Hi, My name is Peter and I am now an old man living in South Africa.
I am originally from Heeley, Sheffield. I discovered Fatigue Pot in Coombs Dale in 1953 after digging out a very smelly Fox hole.
I am very surprised that I have not heard of any Digging been carried out in the cave on a regular basis, and no further extensions discovered. I did look at the two videos (Part one & Part two) posted on  You Tube, showing 3 Caver's in there trying to get passed the end of the Right hand crawl passage (In which I personally got stuck in on my first trip)
Has anyone got any new info that they can let me have ?.
The Coombs Dale water/caving systems seems to be a separate feature from those of Stony Middleton and should reveal something interesting. I read years ago that when they made the cross road at Calver, they filled in a cave/cavern. Then there could also be a natural way into the old upper workings of Wren Park Mine.

I was an active caver in the period 1950 - 1959. A few friends and I  formed a caving club and explored many Caves/mines in the Peak district. Jim Rieuwerts, Fred Fielding, and Vic Allott are the only names that I can remember after all these years.
Any news of findings in this area would be appreciated to satisfy the memories of an old  Derbyshire caver.

Hi Peter, welcome to UKC - you'll be pleased to hear that Jim Rieuwerts is alive and well and about to publish another book. I think there are two reasons why Fatigue hasn't been pushed - firstly, there's so much to go at in the Peak these days we're spolit for choice, and secondly, while Laportes were working Sallet Hole mine I suspect people tended to avoid Coombs Dale.

Regarding Calver crossroads, Nellie Kirkham was told of a hole that opened up behind the carpenters shop (now demolished) and running water could be heard down it. I suspect it was 18th century Calver Sough engine shaft re-opening, as it was located in that area and pumped into a shalegate sough under the village down to the mill. Wren Park shaft is still there but is choked with rubbish

Hi AR,
Many thanks for the swift reply to my request for news.
I forgot that Laporte was working in the area nearby.
I had a lot of photos that I took in Salate Hole Sough  many years ago, when the original Dry Stone walled arched entrance and leadin pasage way was still in existance. Over the years they have got lost (shame on me).
I saw on the internet a more recent photo of the entrance with a gate closed across it, and looking all deserted.
I  once (Can't remember the date, maybe late 60's) I visited Sheffield and went to the Sough with Vic Allott, intending to walk up the sough. When we got there we found that all the old dry stone walling had gone,and it was being worked commercially. After talking with the "Site Manager" and chatting about the old Sough, he realized that we new more about the place than he did. We showed him photos and our sketch drawings of the Sough from our caving logbook and the run in mine above. He was so immpressed he took us up the newly worked sough and right up to the rock face. A large  modern excavating/drilling machine was at work. At that stage they did not seem to have reached the large old workinged rakes.
Good memories of the good old days.
We were looking for what you guys have now seen !!!.

It's a shame you no longer have the photo of the original entrance, (I've never seen one) though Jim's got one of Enterprise before it was wrecked by vandals. As for the modern workings of Sallet, Bograt's yer man to ask about them as he worked there.

Hi ,you might like to know that Fred Fielding is still alive and kicking but not caving anymore just walking. cheers

cavefinder said:

Hi ,you might like to know that Fred Fielding is still alive and kicking but not caving anymore just walking. cheers

Click to expand...

And still polishing his MG?? 

AR said:

... I think there are two reasons why Fatigue hasn't been pushed....

Click to expand...

Surely the main one is the horrific entrance passage. Do that without wretching and I'll be impressed!

AR said:

I think there are two reasons why Fatigue hasn't been pushed

Click to expand...

Another reason is having to go into high speed reverse crawl after coming face to face with a stripy snout and a set of VERY big claws 
(at least they seemed big from where I was laying!!)

I'd hear that rumour but was never sure whether to believe it until now. So who won ?

And speaking of the run-in mine above, I presume Peter's talking about the cave on top of the hill above the adit with the mined shaft inside? Has anyone descended that in modern times?

