WEST CUMBRIA

West of the Lake District, near the coast, lie the famous Cleator Moor/ Egremont/ Frizington deposits which have yielded world-class, classic examples of the most common collector mineral species: in particular, calcite, barite
and aragonite.

The finest examples of these minerals from these deposits are unlikely to be repeated and are consequently
much sought after by collectors.

Famed sites for calcite include the Bigrigg, Parkside
and Pallaflat Mines.
Frizington is a locality renowned for barite specimens.

Barite from the area, as a whole, is found in several habits and in a variety of colours. The tabular, blue barites examples are regarded as some of the finest specimens known for the mineral.
Consequently, they are the most highly prized - and priciest!

Aragonite is also a classic species of the area and is found in more restricted sites, occuring generally as elongated, tapering white crystals to several centimetres.

Unfortunately, the best specimens were mined around
the turn of the 19th-20th century and tend to surface
only occasionally from old collections.

Such examples are regularly labelled with the old
county names of the area (Cumberland & Westmoreland).

Nevertheless, present-day collecting has seen fine barite specimens from the Force Crag Mine in past years;
and more recently, the secondary lead species, pyromorphite, from the same mine.

Other finds of collector interest have been recorded
and new finds will hopefully continue to be made.

CALCITE
Bigrigg Mine, Egremont, Cumbria, England.
Specimen: 65x60mms.

BARITE
Frizington, Cumbria, England.
Parallel group of chisel-shaped, gemmy pale green crystals to 60mms.

LAKE DISTRICT

The Lake District is a tourist attraction in its own right. However, the region has seen over recent centuries mineral extraction activities and there are numerous old mines
in the area - an added incentive to mineral collectors.

Nevertheless, collectors wishing to discover or explore
the mines should take heed of bye-laws and restrictions
and seek access beforehand!

IRON ORE - HEMATITE

Blue fluorite (see below), calcite, quartz and hematite,
the latter in several habits, including the famous botryoidal "Kidney Ore" habit, are famed mineral species from the iron ore deposits of the Egremont area of Cumbria.

The district has been extracting the ore in modern industrial times for over 170 years.

The Florence Mine at Egremont still produces small amounts of ore and has been active for almost a century.

The mine has a visitor centre and displays. Additionally, trips into the mine can also be made.

ARAGONITE
Stockhowhall Quarry, Kirkland area, Cumbria, England.
Elongated crystal group (c 30mms).

HEMATITE - "Kidney Ore"
Florence Mine, Egremont, Cumbria.

HEMATITE on Quartz
Florence Mine, Egremont, Cumbria, England.
"Iron rose" group of tabular crystals to 20mms on quartz.

On the northern fringes of the English Lake District,
the Caldbeck Fells is a renowned specimen area
for mineral collectors. The Dry Gill, Red Gill, Roughton Gill and Driggeth mines are among its most well-known sites.

The area is renowned particularly for mimetite - "campylite" variety, pyromorphite, hemimorphite and plumbogummite. Good hand specimens, nowadays,
from the Caldbeck Fells are, however, not readily available.

Several of the rare species the Leadhills-Wanlockhead deposit - a few dozen miles north and over the border
in Scotland - is famed for, are also found here.
Such examples include linarite, caledonite, susannite, mattheddleite and leadhillite.

The Caldbeck Fells and nearby Carrock Mine at The Shap (known for scheelite - amongst numerous other species),
fall within the Lake District National Park and collecting restrictions are enforced.

MIMETITE - "Campylite" variety.
Dry Gill, Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England. (45x30 mms).

FLUORITE - Hilton Mine, Scoredale, Cumbria.
A group of yellow cubic crystals to 1cm.

FLUORITE
Florence Mine, Egremont, Cumbria, England.
Cavity in hematite lined with pastel blue cubic crystals.