Moss

bograt

bograt

Active member
Back in the day, Dave Penney attempted a solo surface dig in Cowlow Nick to get through here. I suspect more serious permission would have to be sought now, it is on Duchy land.
 
S

Scud

Member
bograt said:
Back in the day, Dave Penney attempted a solo surface dig in Cowlow Nick to get through here. I suspect more serious permission would have to be sought now, it is on Duchy land.
Click to expand...

I can remember a trip that I had up their about eight years ago. Halfway between Moss Chamber and Anniversary Hall, there was a dead rabbit so this rabbit must have somehow found a way in, fallen down Anniversary Aven then made its way partway along the passage toward Moss Chamber before laying down to die. Anniversary Aven is very near Middlebank Pot, below it and south of it.

Was it Middlebank Pot that Dave Penny was digging in the 70's?
 
danthecavingman

danthecavingman

Member
I would have thought so, there is little separating the two sites, but the whole area is dangerously loose. The choke beneath the balcony would be a lead well worth pushing as it is on Faucet Rake, downstream of the Bottomless Pit but well upstream of Russet Well. Also heading straight beneath Moss Chamber. No way it could be dug from Peak Entrance though....

D.
 
Rob

Rob

Well-known member
Scud said:
...so this rabbit must have somehow found a way in, fallen down Anniversary Aven then made its way partway along the passage toward Moss Chamber before laying down to die...
Click to expand...
First rabbit able to fly. No way a rabit could climb up the balcony!
 
pwhole

pwhole

Well-known member
Just to bump this last bit - regarding Middle Bank Pot - after asking many, many people (and the most likely helpers being no longer with us), a bit of an update and a plea for more info. After chatting with Dave Penney a while ago, it appears that he was actually digging out one of the backfilled shafts in the floor of Middle Bank Gully, below the shakehole, and that it went about 3m to bedrock, so he had pretty much given up. PB Smith was digging in the shakehole itself, but I'm unclear whether this was simultaneously done with Dave's dig. Whatever, it appears that the Duchy got wind of it, and that given that the shakehole dig wasn't exactly safe nor sound, told them (together or separately I'm not sure) in no uncertain terms to pack it in. If anyone knows more, or can clarify (or contradict) what's already noted above, please pipe up.

The reference in COPD appeared in the early 80s I gather, and has remained unchanged ever since. It would be nice to be able to update it one day, especially given where it is... ;)
 
alastairgott

alastairgott

Well-known member
Pwhole, I think you may have been better starting a new topic on this one and including a link to the original topic. The topic is 5 years old and there's 4 posts from people who are sadly no longer with us.

But still, better to get the information out where people can see it, it is a very interesting and mostly blank hillside. But then again, so is the Maskhill hillside west of Maskhill.
 
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