General Visits
General
Oct 2011
Visits by other groups/organisations may be half day (including
evenings) or full day, depending on the interests of the visiting group.
For adults, the charge for a full day is £10 per person with a minimum
charge of £100 per group and for a half
day £7.50 per person with a minimum of £75 per group.
Some possibilities are offered below:
Visits for Geological Societies
If you are organising a visit to the Manifold Valley with your own
leader, you can arrange an easy and level underground visit, led by one
of our Tutors, into the mine to see the main shaft and Ecton pipe,
lasting about one hour. You can eat your packed lunch at the Centre.
Afterwards, continue on your way.
If you would prefer a visit organised by our Tutors, spending a couple
of hours or most of the day around Ecton Hill and an underground visit
as above, this can be arranged. Evening or daytime visits are possible.
There is plenty of scope for geological observations at the superb fold
sequence at Apes Tor, a few hundred meters away from the Centre. Changes
in surface geology can be investigated in a walk over the hill and small
samples of the minerals can be found on the mine tips. More details
about the geology and the geological setting of Ecton Hill, aimed at
teachers of A Level geology, are posted on this website under Geology
Workshops.
Visits for U3A and other organisations studying Geology or Technology/Science
Half or full day visits are offered to adult student groups. A half day
visit includes an introductory talk on the geology and mineralisation.
This is followed by an underground visit, and, if time allows, a walk on
the Hill, to see evidence of mining in the past, or a walk along the
road to see some spectacular folding in the limestone.
For groups interested in the technology of mining and mineral
separation, as well as in the geology, a full day visit is recommended.
Talks on the geology, mineralisation and technology are included, as
well as an underground visit. A walk over the hill includes the former
engine house, built for the installation of a Boulton and Watt steam
engine, as well as much evidence of former mining activities. Practical
activities related to mineral separation and chemical identification of
the metallic ions in the minerals, can be included, as well as a
demonstration of “black powder”, the explosive used to break the rock in
the mine.
Visits for General Interest and Walking Groups
Whole day visits (10.00 or 10.30am until 3.30 or 4.00 pm)
Visits for adults or adults with children all include an easy and level
underground visit into the mine to see the main shaft and evidence of
mineral extraction and tour of Ecton Hill. In addition, participants may
collect mineral specimens from one of the mine waste tips. Depending on
the aptitude and interest of participants, options include: the chemical
testing of minerals, making “black powder” and the separation of
minerals by panning and other methods. The activities can be
selected, in advance, by discussion with the Tutors who will be in
charge of the programme.
Shorter visits (half day)
Shorter visits normally include an underground visit into the mine to
see the main mine shaft and evidence of mineral extraction, and a hill
walk to see some of the evidence for mining activities. Some groups may
include these in a walk from Hulme End, for instance.
Both whole and half day visits are suitable for adults or adults with
children.
Discuss your visit
Contact Eileen Barrett to discuss your requirements on:
Eileen1Barrett@aol.com
01903 883933.
Other Visits booked via another organisation
Sally Mosley Walks
Sally Mosley includes, as part of one of her guided walks, a visit to Ecton Hill and mine, including lunch at the centre. Details may be found on the Sally Mosley Walks website at: www.sallymosley.co.uk.
Visits for Local History Groups
It is possible to arrange a full day visit commencing with a tour of
Buxton, with a registered Derbyshire Blue Guide in the morning, followed
by lunch, and the afternoon at Ecton. The morning walk, starting about
10am -10.30am, would take in such historic features as The Crescent, The
Opera House and Devonshire Hospital, all built with money from the Ecton
mine. The afternoon activity includes an easy and level underground
visit into the mine to see the main shaft and Ecton pipe as well as a
surface tour of the Hill (moderately strenuous) where there is much
evidence of past mine workings.
Alternatively, a full day visit to the mine can be arranged, in which
participants can learn about the history of the mine, take an
underground visit into the mine as above with a more extensive tour of
the hill to see the evidence of past mine workings. To arrange a Local
History visit, please contact Rodney Collinge at:
rodneymargaret@btinternet.com
Booking your visit
Step 1:
Choose a date for the visit by going to the booking calendars:
Step 2:
Complete the Booking form and Invoice for General or Special Interest Visits (downloadable pdf form). If you are unsure of the actual number in the group, an anticipated number is sufficient to enable your visit to be organised. Please enter whether the visit is a half or a full day and give an approximate arrival time. In the box provided, give an outline of what you hope to get out of the visit. Save the booking form and invoice, changing the name to: (name of your Group/Organisation Booking) and return them as instructed on the form. (If there are problems dealing with the form, please contact Eileen Barrett eileen1barrett@aol.com 01903 883933.)
Step 3:
Your request will be entered in the booking system and you will be contacted shortly thereafter to confirm the booking and to give you the names and contact details of your Tutors/Guides.
Step 4:
If your organisation would like to pay as a group, follow the
instructions on the Invoice (attached to the Booking Form). We recommend
that organisers collect the fees for the day in advance to ensure that
the minimum group fee is achieved. If your group wishes to pay on the day of the visit, bring the invoice,
enter the actual number of visitors, calculate the amount due
and hand the payment to the Tutors/Guides.
Step 5:
Make sure you read the document: Essential Information for General/Special Interest Visits. This gives all the details you need to prepare for your visit.