Lost Cheddar 'lake'

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truescrumpy

Guest
A chat at the local when a subject came up about the 'lost cheddar lake'.
The story goes that there was a cave up the gorge that had steps down to the lake where the old woman collected their water.
So is it a myth or could there be some truth in it.  :-\
 
C

chriscastle46

Member
There are no steps in Saye's Hole; there is no room for them in the crawl to the sump.
It sounds as though someone had been reading about the Lost Cave of Cheddar and got confused. Dave Irwin makes a convincing case for this being Wookey Hole, which was in the old manor of Cheddar in the 12th century.
 
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truescrumpy

Guest
Thanks for info, but if one thought about it, that however much Dave Irwin :tease: makes a convinicing case for this being Wookey Hole, also that it could be Saye's Hole or Gough's old cave because it is a obvious case at the present time. But what's if it not any of the above but an independent undiscovered cave? :eek:
On the North side of the Gorge (National Trust) is can i say ... possibilty potentials, also has ever anyone considered this, there was an infamous Roman Villa in the grounds of Cheddar School ...but where was the stream? a long way from the the villa. :mad: Well that doesn't seems to me the Roman's way of doing things surely they would have a ready supply of water instead of getting it! :-\
Which gets back to this point... Can anyone actually confirm that the present route of the Cheddar river has not changed in say 1000 years since romans times.  8)
 
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chriscastle46

Member
There is no Roman Villa in the school at Cheddar; the foundations of a Royal Saxon Palace are there which is why the school is called Kings of Wessex. There is apparently one under the churchyard, Cap'n Chris may know more. There would be no need for a nearby stream as wells would be dug.

Anyway, back to the question. Sayes Hole has a crawl to the water and Goughs Old Cave is much higher up the cliff and did not go far until Gough banged into it in the late 19th Century.

A hope was long held out that the resurgence was enterable before the ground was made up, but when Sump 1 (from Lloyd Hall downstream) was dived it was found to be 24m deep. However - it is not impossible that there is a high-level passage.
 
cap n chris

cap n chris

Well-known member
I think it's the draught which gives it away. That, and the mosquitos and bones which have come in from the surface.....
 
Hughie

Hughie

Active member
There's a lot of diggers biding their time - waiting for the opportunity to attack a particular site in there.
 
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Tree Monkey

Guest
Its all very well talking about it!  o_O  But get out there and get your permission and start digging!

The race is on to get or find the Cheddar Master System! :eek: :eek:

The MCG have made ahead start!  Only 2 miles to Cheddar now! :eek: (y)
 
whitelackington

whitelackington

New member
:)
When is the splendid windlass over "Old Farts Dig" going to be utilized,
if it is a winter dig, I can confirm, exciting Manor Farm Swallet @ just gone 1800hours last evening, it bloody felt like winter! :yucky:
 
cap n chris

cap n chris

Well-known member
whitelackington said:
:)
When is the splendid windlass over "Old Farts Dig" going to be utilized,
if it is a winter dig, I can confirm, exciting Manor Farm Swallet @ just gone 1800hours last evening, it bloody felt like winter! :yucky:
Click to expand...

You did a 7hr trip in Manor Farm or was it a delayed start?
 
whitelackington

whitelackington

New member
Rather a delayed start, my mate Carl Ruxton,
an ex-M.C.G.Upper Flood Swallet digger from thirty years ago has recently become a born again caver, so in two visits to Mister Jarratts Emporium he has doled out in excess of £400, he now sports a new oversuit, fleece, knee pads, long wet socks, carbon fibre helmet, lithium battery, charger and 14 led headlight with xtra bright main beam halogen bulb, for aven spotting, new belt and krab.
He will be keeping this gear for the time being in the boot of his car, so his wife doesn't know how much he has spent out of the motgage money!
There were only three of us and for Richard Elsbury, other than The Hanover chalk mine and several Carcass cave digging trips, this was his first ever proper cave, Mendip's third deepest, I belive.
The combined age of us three was 162.
Biff was going to come but was too busy, if he had our combined age would have been greatly in exces of 200.
So yes we did take our time.
Folrences bathtub was botttomed, still I belive the lwest part of the cave, we also followed some bang wire for a considerable distance to a fresh heap of blown up rocks, methinks persons unknown are attempting to backdoor a way into U.F.S.
Very good luck to them (y)
 
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