I have been digging a small amount again and I have around twelve feet of mud thats as far as my scaffold pole will go down and a fissure thats draughting all told ive dug down about four feet and am letting the small stream thats there help. Dig, leave for a few days, then dig again and the water is washing the mud away gradually. Still no news on who owns the land though !
starting a dig
- Thread starter wildside
- Start date
Its definetly in limestone and the area around it has some history of caves about a mile away as the crow flies so I am reliably told. Its getting deeper now the water has washed a hole about 3/4 feet deep through the mud and the whole lot is starting to sink down where the water is washing it away from underneath and I jump on it to push it all down so the water washes some more away. Just hope after my efforts it comes to something and it does not get blocked by the land owner whoever they may be .
Les W
Active member
I know where this site is and actually looked at it myself about 20 years ago. From memory, the rock is a thin band of Cornbrash Limestone , approximately 3 to 6 metres thick, between two very thick layers of clay and dipping slightly to the south. About a km or so away down dip are some caves in this same member.
The stream is flowing north on the clay but sinks when it hits this bed. It is possible that it could flow down dip from here towards these other caves (but I haven't seen them myself so don't know if there is s stream associated with them).
Although there is a small river to the north of here and down hill as well, it is probable that the water cannot find an underground route to it.
It is a promising site.
The stream is flowing north on the clay but sinks when it hits this bed. It is possible that it could flow down dip from here towards these other caves (but I haven't seen them myself so don't know if there is s stream associated with them).
Although there is a small river to the north of here and down hill as well, it is probable that the water cannot find an underground route to it.
It is a promising site.
Les W
Active member
There is still something like 10-20 feet depth potential though (more if it passes through the limestone and washes out the clay below as well).
As Known says though, "anything less than 20 feet and it's OK to laugh straight away, more than 20 feet and you should check they are OK before laughing..."
As Known says though, "anything less than 20 feet and it's OK to laugh straight away, more than 20 feet and you should check they are OK before laughing..."
While walking the dog in the woods near the sink I decided to follow the old stream bed away from it and low and behold there are two shake holes about 900 yards away slightly off line of where im digging so it could be promising. The hole is slowly getting deeper but due to a bad hand I cannot do a great deal at the moment.
ian.p
Active member
Hi wildside are you digging in the chepstow area? if you are drop me a PM im digging ( if a little iregularly atm) a couple of sites in the area and might be able to help if not with land ownership (though i do know a man who is reasnably likley to know...) then with geology and info on what else is sink wise is going on in the area theres quite a bit to go at!
cheers
peachey
cheers
peachey
Hi peachey im not digging near chepstow im in deepest darkest somerset in a wood in the middle of nowhere ive just come back now and god it scary up there on your own even my dog looks worried. Im hopeing to find the mendips equivalent of titan but think its going to be a while yet. Any way thankyou for the offer.
Ive been digging again and gone down another foot the problem I have now is my army shovel is to long for the width of the hole to get the mud and stuff out has anybody got any ideas on the best thing to use a trowel is to small. its starting to get harder to get into the hole as well i reckon im going to need a rope soon.....
nickwilliams
Well-known member
Take a word of advice from someone who has done a fair bit of digging over the years:
"If it's worth digging, it's worth digging man-sized."
Good luck.
Nick.
"If it's worth digging, it's worth digging man-sized."
Good luck.
Nick.
whitelackington
New member
Although we've still got a few dwarf diggers in the M.C.G. some of our diggers are LARGE.
Hint, each session always get the larger diggers to the front.
Don't let the teaspooners get away from you, if need be tie a rope round their ankles, and if they get more than a body length away, pull the buggers back, roughly
Hint, each session always get the larger diggers to the front.
Don't let the teaspooners get away from you, if need be tie a rope round their ankles, and if they get more than a body length away, pull the buggers back, roughly
After a long time away from this promising hole I went back there at the weekend and wow there is a fissure that has been washed through with the recent rain, and the mud in the main hole has slumped quite a lot and is very unstable I have shone my torch down the fisure and cannot see the bottom!! The water that is running in there sounds as though it is falling a long way. I Pushed a tape measure taped to a cane into the mud in the main hole and 14 feet down still nothing solid does anyone want to try and get permission to dig it officially? any body thats interested to have a look please message me.
does anyone want to try and get permission to dig it officially? any body thats interested to have a look please message me.I reckon that would work as the main hole is about 4 feet across I would need more water though to get the mud a bit looser or maybe even wash it down to whats below as it is a combination of twigs leaves and clay in the hole. some bang would help get it down far enough and empty the hole totally
Bottlebank
New member
From past experience I'd view any attempt to wash mud into the dig as a last resort unless you know where it will end up, I'd always try and dig it out, otherwise you may end up digging it out from even further in.
Pitlamp
Well-known member
The whole point of a flopjack is that you don't actually need a lot of water. The drum fills up slowly then tips all at once in a large surge. Bottlebank's point about where the sediment will end up is worth seriously considering. But there are many (Peak District based) users of this forum who will remember Ben Bentham getting rid of many tens of tonnes of mud from his Fawlty Towers dig in Peak Cavern very effectively, just using the accumulated drips in Treasury Chamber feeding into a couple of flopjacks.
The thing I like most about them is that, as you take the top off your first pint in some nice cozy pub, you can contemplate the fact that your project is digging itself. A flopjack can do what previously only faith could achieve - move mountains (of fine sediment).
I'm not disagreeing with Bottlebank by the way; without a good working knowledge of the situation at your dig I don't know whether a flopjack would have more pros than cons. I just threw the idea in as something to consider. Good luck, however you tackle it. (If it's an SSSI do clock in with Natural England so you don't inadvertently damage any sediment with scientific or archaeological interest.)
The thing I like most about them is that, as you take the top off your first pint in some nice cozy pub, you can contemplate the fact that your project is digging itself. A flopjack can do what previously only faith could achieve - move mountains (of fine sediment).
I'm not disagreeing with Bottlebank by the way; without a good working knowledge of the situation at your dig I don't know whether a flopjack would have more pros than cons. I just threw the idea in as something to consider. Good luck, however you tackle it. (If it's an SSSI do clock in with Natural England so you don't inadvertently damage any sediment with scientific or archaeological interest.)
