It was such a fine day that I decided to get on two wheels and go for a pedal up on to the [Mendip] hills. Warm ride up Ridge Lane but okay once into the breeze along the lane to Nordrach, then followed the track to Charterhouse and on to Priddy. A warm session that obviously required a stop at the Hunter’s Lodge Inn for refreshments and there I happened to meet up with John ‘Tangent’ Williams. After lunch we pedalled over to Stockhill Woods, pausing to discuss the possible relationships between Snakepit, the sinkholes – Waldegrave Swallet and Wheel Pit, and the mine workings – Five Buddles and Stock’s House Shaft, we then continued the ride, eventually ending up at Battery Swallet, a site that had previously dug by several members of the Mendip Caving Group in the late 1980’s, including myself. This was just before I joined a club, the Bristol Exploration Club, that was, at that time serious about cave exploration. The dig at Battery Swallet has seen some considerable recent activity and looks very industrious. We fought our way through the stinging nettles, always an interesting mission in shorts, to peer into Vee Swallet (NGR ST 5440/5383), a site that over the years has seen a number of so far fruitless attempts at digging including several members of the BEC. The sink appears to take a good flow of water on occasions. Another lengthy discussion then ensued regarding how the many sinkholes across the plateau in this area are related and we looked at the wider catchment areas visible from this position in the landscape. Finally, we headed off towards Wellsway where we went our separate ways, I trundled down the hill to return home where I noticed that my rear tyre was becoming increasingly less filled with air – just about good timing!
