Quarrying was a dangerous occcupation in bygone days. Two men worked together with hammer and chisel to create the holes for the gelignite. Before blasting a whistle would sound and all workmen were to shelter in stone huts scattered around.The explosion shook the ground and boulders and fragments of limestone would rain down. In spite of this warning system, there were occasions when someone did not take shelter in time and got injured or killed. Horses pulled wagons of hand-loaded limestone blocks from the quarry face to a central turntable. Six wagons made a "rake" and when these were filled, they would roll down the gravity inclined plane, pulling up the empty wagons as they went. Fragments of rock that were not wanted were piled onto the spoil heaps around the quarry.
Left to recover from the quarrying, this area has become a very important and rare limestone grassland habitat, rich in biodiversity. It is home to many plants, insects and birds , some of which are priority speces, such as bullfinch and linnet.Bats roost in the spaces of the stone walls that are left remaining and Red Squirrels eat local hazelnuts. Management includes allowing a small number of sheep to graze throughout the year. Enjoy the walks within the quarry and over to Cranny Falls waterfall and keep a lookout for the special flora and fauna around you.
It is a 1.5 - 2 km walk from the parking cords to the cache site and the Cranny Falls cache is another 1 km further again.
PLEASE DO NOT USE THE WATERFALL ROAD TO GAIN ACESS TO THE CACHE SITE IT IS A PRIVATE ROAD.
If you are taking a dog to the cache site please keep it on a lead as there may be sheep grazing in the quarry.
