Tag Archives: quarry

Nov 27 2025
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Landscape

A very large hole indeed

Tuesday 25th November 2025, 1.00pm (day 5,206)

Gigantic hole, 25/11/25

These impressive crags would grace any mountain in the Lake District or Scotland, but instead can be found, perhaps unexpectedly, in Leicestershire — specifically on Bardon Hill, the County Top of that territory. However, as is probably obvious, they are not natural formations. Instead this is the gigantic artificial hole of the Bardon Hill Quarry, source of, apparently, some 15% of the UK’s entire output of crushed stone (for roads etc). From the summit of the hill there is an immediate, and fortunately fenced-off, drop of at least 400 feet straight down to the quarry floor, as seen here. Is it ugly? I honestly don’t know. Interesting, anyway. (For more pictures from today see the latest County Tops blog post.)

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,
May 14 2019
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Landscape

In the quarries

Monday 13th May 2019, 11.35am (day 2,818)

Spoil heap, 13/5/19

I had to put together a plan for finishing off my book. There is no reason why this had to happen sitting around at home — not on a day like today.

I had two strong candidate pictures for today’s shot, following my walk around Honister Pass and Buttermere, in the Lake District. The other one was flowers, this one industry. I think this shot shows that the latter can be attractive too. The spoil heap looks at first like a stark, grey mountain in the distance, but it appears on no map.

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,
Jul 29 2017
1 Comment
Daily Post, Landscape

Old winding gear, Coniston Old Man

Wednesday 26th July 2017, 2.15pm (day 2,162)

Winding ropes, 26/7/17

Coniston Old Man rises to 2633 feet above the town of Coniston, and its rocks have long been the source of much of the place’s income — whether as nowadays, where people like me turn up and want to climb on them, or in the past, where they were mined and quarried to a great extent. This is the only major Lakeland fell where you encounter the ruins of so much industrial activity, negotiating, among other things, the remains of this old iron ropeway as you haul yourself up the fell.

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,
Sep 06 2015
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Interior

Rydal cave

Saturday 5th September 2015, 12.40pm (day 1,472)

Rydal cave, 5/9/15

Rydal cave, on the slopes of Loughrigg Fell, is the biggest cave in the Lake District. As A. Wainwright says in his Pictorial Guide, “there is room in here for the entire population of Ambleside (though admittedly many of them would be standing in water)”. It’s not a natural cave however; instead, it is the product of quarrying. I guess you need a certain confidence in the local geology to dig out such a big hole…

Tagged , , , , , ,
Dec 05 2012
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Landscape

Coming into land at Domodedovo

Wednesday 5th December 2012, 4.00pm (day 468)

Quarry, Domodedovo, 5/12/12

So far, Hebden Bridge has avoided any snow, but the same is not true of Russia, as you see here. Still, I suppose that’s how it should be in December.

This is – I think – a quarry, pleasantly lit by the setting sun; but then again it doesn’t really matter what it is. I just like the shape, and the further evidence that we get a whole different perspective on the world from several thousand feet up. A lot of photos on this blog have been taken from planes for that reason – I should count them.

Tagged , , , , , , ,