hodge close coniston

Hodge Close (Bower)

Location : Lake District From Windermere head along the lake towards Ambleside. Turn onto the A593 towards Coniston. The turn for Hodges Close is about 3 miles along this road on the right. Follow the road until you come to some farm houses. Pay the farmer so that you can park as close as possible.

Altitude: This is also an altitude dive at 150 metres.Water Temp: 5- 10 degreesVisibility: Normally vis is excellent in the quarry, also in the tunnels but care must be taken not to kick up the silt, so good buoyancy control is a must. Gas: None available - nearest location for gas will be Capernwray.Required Experience: Definitely Club Diver and above with min 40 dives and experience of Over Head environments.Amenities: None - nearest town is Kendal.Site Safety: This site is a high level risk area. Located well off the beaten track in the Lake Distrcit you are open to the elements. Emergency services can only get to you via the access road from the edge of the quarry, not much chance of getting the air ambulance in either. The main road is a good 2-3 miles away.Be aware Definitely bring an O2 kit with you and good surface cover is a must. Mobile phone reception is poor but you can get a reception going through the tunnel, the nearest landline is at the keepers cottage but that is a good 10 mins away.
Wildlife: Lots of beautiful scenery not too much life in the quarry itself though.Attractions: The tunnel system and there is also a tranisit van in the quarry at about 22 metres. There is also a sump and an inverted cone to investigate this is shallow. 4/5 metres. Site Access: To access the site requires walking in full kit through a 200 metre semi-flooded tunnel and then climbing down a scaffolding ladder and scambling across a slate to the enrty area. Do not attempt this unless you are physically up to it.NB - the track to the site from the road is a gravelled one but only suitable for cars with good ground clearance and the track does get muddy when it has been raining.Site Description: An old slate quarry - depth is roughly 27 metres, although this changes if there has been a rock fall. Land slips have blocked at least two of the cave entrances. Thus this is not a dive for the novice. The caves should only be attempted by those properly trained and equipped as fatalities have occurred. At around 24 meters a small tunnel entrance can be found. Ensure you are trainined with overhead environments and running thirds. The tunnels are quite narrow and although the visibility can be excellent as long as you dont kick up the silt on the way in. The main shaft is 126 meters long and has three chambers running off it , it is pitch black with no ambient light. There is one rope leading the full length of the central cavern straight to chamber three with subsidiary ropes of a different colour running of it into chamber 1 and 2 there is one way in and one way out the secondary entry/exit point has now fallen in if you want to go ahead.

Not for the faint hearted!Entry: £5 per carIssues:
There is poor phone reception - nearest landline in cottage