Updated 2/2/04 with my own photos.
It *must* be an adit; clearly no water emerges from this tunnel. Iron gate just visible - not locked and very rusty.
Clean, concrete-lined. Not very big.
Difficult to judge perspective, but Hugh reports the tunnel slopes down pretty steeply.
Ah! Look closely at the dark 'high-water mark' on the walls - it is presumably horizontal, the floor is sloping down. Mud & detritus on the floor, 'steam' in the air.
Presumably the 'tide-mark' corresponds to the 'normal' level of Loch Treig.
This tunnel is located on the North shore of Loch Trieg, just below the West Highland railway line, around 1-2km from the dam - ref. NN348767
Correspondant also reports a loud noise 'as if from turbines' coming from further down the tunnel. There ARE no turbines in this tunnel, I know this for a fact.
Perhaps simply the noise of water flowing in the main tunnel from Laggan to Treig? - this MUST be an adit to that tunnel.
2/2/04 update... I visited the area in January and took some more picture. My visit only adds to the puzzle... the adit is a *very* long way from the outlet of the
Laggan tunnel - too far to be an adit to that tunnel, I suspect.. it slopes down at a constant ~20-25%, lined for around 30 feet, then opening into a larger unlined
section for another 30 feet, from that point on it is flooded.
Be it noted, I found the place very quiet - no noise of water or anything, except for the rustle of the wind from outside.
Treig dam, looking up Loch Treig.
Standing at South end of Treig dam.
Looking directly across from the South side of Loch Treig at the adit location.
Adit entrance. The slope down to the gate continues at the same steepness inside the adit.
The End - roof meets water, feels like the same level as the water in the Loch outside.
Looking back up to daylight from the unlined section - gives a good impression of the place.
Do you have more information about this place? Or the rest of the smelter hydro system? email mike@corestore.org