8th February

Vince, Mike, Brockers, Jon, Jake, Tav

The bags were almost dry, which given the very gloomy weather, was a surprise. Anyway, all were packed ready to be refilled later. Time to head underground.

I was digging at the NE extent with assistance from Mike. The effort continued to excavate a route to the eastern side of the known passages in An Unexpected Development beyond the surveyed area. There are tantalising spaces ahead but all very small. Brockers was hauling the spoil up the slope before swapping with Jake, once again Jon was filling in wherever needed. Tav filled (10no.) bags in Can of Worms, where digging is reportedly “easy.”

The most difficult task is the movement of spoil through the cave to the surface. It is especially mucky in the cave at present due to the continuing damp weather. The surface soils are saturated resulting in an abundance of percolation water (drips) into the cave. Squalid at times!

At the end of the session, 80 bags had been filled, hauled, and emptied. The rocks remain at the bottom of the pot where they can stay until required for wall building.

Post-digging refreshments were taken at the Hunters’ Lodge in as usual.

1st February

Vince, Tav, Nick, Mike, Jake, and Jon

Bags packed ready to be refilled, all underground. Tav digging at the NE extent (beyond Trick or Treat in the An Unexpected Development area, ToT/AUD), I was clearing away the filled bags he generated, plus a few bags of my own (improving a skip route), and some rocks were moved. Hauling the spoil up the slope was initially done by Nick who then swapped places with Mike. Jake was busy filling a few bags from Can of Worms, and Jon was flitting around moving spoil when and wherever required on a busy morning. Spoil was also finding its way to the surface.

The recent rain during the past week meant that conditions in the cave had not improved much and it was as squalid as ever, a consequence of wetter winters. The digging continued and progress was made in both digs. As ever, and all to soon, it was time to clear the cave of spoil, todays total = 74 bags (10 from Can of Worms, CoW) were filled, hauled, and emptied this session.  

The digs, approximately 50m apart, at either end of the NE (beyond ToT/AUD)/SW(CoW) trending passage(s) were looking not without interest with some [small] enticing looking spaces waiting to be investigated further, and a lot of sediment to be removed. In CoW there is abundant root growth too, adding an organic aroma to the dig, and more dripping water. Happy days!

The session ended with lunchtime refreshments at the Hunters’ Lodge Inn as usual.

25th January

Vince, Jake, Tav, Nick, Jon, Brockers, and Mike

Replaced the surface hauling rope, packed bags ready to be refilled, time to get underground with a full squad assembled today!

Jake digging beyond Trick or Treat (or, nearer to An Unexpected Development, really) assisted by Tav. I hauled the spoil up the slope and handed it over to Nick who then moved it across the chamber to the hump, it was pulled over to the other side by Jon (initially). Mike was attending to things in Can of Worms aided by Brockers. The spoil was carried along to the bottom of the pot then on up to the entrance, and as the morning progressed, it was hauled out to the surface.

It is still rather mucky throughout the cave (except for the digs!). there was some discussion regarding prospects beyond Trick or Treat, but it was decided there is still plenty of digging to be done before we can fully understand what is going on. Cave passages never do what is ‘predicted’ and always more likely to do the unexpected!

As ever time moved swiftly, and the cave needed clearing of filled bags (the rocks are being stockpiled at the pot for removal on another day). Today’s total = 104 bags (about 30 from Can of Worms) were filled, hauled, and emptied (some more easily than others).

The session ended with a visit to the Hunters’ for the usual refreshments.

18th January

Vince, Jon, Jake, Nick, and Tav

Yesterday I had made a new hauling bucket and spare skip ready for putting into use at HR (thanks to the Wessex CC for drums). Got to the cave ahead of the team and proceeded to open the cave and pack the very dry bags to be filled again later. The team arrived.

Underground, Jon digging beyond Trick or Treat with Jake clearing the filled bags (and draining the pond), Tav dragged the skip up the slope, and I carried the spoil across the chamber to the hump and through to the other side. Meanwhile, Nick felt compelled to fill 10 bags from Can of Worms (as expected). It was rather squalid as usual. After completing his quota of bags, Nick joined the support team in the removal of spoil from Trick or Treat. The spoil first removed to the pot and, eventually, to the bottom of the entrance. Then back to clear the next pile that had accumulated. Surprisingly, a glance at the watch revealed it was now time to clear the spoil all the way to the surface. To this end digging had already ceased and all hands to bag dragging.

Out on the surface, a total of 76 bags (including 10 from Can of Worms) had been filled, hauled, and emptied this session. Emptying the bags was not always easy as the sediment they contained was, on occasion, sloppy and rather sticky requiring the bags to be turned inside out. Still, another good, productive session capped with visit to our favourite hostelry!

11th January

Vince, Jake, Jon, and Brockers

Arrived at the cave a little ahead of the team thinking that the lock might have frozen in the recent cold snap, it had not, so got on with packing the now ’freeze-dried’ bags ready for use underground later. About done when the rest of the team turned up. It seems a majority decision had been made that perhaps we might dig Can of Worms today in light of there being a smaller team and there was the “open space” noted last week. So, that’s what we did.

Brockers was digging, Jon and myself clearing along the ledge at the top of the pot, Jake at the entrance. When a suitable pile of bags had accumulated, Jake and I hauled them out to the surface and emptied them. Back underground to get the next lot of spoil, and so the morning progressed. Initially, it was slow going due to the constricted nature of the dig, as more space was created the rate of spoil removal and movement increased. Unfortunately, the “open space” did not develop further and is most likely the result of sediment settling over time, it is also very ‘rooty’. At the end of the session, 75 bags had been filled, hauled, and emptied, plus 3 skip loads of rock added to the soil heap wall. One bag was sacrificed underground to improve the skip hauling route, this bag not included in the final tally as it didn’t make it out of the cave! A good and productive session.

Refreshments were enjoyed, as usual, at the Hunters’ Lodge Inn.

4th January

Vince, Brockers, Jon, and Nick

After a senior moment and having to return home to get my forgotten helmet/light, assembled with the rest of the team at the farm and made our way across the field to the cave entrance.

Underground, I set off towards the dig beyond Trick or Treat (ToT), Brockers joined me, as did Nick very briefly until he succumbed to the desire to fill some bags in Can of Worms. Meanwhile, Jon had headed off to An Unexpected Development (AUD). I had only just started to fill bags beyond ToT when Jon arrived at AUD and a visual connection between the two areas was easily achieved. The gap, about 4m, 2m wide, and reaches about 0.5m in height, it looks ‘caveable’ but no attempt to achieve that objective was made, far too many fine formations and no point spoiling them, not worth the effort.

The formations in the gap between the dig beyond Trick or Treat and An Unexpected Development

That objective confirmed it was back to digging, Jon made his way around to join us. As I filled bags, Brockers cleared them away and when a suitable pile had accumulated the support team, comprising Brockers, Jon, and Nick, removed the spoil to the bottom of the entrance. I carried on digging. Time flew by and when Jon returned to clear the backlog it was approaching midday and digging was bought to a close. Took a few photos before leaving, a brief stop in Can of Worms to look at progress there as rumours were that it was looking a bit more interesting and indeed, amongst the proliferation of roots, there was a small space between the sediment and the cave ceiling. Then all hands to clearing the cave of spoil. A total of 56 bags were filled, hauled, and emptied. And it was still squalid!

To the Hunters’ Lodge Inn for some refreshments and a debrief. All good stuff!