Author: mendipgeoarch

With Tav, Alex and Nick.

Collected empty bags from the surface and set off to dig. Tav and Nick to the end, me in the pot and Alex doing the shuttle again. Just purchased a 28 LED torch for a fiver in a well-known supermarket that I thought might be useful when taking photos. Below is an image from the pot looking up to T Junction along Toil and Trouble.
After an initial speedy turnover of filled bags there was a slowing down, the message came back that solid rock had been reached with a narrow rift about a metre deep and a draughting, although faint. after clearing the loose spoil went up to have a look. A discussion followed the outcome being that we needed to clear all the sediment from around the rift and to assess how the passage might develop, it may be that we resort to a more advanced technology to progress further downwards.

Image above of Nick looking down into the dig, T Junction is about 3 metres behind him.

Image above of the narrow rift looking southwards, the bar is c. 300mm long. What you can’t see are the rounded cobbles coated with black manganese so typical of Mendip cave streams just off the top of the photo.

After the talking was over we made our way back to clear the filled bags from the base of the entrance and empty them out on the surface. It was then time to retire to the Hunter’s, although Tav had to miss the usual refreshments to attend to a plumbing problem at home. Our regular meeting place, the Hunter’s Lodge car park had been, and still was, over-run by caving politico’s attending a CSCC meeting to discuss a load of issues of their own creation!

With Jake, Tav and Alex.

We began the morning’s session by clearing the backlog of bags from the pot out to the surface and emptied them. Jake then headed up to the dig going north off T Junction to start filling more bags. Meanwhile I took up position in the T Junction, Tav in the pot and Alex shuttling to the entrance. Filled bags and an assortment of rocks and calcite were removed at a good steady rate and progress continues downwards. It appears that the east wall is starting to undercut a little, but this cannot yet be fully determined. Jake did report back that he had come across sediment that initially appeared to be stream derived, e.g. pebbles with black coating, and gravel, although this became buried under loose silt fill. After a while we decided it was time to clear all the spoil out to the surface and the cave was left empty of bags, etc. ready for next week’s session. Up to the Hunter’s Lodge to quaff some particularly fine Bath Ales SPA.

With Tav.

Just the two of us, the rest of the team are of fulfilling other commitments, like family and work. Anyway bagged up some empties on the surface and took them along to the current dig so we could fill them up again. Took it in turns to dig and the filled bags were stacked in the T Junction. The digging is the easiest job although it’s a bit of an effort to lift the bags up the slope; downwards progress has been quite rapid. The sediment is loosely compacted sandy silt interspersed with the occasional boulder and fragmented flowstone. There is a pocket of yellow sandy silt/clay that is ochreous and a bit more claggy. The cave is drying out and becoming more comfortable, apart from one short stretch in Toil and Trouble that remains damp. At the end of digging we hauled the considerable pile of bags down into the pot, which is now full, ready for removal to the surface next session. We emerged from the cave satisfied with the effort and made our way to the Hunter’s for refreshment.

With Nick, Tav and Alex.

Nick and I headed along to the current dig, with Tav in Witches Cauldron and Alex hauling and shuttling the bags to the base of the entrance. At last the cave is almost dry so no need for the plastic oversuit just cotton overalls for me. I took the first digging shift and concentrated on making it a bit wider, swapping with Nick after a while. The west wall comprises blocks of flowstone, some quite degraded, and the occasional boulder of dolomitic conglomerate in a very dense matrix of finer sediment of reddish-brown sandy silt, although there are pockets/bands of yellow sand lower down in the exposure. Forwards, in a ~northerly direction, a small airspace can be seen and some of the air movement emanates from this. The plan, at the present, is to dig on downwards and forwards (north) and see how things develop. The digging is just too easy at the moment and the bags are quickly filled, however, we left the digging to clear out the bags and rocks to the surface. It was warm on the surface hauling the bags and, once again the flies were a nuisance. The bags were soon emptied and it was time to make our way off the hill and head for the Hunter’s, kit not quite so caked in mud today and too dry for sliding in the grass.

With Tav, Jake and Nick.

