ramblingon

19th January 2016: with Nick and Tav. Tom took the Vanderplanks on a tour around the main passages off Chamber 20, etc.

Last weeks pop had done it’s job and the passage has been suitably widened although there is quite a lot of debris to be shifted. I passed some of the larger lumps back to Nick who, in turn handed them up to Tav at the top of the ladder. We really need to get some spoil removal system in place. Anyway while Nick and Tav continued to move rocks around I moved ahead to deal with the next constriction at the top of a c.4m drop, some widening here will enable better spoil removal. There was already quite a bit of rubble at the bottom of the drop and I suspect there will be even more when tonight’s task was completed. Still passage is dropping down quite sharply which is what we want.

17th January 2016: a damp, misty morning stroll with my wife Roz and my dog Buster. Walked up Middle Down Drove to the gate leading into Middle Down Reserve.

There is a line of boundary stones(?) alongside the track into Middle Down Reserve. We walked across the reserve towards Cheddar Head to pick up the track to Totty Pot.

Totty Pot got its name when the only digging implement Chris Hawkes, the finder of this cave in the 1960’s, could lay his hands on was his daughters potty. His daughter couldn’t pronounce the word ‘potty’ and would say ‘totty’ instead.

The cave is located about 5km east of Cheddar, on the plateau that forms the top of Mendip, at approx. 245m OD, where the covered entrance shaft is about 4m deep and 0.75m width with short passages leading east and west at the bottom.

WCC dug into
the cave in 1961 for speleological reasons this resulted in the loss of a
number of artefacts during the early exploration. WCC went on to carry out an
archaeological dig in Mesolithic and later deposits in 1964. Further excavation by the University of Bristol Spelaeological
Society around the entrance area in 1998 suggests that there was no human
occupation evidence and the flint debitage is likely to have been the result of
re-sharpening hunting tools, and the finished tools being hunting losses. The assemblage of human and animal bone, includes both
wild and domestic species, as well as a small microlithic flint assemblage, a
barbed and tanged arrowhead, along with sherds of Beaker and Early to Middle
Bronze Age pottery. A radiocarbon date indicates at least one Mesolithic human,
dating to 7450→7050 cal BC, further AMS dating confirms the Mesolithic date for
the same individual, however five other individuals date to the Neolithic
spanning much of the period ranging from 3630-3370 cal BC to 3340-3000 cal BC
(Ref: Simmonds, V.J. An overview of the archaeology of Mendip caves and karst. Online at Mendip cave archaeology – www.mendipgeoarch.net).

By the track this recently cleared out dew pond.

13th January 2016: with the usual suspects including Dave Turner.

5th cave trip in as many days!

I had intended to continue the widening of the rift in North Pot but ended up continuing to engineer the drill platform in the South Pot. Somehow managed to break two drill bits – glad they weren’t mine – possibly due to flaws in the limestone. The carpet used to dampen fly rock is beginning to look a bit tattered now but it still seems to work. All went with a satisfying conclusion. Next week the North Pot…

12th January 2016: with Nick Hawkes, later joined by Duncan Price. Tav and the ATLAS team (part 2) went on a tour of the main passages off Chamber 20. Tom was kept busy dismantling the Christmas decorations.

Last weeks effort had the desired effect and passage along the rift was much easier. There is quite a bit of debris that requires shifting so a team will need to be organised. At the next narrowing of the rift some more rock engineering technology was applied and hopefully passage will again be more comfortable.

With the drop in temperatures the draught was good this evening.

10th January 2016: with Nick Hawkes, Pete Hellier and Tom Chapman. Surface team were Tony Audsley and Chris Batstone.

Still too wet to place receptors, TA had been over to Tor Hole yesterday and that was taking an awful lot of water.

We decided to go for it and see what the conditions were like underground. The pitch was damp but not overly so. There was some evidence in the crawl that there had been some increased flow but the connection seemed no wetter than usual. At Wigs Hall there doesn’t appear to be a doubled line down so there might be some climbing to do there. Went on down to the Sump 7 bypass where a frog was seen on the gravel bank before it jumped into the sump-pool. Then up into the Generation Game and down to Vindication Streamway and on to the aqueous Slime Rift. At the present end of the cave we spent an hour or so moving rocks around trying to manufacture an easier route through the choke before deciding to make our way back out the cave. On the return Slime Rift seemed particularly wet especially the free climb out – energy sapping. A steady trip out, while me and Pete climbed the pitch Nick showed Tom around the rest of Home Close. Tea and snacks at the surface were very welcome and then to the Queen Vic to warm by the fire.

