Bonsal Lead Mines

This week we went up to Bonsal to find a track that Ike had spotted from across the valley on a walk around Bonsal a couple of years ago.
We parked up about 07:30 ish  almost opposite the footpath out of the village. The first few hundred yards was an uphill hike and that certainly blew away any cobwebs. When we levelled out there were lots of small stone walled fields with ruined buildings about. After that we come into what is known marked on the maps as Bonsal Mines (disused), this is a huge area covered  in mine workings and capped mine shafts. It looked like an area of giant mole hills. The going was quite easy at this point  and we went past this building being modernised and got onto a long straight road. From this road we could see  lots of old mine workings again, this time there were some old bits of mechanical machinery probably from the 40's or even older. We had our breakfast in a sheltered area between Two Meres and Blake Mere then headed off towards Upper Town, then back down the track to Bonsal. This was the track that Ike had saw a couple of years ago and its obviously an old miners track leading to the mine fields.

The route around Bonsal

The sunrise from my house this morning

Parked up and consulting the map

Up, up and away

Bonsal Church

Lots of old ruined buildings

Another shot of the church

This looks like an old medieval trebuchet launcher.

Geoff

Moooove along now!!!

This looks like a "Rake" following the vein of lead

One of the many capped mine shafts

Breakfast time for the sheep

Crossroads 

Another look at the map

Rob

Rob at the watering hole

Ike spotted this, shells fused into the rocks

The long and straight road.

Old machinery

Cattle feeding station

Geoff, Rob & Ike

Minninglow burial site way off in the distance.

Des res just needs a new roof.

Garden Centre at Upper Town

"My" house

Heading back down to Bonsal

Metal detector above Bonsal

Bonsal

Me

Bonsal Market Cross

This was a cracking walk just over 4 miles and the majority in clear weather before the rain came in the last few minutes. We never saw a soul until we got into Upper Town and we had some great sounds of skylarks up on the tops. I just wonder if the metal detector man found anything.
See you next week.