Any New Finds?

Goydenman

Well-known member
I have to admit that the key reason for me joining a forum like this is to hear about exploration. To get reports of finds and hear about plans to try and get them. Don't get me wrong there is a lot of useful information however what gets my heart racing is the breakthroughs or potential breakthroughs. Is anyone willing to report on theirs? It seems ages since I read any apart from the amazing diving breakthrough at Pozul Azul.
 

NewStuff

New member
I know many people digging, myself included. I think people are wary of publicising it for many reasons. We're all just a mattock scrape away from breaking through into caverns so wide your light won't illuminate them.  :tease: ;)
 

mudman

Member
What NewStuff said.  :clap:

Seriously though, my club has a fair few digs on the go but we will most likely keep things quite, for one reason or another, until we've found the next 'big thing' in South Wales.  :LOL:

 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
A few minor Mendip finds which I suppose will be aired at Hidden Earth. We found 2ft last week apparently though I have not seen it yet.
 

Badlad

Administrator
Staff member
Some friends of mine discovered this a few months ago.  Here's one of them looking imperious in Magic Money Tree Chamber.

wl


At the other end of the chamber they have built the Sir Bruce Forsyth Memorial Stairway to the Stars

wl


Work continues apparently

wl


I've no idea where it is though  ;) ;) ;)
 

MarkS

Moderator
After a summer-long hiatus from Eldon digging, the Buttered Badgers have finally "found" the licence to go back and continue! :D Watch this space; expect some updates soon, hopefully.

By far my favourite topics on this forum are also reports of UK exploration, and I find myself a little disappointed at the apparent reluctance to post about exploration on here. I fully understand that people digging at certain sites have to be ... economical ... with how much publicity they give their projects. But equally there must be many many digs, such as those in Eldon, Tankard Shaft (when it was active) and those in Nidderdale, that don't suffer from these problems and that are great to read about on the forum.

If anyone reads this thinking they don't want to be publicising a dig in case someone else "grabs" it, consider that the initial breakthroughs down Rowter (including large pitches awaiting descent) were reported and circulated online as and when they happened with no issues whatsover...

I strongly suspect many people would enjoy more UK dig reports on here.
 

AWW

New member
I suspect that a major reason for keeping digs secret in South Wales is NRW. There is a lot of uncertainty about what would happen if some activities are brought to their attention.
 

Goydenman

Well-known member
Thank you Badlad and Mark S.
Love those photos - great
The team are our end are hopefully able to get together again and I will post reports
 

Minion

Member
AWW said:
I suspect that a major reason for keeping digs secret in South Wales is NRW. There is a lot of uncertainty about what would happen if some activities are brought to their attention.

This!

It is really stifling the spirit of exploration.
 

Dave Tyson

Member
AWW said:
I suspect that a major reason for keeping digs secret in South Wales is NRW. There is a lot of uncertainty about what would happen if some activities are brought to their attention.
Same in North Wales were there is much potential, but digging has to under the NRW radar and there are fewer people  :(

Dave
 

Leclused

Active member
Goydenman said:
I have to admit that the key reason for me joining a forum like this is to hear about exploration. To get reports of finds and hear about plans to try and get them. Don't get me wrong there is a lot of useful information however what gets my heart racing is the breakthroughs or potential breakthroughs. Is anyone willing to report on theirs? It seems ages since I read any apart from the amazing diving breakthrough at Pozul Azul.

You can follow the expeditions in the Anialarra system via the decicated FB - page https://www.facebook.com/groups/1362549833863322/

just sign up the group and you will be granted :)

The september expedition is starting as we speek. I will be joining the team next week Friday.... Yippee. Main goal will be the further exploration of Sima Regalo, Sima Antartica (if not blocked with ice and snow) and Sima de la Babossa
 

Goydenman

Well-known member
Leclused said:
Goydenman said:
I have to admit that the key reason for me joining a forum like this is to hear about exploration. To get reports of finds and hear about plans to try and get them. Don't get me wrong there is a lot of useful information however what gets my heart racing is the breakthroughs or potential breakthroughs. Is anyone willing to report on theirs? It seems ages since I read any apart from the amazing diving breakthrough at Pozul Azul.

You can follow the expeditions in the Anialarra system via the decicated FB - page https://www.facebook.com/groups/1362549833863322/

just sign up the group and you will be granted :)

The september expedition is starting as we speek. I will be joining the team next week Friday.... Yippee. Main goal will be the further exploration of Sima Regalo, Sima Antartica (if not blocked with ice and snow) and Sima de la Babossa

Thanks Leclused
 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Personally I am not sure how a reluctance to publish new bits of cave here can be justified. Sadly " Our Gang " at Vurley have a total ban on publicity even via club magazines. That's not to say we have found anything significant having spent months getting back to where we left off before the shaft collapsed. Mendip can be a bit secretive but one has to be aware that most of the digs are on private farm land. I can say that the digs in Reservoir Hole are currently mothballed as most of The Tuesday Diggers are at Vurley.