The prime task was to clear the backlog of bags, Jake took up position in the pot, Tav hauling from Stal Bend, Nick on the shuttle run to the bottom of the entrance, while I was on the surface hauling and emptying the bags. After a while, and half the bags cleared, the buzzing of flies around my head proved too much and Nick and I swapped places. When the bags were cleared Tav and I went along to the end to fill some more bags, Tav doing the filling while I was in T Junction. There was a strong draught today and got a little chilled at the junction. We are following a well developed and very old fossil passage that is just full of crap; it will keep us happy for quite a while yet!

Once upon a time at the
foot of a great mountain
There was a town where
the people known as Wookeyfolk lived,
Their very existence a
mystery to the rest of the world,
Obscured as it was by
great clouds.
Here, they played out
their peaceful lives,
Innocent of the litany
of excess and violence
That was growing in the
world below,
To live in harmony with
the spirit of the mountain called Mendip was enough.
Then, one day,
Strangefolk arrived in the town;
They came in ragged
caving clothes, hidden under hats,
But, no one noticed them,
they only saw shadows.
You see, without the
Truth of the eyes, the Wookeyfolk were blind.

In time, the Strangefolk
found their way into the high reaches of the mountain
And it was there that
they found caves of unimaginable sincerity and beauty.
By chance, they stumbled
upon the place where all the good souls come to rest.
The Strangefolk, they
coveted the jewels in these caves above all things
And soon they began to
dig into the mountain,
Its rich seam fuelling
the chaos of their own world.
Meanwhile, down in the
town, the Wookeyfolk slept restlessly
Their dreams invaded by
the shadowy figures digging away in the holes.
Every day, people would
wake and stare at the mountain,
Why was it bringing
curiosity into their lives?
And, as the Strangefolk
dug deeper and deeper into the mountain
Following a cold and
cheering draught that touched their very souls,
For the first time
The Wookeyfolk felt
cheerful.
For they knew that soon
that the mountain called Mendip would reveal its hidden secret.
And then came a sound,
distant at first
It grew into a cacophony
So immense it could be
heard far away in space
There were no screams,
there was no time,
The mountain called
Mendip had spoken; there was only wide open space,
And then, joy!

Adapted from ‘Fire
coming out of the Monkey’s Head’ on Demon Days by Gorillaz, written by Damon
Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. Released May 2005

With Nick and Jake.

Nick has just returned after a few weeks away working in Russia and Jake wasn’t around last weekend so carried out the digging duties between them, while I took up position in Witches Cauldron to haul the bags back and stack them in the pot. Digging is relatively comfortable and the pot has been filled to capacity making it a little more snug to get out of it. There are a lot of bags to be removed out to the surface for emptying at a later date. At the end of the session I went up to the end to look at the progress made. The rift appears to be well developed and is roomy, unfortunately it’s currently filled with sediment! The east side looks clean-washed, the west side has what appears to be a rather large ‘stal’ boss and flowstone, not yet fully exposed, if it gets wet it might make it interesting to get up and down from the dig. The way ahead is still trending in a ~northerly direction, which is where we want to go, and the draught was good today. Time for the Hunter’s.

With Alex and Tav.

The advanced technology had the desired effect, as expected, and there was plenty of rubble to be removed. After winding in the wire I set about removing the debris, still required some hammer and bar work to reduce some of the rocks, otherwise it was cobbles and gravel with some loose sediment. Tav suffered for the cause after a confrontation with a boulder actually drew blood, after which we swapped places. When Alex had filled the available space in the pot we all shifted positions to remove the spoil out to the surface. At this time of the year the surface is an unenviable task due to the number of ‘clegs’ and I was more than happy to do my time in the pot, comfortable underground. It is surprising how much spoil we are digging out each session and after clearance we were due refreshments at the Hunters, although a brief visit for Tav who had the ‘in-laws’ visiting and reluctantly made his ‘weary’ way home.

A steady solo trip into Hallowe’en Rift to apply some advanced
technology to the large rocks that are hindering downward progress, in readiness for Saturday’s
digging session. Of course I had to stop in at the Hunters Lodge for
refreshment before returning to Rugmoor to wash kit ready to go back
underground tomorrow. It’s always interesting to see how things have worked and if ideas/plans have come to fruition.

With Alex, Jake and Tav.

