North 1 Level - Dowgang Burn Woods (11-12/09/05)

Charlie went on a bit of potter around in the woods around Dowgang Hush and found a level which was filled in with rocks, a quick excavation soon cleared the entrance. Returning to pick Karli up from a separate trip, he persuaded him to have a look as he still had all his gear on, venturing in Karli soon found clog prints, located immediately past a junction to the right. The prints had the indentations left from small horse shoe heals. No other 'modern' foot prints where found in the level. It looked like Karli was the first person in this level since the clog prints where made.

The next day myself, Karli and Mark returned to explore and photograph the level. Shortly in, it branched to the right and just past this first junction the clog prints where found again. We photographed them and proceeded forward. The level after the prints reduced in height with a build up of water, some barrow planking was seen submerged in the water at this stage. To proceed further it was going to be a hands and knees job, since we were not wearing wetsuits and where planning a photography trip in Smallcleugh we decided to leave it to another time.

The level had the air of being the old, the sides of the passages where stacked with stone walling which was very crudely constructed and the roof was the plain sandstone rock that the level was in. We where left wondering about what this level was, and whether it actually went to anywhere interesting. I checked in 'The Mines of Alston Moor' for any grid references near to this level, but non was found. Another trip is definately needed to reveal some more answers.

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