I think the poor beast was as shocked as I was, at least it didn't chase me out, but I wasn't hanging about to check !!---

Hi Peter

An extract from Iain Barkers "Classic Caves of the Peak District"

"On 3rd January 1954 P Tottle and his friend, D Blizard were taking photographs and surface searching in Coombs Dale, when a good natured argument developed, concerning a small hole barely visible from Coombs Dale Lane.
After some urging, Tottle brought Blizard up to have a look, Tottle had noted the diminutive entrance before, it was just 10 x 12 inches, but he had been put off exploring because of its size and the shattered nature of the limestone thereabouts.

Blizard however had done no caving for many months and was very keen to try it, so digging and boulder removal by hand began at once. Surprisingly quickly they gained access to a tight bedding and proceeded eagerly along with half there faces dragging in the mud.

At a point where the roof begins to rise Tottle raised his head for look and found himself staring into a pair of round green eyes, after several seconds the "monster" spun round and fled down the passage, it was a rabbit and Tottle and Blizard hastened forward in in pursuit to find a pitch from the depths of which it could be heard retreating.

The passage terminated at this point so Tottle descended the pitch for 7.5mtrs, landing on a false floor with another pitch dropping off below, Blizard set off for the entrance, to fetch a rope whilst Tottle made himself comfortable.
Some time later Blizard had not returned, so Tottle climbed out of the rift and went to look for him, he found him lying on the grass outside "in a dreamy condition" having given his head a good knock on the way out and rendered himself semi-conscious.

So Tottle named the cave Fatigue Pot in memory of Blizards mishap.

Throughout January and later months Tottle and some members of Sheffield Caving Club continued to explore and extend the cave. A boulder choke in the rift was attacked by a digging party led by R Singleton and soon yielded to their efforts, giving access to the largest part of the rift, perhaps significantly this was covered with fresh mud deposits on the floor and walls, maybe the elusive stream backs up here in flood conditions?.

The team next entered the North West Crawl, which Tottle push for 30m to its miserable conclusion.

On 22nd June C Collier discovered the entrance to the South East Crawl and with Tottle and D Allott explored as far as Helictite Grotto, eventually giving up when failing lights dictated a hasty retreat."


We have had several attempts at digging the crawls, the north West Crawl is indeed pretty grim and the air gets bad quite quickly.

The South East Crawl ends in a tight draughting rift downwards, with very limited stacking space, but interestingly on one occasion we could hear a very large stream not very far ahead.

This was many years ago and various people have looked since but admit its not a very pleasant place to dig.

Hi, to all that replied,
I am impressed and very happy to see such a welcome response to my first Blogs on this sight.

I left Sheffield in 1958 to do my National Service in the RAF. During that time I did some caving around the Chedder ares. Whilst stationed at RAF Valley on the isle of Anglsey "The Neil Moss Rescue" attempt took place and I was asked to assist, but my Signals Officer (the moron) would not release me. After that altercation he had me posted  to Germany and that was the end of my Climbing and Caving. I heard that several of my mates did go and did what little could be done  .
Thanks to all the people that posted relevant comments. I suppose there are far more places deserve digging than my stinky hole  .
The  mine entrance above Sallet, is above and to the right of Sallet Hole Sough. The passage went in and then you climed down a shaft (can't remember the depth, but not too deep) The bottom brought you to a chamber that had a floor of rubble and Earth/Sand, that looked as if a lower rift  level (Sallet Sough) had collaspsed. I think it was about at the point were the Sough was also blocked at that time.
Glad to know that Fred Fielding is still alive and kicking. In my day he did not have an MG. Please give him my regards.
Thanks Mark for the excert from a book about my discovery of Fatigue Pot. That looks like a copy of the article I wrote and had published in "The Speleologist" issue No.1, page 85-91 in 1954. There are several things mentioned in that excert that I had forgotten (like I cannot remembver hearing a stream at the far end of the long crawl). Dave Blizzrd was at school with me , and I also forgot he knocked his head.
Thanks Phil for your comments and links to your photos (I have lost your Email address). Where do you guys get all the digging gear, utensils and large pipe work and ladders from to do your digs. That lot does not come cheap. We could never have afforded those things in our youth.
I am still looking forward to the breakthrough of Waterfall Hole swallet to Eyam (with the Glebe Mine messing up the system in the middle of it all) and into the Carlswarke series. That should be a good 2 miles of caves for you guys to enjoy.
Thanks again Cheers & Beers
From Darkest Africa, where Lions walk the streets cat night and some of them carry AK47's. Hi.

