Lochaline Silica Mine - May 2011

Morrisey · (#1)

I first saw some photos from here last year which fired my imagination and I just had to visit the place. We were doing a tour of the western highlands on the motorbikes and so we decided to add this place to the agenda on the tour.
The idea was run by the non-riding pit moochers and they decided that they would go in the car and meet up with us on the Saturday.

We met at the mine as planned and even though the weather was pretty shite the mine didn’t disappoint, it was as magical as I had imagined.

With the mooch over we spent the evening in the local social club before going back to a VERY un waterproof tent and being eaten alive by Scotland’s finest midges!

Big thanks to boboil, copycat,manx, scrawper and the ginger slimer for helping to make a most memorable weekend of mooching and lols.

Quote:

Since 1940 the Lochaline Silica Sand Mine has been worked continuously, first by Tennant,Sons & Co. Ltd, hen by Tilcon and now Tarmac. However, the deposit was first unearthed as far back as late the 1800s, but
because of the remoteness of the location mining was considered uneconomical at that time. Another study in 1925 confirmed the deposit as one of the purest silica sandstones in the world, largely free from impurities and perfect for making high-quality glass, but once again the economics did not stack up and the
material was left untouched. In the end it was the Second World War which acted as the catalyst.When the German invasion of Belgium halted the import into Britain of silica used in the manufacture of submarine periscope lenses and gunsights, a new source of silica was urgently required. Suddenly the Lochaline deposit became an attractive proposition and a much-needed part of the war effort.The first shipment took
place in 1940 with the sand destined for use in high-quality optical glass for the munitions industry, as well as for use in the ceramics and chemical industries. After the war production continued to grow, providing vital employment in this remote and rural area, and by the 1950s some 65 people were employed at the mine. For the majority of the mine’s life the ex-works price of the product was probably the lowest of any underground mine in western Europe, a factor which often inhibited exploration and development. Nevertheless, various modernization programmes have taken place over the years including the construction of

For more detailed history on Lochaline check out the link below;

http://www.agg-net.com/files/qmj-cor...Resource_0.pdf

A few photos from the mine..

Manx Centor · (#2)

Still itching, still smiling - a superb weekend and a superb mine. The fans were fantastic and so were the dumps

. Scenery to match, with my face aching still from laughing. Bloody brilliant mooch!

(28 pounds for left overs though at a bunk house - I feel raped by the Scotish lol

. )

Snake Oil · (#3)

absolutely brilliant! is this still a live mine?

Twitch · (#4)

Sexier than a sexy thing on sex legs that! I'd like to have had a good reason for not coming, but John forgot and did the CRTT again while I moped at home with a work injury

Top job there fellas, top job!

Gibbo · (#5)

That's absolutely stunning!

boboil · (#6)

Wow ! what a long weekend that was, big thanks to all involved to make it such a memorable time.
Biking, pit mooching, camping & spending quality time with solid mates, what more could you ask for !!

[IMG]

[/IMG]

[IMG]