Bos Swallet, rallying for help.

mikekushy

Active member
Hi, we're looking for some assistance in Bos swallet on Burrington if anyone is interested.

The dig is looking interesting, there's a black draughting hole at the bottom of a steep rift about 2m ahead with a phreatic tube coming in vertically and directly above it.

So I'm available most evenings and super keen to push on with it, there's also a stack of staged spoil to clear and plenty of wall building (so it's not a sit around twiddling your thumbs dig).

If you're intrigued and would like to get involved send me a Pm.

Regards, Mike.
 

mrodoc

Well-known member
If we weren't involved in our current project I would be happy to lend a hand. I prefer daytime though as I live an hour's drive from Mendip and I am getting older!
 

mikekushy

Active member
mrodoc said:
If we weren't involved in our current project I would be happy to lend a hand. I prefer daytime though as I live an hour's drive from Mendip and I am getting older!

Thanks Pete. Will keep that in mind, busy with work currently so daytimes aren't too good for me.

If you fancy a look though, be our guest...plenty of stone wall building to do and spoil to clear out ;) please just be mindful of the wire left in situ.

Best mention its not a long way jn but the exit is very strenuous as it is a steep cave as mentioned.
 

PeteHall

Moderator
mikekushy said:
Best mention its not a long way jn but the exit is very strenuous

I'll second that! It's an absolute twat on the way out and not for the large-framed either.

There's presumably a reason nobody spotted the open black hole behind a boulder for 30 years  :LOL:

It's a great prospect though, the cave has a larger historic catchment than the other caves up there (Bath, Rod's, Drunkard's) and a stronger draught, but it's currently the smallest of the lot.  (y)

As Kushy says, plenty to do and the dig can work with between 2 and 5 people at the moment, so don't be shy  :dig:
 

PeteHall

Moderator
Good session last night (though I may have broken the tip of my finger :cry: ), we even have some formations in the roof now.

Pictures to follow when I get home and plug in the camera.
 

tomferry

Well-known member
If I lived more local  I would be their helping each night I could , sadly I am to far away !!
 

mikekushy

Active member
Tomferry said:
If I lived more local  I would be their helping each night I could , sadly I am to far away !!

Let us know when you are om the 'dips Tom and maybe we can arrange something? :)

Mike.
 

cap n chris

Well-known member
PeteHall said:
mikekushy said:
Best mention its not a long way jn but the exit is very strenuous

I'll second that! It's an absolute twat on the way out and not for the large-framed either.

If it's a proper long term goer then make the commute less energy-sapping.
 

PeteHall

Moderator
Cap'n Chris said:
If it's a proper long term goer then make the commute less energy-sapping.

The commute in is easy as it's downhill and it's always going to be high energy on the way out as it's steep uphill.

Widening the constriction at the bottom of the entrance ramp would make it more accessible to larger cavers, but it's always going to be slippery due to the organic matter that runs in from the shake hole, so it's hard to know what would actually improve it that much.

We had suggested a day improving the entrance,  but so far, it's not got beyond a suggestion...

The other constriction is onto the pitch-head, but this is nicely formed cave, so it would a shame to destroy that for the sake of a thrutch on the way out.

You are right though, if it's too much of a twat, it will sap enthusiasm for the dig in the long term.
 

PeteHall

Moderator
Here are a couple of photos from Thursday night.

First is looking down from the temporary spoil dump, just below the point where we entered the new extension.

The second is in the roof above a narrow descending rift at the far end of the cave.
 

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PeteHall

Moderator
Nice to see a new face on the digging team last night, but still plenty to do for at least 2 more before it starts getting crowded.  (y)

Below photo: mixing cement and stone walling towards the end of the evening.
 

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PeteHall

Moderator
Probably about 10-12m since the initial breakthrough, but we're unlikely to survey it before we enter the mastercave next week.  ;)
 

PeteHall

Moderator
Two sessions in a row with three diggers and a new face on the team. Can we make it 3 in a row? Wednesday night anybody?  :dig:
 

PeteHall

Moderator
Other projects have diverted attention from Bos, but I was down there last night for a tourist trip with the Cheddar.

While waiting for one of the team to extract himself from the top of the 2nd pitch, we noticed a small hole leading off at floor level. 5 minutes work with bare hands and a small passage can be seen heading off for 5m or so. A little work with a crowbar will open this out enough to get through.

There was a decent draught coming out of it and in fact, the whole cave was pretty windy. There's definitely a lot more cave to find down there!
 
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