Online Logbook 2012

[chriscastle46]

Swildons Hole 19th June 2012​

Chris Castle, Nicky Dennis

This was only a wander around the Upper Series for Nicky to improve her commercial trips, but we had a look at a passage that some members may not aware of.
At the bottem of Jacob's Ladder is a muddy crawl leading to Kenny's Dig, at the cross-rift where the bags are stacked. We met Ali Moody on the way to the Green who told us that it is a Wessex dig and is appropriately called Pointless Passage. Still, somewhere else to take the schoolchildren.

We also looked at Water Chamber Dig which goes off from above and to the left of the big boulder, the Caravan, to a muddy pool which I'd never seen before.

If anyone is exploring this area there are also HiBow and LowBow to see, but they are not the most inspiring parts of the cave.

Chris

 

[chriscastle46]

Tues June 26th 2012 St Cuthbert's Swallet​

Chris Castle, Nicky Dennis, Kay Chambers, Neil Turner

A short trip to introduce Kay and Neil to the cave.

We took in the sights to the Rabbit Warren, and then to the Fingers, Railway Tunnel, Harem Passage to Upper Traverse Chamber and up to Boulder Chamber, where we made a diversion to see the remarkable crystals, then out via Lower and Upper Mud Halls.

There was some water coming down the Entrance Rift, rarely seen nowadays, but it made Kay's and Neil's first ascent a little more entertaining!

Chris

 

[chriscastle46]

Sat 6th October 2012 St Cuthberts Swallet​

Chris Castle, Nicky Dennis, Steven (BEC) and three members of the Forest Caving Group (Judi Durber's other club)

As club members seem to have given up writing this log I'll post this trip report, even though it wasn't a good experience.
This was a straightforward but slow trip to Gour Hall and back, but when we arrived at the Entrance Rift it was in high flood, something I'd not seen for many years. This made ascent very difficult and I was stuck under the water in the rift for a long time, which made me feel very weak and poorly. Once out Nicky helped me to the Belfry and I sat in the shower for a while until I stopped shivering, and was administered tea by the kindly Fi who was there. I soon got over it, nothing a good Indian didn't cure.

Chris

 

[Cookie]

Respect for climbing the rift against the flood water.

You've still got it. 

 

[chriscastle46]

Thanks Cookie, but climbing against the water isn't that bad, just unpleasant. I was in the Rift for about 20 minutes and I probably don't have the resistance to cold I had 25 years ago.
Chris

 

[Judi Durber]

Saturday 20th Oct Burrington Coombe​

Well we might not all have been on the same trip but I think the club was well represented in Goatchurch on Saturday.

I was with a group reminding ourselves of all the tight awkward bits we could or couldn't get down (is Bloody Tight A above or below Bloody Tight B?  :-\ ) Only to bump,  , into Burt several times. I embarrassingly saw Brendan and called him Gordon  :-[ as he looked like a colleague from work (I am sure they are dead ringers for each other) it is such a long time since we have caved together (That's my excuse any way  very big sorry Brenden). At least I proved I could still get in a dinky hole in Boulder Chamber even if I did need to be 'helped' out of the lobster Pot in Sidcot later  :-[

Having lunch outside the Tradesmans and Zoe Hebdon turns up with a big gaggle of little boys  all with Mr Sparrow suits on.  They looked great. Andy H was off doing the Morris but Andy S I understand was also in the bowls of Goatchurch doing an assessment.

Burt got both his groups in and out, including one well built tearfull lady who was all smiles with a dirty bum when she got out and I heard Zoe's birthday party excitedly exit too. A fun day was had by all 

 

[chriscastle46]

Nicky and I have done little caving for several months and needed a few get-caving-fit trips. They weren't particularly interesting, but here they are anyway so that members know that some caving is getting done.

Sat 17th Nov. Rod's Pot

Chris C and Nicky Dennis.
Down to the Main Chamber and the Bear Pit. Nicky had a job climbing out, har har. Back in the Main Chamber we met and nattered to the Bard of Bracknell, that great exponent of blank verse, Whitelackington.
Down Purple Passage to the handline, did not descend and on the way back up I took a wrong turning over a boulder and had a struggle getting back, which pleased Nicky.
Well, that's about it for that trip.

Tue 4th December. Hillier's Cave

Chris C, Nicky, Trish D-K.
A wander along the passage meeting another another group near the connection with Fairy, not really expected here on a Tuesday night.
Near the end it gets small and my recent problem of uselessness in tight bits kicked in and I turned back. This really annoys me. The others carried on for a while and I got myself wedged in a rift and had to wait for Nicky to provide something to push against. For goodness sake, I'm regressing to a bloody weegee.
We were soon out with nothing else worth reporting.
There seems to be a recent rockfall near the entrance, none of us remebered seeing it before.

 

[chriscastle46]

Monday 17th December 2012 Reservoir Hole​

Chris Castle, Nicky Dennis, Phil Hendy (WCC), Martin Grass (Leader)

Martin very kindly agreed to give us a tourist trip to the Frozen Deep as we are representatives of the landowners (well, that was my argument).
I do not intend to give a full description of the trip and what we saw as there are currently 20 pages of description and photographs on this forum.

We were in the cave by 6pm and made our way through the old part of the cave down the deep boulder climb to the Grand Gallery. At the end of this is the climb up to Topless Aven and Golgotha rift, but the dig is to the right. Initially easy crawling, it got a bit twiddlely at the bit called Hard Times, which I'd been concerned about as Ali Moody said it was a bit tight, and if she said it was tight.... But it wasn't and we arrived in the big stuff, a high rift chamber called Resurrection and the ladder down into the Frozen Deep. Suffice to say it is even more awesome than we expected. The now-famous group of a column and stalactites was seen immediately, but there was a lot more. We made a careful traverse of the chamber, as the floor is of slippery boulders. One of the more spectacular sights is the huge wall, absolutely vertical, like a Mendip El Capitan, looking around 40 metres high. A look at the way down to the sump and we were back at the ladder and on our way out. Martin heroically brought out two air bottles with only minimal help from me.
A brief visit was made to the start of Potters Heaven for Martin to do something which will doubtless appear on this site soon.

It was a great privilege to visit this magnificent cave and the three of us are extremely grateful to Martin for the trip. If you haven't done so already look at the pictures on the Mendip forum.

Chris