Bradwell Dale cave clean-up - 9/10 February 08

JB

JB

Member
There's going to be a Bradwell Dale cave clean-up on the weekend of 9th and 10th February and it would be great to get a few people along. The plan is to have a tidy up around Bradwell Parish Cave, Walker's Grotto and Bagshawe Cavern. Natural England have kindly provided a skip and we just need to provide the cavers. In no particular order we will be:

  • clearing litter from Bradwell Parish Cave and Walker's Grotto
  • clearing litter and stuff from the surface around Bagshawe Cavern
  • removing old junk from the Bagshawe Cavern mine workings
  • stripping the old showcave lights out of Bagshawe Cavern

We'll need people throughout the weekend so pop along with caving kit and decent gloves whenever you can. The early-risers will be meeting at Bagshawe at 9:00 a.m. on the Saturday morning. We'll be in the White Hart in Bradwell in the evening and if anyone wants to make a weekend of it bring a big sleeping bag and a stove and you can crash in the Coe at Bagshawe.

Various Eldon members will be around over the weekend for tours of Bagshawe Cavern. Any questions/suggestions etc. get in touch.

Cheers,
Jules.
 
danthecavingman

danthecavingman

Member
Jules,

Just out of interest, who controls the access to Walkers Grotto? There was discussion many years back about it being a potential way into the Dowse Hole - Bradwell streamway. I heard that back in the eighties during a flood, a lake formed in the bottom of the chamber. A quantity of fluorescein was put in and fifteen minutes later Bradda Brook was bright green. There was talk of people digging the choke in the floor which came to an abrupt end when they were shotgunned  out by an irate farmer.....

Any more info?

Dan.
 
Pitlamp

Pitlamp

Well-known member
Dan - the lake forms in that chamber fairly often in flood conditions. There were one or two folks around in the TSG in the late 80s who had a go at that choke before deciding it wanted a really good effort to deal with properly. They were planning a big job but they dropped off the scene before doing it. You might have a look at hut logbooks though? I seem to remember that there have been some problems with the farmer; even local hardman Tony Revell wasn't always in his good books.

TSG Journal 14 (pages 4 - 7) contains some notes on these lower Bradwell Dale caves, together with surveys of Bradwell Cave (high in the cliff), Bradwell Parish Cave and Bradwell Dave Cave (= Walkers' Grotto). Notes on the latter cave include brief mention of the potential of that floor dig but do not give detail of any dye test. It may be mentioned in John Beck's PhD thesis though? Worth asking him.

Another useful reference is BSA Cave Science 5 (36) pages 179 - 181 (Pete Crabtree's 1964 notes on the same area).

Hope this helps.
 
graham

graham

New member
Jules

Sorry to add to your burden but if you are stripping out stuff from Bagshawe that might be of archaeological interest (and that could include the show cave lighting stuff) can you ensure that it is at least recorded before being removed?
 
SamT

SamT

Moderator
Hi

Hope to be able to help on the saturday JB. Will have to enter negotiations with SWHMBO.

As for Grahams concerns - indeed - its already been discussed. We plan to leave a number of the old lights and signs insitue - its mainly the big black plastic (rather unsightly) power cabling that we want to remove.

Not sure who the Land owner is for Walkers Grotto - but if its the same guy that owns the land for Burton Pingles - there have been problems with access in the last few years. (I think it was Burton Pingles anyway - weren't you involved with a "confrontation" along with Jim Lister and JT)

 
Rob

Rob

Well-known member
Yer, i could prob be up for summut on the saturday. Keep us in the loop  (y)
 
T

T pot 1

Guest
Land owners for Walkers Grotto are  Ernest & Tony Roawarth at Hazelbadge farm Bradwell, best of luck for access

T pot
 
D

DARBY

Guest
Hopefully the Eldon lads clean up of Bradwell dale may go someway to repairing this rift, Dam good cause i am hopefully going to help i think as many of us as poss should get behind JB and the eldon lads on this one it can only be for the better. We all know what the hills around brada hold i am pretty sure this project will go a long way in showing how committed we all are to the sport and its impact on the Local people and there local countryside and what local cavers are prepared to do to preserve this. Well done chaps (but i do know somebody who has a bullet proof vest to hire, not sure how good it would be against a 12 bore)
 
SamT

SamT

Moderator
As you say mr sherpa - a good cause, and I cant imagine the land owners can have much complaint about people tiding up their land.

JB - have you or Wayne been in touch with the land owners (Ernest & Tony Roawarth at Hazelbadge farm Bradwell)
A courtesey call can go a long way in caver/farmer relations. Especially when they are already 'delicate' shall we say.

The caves are SSSI's and that is the reason English Nature are paying for the skips and encouraging the clean up.
this has reminded me - we never did do anything about stabalising/gating the entrance to the lead smelting flue that runs up Bradwell dale. As far as I know - the collapse that revealled it was just left. So many projects - so little time.  :( (perhaps one for PDHMS).


 
SamT

SamT

Moderator
By the way - looking good on the man power front.

Andy Norman should be there saturday - possibly with a few extra helpers from barnsley.

Nick and Zak williams have poffered interest.

Rob?? - any help from the SUSS lot.

CaveSherpa??

I hope to be there on saturday - I imagine JT and JB will be too.
 
Rob

Rob

Well-known member
It's a SUSS end-of-exams weeekend in the dales and they got a permit for some small cave up there (is it GG?), so probably most will go to that, but i'll send an email around and ask at the meet tonight.
 
D

DARBY

Guest
Hopefully it looks i can get, may even bring my bacon buttie shack and shit loads a t (on me of course) in aid of a good cause.
 
Rob

Rob

Well-known member
I could bring my camera as well, to document and prove the sterling work :)

(not to get me out of all the hard labour of course, oh no!)
 
nickwilliams

nickwilliams

Well-known member
JB,

Are we going to need any tools?

Angle grinder perhaps?
gas axe?
LandRover and trailer?
gurt big hammer?
shovel?

Not that the job site is a million miles away from Mission Control if we do get there and fine we need something, of course!
 
Pitlamp

Pitlamp

Well-known member
Ah, brilliant - I knew we could trust inspector Gadget to get the toys out!

Seriously though, well done for organising this. I can't offer any direct help as I'm working both days but it's great that it's happening. Best of luck folks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top