6th January 2016:

Trip to continue the rock engineering works in South Pot to create a drilling platform. All was good.

5th January 2016: With Tom Chapman and Duncan Price. Tav and the ATLAS team went on tour of the main passages.

The rock engineering applied last week had the required effect and access down through the slot was more comfortable. Before proceeding downwards a stainless steel hanger was inserted for a ladder and duly rigged. At the bottom of the slot I was pleasantly surprised by the continuing passage ahead but entry to this is somewhat constricted. The required engineering was carried out, kit and equipment packed away and we made our way out to meet some of the touring team who had come to see how we were getting on. Completed the task from the main passage and all was good. Made our way out of the cave to get changed and discuss prospects ahead at the Hunter’s Lodge Inn.

The arranged trip into Home Close Hole was binned due to adverse weather conditions – persistent rain and an excess of surface water. As part of the investigation of the source(s) of water flowing into Home Close [and Wigmore] we had planned to place activated charcoal receptors in the streams in various locations within the cave system as controls prior to testing.

The decision was made to check the water flowing into Tor Hole and Long Wrangle (pictured below) both possible sinks into the cave system. So set off with Nick Hawkes, Claire Cohen, Stuart MacManus, Pete Hellier and Tony Audsley to have a look. There was a lot of water flowing and it was probably not the best of conditions for the testing to take place, better to wait for more settled conditions as the hydrology project will require several consecutive weekends.

1st January 2016: Out for a walk with the dog on New Years day. Took an amble up through Ebbor Gorge up to Savory’s Hole. Off the beaten track it’s not so easy going there are a lot of trees down in the recent storms.

At Savory’s Hole it is quite evident that badgers are doing their best to backfill the cave. Mostly with the spoil from previous excavations.

Then up the hill to the ridge to take in the view, although it was a little too grey to get the full vista. There were a few areas of flooding visible out on the Somerset moors below.

29th December 2015: With Tom Chapman, Pete Bolt, Nick and Tav.

The start of the new mid-week project to extend Tom and Keith’s old dig.

No lights and music this week but we managed to find our way in and out okay. The purpose of this evenings jaunt was to apply some rock engineering to the constricted top of a slot down into the dig. This will ease spoil removal and, of course access up and down the slot. 4no. holes were drilled, charged and completion of task was from the top of the stal’ slope – all was good! Back next week to clear and drill.

22nd December 2015: With Tom Chapman, Keith Savory, Nick and Nicole Hawkes and Alex Gee.

A trip into Wookey 20 to assess the prospects of Tom and Keith’s old dig there. Quite impressed by the initial size of the rift and it is well decorated in places. The rift then drops down to a narrow slot where progress becomes a little more constricted but it looks good. We will return to carry out some rock engineering to ease further passage to whatever lies beyond.

20th December 2015: From Home Close Hole to the terminal choke at the end of Wigmore Swallet.

With Nick Hawkes, Claire Cohen and Sam Batstone.

Todays mission was to rig some aids to enable better access along the route into the terminal boulders at the end of Wigmore. I set off to rig the pitch while the others sorted out the required kit and followed me down. Had a few lighting problems but eventually managed to sort this out – lack of TLC and maintenance! An uneventful trip through the connection clearing some gravel on the way into Young Bloods, up and over the Generation Game and into the impressive Vindication Streamway. An aqueous climb down through Slime Rift and eventually the terminal boulders.

A clamber up a slippery slope using an in-situ rope, the final manoeuvre through the slot is not easy. Entered into a tiny chamber where I sorted out the ladders and rope to aid passage through the slot and down the next section. The route continued as a corkscrew climb down through boulders with a thick coating of mud through some barely body sized slots to regain the stream still in boulders but cleaner. Nick followed on while Claire and Sam waited at the rope climb, there is only room for two at this point. We had a look around and poked our noses into various spots moved some rocks before having a more concerted effort at stream level where a gap amongst boulders was noticed. It was then time to return to the others. Nick led up through the climb, a mistake on my part as he emptied his wellies all over the mud, the return up the corkscrew is a complete twat, but eventually was spat out through the slot at the top head first and sliding down the slippery slope – good job we had put a ladder there to halt progress in the boulders below.

A steady journey out of the cave, stashing the ladder and rope down Slime Rift up onto a ledge out of the water – this is an exhilarating climb! There are a number of precariously jammed boulders along the way particularly in Young Bloods and it is probably better not to spend too much time thinking about them. At the pitch the usual wait as the team climb the rope. Pitch de-rigged and out to tea, hot soup and sausage rolls – very much appreciated. Changed into dry grots and retired to the Queen Vic for the usual de-brief.