Report - Pipemare , Halifax , May 2024

[jezzyboo]

Did the most of this explore last year but returned this year to tidy up some unfinished bits that i had missed . Always been on my to do list this one had a ride up on motorbike first to see if i could get past the elaborate grill that had been constructed over the opening then returned to start the explore proper .

had to breathe in a bit to get past this 😆

first section concrete spraycrete

then back to blue brick

A drop ahead and the river was flowing very fast was on my own and did consider turning back at this point

managed to get down at the side of it on to the ledge dodgy though !

one of a few off shots going up to drop shafts

last pic looking back then a change in style to bolted concrete sections

end of pre cast concrete section and a return to blue brick the culvert got a lot bigger in size here !

river was racing down here not one to do in anything other than dry weather this culvert !

ornate detail on the stone work fantastic

spraycrete then back to brickwork

last pic was my favourite of the explore the red bricks having been polished by the river look as if they are glowing !

red brick gives way to older stone arc construction

light ahead then exiting out through an old building over the culvert

moving on downstream the culvert got a lot smaller was surprising considering how large it had been

culvert split in to 2 at this point i went down the left hand side and it got even smaller had to crouch down

2 become 1 again

some natural light here

guess thats why its called pipemare lol

 

[jezzyboo]

just before the merger of the Ovenden brook and Hebble brook love these old underground bridges

view upstream then looking downstream

last pic view upstream then looking downstream

daylight ahead then outside at Dean Clough

walking on downstream there was an interesting archway what looked like an old mill

a fair walk on i came to the next section

once inside there was a brick pipe off shot that looked interesting

but it was a dead end

walking on through this i was back out in the open air , the culverts now became shorter and it was as much a river walk as an underground explore , start of another section

around the bend

nice section this

back in to the open air and past the old bridge support , reminded me of a giant birds foot lol

start of another section CSO on the right

grilled up good and proper no access to this ! was at bank bottom road at this point , onwards downstream

start of yet another section

last pic shows just how fast the water was moving ! had to keep to the edge i could feel it trying to drag my feet from underneath me deffo not one to do in wet weather this explore was my most dangerous explore to date !

around the bend and light ahead , the river widened here and the flow calmed next pic looking back upstream

 

[jezzyboo]

small silted up off shot

existed here then came back at a later date and rejoined the culvert at water lane

some graffiti this last section was easy to access

view upstream then downstream

other side of old bridge

last section ( thank god )

and thats all folks ! was an epic explore on my own this one, tuff but one of the best thanks for viewing

 

[Calamity Jane]

Cracking report. Love the different building styles along route. Looks a fair distance to cover, loved the journey though. How on earth did you manage that squeeze lol.

 

[Parky]

Nice one!!! I still need to see this one, so many features

 

[TheVicar]

An interesting and varied culvert.
Looks like quite an ankle twister with some awkward stoopy sections thrown in for good measure.
I've been tempted to see this one myself but reckon I'm content with seeing it on screen instead.
Good job!

 

[Uncle Tony]

Stellar effort traversing all that. I have only visited once, many moons ago. I really loved it, but it was quite the slog. I'm with you on the entombed bridges, as drain features go, hidden bridges may be my number one drain treasure. Being a bit of a map and history nerd, finding such tangible links to previous times (now hidden from all but the intrepid) and the insight they provide into development of towns/cities, completely fascinating.

 

[jezzyboo]

Stellar effort traversing all that. I have only visited once, many moons ago. I really loved it, but it was quite the slog. I'm with you on the entombed bridges, as drain features go, hidden bridges may be my number one drain treasure. Being a bit of a map and history nerd, finding such tangible links to previous times (now hidden from all but the intrepid) and the insight they provide into development of towns/cities, completely fascinating.

Yes its like a window in to the past fascinating how the culverts morph around them