While the team removed the pile of bags stacked at the bottom of Witches Cauldron I went, with the newly purchased 7lb sledge hammer, to try and break up a large boulder that is restricting the digging. After some considerable effort it was becoming obvious that the rock wasn’t going to succumb to this kind of hammering. I did manage to break but in the wrong place and the rock slid forward to be more in the way. I could have barred it out of the way but then it would be still in the way so decided to leave it where it is and resort to a more advanced technology to rid us of the rock and another that is behind it, but that will have to wait until another day. Cleared away some debris and filled a couple of bags, then needed to make a rapid exit, leaving the rest of the team to dig a little while longer. Up at the Hunter’s, one of those funny, irreverent, politically incorrect lunchtimes that remind you why this particular group of people have been your friends for such a long time.

3000-Year-Old Remains of Baby Found at Halloween’s
Birthplace

Jun 10, 2014 01:36 PM ET // by Rossella Lorenzi

Remains of a baby dating back to 3,000 years ago have been
found at a site in Ireland that is believed to be the birthplace of Halloween.

The fully intact skeleton, possibly belonging to a 7-10
month child, was unearthed during a three week excavation at Tlachtga, on the
Hill of Ward near Athboy Co. Meath.

One of Ireland’s most enigmatic sites, the Hill of Tlachtga
features impressive circular earthworks which are best seen from the air.
Medieval texts link the site to Samhain, the ancient Celtic Festival which is
the precursor to modern Halloween.

“We may never know what caused the death of the child. The
skeleton probably dates back 3,000 years and was found on the bedrock at the
base of a 1.5m (3-foot, 28-inch) ditch,” lead archaeologist Stephen Davis, at
University College Dublin, told the Irish Examiner.

Excavation and surveys carried out using airborne laser
revealed the area was a “key ritual site.”

“The site has several different phases of monumental
enclosures and we believe them to be associated with festivals and rituals
potentially dating back as far as 1,000 B.C.,” Davis said.

Sitting on top of the Hill of Ward, Tlachtga is a site
steeped in folklore. According to Irish mythology, it got its name from the
daughter of the powerful druid Mug Ruith. According to legend, the remains of
the druidess, who is said to have died on the hill after giving birth to
triplets, are buried there.

Tlachtga is also believed to be the site of the Great Fire
Festival in which sacrifices were offered to gods on Samhain eve. All hearth
fires throughout Ireland were extinguished and then lit again from a central
fire on the hill.

Meaning summer’s end, Samhain was a great festival of the
dead — a time when the doorways to the otherworld opened and journeys could be
made from one side to the other.

The veil between the worlds of the living and the dead was
believed to be the thinnest on Oct. 31, a day which lies exactly between the
autumnal equinox and the winter solstice.

The excavation revealed the monument of Tlachtga is actually
the last of at least three phases of enclosure on the hill.

“As a working model for the phases of construction, at least
one small enclosure, about 15 inches in diameter, was enclosed by a very large,
tri- or quadrivallate enclosure, about 650 feet in diameter, which was replaced
by the monument we see today,” the archaeologists said.

The excavations also brought to light evidence of burning,
which could have been ritual fires or the result of glass-making, Davis said.

He believes the child was most likely not the victim of any
human sacrifice on the ritual site.

The remains have been taken to the School of Archaeology at
University College Dublin for further examination.

Image: Tlachtga from the air. Credit: Excavations at Tlachtga via Facebook

With Alex and Tav.

As last week packed up the empty bags and dragged them along to the dig ready to be filled again. I took the first digging shift, Tav in the ‘T’ Junction and Alex hauling and stacking in the pot. We concentrated our effort on cleaning out and consolidating the space we have created going down. There appeared to be an exposure of solid rock in the west wall. After a while Tav and I swapped places. At the end of the session solid rock was confirmed and the large boulder at the top of rift(?) requires removal to open up access and ease the digging effort, will try to get hold of a new sledge hammer in the week. It is possible that we are at the top of a small vadose canyon but more digging will be required to investigate further. There was a faint draught detected today as the surface temperatures began to rise.

With Jake, Tav and Alex.

