Last night we (Cheddar Caving Club) finally managed to descend the pitch that we have been happily rattling stones down for several weeks.  The pitch (El Capitoff Pot) proved to be a damn fine one - 15 metres deep and definitely not free-climbable.  At the bottom a squeeze was pushed into a high rift chamber containing the remains of a long dead goat (Bone Chamber).  In another direction from the pitch bottom is a clean draughting tube which requires further digging where another component of the goat was found - hence Skull Passage.

The extension starts at the head of the Blind Pots where a left turn follows a low arched passage to a squeeze (The Resistor).  Beyond is Ever Ready Passage (named after a battery left here at some time in the past (presumably by a midget)).  Ever Ready Passage constricts to a low crawl, followed by a tube leading directly to the new pitch-head.  Total length of extension about 30 metres.

This dig is part of the ongoing quest by ChCC to connect Rod's Pot to Drunkards Hole.  The draughting Skull Passage will, hopefully, take us towards this goal.


Please can I ask anyone who wants to visit the extension to contact me first and to respect our digging rights?  Thank you.

Excellent news and congratulations to Andy and the Cheddar team. An excellent find and I look forward to hopefully being able to do a Rod's to Drunkard's through trip in the future.

   

Nice one 

How did the goat get there?

The rather tight entrance from Ever Ready passage to the pitch head


El Capitoff Pitch (15m)



Bottom of pitch showing entrance to Bone chamber. Skull passage is behind the photographer.


Skull Passage with the skull slap bang in the middle of the passage. I removed it fairly intact (one horn broken off) and it appears to be a goat or small deer. It is very waterlogged so i will clean it carefully but does anyone know how I preserve it? Sadly it had to be removed as Skull passage is the way on (roomy & draughty) and the skull would have been destroyed if left in place.



In Bone Chamber. We have built a low wall but the bones and mud formations will be taped off in the near future.

Well done guys 
Thanks for sharing the photos. How far on along Skull passage can you see?
All the best with further finds and the goal of linking up.

Ali M said:

Excellent news and congratulations to Andy and the Cheddar team. An excellent find and I look forward to hopefully being able to do a Rod's to Drunkard's through trip in the future.

 

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Isn't that a Bath to Drunkard's through trip??? 

Hatstand said:

Isn't that a Bath to Drunkard's through trip??? 

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Yes you are correct - too much radon recently.
That will be a superb trip. 

Congratulations to everyone involved from the ChCC. I knew you could all do it. Superb work!

Massive thanks for adding yet another piece to the Burrington Master Plan.
I have heard that there has recently been an addition to East twin Spar pot?

whitelackington said:

Massive thanks for adding yet another piece to the Burrington Master Plan.
I have heard that there has recently been an addition to East twin Spar pot?

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That was announced at the CSCC meeting last week.
Pity you weren't there to keep up with the real news! 

Great!

Another breakthrough for the Cheddar team in Rods Pot; after some tedious spoil removal and thrutching in Skull passage, Barry, soon followed by Ed W, Andy S, Trish D and I pushed through oozing mud for about 20' to find another smaller, but significant chamber which has been christened "Sardine Chamber" ("it's bloody sardines in here!").
It's significant because the rock strata changes from the black friable stuff on El capitoff to the more usual grey smooth water worn Burrington limestone, and it's clearly a phreatic type passage with 2 sub-branches. However there is a lot of mud to be removed before we get in these!

Ed took a small video which may find its way on here but no photos as yet.

Woo! Congrats! That must be so much fun to find new passages and chambers and such!
This is me, bouncing with excitement for ya'all! 

Here's Barry's words:

Down the bottom of Rod's Pot really was the best place to be on Wednesday night. Minus 5 outside and working up a sweat by hauling bags!

The omens at first were not good - one mislaid oversuit, faulty batteries, you know the score. Then came the shooting star through a huge sky. A good sign? Four of us - Tricia, Andy, Ed, me (Barry) got to the pitch. A mysterious voice and glow from behind us as we descended indicated the arrival of Burt.

The way on needed clearing and enlarging as noted last week. By 2130 we thought we had done enough, but Tricia backed into the gap and said she thought it would only take another half hour to get through a 90 degree bend into new passage. I still thought we had done enough (and wanted to get to the pub before closing) so went for it head first, and emerged into what might loosely be described as a chamber. At least, I could stand up, turn around and proceed with caution between a sculpted wall and a mud and cobble bank. The roof is rounded phreatic, and over the top of the bank there seem to be two possible ways on. Since it was the closest thing to a new chamber we had seen for some time (it would be a chamber if someone took out the mud and cobbles) we enlarged the entrance and all got into it - and could all stand up! Remember playing Sardines when you were kids? It reminded us of that, so we think we've got a name for it!

Note - there is a cool draft and, if what I saw was really the signs of long term bats, this is very interesting.

Barry Hulatt

Burt said:

Note - there is a cool draft and, if what I saw was really the signs of long term bats, this is very interesting.

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There was a strong cold draught blowing into Bath last night - most of the walls of Shower Pot are dry, making it look like a different cave.
I guess you may have some of our draught.

Aubrey

Aubrey said:

Burt said:

Note - there is a cool draft and, if what I saw was really the signs of long term bats, this is very interesting.

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There was a strong cold draught blowing into Bath last night - most of the walls of Shower Pot are dry, making it look like a different cave.
I guess you may have some of our draught.

Aubrey

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I find the draughts in the Rod's/Bath system very perplexing.  Today cold, dry air was sucking into Bath, making it distinctly chilly during the descent of Shower Pot.  There was little noticeable draught in Purple Pot, but when we reached the entrance passages of Rod's the walls were dripping with condensation.  A distinctly warm and moist draught was steaming out of the Rod's entrance.  Can cold dry air really become warm moist air in the process of blowing through no more than 300 metres of cave passage?

I have written about this draught several times before because I cannot explain why such a predictable draught goes between two entrances which are t the same level.

We know there are other links than Purple Pot between Rods and Bath (e.g. just below echo aven) and probable links where the walls are dry in Rods when the draught is active e.g. just above the Bear Pit.
These do not seem to be enough to account for the gale blowing into Bath and out of Rods.

One area of interest is the rift to the side of Shower Pot. The walls become dry very quickly, suggesting a lot of the draught goes that way. Unfortunately it would be a major undertaking to follow the rift (maybe our next digging project in Bath?).

Has anyone noticed any other areas with dry walls in Rods over the last couple of weeks?

Bath /  Rod's is turning into a very interesting cave.
Is it now thought that all four caves will be proved to be connected, hence a system?

The chances of it being a system is fairly high; you only have to look at the surface topography to see it. But making the connection will be a different matter with I suspect, a helluva lot of mud to shift!

It'd be nice to see a survey of Bos / Bath / Rods / Drunkards in 3d to see their relations but such a thing, to my knowledge, does not exist - and before you ask, we're too busy digging to survey it yet!

Maybe the upcoming surveying course might like to have a go??????

Burt said:

It'd be nice to see a survey of Bos / Bath / Rods / Drunkards in 3d to see their relations but such a thing, to my knowledge, does not exist - and before you ask, we're too busy digging to survey it yet!

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Incomplete but worth a look http://www.ubss.org.uk/resources/surveys/survex/Burrington.lox