One thing that has always intrigued me (and having never been a member of a club to learn about these things), is how do you collate information and indeed, what type of information do you require to ascertain a location for a dig?

:?

Is it local history and knowlege? Is it just pure chance after surveying a system or through exploration?

Just kinda interested.........

It seems mainly its getting to know a system really really well.

If you spend a lot of time visiting and becoming familiar with one system, pouring over the survey in the pub afterwards, noticing changes depending on the weather such as new inlets, drippers, drafts then you start to build up a bigger picture, then you can formulate ideas about the system and where the obvious digs might be.

Conversly - you could just wander into a cave - find a passage that ends with a few boulders blocking the way with a howling draft whistling between them, have a quick dig and be on your way.

Doesnt tend to happen in derbyshire any more though.

In my experience, local kowledge counts for a lot.

Various cavers from my club have an ocassional "piking" session (an "informal" walkabout looking for anything in the way of interesting openings maybe overlooked in the past) and have actually found a few small caves not recorded in Caves of Peak District or elsewhere.

Sometimes digs have been going on or off for years at some sites. For example ur current dig is in a cave that has been known about for ages and has been dug in the past. Lack of success made previous cavers give up and move onto other projects.

We have usually have a few projects "on the go" and sometimes shift from one to another maybe depending on time of year if water levels make a difference, for example.

Lets face it. It just comes down to total luck and maybe a dash of perserverance with a fair bit of bloody mindeness, (just ask the Carno diggers).

Saying that, a bit of deduction can be handy and skew the probabilities in your favour. Was in the Millstone Grit Boulder Dig before Xmas and it appears that it has formed on a major fault. You can actually look along the fault underground and it appears to continue for a fair way. Anyway, I went back up top and followed the line of the fault on the surface, and only a few hundred yards along came across another cave entrance. Appeared to be a recent collapse in a small doline and definitely unentered. Large but narrow rift in the floor becomes blocked after a few feet but could repay a dig.

Who said 'Caves be where you find them'

mudman said:

Lets face it. It just comes down to total luck and maybe a dash of perserverance with a fair bit of bloody mindeness, (just ask the Carno diggers).

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If you want bloody mindedness and perserverence, and blood on one or two occasions, ask the Crescent Diggers

I was thinking of the current Carno diggers, not the original ones. Now that has got to be sheer bloodymindedness. Either that or you can't think of anything better to do. Men of your age should be digging the allotment. :twisted:

men of your age?! i am only 17!

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