We started the session by packing up the empty bags at the surface ready to drag them along to the end to be refilled. At the dig face Jake took the first digging shift, while I settled into the rather damp ‘T’ Junction, Tav in the pot and Alex doing the hauling from Stal Bend and shuttling the spoil filled bags and rocks along to the base of the entrance shaft. Eventually Jake and I swapped positions. Digging is relatively easy now that it’s possible to stand up and dig with the spade; the spoil comprises of sediment with cobbles and boulders. There are spaces opening up in the floor to north revealing clean washed cobbles and boulders and a gradually undercutting clean, solid east wall. The height from the bottom of the dig to the ceiling above is about 4 metres and still going. Prospects ahead are looking good, although there is still a lot of spoil to be dug out and shifted yet. The last task of the day was to haul the filled bags to the surface and empty them ready for the next digging session. Then off to the Hunter’s!

With Tav and Jake.

Our usual meeting place at the Hunter’s Lodge car park was overrun by cyclists who were taking part in some organised event. Unfortunately this caused Tav to miss us at the car park and we met up a bit later at the farm. The grass is getting long in the hay meadow and it requires some effort to walk through, especially as it was raining. Tav and colleagues have been doing some clearing out at Balch’s Cave so we had some clean bags to take underground with us, much lighter to carry without the mud. At the end with both Tav and I digging the bags were filled quickly, Jake stacking them at the ‘T’ Junction. We can stand up in the rift chamber now and dig with the spade. Progress downwards in the rift is relatively easy and there appears to be space alongside the solid east wall leading north under the bedding. We then shifted around to haul the filled bags out to the surface to be emptied. At the surface we had an audience of inquisitive cattle that had come over to see what was going on. All done, cave secured, the now obligatory slide down through the wet grass and on to the Hunter’s Lodge Inn.

With Jake and Alex.

Walking up the hillside through the hay meadow, in the warm sunshine, there was an amazing scent of wild flowers and blossom. At Hallowe’en Rift we set about clearing the stack of bags and rocks from the base of the entrance. Alex decided to remain on the surface to empty the bags and tend to the spoil heap and wall, while Jake and I went to the dig. With both of us digging in the rift it wasn’t too long before the bag supply dwindled to nought. So we then hauled the filled bags out the surface to be emptied. The warm sunshine is great, but it does bring out the biting flies, so we called it a day and went to the pub.

With Nick and Tav.

Cleared out all the bags of spoil that Nick and I had filled up during the previous two digging sessions. There was a lot of spoil shifted to the base of the entrance shaft ready to be hauled out to the surface at a later date. The hauling of spoil is a particularly mucky and squalid pastime as the splatter of mud from the ropes and skips gets everywhere, mostly in the face. The dig is now clear for the next digging session downwards to explore the rift.

In seemed obligatory following last weeks comments, to slide through the grass on the way down the hill, leaving three brown streaks on the hillside.

With Nick.

Just the two of us this weekend. Started the session by hauling last weeks spoil from the ‘T’ Junction back to the bottom of Witches Cauldron. We then continued the digging effort, the plan was to lower the floor in the rift along the passage going north and quickly decided there was enough room for both of us to dig. Filled bags until we ran out of space around us and then shifted the spoil back to the ‘T’ junction and then resumed digging. Towards the end of the session I was using the bar to prise out some rocks when a small hole appeared. Quickly the hole was enlarged to reveal space below, we can see down c. 2m to another floor(?) and there is solid rock, at least on one side. There is, of course, plenty of spoil to be removed in order to follow the lead but the draught is there again. With a little more digging along the rift it became clear that the space noted last session and that found today are connected. The prospects going downwards are looking good. Hopefully the team will be around next weekend, there is a lot of spoil to shift!

It would appear that the practice of ‘body sliding’, a method adopted by some of the team to rid their oversuits of mud, has been the cause of some amusement. ‘Body sliding’ requires that you slide down the hill in the grass, first on the belly then turning onto your back, the momentum is provided by driving with the legs, and with some flailing of the arms for good measure, the result is a number of brown streaks left on the hillside. There was some disappointment that neither Nick or myself adopted this particular method today.

Anyway off to the Hunter’s for refreshment!

With Nick and Alex.

