Honister Crag before the via ferrata

Way back in the late 80s & early 90s I dabbled in various other outdoor related sports, notably for this report caving being another of them. Unfortunaetly the Lakes sadly lacks natural caves so the nearest thing is those created by the hands of man & dynamite.

One of the areas largest slate workings are found on Dale Head (Yew Crag) & on Fleetwith Pike (Honister Crag). In fact Fleetwith is penetrated by many levels, these being connected by two internal inclines (known as the Honister (old) & the Kimberley (new) Incline). Where the mine levels on the Honister incline exit into daylight onto Honister crag they are also linked by several external inclines that cuts a diagonal tract across the face of the crag. These are known as the Bull Gill Incline, Nag Beck Incline & the Ash Beck Incline. Access to these inclines was via a road way (called the Monkey Shelf) where they could be used to climb Honister Crag exiting not too far from the summit of Fleetwith Pike. The only place where the incline could not be followed was where it crossed Bull Gill (the bridge had collapsed) but by going underground and climbing the old incline where you could exit back onto the external incline.

Nowadays Honister Crag & incline is now a via ferrata & run as a tourist attraction. The pictures are scanned from old photos, so please excuse the quality.

The upper terminal pier of the aerial ropeway at the foot of the Bull Gill incline...

I think the scrap man got the majority of this...

looking down the Bull Gill incline to Honister Pass...

& looking up at the route ahead...

to avoid the missing bridge over Bull Gill it calls for a trip underground, winding drum on the Honister incline...

dial indicator for the incline trolley... 

incline counter balance...

 incline trolley for the transfer of trucks between levels...

exiting onto the external incline...

with Bull Gill safely avoided n the Nag Beck incline, note the level on the new Kimberley Incline exiting onto the face of the crag above Bull Gill...

Ash Gill incline & Ash Gill quarry as it looks today...

this disused cabin was a cosy bothy back in the early 90s, the roof has unfortunately gone...