Minotaurs Lair, Accrington

Minotaur's Lair is a culvert carrying the Hyndburn Brook for around 265 metres beneath a field near Accrington, Lancashire. What initially appears to be a fairly standard stone-arched culvert soon becomes more interesting, with the occasional deep, unexplained sound echoing from within. Around halfway along, the arch gives way to a narrow rocky section where the flow increases in speed and a series of deep pools make progress more difficult. The character of the passage becomes much more akin to a cave than a conventional culvert, with slippery rocks and fast-flowing water adding to the challenge. Further into the passage are the remains of a cut-stone archway, with a flat section of floor and iron runners set into either side suggesting that the watercourse may once have been controlled by a sluice.