While Alex remained at the surface to do some ‘gardening’ Nick and myself headed off to the current dig going north from the ‘T’ Junction. Our plan was to try and remove the large boulder in the floor halfway along the passage so that it will be easier to move a skip to and fro. With the two of us working at shifting the boulder it wasn’t too long before it succumbed. While Nick then set about reducing the boulder to a more manageable size(s) I continued to dig, removing more rocks and bagging sediment. After reducing the boulder Nick returned to assist in the digging effort. Nick then removed a small rock revealing a small open space below, some loose sediment falling away into the hole and a faint draught detected – seems very likely the way ahead is downwards. Funny thing was that Nick and I had just been having a conversation regarding vadose development and the possibility that, given the nature of the sediment, it would be relatively easy to block a [potential] lead. I placed a rock over the hole and we then proceeded in shifting a considerable pile of debris and bags back to the ‘T’ Junction before calling it a day. Nick’s final defiant act was to brave the duck and go into Trick or Treat? to retrieve the new skip there in readiness for the next digging session. We made our exit satisfied with the effort and excited about the prospects. We all adjourned to the Hunter’s Lodge for refreshment.

With Nick, Jake and Tav.

Although we have been experiencing some welcome dry weather it hasn’t dried up in Hallowe’en yet. Nick, Jake and Vince went up to the end and Tav volunteered for pot duties. Vince took the first digging stint, Nick filling bags and Jake in the ‘T’ Junction. Dug a bit out of the floor to maintain the working space; the spoil is a mixture of sediment, very old degraded flowstone and rock, and there is an awful lot of it! There is also a false floor which is being removed as forward progress is made. After a while we swapped around – Nick digging, Jake filling and me in ‘T’ Junction, Tav still in the pot. When there was no space to stack spoil in the pot we moved back to haul everything out to the surface. Another fine session and a lot of spoil shifted. To the Hunter’s, of course!

With the full team today – Jake, Tav, Nick and Alex.

Nick and Alex set about emptying the pile of bags in the entrance while the rest of us went along to the dig to fill up some more bags. It hasn’t dried up at all so Toil and Trouble is still rather squalid. Jake did the first stint at digging while Tav filled the bags I was in ‘T’ Junction where the bags/rocks were temporarily stored. When we ran out of bags I went down to the pot and we hauled the spoil from ‘T’ Junction back. Nick arrived with more empty bags which were sent up to the dig while the spoil was removed to the surface. With the entrance cleared the full team was then able to shift spoil from the dig all the way back, progress at the dig face was good and a considerable quantity of spoil was excavated. Another fine session.

With
Jake and Nick.

Started the session with Vince digging and filling bags, Nick at the ‘T’
Junction, Jake was in the pot; progress was a bit slow. At Jake’s suggestion,
Nick moved along towards the digface and filled bags, while Vince carried on
digging and pushing the spoil backwards to Nick, Jake moved up to the ‘T’
Junction and stockpiled the filled bags there; progress was now rapid. When we
ran out of bags and space to store them it was time to move around and to shift
the bags back to the base of the entrance – all of us doing a shift in the pot!
At the entrance there is a considerable stack of spoil ready to be cleared to
the surface next session but we decided it was time for a well earned pint at
the Hunter’s. An excellent digging session.

With Tav, Jake and Nick.

First task of the session was to replace/sort out the skip hauling ropes, particularly for the Toil and Trouble run that gets a good hammering. Swapped the skip in ‘T&T’ for a newer model and set up a skip run to the dig site, T Junction is more like “Clapham Junction” for skips. That done we set about digging, Tav and me at the dig and T Junction, Nick in the pot and Jake on the shuttle run to the entrance, managed to shift a reasonable quantity of spoil out to the surface although digging was a bit slower at times, claggy material with cobbles and a large boulder impeding progress somewhat. The way ahead appears to be opening out into a wider bedding with open gaps/space over a good deal of sediment – plenty of digging for a while yet!

