Babyhagrid
Well-known member
Recently myself and a friend at uni have started digging a shakehole in south wales. It is our first proper digging as a collective (cardiff Lithic Investigation Team) and we thought it would be good to document some progress for all to see on here (progress also being documented here https://www.instagram.com/cardiffli...eb_button_share_sheet&igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA== ).
After finding the hole, checking the British geological survey and cave registry we had a chat over the phone to the landowner and the started digging (not all on the same day )
(The hole in the shakehole after my foot went through it. was a feet deep)
the first digging day was a lot of removal of spoil, brambles and rubbish from the hole. we followed the water down through lots of old glass bottles and mud and rocks and eventually found a ledge of solid bedrock about 5foot below the surface. we dug under this and found a small area of blank space and eventually wriggled in and saw a corner with a muddy tube leading off. however the route to it was tight and muddy and nobody wanted to committ that much.
we used a tripod made out of some discared fence rails and some old rope to haul a bucket out (adblue container with hole cut in it).
(myself in the hole on the first digging day with appropite tools but missing gloves (broken glass really cuts well)).
(a view down the hole after the first day.)
(the hole on the surface after the first day)
we left to warm up and then a week or so later retuerned to dig a second time.
some of the wall had slumped but this was quickly removed and we regained the state of play from the first day quickly. the water flowing down the walls was slighty increased and once i got round the corner to look at the tub going off i found it sumped instead.
so we decieed to attack the floor of the shaft and began hauling buckets of muck out of the dig. this worked well with water draining through the slop into boulders. this clogged often and need much attacking with a crowbar to keep the dig less lake like. soon we pulled some larger rocks out and the mud seemed to be slightly less disgusting. after day 2 the shaft was now about 11 feet deep and the tripod was working well as ever.
the plan moving forward is to continue digging down into the mud and following the pockets of blank space that appear. and trying to shore up the walls of the shaft as these are mostly made of mud .
(the state of the surface after the 2nd digging trip.. yes I am aware of the weird corrugated roofing behind me lmao)
After finding the hole, checking the British geological survey and cave registry we had a chat over the phone to the landowner and the started digging (not all on the same day )
the first digging day was a lot of removal of spoil, brambles and rubbish from the hole. we followed the water down through lots of old glass bottles and mud and rocks and eventually found a ledge of solid bedrock about 5foot below the surface. we dug under this and found a small area of blank space and eventually wriggled in and saw a corner with a muddy tube leading off. however the route to it was tight and muddy and nobody wanted to committ that much.
we used a tripod made out of some discared fence rails and some old rope to haul a bucket out (adblue container with hole cut in it).
we left to warm up and then a week or so later retuerned to dig a second time.
some of the wall had slumped but this was quickly removed and we regained the state of play from the first day quickly. the water flowing down the walls was slighty increased and once i got round the corner to look at the tub going off i found it sumped instead.
so we decieed to attack the floor of the shaft and began hauling buckets of muck out of the dig. this worked well with water draining through the slop into boulders. this clogged often and need much attacking with a crowbar to keep the dig less lake like. soon we pulled some larger rocks out and the mud seemed to be slightly less disgusting. after day 2 the shaft was now about 11 feet deep and the tripod was working well as ever.
the plan moving forward is to continue digging down into the mud and following the pockets of blank space that appear. and trying to shore up the walls of the shaft as these are mostly made of mud .
(the state of the surface after the 2nd digging trip.. yes I am aware of the weird corrugated roofing behind me lmao)
