Sitting at the head of the valley, below Force Crag is Force Crag Mine, a scheduled ancient monument. As well as the buildings, spoil heaps and other features you can see in front of you, 6km of underground workings also remain.

The last working mine in Cumbria, its history stretches back 400 years but has been mined for barytes and zinc since the early 19th century until it was abandoned in 1992. A lot of the ore-refining machinery that was in use in the 1980’s along with some earlier equipment has been retained. In terms of the buildings that you see before you now, restoration began with an archaeological survey in 1999, followed by the mill building being made secure and weatherproof between 2001 and 2004 and accessible in 2004/5. The mine is in a gradual state of decline largely due to the impact of the harsh Cumbrian weather and so along with machinery conservation, the buildings are subject to continuous restoration.

Public tours began in 2004 and have grown to be very popular today with the National Trust holding open days enabling people to explore the inner mine workings whilst also hearing about the fascinating and varied history of the site. You can find more information about these tours on the National Trust website: nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/borrowdale-and-derwent-water/things-to-see-at-derwent-water-and-keswick

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Elevation 310 m

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Wednesday 5 November

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Max wind speed: 17.0 km/h

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Location: Above Derwent, Allerdale, Cumbria, North West England, England, United Kingdom

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