No digging this weekend due to most of the team having other commitments. I did, however take a stroll around Hallowe’en Rift (HR) on Sunday morning with the dog. Rather than park at the farm I left the van in Tyning’s Lane and walked onto the hillside from there. Got a little sidetracked on the way by some interesting evidence of Medieval land usage – lynchetts, etc. also walked along some decent holloway’s. On arrival at HR spent some time having a bit of a tidy up around the entrance before continuing the walk observing the topography of the landscape above HR. Further to the east of HR there is a change in the geology where an outcrop of Blue Lias overlies Blackrock Limestone, this is reflected in the drystone walls where more Lias rock has been used in the construction of the walls. A mixture of sunshine and showers, the showers, thankfully, were few.

With Tav and Jake.

A clearing session today. Jake went up to the ‘T’ Junction, Tav decided to do the haul and shuttle from Stal Bend back to the bottom of the entrance; that left me in the pot. The pot seems to be the least favourite position among my compatriots, probably not because it’s hard graft hauling the skip along Toil and Trouble and then transferring the spoil to another skip that has to be shoved up and over your head, up the 2 metre pot ready to be hauled along to Stal Bend, it’s the copious mud that splatters from the hauling rope that always gets you in the face, most usually an eyeful! There was a lot of spoil shifted back to the entrance and the final task of the session was to remove this to the surface and empty the bags ready for the next digging trip. The sun made an appearance just as hauling began warming it up just when it was needed. Job done it was time for the Hunter’s.

With Tav.

Took in another heavy duty hammer (and a chisel) as a lot of the digging kit is still in Trick or Treat! beyond the duck. After a number of relatively dry days the drips in the cave have decreased in their intensity, although the passages are still wet and squalid; the dig, however is fine. At the dig, north of ‘T’ Junction, the first task was to batter a large rock into submission. We then continued to dig taking it in turns at the face. the rocks and bags of spoil were stacked in ‘T’ Junction to be removed at a later date. We had been working our way over the top a bit so decided to come back and enlarge the passage dimension to make spoil removal more efficient. Started to clear spoil around another awkward piece of rock until we filled all the available bags and decided to call an end to the session. There is a good pile of material to be removed from the cave, hopefully we will have a bigger team next session.

Hunter’s of course!

Unfortunately I was unable to make it to Hallowe’en Rift today due to a prior commitment to continue my participation in the Stanton Drew Survey Project with other members of the Bath & Camerton Archaeological Society. The following update was provided by Tav:

“Tav, Jake, Nick

Last weeks attention to the awkward boulder had done its job and a vast volume of debris was
shifted. The boulder was removed completely, plus some of the ledge underneath.
Not content with that we then proceeded to remove the large rocks constricting
the entrance to the dig, which with a bit more tidying up will allow a skip to
be hauled right to the digging face. Two very large rocks remain. These will
break up but require a heavier hammer. Twenty or so bags were then taken right
out and a large pile of rocks stacked up in the entrance rift for clearance on another
day. It will come as no surprise that the cave remains filthy, nor that we
retired to the Hunters for a very well earned beer.”

With Tav, Jake, Nick and Alex.

Nick and I went along Toil and Trouble to dig the lead north of ‘T’ Junction, meanwhile Jake positioned himself in the pot, Tav doing the shuttle run and Alex hauling out the spoil to the surface. We are currently following a lead with ~150mm open space over mixed sediment and rock with occasional chunks of degraded calcite flowstone, there is now a flat solid roof and a hint of fresher air rather than a draught, atmospheric conditions are not conducive to creating much air movement at the present time. A good quantity of spoil comprising sediment and assorted rocks was removed to the surface, it was then time to apply some technology to the removal of the large boulder that is a hindrance to comfortable digging at the end, also hope to remove a chunk of the ledge that the rock was perched on. That completed we made our way off the hillside to change and retire to the Hunter’s for refreshments and discussion.

With Jake, Alex and Tav.

Continued to dig along the lead to the north of ‘T’ Junction – the duck through into Trick or Treat! is not very appealing! Jake and myself taking it in turns at the dig face, Tav doing the hauling back to Witches Cauldron and up the pot to Alex who was shuttling the spoil back to the base of the entrance shaft. A considerable amount of rocks and sediment, including a very large slab, was shifted. Ahead in the dig there is space over sediment and rock and the air is fresher, there is a solid roof and digging once the awkward slab is out of the way should be relatively comfortable. All the spoil at the entrance was removed to the surface.

