Gods sake Foxy, you and your bloody memory
The lower vadose trench is Perrier Pot. You had to leave us digging it out on one of our weekends up there. Izzy had something on for you to do I think. you had a look on your face like a kid who'd had his birthday prezzies nicked. Perrier Pot
1.9.2001.
Whilst in the dying throes of the previous nights hangover I was probing the riverbank along the back of Lofthouse to while away the odd hour or two before the pub opened. Determined to find something this time, patience actually paid off at long last, instead of being the usual waste of time.
About 40 to 50 yards downstream of Canal Cave I came across a small waterfall. On the eastern bank the bed that constitutes the head of the fall carries on downstream forming a shelf, but the fall cuts further into the bank than afore mentioned bed. At the side of the fall the limestone bed all of a sudden changed to gritstone cobbles and silt. Seeing this was a hell of a recent incursion that hasn?t had time to mineralise it could only mean one thing, cave.
Out with trusty torch and lo and behold, cave indeed. A low crack of a bedding with a raising roof, and loads of spiders. Mad dash back to the camp to get into some caving gear; yell out ?New cave, new cave? like the little bloke off Fantasy Island then dash back with digging gear and Foxy close on my heels.
A couple of minute?s frantic rock hurling has us starring at miserable three inch high bedding. Bugger! But the drop of the fall indicates that there should be more depth of passage to the left and yes there is. Now the passage opened up and stretching ahead a full twenty feet. Impressive eh? Still too tight to get in and the pub opens in twenty minutes, it?s time to go.
Thence to Clive?s hostelry where he is greeted with big cheesy grins and ?We know something you don?t? which we didn?t let onto. As I said at the start I was in the dying throes of a hangover there was much micky taking of what I was drinking that night and hence the name Perrier Pot. (It was Strathmore and I won?t forget you bastards.)
The next morning Foxy?s looking like a kid who?s had his Christmas presents taken off him as Izzy is on her way to pick him up. Hard luck mate, sincerely.
So he missed out on the next exciting instalment. Allen and I set to work lowering the bed of the fall to help prevent the hole filling up with water as it heads down dip you see, then start digging in the cave proper. After about two hours I?m in past the shingle bank and away into the unknown, which turns out to be a low muddy crawl that gently twists and gradually raises in height to about three to three and a half feet with a bedding tube in the top and one in the bottom. There is a small inactive inlet on the right that comes from downstream of the entrance. It is possible to turn around here. The passage is very sumpy with lashings of muck and filth a la? Low Eglins; the air is probably a touch on the bad side as I couldn?t get my breath back in there, but that could be too many fags. Progress was halted at an S bend where a flake was removed (Posh way of saying ?hit with a hammer?) It?s a bit tight here and not knowing if it?s possible to turn around ahead, discretion won the day and a retreat was made. A this point the cave can be seen carrying on for another ten feet at least and getting cleaner. By the way there is also the sound of running water ahead, not much draft, and the sound of tractors too! About fifty yards in length so far but that could be fisherman?s arms. A slurp back out to sunshine and Allen with hearty congratulations a good wash too; it?s that filthy down there me ferret could stand upright.
Also in the vicinity was found; the upstream continuation of Perrier, needs digging; downstream an old Craven Pothole Club dig and two more prospective dig sites, so there?s plenty to do.
Perrier Pot
Looking back with hindsight this may not be a ?new? discovery, if it is, it is bloody fortunate that no body has found such an obvious site before, plus the asbestos sheet inside, on it?s edge against the wall of the passage as if it was used for shoring and has been pushed to the side by advancing debris. The age of the rubbish in the spill, china and glass etc suggest otherwise though. Enquiries will let us know.
6.9.2001.
Thursday night and word has got round. Nobody at the dig!!!???? What?s going on ? All the more glory for us lot then. In the party there?s Niges 1 & 2, Richard and me. Richard and Nige no.2 go in to have a look and I have a potter down stream to throw rocks out of another hole, which I do until they come out with that ?Great, new cave. But it?s not exactly Easter Grotto? look about them. Oh yes ,big hole in the river bed going down 2 feet , solid wall, crap dropping down the gaps in the cobbles. All the good signs. Heard that before. In to Perrier to remove some wall to get round the S bend, whilst Nige clears out the entrance for those of the more mature guttage. To the offending bend, clout, bash, plink, bugger. The head?s dropped off the hammer.
Bend 1. Diggers 0. Plan B. Dig the top tube out; it works but it?s tight, forward no problem but what about the return, Can?t turn round in what I can see ahead so it?ll just have to be backwards. This is first time I?ve done a squeeze/contortion in reverse they just don?t happen enough.
Bend1. Diggers1. Any how into new ground. To boldly go arse first where no man has gone arse first before, for about 10 to 15 feet just around the corner where the mud meets in the roof and comes close to the floor leaving a shoe box size slot in hanging cak. By the way it?s tight, can?t get a proper breath in between the walls. Looks clean washed through the slot though .So back out to fresh air and a wash off. Nige and Rich have been busy to and have shifted a fair bit of crap out of the entrance. A good night.
8.9.2001.
Five hours and 33 trug loads of crap solo out of the entrance, part of river diverted in to wash shite through. Not enough rubbish out but I?m buggered and I?m off home. Must tell the lads to bring their neo fleeces on Thursday.
13.9.2001.
We now have fish!! Numerous stone loaches and rather nippy they are too; they?ll be in for a shock. Loads of water in the entrance crawl, glad of the wetsuit. Drop the level a couple of inches but are too knackered to do any more. Nige and Plug pop in to have a look so there?s now enough room for the big boys. Richard has a near death experience in the tight end of the crawl when 50 or so gallons of water are released into the hole from behind a firmly wedged neoprene clad bum. Teach him to divert the river into the hole whilst I ?m in there. Sorry Rich, it just happened to be you in there at the time, could have been anyone else, it was going to happen to somebody.
That was the last time I?ve been in there, from what I hear it?s the last time anyone?s been in, or have they? In the meantime there?s been torrential rain, so what?s happened? Is it full of spill? Has it washed the mud away? Next stop Mossdale.
Perrier Pot.
4.10.2001.
No digging tonight the Bewerly Park incident has put paid to that.
6.10.2001.
Go for a pint at Clive?s then for a quick look at the site. No caving gear with me. Water levels are at the normal winter height and now there is a considerable stream running in the entrance. It doesn?t appear to be choking up at the moment and with luck the mud should be getting washed away at the present end of the cave.(Ah the eternal optimist.) One problem that may be occurring underground is that as the surface stream is running all the way under the road bridge it could well be sumped, we?ll just have to wait until after Hidden Earth to see.
Finally ended vadose passage too tight, sound of running water ahead. About 10 metres long.
Tek it stedy bud
