Category: 2026

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

Arrived at the cave ahead of the team carrying drill and plugs/feathers to deal with a couple of boulders left-over from last weekend on the ledge. Just finished as I heard voices approaching.

I moved along the passage into Can of Worms to get digging underway, I was soon joined by Jon. There is plenty of room for two people to dig. Jon concentrated his effort on following the narrow fissures downwards, while my effort was focussed to the southwest where calcite-cemented boulders of conglomerate and fine-grained sediment needed to be removed. It was not especially easy digging but by the end of the morning we had created more space than we had started with, progress was made. There are a couple of large lumps of conglomerate impeding downward progress, they are beyond the capabilities of plugs/feathers requiring more aggressive attention. A job for another day.

All the spoil had been moved to the surface where Nick had emptied all the bags and added rocks to the spoil heap wall. No idea how many bags, but all seem satisfied with the mornings progress. The session was rounded off, as usual, with refreshments at the Hunters’ Lodge Inn.

With Nick and Jon

As is my wont arrived at Hallowe’en Rift ahead of the team bringing with me a digging hoe ready to prepare the ground for the spoil heap wall extension. There were plenty of rocks piled underground awaiting removal to the surface.

Nick and Jon arrived, for one reason or another only a small team assembled for today’s activities, no matter. A brief discussion before all going underground towards Can of Worms. The rocks were removed. While me and Jon got the rocks up to the surface, Nick returned to CoW to get on with digging. On the surface the rocks were used in the wall extension and then me and Jon went back into the cave to clear the backlog of spoil accumulated by Nick’s endeavours. All spoil was shifted out to the surface, rocks added to the wall, bags emptied into the space created. Back for more and the whole process repeated. And repeat for one more time, this time Nick followed the spoil out. Today’s total = 31 bags filled, hauled, and emptied and more than a dozen skip loads of rock added to the wall.

At the dig, things are still looking interesting, and progress is still going downwards. Nick reported that the digging is not especially difficult. A good session with a small team. But now time for the Hunters’!

Solo. “Rock-bothering session!”

Dragged the drill and plugs/feathers into Can of Worms to deal with the boulders left there last weekend. While I was there had a poke around with a bar to see if there were any other loose rocks that required some further attention. Rocks in the current end ‘chamber’ and those left on the ledge were reduced to more manageable pieces, job done, packed kit away and exited the cave.

Walked down to the farm, a brief chat with the farmer, and then up the hill to the Hunters’ Lodge Inn for the customary refreshments. A good way to start the New Year!