29th August 2015
With Tav, Nick, Alan Gray and Pete Flanagan.
Eventually managed to open the gate which was blocked by debris, the cave is seldom visited and closed during the winter months due to bats. Rigged a 10m ladder and 25m lifeline, the descent of the pitch revealed a very different cave to Upper Canada Cave which is nearby. The upper part of the cave is phreatic and there are some calcite formations. The cave had been entered by 18th century ochre miners and antiqurian bone collectors and there are several examples of graffiti and smoke marks dating to this period (the images below were all taken by Alan Gray either on today’s trip or a previous trip in 2014). We located several now blocked miners entrances in the upper series and enjoyed a good thorough examination of the passages before heading down to the lower series. 
The image above was taken by Alan Gray is me emerging from the wet squeeze to the lower series.
The lower series is a number of interconnecting chambers accessed by some short free climbs. The final chamber is of a good size with lots of fractured rock that appears a little unstable in places.
A thoroughly enjoyable trip to a little visited cave. Missed the pub though because Tav [who was driving] had to return home to attend a street party!
Above and below are some examples of the inscriptions and smoke marks found in the upper part of Bleadon Cavern. Photographs by Alan Gray, Axbridge Caving Group.