Unfortunately Vince was incapacitated, however Jake, Tav and Alex did a re-run of last weekend’s session. Jake and then Tav dug at the end of the
left hand passage to the north of the T-Junction, while Alex stacked the spoil in the pot, once the stacking space was
full, everything was removed to the surface.

Spent a while in the morning before setting off to meet up with the team fettling together a couple of drag trays, one for the dig in Trick or Treat! and a replacement for the skip in Toil and Trouble that is beginning to show signs of wear.

Digging with Jake and Alex.

Not quite the right sized team to dig the inclined bedding in Trick or Treat! so a rethink on strategy. We decided to resume the digging along the passage to the north of the ‘T’ Junction. While I took the drag tray and hauling line along to Trick or Treat! through, a now very wet puddle and duck, Jake started digging. After dropping off the drag tray and collecting a small bar for digging I returned to the ‘T’ Junction to help with the hauling, Alex was in the pot stacking the bags and rocks here ready to be removed later. After a while Jake and I swapped places until the available stacking space was full and we shifted back to clear the digging spoil out to the surface. Another good digging session and plenty of spoil shifted. There is a slab of rock in the dig that would make progress a little easier if it were removed, a job for the not too distant future. Session over we called in at the Hunter’s as usual.

With Jake, Nick, Tav and Alex.

After a period of heavy rain we did not expect the cave to be any drier, we were not disappointed, the passage into Trick or Treat! has become a duck. Nick and I went off to the inclined bedding while the rest of the team shifted the pile of spoil stacked in the first chamber back to the T junction. After a short while Nick went back to join the spoil hauling while I carried on digging. Eventually I managed to get over the rock obstruction and gained access into the small blind chamber (?) where it was possible to turn over and get a better look around. The east<>west rift looks the most interesting prospect where it might be possible to gain some depth with some clearance of spoil. The cave didn’t draught today probably because of the atmospheric conditions so no help there in deciding which way to go, will need to ponder a while on the next move. We’ve gained another few metres to the length of the inclined bedding and there is still the potential for a bit more. I then went back to join the team and assist in the effort to remove the spoil out to the surface. Going out through the duck, now liquid mud, was an interesting experience. Job done it was time for refreshments.

With Tav, Jake and Nick.

Nothing to clear so headed straight up to the end of Trick or Treat! and set about enlarging the downward dipping inclined bedding that leads to the south. It took a while to get into a rhythm – digging with the spade at arms length, filling the drag tray, then dragging it back to the chamber to be bagged up then moving the bag into the first chamber to be stacked up ready for removing at a later date. After a while digging with the spade became too awkward and a feet first tactic was employed, scraping the spoil back, balling it up and flinging it overhead to be placed in the skip by Tav. There was a disconcerting moment when a sizeable flake of rock was dislodged from the ceiling and landed on my legs – at least it made some more space when I eventually managed to get out of the way. Wriggled forward as far as I could get but progress was halted by a rock in the floor which I could not shift. Went back to turn around and have a go head first, got to the blockage and managed to loosen it but could not remove it [yet!]. I could see ahead into a low, apparently blind chamber (?) which is a bit disappointing after the effort it took to get there, although there is a small cross rift that needs a better look. The stickiness of the sediment meant that it required a considerable effort to extricate myself from the passage, reversing up the slope feet first, then having to negotiate the slot to regain the main passage. Knackered, called it a day and retired to the Hunter’s for refreshments.

With Tav, Nick and Alex.

Another clearance session today although Nick went to the end of Trick or Treat! to have a look at the prospects there. We then set about clearing the spoil stacked in the first chamber back to Tav in Witches Cauldron. The spoil was transferred from the drag tray into a skip ready for Alex to haul up the pot and empty at the base of the entrance. When we had cleared the debris from the end of the cave we all shuttled forward to clear Witches Cauldron of the remaining spoil [dumped there last session] before moving on again to clear the entrance of spoil. It hasn’t got any drier! A good session all the same. Hunter’s, of course.

Thinking of a New Year’s resolution, this could be an inspirational thought for all cave diggers!

Onward to passages as yet undiscovered. Best of luck to all of you!

