors, low roofs and slippery surfaces. With this in mind we approached the forty five minute tour with extreme caution.

The Cavern was mined for lead which was in great demand particularly after the great fire of London in 1666 where lead flashing was used extensively to rebuild London. The Cavern was mined for a couple of hundred years and many miners left their insignia around 1705 which is etched into the rocks. The lead was easily identified with shiny surfaces where the limestone and rock were not reflective. There were a number of working areas where the miners took many years to exhaust the lead mineral which was then weighed by the Taxman and the miners would be paid accordingly. The lead was then transferred by horse and cart to the Canal to be then further transferred by a fleet of barges to their final destination. 

By the 17th century lead was second in importance in the national economy only to wool. It was essential for the roofs of public buildings and the new houses being built in every part of the country by the nobility and gentry. All houses, including farmhouses and cottages by then, had glazed windows, with lead glazing bars. It was the only material for water storage and piping. Every army used it as ammunition. There was a thriving export trade as well as the home market. 

The tour was appreciated by everyone and a resounding clapping could be heard at the end for the Tour Guide. 

We then made our way down to the cable cars but not before partaking in a 99 for me and an ice cream for John although he asked for the same as me she omitted to put a flake in his!

We then had a chat with two stooges who were dressed in Victorian attire who we chatted to for a few minutes with plenty of banter included. 

We then boarded the Cable Car to take us back to the base station. 

A great time had by John and me as we made our way back to Matlock Bath Station for the 15:17 back to Derby where we caught the 16:11 back to Sheffield arriving back in Sheffield at 16:42 on Platform 5 we then rushed to Platform 3A to catch the 16:44 back to Leeds, just made it with seconds to spare. 

We had wanted to catch the direct train from Derby to Leeds (Edinburgh Train) but it would have meant hanging about in Derby for about an hour and this didn’t meet with John’s approval. 

Arriving back in Leeds at around 17:45 with John going for his train back to Bingley and me getting the 202 Arriva bus back to Beeston.

Another great day out proving once again you don’t need to travel far to enjoy yourselves!

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Colin Hendrick Ward