The Beast of Stockport...

Deep Silt. The dirtiest, stinking hole in the ground I've had the pleasure of exploring. From the outset this gloopy chamber of filth near pulls your legs from their sockets as slowly and steadily I made my first faltering steps into the unknown.

Deep Silt was named sometime in 2007 by Dodge and Havoc who made a rash and unprepared attempt, nearly losing Dodge in the process. When I looked at it around the same as them I didn't particularly like the look of it either, and ended up leaving it for the best part of 12 months.


Those 12 months soon flew by though and I found myself standing knee deep in the dark and quiet surrounds of the tunnel. Unsure what lay ahead, every footstep was preceeded with the prod of a stick, a deep breath and schluurrrrrrrppp as the mud released my foot. It went on like this for a long, long time. The filth was relentless.

And the tunnel was going downhill, away from the river. That was my theory of this being a long abandoned drain blown away.

Then, water, crystal clear and fresh as a daisy, I broke out the boat and set sail, punting myself along the walls by hand and by stick, I just prayed there were no underwater hazards likely to rip a hole in my dinghy. Cruising down the tunnel though, I came to an impass, where water meets roof, this was where my journey ended, for now.

Spinning the boat around and around and around I headed back from where I came, back through an 18inch gap crawling through mud and eventually back into the fresh air. I left Stockport filthy and confused.


Further research tells me this tunnel (and the wier beside it) was constructed around the turn of the 18th century to provide water power to one of the mills in Stockport town centre, it's actually called Stringer's Tunnel and should connect somewhere further beyond the impass to the Ancient Corn Tunnel, but that remains to be seen...

M :->

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