Peter

Sending you a PM with more info, including my email address and contact number and email/number for Jim R - I just spoke with him on the phone and he was very happy to hear you're on here. Regarding the 'hole' above Sallet Hole - I read somewhere (maybe Nellie K) that the name Sallet Hole was derived from this very feature.

When you could still get into the mine, a few of us climbed up onto the roof of the new adit, via the low arch where it meets the 'old' sough draining outwards - after clambering over numerous nasty beams and timbers, you could get into an old lead working on the east side, and through another arch there arrived at the bottom of a water-worn aven, with fossils and prominent solution features, but we (foolishly) didn't climb it. I wondered at the time whether this might be the bottom of the feature above on the hillside. I guess we'll never know now.

As for tools etc., we buy them! I can't afford them either, but sometimes you just have to cough up to get stuff done and earn it back elsewhere. The large pipe thankfully was paid for with a grant from Natural England/DCA.

When Sallet Hole was working, there was a section of the adit through solid reinforced concrete, this was driven through an old scrin, the name of which eludes me (ask T.Pot).
Apparently climbing up behind the concrete gained access to this scrin and eventually joined up with Sallet Hole Cave, high in the bank up the valley from the mine. The cave is listed in Caves of the Peak District but my scanner is out of action at the moment so can't copy it.

I never went in there but got the information first hand from Chris Rhodes, and, IIRC, Brian Hague.

Trogladite said:

There are several things mentioned in that excert that I had forgotten (like I cannot remembver hearing a stream at the far end of the long crawl). Dave Blizzrd was at school with me , and I also forgot he knocked his head.

Click to expand...

Sorry Peter, the last 3 lines after "failing lights dictated a hasty retreat" were a bit of an update,

I was in there following a period of heavy rain and could hear a very loud stream. Chances are you would have heard nothing when you were in there.

We are still seeking the Waterfall Stream and had a fantastic discovery actually in Glebe mine, a few years ago, we broke into some mined and natural caverns which have several independent stream ways, none of which we think actually comes from Waterfall, we know where that come into glebe and its quite along way from where we were.

Maybe Rob could post some pictures of that discovery which you might like to see.

I too used to live in Heeley many years ago (next to Heeley Swimming Baths) you would not recognise most of the area now.

I found this Lepidodendron fossil in a stream off the Meers Brook in Carr Wood, near to Heeley allotments just two weeks ago - there's still some wilderness left!

Sorry Stigmeria not Lepidodendren ! But a very nice example .

Hi All,
I have found a photo of Fatique Pot that was taken in 1954 not long after it was discovered. Vic Allott can be seen in the main Phreatic passage. The other man seen, I cannot remember his name.
Cheers, Peter.

Rob said:

AR said:

... I think there are two reasons why Fatigue hasn't been pushed....

Click to expand...

Surely the main one is the horrific entrance passage. Do that without wretching and I'll be impressed!

Click to expand...

Is there any way that the entrance passage could be made more secure so that the animals (badgers/foxes) doing all the shitting could be kept out? It wouldn't take that long for bacteria to break down the existing shit and then people might be more inclined to visit the place. It sounds like the place has potential.

I suspect there are other, animal sized entrances to that entrance bedding, IIRC, there was a piece of cast iron plate covering the people entrance the last time I went in there but the creature was inside ....

Interesting photo, thanks Peter, must admit I don't remember anything that big in there, but it is 40 years since I last went in, 20 years after discovery.

( The 'incident' occurred on my second trip in there, I never visited again!!)