goatchurch drainpipe

[whitelackington]

I would never had guessed Mister Morgan,
that you were a contemporary of Mister Balch
:alien: :blink: :chair: :doubt: :halo: :icon_321:

 

[andymorgan]

Very good WL!  :bow: I am showing my age!

Ok, I recall reading an account of his in Swallet Caves and Rock Shelters, not a first hand account!!!!!

 

[whitelackington]

Do we belive him

 

[ian.p]

I had been told there are 2 long tight tube crawls in Goatchurch.  The Drainpipe & Ratrun.

The Drainpipe a long tube you can crawl down with nice black shiny walls and room to turn round in at the end (or 3 small people to sit in)
The Ratrun being a similar long tube but tighter with gravel bottom & no nice shiny walls.

Is this true as you all seem to be only talking about one tube?   

I also know the 'Vee' as the 'jack knife' (if it is the same place) and it is possibly easier up from water chamber as long as you enter it on the the correct side, left, (correct me if I am wrong Ian) and I won't be doing it again unless I have to.  :yucky:

i suspect that the rat run may be known by non fsc peopliges as the smartie tube though that could be an altegether diferent place  :-\
hmm going into the jacknife from above dont think ive ever tried going through that way however i do remember coming through the squeeze from below and turning the wrong way that was an interesting expereance ( i wouldnt recomend it ones back tends to complain..) 

 

[mrodoc]

It would be simpler if people used the nomenclature on the survey. I presume it is still available. New generations seem to give different names to the same bit of passage in popular caves.  This happened a lot in Holwell Cave.  I have always tried to stick to the surveyor's nomenclature. Baker's Pit in Devon has 1 km of passage with no published survey (Plymouth Extension) and I have never been sure where I have been in there owing to the multiplicity  of names for some of the chambers in there! However soon, I hope, there will be a new survey of the system thanks to the efforts of Chris Proctor and Keith Pearson of the DSS.

 

[graham]

Pete

Mr Binding & the UBSS are currently re-surveying Goatchurch. When we do the drawing I shall insist that we put a whole heap of different names on all teh passages.  :tease:

 

[whitelackington]

Is Goatchurch expected to be longer, after it is surveyed :-\

 

[cap n chris]

Is Goatchurch expected to be longer, after it is surveyed :-\

Yes. Considerably!

 

[whitelackington]

Good?

 

[graham]

Is Goatchurch expected to be longer, after it is surveyed :-\

Nope, it'll be exactly the same length. The length of the survey will have increased, however.

 

[Peter Burgess]

Unlike GB Main Chamber which gets bigger every time it is surveyed. 

 

[graham]

Unlike GB Main Chamber which gets bigger every time it is surveyed. 

I think you will find it is exactly the same size on the 1950, 1966 and 1983 editions of the survey. 

 

[Peter Burgess]

Well, it's more than 20 years since the last survey. Perhaps it's time for another survey in case it has grown this time round?

 

[whitelackington]

Nice one Peter

 

[andymorgan]

i suspect that the rat run may be known by non fsc peopliges as the smartie tube though that could be an altegether diferent place  :-\

I don't think Smartie Tube is an official name either. So what are people refferring to as the Ratrun and Smartie Tube? I think it could be Hellish tight?

 

[Elaine]

Nope, The Rat Run and Smartie Tube (which I was told was called the Worm Hole!) are right at the very bottom of the Water Chamber. Hellish Tight is a few feet up from the bottom on the right hand wall if you are facing downhill.

We just about managed to cram 5 of us (all adults) in the little chamber at the end of the Rat Run/Smartie Tube/Worm Hole once, which was quite fun with legs everywhere (!) and wellies in peoples faces. Unlucky for the last one in - they had to reverse out! Has anyone beaten this or have you all got better things to do?!

 

[Hughie]

Unlucky for the last one in - they had to reverse out!

The comfort of lying on a heap of bodies was worth the reverse out, as I recall.

 

[truescrumpy]

Well, it's more than 20 years since the last survey. Perhaps it's time for another survey in case it has grown this time round?

 

 

[Peter Burgess]

Tell you what, lets measure in cm and draw it up in inches. Then there will be no question of it not being the largest chamber in the UK. GB Main Chamber that is, not Grotchurch. 

 

[whitelackington]

Unlike GB Main Chamber which gets bigger every time it is surveyed. 

I think you will find it is exactly the same size on the 1950, 1966 and 1983 editions of the survey. 

I think that must be incorrect Graham.
Surely Bat Passage was not known in 1950 :-\