Anyone go Hiking to Castleton in the fifties?

[hillsbro 32]

...there was a room with a "bum hole" in it which dropped whatever you were doing ( No.1 or No.2 ) down into the dale. Pretty smart those middle ages architects.

Yep - here it is..

We used to open the windows whilst going through Totley tunnel as we thought it better with the carriage full of smoke.

That's nuthin' - we used to open the DOORS....

 

The "Old Tor Mine" off Winnats Pass was fun to explore until they filled in the top holes and put a locked gate on the shaft. I still have the two-pound chunk of Blue John that I found there. I first went down the Blue John Caverns in 1958. There was no floodlighting - the guide had a carbide lamp and every other person carried a candle.

 

An old dear in Goose Hill, Castleton used to serve tea at 2d per cup in her front room to small groups of hikers. A few yards away was the Douglas Museum. I never went in (as it cost 9d) but used to look through the windows at the curios inside.

 

I've only ever camped once in my life - near the top of Winnats Pass, one night in 1963. It rained. Enough said..

 

Then there was the Hillsborough Tabernacle Youth Club "midnite hike" in 1964. Last bus to Hope, then overnight via Win Hill and Stanage to Rivelin. It rained. As above.

[buck 11]

Anyone remember those caves at Stoney Middleton. At least I think it was Stony Middleton, or it could've been Eyam. They were on a low scarp and you could really frighten yourself crawling thro'.

I went in one time with my bike light. I went down head first and it got narrower and narrower till i couldn't turn my body round to go back, and nobody with me. I got a bit of a claustrophobic attack, managed to overcome it, then crawled backwards and out. Never tried that again. It was in Stoney not Eyam.

[oap1942 10]

Amazing id forgotten about those green ones Poppin bring back memories,

weird my son just rang me from Castleton he,s never been there before

or even told us they were going.

So being born in Norfolk( im sorry )he

now knows what a hill is:confused:

[grinder 10]

Hillsbro.

(We used to open the doors)...

 

I remember hearing a story's at the time about a lad who used to climb from one compartment to another on carriages without a corridor in the tunnel...

The story went he fell off one time and broke his leg.

If it was true he's lucky it wasn't his neck...

Edited August 22, 2010 by grinder

[hillsbro 32]

Hillsbro.

(We used to open the doors)...

 

I remember hearing a story's at the time about a lad who used to climb from one compartment to another on carriages without a corridor in the tunnel...

The story went he fell off one time and broke his leg.

If it was true he's lucky it wasn't his neck...

Quite right - in fact in 1973, one young lad lost both legs under the wheels of a slow-running (diverted via Catcliffe) train when he tried to get off and take a short cut home to Treeton.

 

The coaches used on the Hope Valley Line trains were old L.M.S. (i.e. Lousy, Mucky and Slow) suburban carriages with no corridor or loo. So if you needed a pee betweeh Grindleford and Dore & Totley...

 

I well remember that in the 1950s, Castleton had all the usual shops - grocer, butcher, baker etc., while nowadays all there seems to be are shops selling tourist tat, postcards, Blue John jewellery, ornaments etc. Fortunately the Post Office has survived, but little else. Sign of the times, I suppose...

[grinder 10]

Quite right - in fact in 1973, one young lad lost both legs under the wheels of a slow-running (diverted via Catcliffe) train when he tried to get off and take a short cut home to Treeton.

 

The coaches used on the Hope Valley Line trains were old L.M.S. (i.e. Lousy, Mucky and Slow) suburban carriages with no corridor or loo. So if you needed a pee betweeh Grindleford and Dore & Totley...

 

I well remember that in the 1950s, Castleton had all the usual shops - grocer, butcher, baker etc., while nowadays all there seems to be are shops selling tourist tat, postcards, Blue John jewellery, ornaments etc. Fortunately the Post Office has survived, but little else. Sign of the times, I suppose...

 

I think it's called " Progress"....

[bri bloomer 10]

remember it well ,nothing to do with hikeing,just trying to get a girl to walk up the pass and if we lucky we might get kiss and fondle on the way back,nothing to seedy .only remember getting lucky once with agirl who worked at the Star cinama,a nice lass never saw her again but never forgot her .

[NumbBum 10]

I remember in the late 50's and early 60's getting the train on a Saturday morning from Rotherham Masborough station into Sheffield, and then changing to the train to Hope. We would walk along the road passing through Castleton, and continue towards Man Tor. We would camp on the hillside on the left facing towards the foot of Mam Tor. At this point there was a cave in a gully surrounded by a few trees that we would spend sometime exploring.

 

With a small paraffin stove, to brew tea and a tin of beans with sausages as the main meal. Arctic sleeping bag and a large plastic bag to go over the lot to weather proof. This was our accommodation for the night. There were few girls mostly from Manchester that would also stay the night. Sometimes if the weather was cold and wet you might get one of the ladies to share your sleeping bag for the night. As they say - you made your own entertainment in those days.

 

Anyone else remember the tragedy of Neil Moss - He was a student who was trapped in the Peak cavern. I can remember the coverage on TV and in the newspapers at that time, a sad event!

 

British Pathe - newsreel of the time!

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=35415"

[skippy 11]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the so called market gang, they used to go to Castleton every weekend in their studded leather jackets and belts and thought they were something.

I'm not sure which was best, losing your knickers, or getting hit in the face by one of those belts or a knuckle duster, my mates and I stopped going after a friend got his jaw broken when four of the leather clad mob beat him up for a bit of fun after they had swallowed a few pints before coming back on the train.

[NumbBum 10]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the so called market gang, they used to go to Castleton every weekend in their studded leather jackets and belts and thought they were something.

 

Was the "Market Gang" from Manchester?

 

I only ever remember one instance of trouble like that. A group of lads from Manchester confronted a few lads from Sheffield. The leader of the Manchester group wanted to take on one of the Sheffield lads rather than a pitched battle amoungs the whole group.

 

So he nominated "Pete" the smallest one in the Sheffield group. - That was a bad move, Pete was a member of Steel Peach and Tozer boxing club. He gave a pretty good account of himself within about 30 seconds. The lads from Manchester, picked up their comrade - dusted him off and took him away. We never saw them again.

 

I'm not sure which was best, losing your knickers, or getting hit in the face by one of those belts or a knuckle duster.

 

That's an easy one to answer!

[grinder 10]

This must be after we'd stop going, can't remember any trouble , accidents yes but no nastiness..

Remember reading about the lad that got trapped, and my wife and kids were there when those lads fell off the top of peak cavern...

[skippy 11]

Was the "Market Gang" from Manchester?

 

No, a few of them were barrow boys that worked at the Sheffield markets, the rest were would be's if they could be's, this was in the late 50's/ early 60's.