I rather think Magic Smoke Dig is the most promising now. Here are massive scallops directly above the dig.



North Choke in Withyhill was abandoned over Winter. Two of us were working there but it would need shoring which is not practical in Withyhill.



The big shaft at Cannington near Bridgwater is still open as far as I know. It drops some 40m to deep water and has not been descended yet I believe. The Quarry
Company are still working that corner and wont respond to visit requests. They will leave it open and have a 15m work exclusion area around it. The shaft sits under a low col between two peaks on the hill right on the working boundary. It would be too dangerous to descend in it's current state due to a boulder slope which sits above the pitch. Unfortunately you cant quite look down the main shaft.

 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
The shaft drops to the local water table and the water sounds quite deep. It is formed an a baryte fault. ( The fenced off section in the photo ).
 

Goydenman

Well-known member
The Old Ruminator said:
The shaft drops to the local water table and the water sounds quite deep. It is formed an a baryte fault. ( The fenced off section in the photo ).

very interesting, Amazing feature. Be great when eventually access given and we get to hear more. You photos are always great keep them coming thanks so much
 

Goydenman

Well-known member
Secrecy of digs in our area would be counter productive as we can never get enough diggers. So we are always open about our digs try to encourage people to come once, now and again or regularly. We have and still do offer people (eg the Uni clubs to take on digs in the system for themselves) such as the potential to find a large long abandoned route on the eastern flank.

I have been encouraged with the responses so far to this thread thanks guys. I will make sure I continue to let you all know how digs are progressing in Nidderdale. Wish I found posting the pictures easier, if I'm honest such a faff, as love to see photos and videos. Our next planned dig is Sept 16th in which we need a minimum of 6 people to make it viable. Easy dig heading from Guscott pot towards Bridge hall of Goyden pot. So far we have 2 people and a possible third......oh for more people interested in digging.....
 

Alex

Well-known member
We  (BRCC) extended a small hole to a reasonable cave in Northumberland. Won't spoil it here though, we plan to put something in descent next edition hopefully.
 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Another reason for so little here might be the conflict with other media as suggested in the last post. That, and of course, doing the job in a more acceptable long term way in a club journal. Both the North Choke, Withyhill and Castle Hill Quarry ( Cannington ) Shaft were written up in the Chelsea journal before they were mentioned here. Anyway as I am now getting bored with posts on Crow ( sic ), BCA politics, underage cavers and secretive Welsh cave entrances here are a couple more recent dig related photos --

North Choke around the time a big boulder fell on Nigel as he was drilling it.



The drill saved his hands from being squashed. Yup. That's when we abandoned the project. In most caves you could drag in scaffolding but not here. Anyhow two digging days a week were killing me --


North Choke would have bypassed Priceless Grotto seen here. A draughting choke lies beyond.



Nigel at North Choke base camp.



Minor injuries sustained in North Choke.





No we were not fighting !
 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Digging in the approach passage to North Choke.





The Shaft at Cannington was found by somebody examining baryte veins and entered in The Mendip Cave Registry as Castle Hill Quarry Shaft last year.

This long view shows the entrance just behind the middle digger.



The depth to the local water table is an estimate as a steep and very loose boulder slope drops into a roomy chamber. Boulders rolled down this go around a corner and make a long drop with a booming sound into deep water. It would need a lot of work in full view of the quarry offices to make this safe. At the moment the lower benches are being removed with a 15m zone left intact at the entrance. The quarry will move away from here to a new extension at the quarry entrance ( As per planning application posted on line ).

Castle Hill as seen from the seaward side. Extraction is curtailed by an ancient hill fort on the high point.
The earlier, very large, chamber known as Jackdaw Cave would have been near the centre some 200m East of the shaft. The history of that appeared in Descent.



Clearly Castle Hill Quarry Shaft is important from a geological point of view having formed in a baryte vein and ending in deep water with the possibility of further large chambers similiar to Jackdaw Cave. The original explorers of Jackdaw Cave found an intact aurochs skull ( now in Bridgwater museum )and a large talus cone was never properly investigated.
Still you have to tread carefully with quarry owners. My wife's cousin manages one near Bristol airport. I asked him if they ever found any caves or shafts. He said that they did and were filled in imediately for H and S reasons. I asked if I could look at any new ones and he said not bloody likely so there you are.

Castle Hill Quarry Co don't encourage visitors either.



There are cameras as people pinching diesel and causing damage have been a problem. We shall have to wait for an invitation.



 
Top