MikeK
Active member
Many of you may have heard about this dig going on, or even seen it passing by. The site is next to a public walkway and roadside,so even if kept quiet it wouldn't go unnoticed...The land it is on however is private! The landowner has been kind enough to allow us to dig here, their request is that the site is visited by none other than the known digging team and anyone assisting them...If this is ignored the site could be shut down! One of the most promising mendip digs currently I believe and massive potential for a great system to be dicovered and enjoyed by all, also the potential to reveal alot more about the hydrology of the area. Anyone ignoring these pleas could be ruining it for alot of people. Of course if you want to get involveddo the just thing and contact the diggers..we're open to having as much help as we can get.
The aim of this post is not to 'show off' but to provide you with an up to date account of the going ons.
Happy digging and bear in mind what we do this for, to find caves and get people caving
I want to keep this short and to the point as much as possible:
Whilst digging with the ATLAS team at Rock Farm I expressed some intrest in Crosse Swallet, Rich Witcombe pointed me in Tuska's direction as he'd look at this in the past also. Tuska was able to provide me contact details for the landowner. Things were looking good until the landowner became unwell, I didn't want to bother the fmaily anymore. This is when Tuska asked me if I wanted to dig 'Tuska's Last/The Last', it was the last concrete pipe shaft he ever put in on mendips (2016). I'd heard about this site through Duncan Simey some years ago, and instantly it felt meant to be..It was on! There used to be a lake in the field when the depression was there, this reportedly whirlpooled into the nether world. The neighbours close by have reported hearing a large volume of water deep under there house in very wet weather. The site is also on a dry valley with alot of fault action, with the pipes put in about 15ft from the cliff edge, where the dip and strike meet.
From here on I'll just ply you with pictures and videos with brief descriptions:
Tuska figuring out the best place to start digging down.
Dave Speed in the digger made hole.
Recovering the dig December 2021
The 15ft of pipe was capped with 4 sleepers, Wayne S in picture
Setting up the winch and frame, Mike and Tuska
Connecting the ladder and frame to the pipes.
All set up and ready to winch
Probaly about 10ft below the pipes. Using only plug and feathers and cementing down through the boulders, always had a draught from the start. Photo took by Chris Williams.
Lovely waterworn rock
18/04/22 Quite alot of spoil coming out now, modifications made to frame as our new neighbours had a tendancy to move the winch about.
That's my limit for photos, I'll continue the thread...
The aim of this post is not to 'show off' but to provide you with an up to date account of the going ons.
Happy digging and bear in mind what we do this for, to find caves and get people caving

I want to keep this short and to the point as much as possible:
Whilst digging with the ATLAS team at Rock Farm I expressed some intrest in Crosse Swallet, Rich Witcombe pointed me in Tuska's direction as he'd look at this in the past also. Tuska was able to provide me contact details for the landowner. Things were looking good until the landowner became unwell, I didn't want to bother the fmaily anymore. This is when Tuska asked me if I wanted to dig 'Tuska's Last/The Last', it was the last concrete pipe shaft he ever put in on mendips (2016). I'd heard about this site through Duncan Simey some years ago, and instantly it felt meant to be..It was on! There used to be a lake in the field when the depression was there, this reportedly whirlpooled into the nether world. The neighbours close by have reported hearing a large volume of water deep under there house in very wet weather. The site is also on a dry valley with alot of fault action, with the pipes put in about 15ft from the cliff edge, where the dip and strike meet.
From here on I'll just ply you with pictures and videos with brief descriptions:
Tuska figuring out the best place to start digging down.
Dave Speed in the digger made hole.
Recovering the dig December 2021
The 15ft of pipe was capped with 4 sleepers, Wayne S in picture
Setting up the winch and frame, Mike and Tuska
Connecting the ladder and frame to the pipes.
All set up and ready to winch
Probaly about 10ft below the pipes. Using only plug and feathers and cementing down through the boulders, always had a draught from the start. Photo took by Chris Williams.
Lovely waterworn rock
18/04/22 Quite alot of spoil coming out now, modifications made to frame as our new neighbours had a tendancy to move the winch about.
That's my limit for photos, I'll continue the thread...