Those of you who are regular readers to this blog may remember a post I did some time back about a strange little tunnel which goes into the hillside on a very remote part of the moors. My good friend Paul Bennett found it years ago and named it the Fairy Mine. You can read about the original discovery here.

A couple of weeks ago I had an email from a friend of mine, Sue Vincent saying she was coming to Ilkley and did I fancy a bimble on the moors. Sue grew up around here and knows the moors very well, so I jumped at the chance. Sue arrived with Stuart France, whom I had met briefly once before, and together we set off onto the moors, visiting old places and seeing the sites.

Sue said she always wanted to visit the Fairy Mine, but it is difficult to find and we have deliberately kept it’s location secret. If you don’t know where it is you will never find it. But I was more than happy to take Sue and Stuart as they have an interest in these things and would keep ‘mum’.

The Fairy Mine is in an obscure location, not paths and the bracken was high – shoulder high and itchy. Horrible walking through it, and we seemed to be in it for ages. The entrance took us a long time to find and I slipped and smashed the glass back plate on my Nikon – so no photos unfortunately. I don’t have much luck with cameras, but then again they go through an awful lot – rain, snow, dust, grime and knocks. Even the most ‘weather sealed’ dslr doesn’t last long – and I dont use a case either, just carry in hand so it is always ready.

I think Sue and Stuart were impressed, and both came up with a good explanation (more later in another post). They suggested that I bring a compass and take a bearing, to see if it corresponds to the winter equinox.