Abandoned Mines: Rusting Cranes & Lost Miners’ Secrets

In this follow-up to my previous walk, I return to the countryside just outside of Bonsall—this time armed with much more accurate location information… and it paid off. First, I finally track down something I missed before: two rusting cranes left in situ at an old mine site. These forgotten giants have been slowly reclaimed by nature, making for a fascinating glimpse into the area’s industrial past. From there, I revisit another location featured in my earlier video—a lead mine—but this time I go further. Equipped with UV torches, I head inside the old tunnel to capture an incredible natural light show on camera. While exploring, I also search for the historic inscriptions left by miners on the tunnel walls. Some of these markings are believed to date back as far as 200 years. While the oldest are now partially hidden beneath flowstone and difficult to read, I was still able to make out several inscriptions, including dates going back over a century. To round off the walk, I return to the well-preserved surface remains of Bonsall Leys Mine, where I set out to locate a particularly interesting feature—an old Buddle pit—a reminder of how ore was once processed on site. This was a brilliant revisit with plenty of discoveries that I missed the first time around. If you enjoy exploring forgotten places, industrial history, and hidden details from the past, don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more walks like this. Check out my previous video here:    • Bonsall & Dunsley Springs   Checkout Ol’ Miner66’s channel here:    / @olminer66   Check out Jamie’s incredible UV light shows here:    / @ukfmh   Links: Cranes: https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads... Dunsley Springs Level / Mine: https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads... Bonsall Leys mines: https://historicengland.org.uk/listin...