NAMHO CONFERENCE - 2026
Welcome to the website for the 2026 NAMHO conference. NAMHO is the National Association of Mining History Organisations with members based in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
This year, the conference is based near Grinton in Swaledale, North Yorkshire. The main venue for the lectures and social events is St Andrew's Church, Grinton. Parking and camping for tents and motorhomes is located on the opposite side of the River Swale, a 2-minute walk from the main venue.
The conference will be held over a long weekend from Friday, 19th June to Monday, 22nd June 2026. Camping will be available from Thursday night, 18th June to Monday night, 22nd June.
The theme of the conference is "Mining the Swaledale Orefield". The main focus of the conference will be lead mining and smelting in Swaledale, but with additional opportunities to explore wider aspects of stone working across Swaledale and Wensleydale
Before, during and after the conference, opportunities will be provided to visit some of the sites. These visits will be publicised through the Surface and Underground Trips pages on this site.
Besides the lectures and visits, NAMHO Conferences have a tradition of providing a meeting place for like-minded people with opportunities to socialise. To support this aim, evening meals will be arranged for the Friday and Saturday nights and there will be a bar. We also hope to provide breakfast facilities for campers at the nearby Dales Bike Centre.
The conference is being organised by North York Moors Caving Club, Moldywarps Speleological Group, Yoredale Mine and Cave Group and Earby Mine Research Group with assistance from the NAMHO team.
