Category: 2014

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.