With Tav and Alex.

Ignoring the opening up of the rift to the north of Witches Cauldron [saving this for when we clear out the pot] me and Tav went on to Trick or Treat! where we set to work clearing the spoil stacked there. Cleared the spoil stacked in the 1st little chamber back to Alex in Witches Cauldron before shifting the debris and bags from the next chamber after Tav had a quick look along the inclined bedding. We managed to fill the 1st chamber before starting to haul the spoil back to Witches Cauldron until that was filled. The whip of the hauling rope has a knack of redepositing muddy, gritty water into your face and eyes and then, there is always the itchy nose problem when everything is coated in mud. I then suggested to Tav that we could shift a few of the larger rocks back with us as we crawled along Toil and Trouble. All the puddles of water along the way had by now turned into liquid mud and the return journey is back to its squalid best – don’t you just love it!

Quick solo trip into Hallowe’en Rift as far as Witches Cauldron. The aim was to open up the rift heading north [and potentially into the hillside] off the base of the pot. Didn’t take too long and should be some debris to dig out tomorrow if the team can drag themselves away from the seasonal indulgences!

Winter Solstice!

It’s a good job that I’m happy with my own company, another solo trip. A very strong drip in the cave today after some recent rain and some interestingly situated puddles – it’s going to get squalid again for a while! Into Trick or Treat! to continue the dig south off the inclined bedding. Filled some bags and dragged some rocks back into the chamber before reversing into the slot and digging with my feet, pushing the spoil into the open space beyond. Almost through but it’s still rather snug and I was starting to run out of energy – or was it nerve? No matter it will wait until the next trip when I will endeavour to remove a little more spoil before having another go – it’s not easy going head first down an incline but, I would still like to have a good look at the way ahead. Very interesting!

With Alex.

While Alex remained in Witches Cauldron and worked away at enlarging the access into the passage leading north I continued along Toil and Trouble to Trick or Treat! along the inclined bedding and cleared a few more cobbles out of the way before setting to work excavating the sediment. The prospects ahead are looking very tantalising indeed – just out of reach, a body length ahead! Dragging the cobbles back was a little awkward so decided to set to work removing some calcited boulders and reducing them to movable lumps. It was then time to return to Witches and give Alex some assistance to remove a calcite obstruction, fill few bags of spoil and clear the debris out to the surface.

Next session will concentrate on removing the sediment in the inclined bedding and progressing down dip.

Solo.

Collected a couple of drag trays on my way along the approach passage near Stal Bend for use at the end in Trick or Treat? At the bottom of Witches Cauldron I stopped for a while to contemplate on the best approach to opening out the lead to the north and I now have a strategy in mind. Worked my way along a rather damp Toil and Trouble and stopped at the T Junction to have another look at the dig to the left [again heading north] and came to the conclusion that this might also need some opening up. Trouble is all the leads to the north are viable propositions and well worth pursuing sometime. Eventually made my way up to Trick or Treat? where I filled a drag tray with some of the debris piled up in the 1st chamber to see how easy [or not] it is for spoil removal – with a bit of effort it’s doable. Then slid into the inclined bedding to start dragging some of the loose debris back into the 1st chamber. This had the effect of allowing a better view of the prospects ahead and it is interesting, about a body length ahead the passage appears to open up a bit into either some vadose development or, more likely another rift. I didn’t think there is an echo but did feel there was some air movement, although the weather is mild at the present and temperatures are balanced resulting in very little draught. I left the cave feeling satisfied with the session and keen to push ahead – there’s a lot more to come from this little cave in the future!

I wore my caving helmet for the first time in a long while and I found it quite restrictive in the low passages, much prefer my beanie and Fenix!

Interesting discussion with Trevor Hughes at lunchtime in the Hunter’s. TH had his original survey of Hallowe’en Rift and had printed off a slightly blurred copy of the east side extensions. Although the scales didn’t quite match up we managed to overlay the two surveys to give an overall picture of how the cave trends, all that was missing is the dig started by ‘Quiet’ John Watson and continued by myself and Jake et al in the early 1990’s. When viewed in its entirety the full survey certainly appears to give some clear indications as to where efforts might be made in the future – almost too many leads!