A fantastic weekend. A multnational and multi-club success for the Backhoe Buccaneers (the only way to resolve our digging disputes of yesteryear was to form a new club).
We began this dig back halfway through university, and if we'd just gone once a week we'd have broken through in 2015 I reckon! Ah well, we know what's on the other side now...
Saturday was a spritely affair, with fresher Merryn on her first digging trip, Ethan too - though he's a "born again" fresher, having spent time with SUSS a few years ago before being distracted by climbing. It happens to the best of us! Merryn had a very successful shift, having agreed to dig out 5 kibbles, she went on to do 15 or so in the end. Hannah was a machine on the hauling line for which we are very grateful. Ethan did his bit on the kibble too, not complaining one bit, and he brought a fantastic picnic along - a shame we didn't drink the wine though. Will got mud in his eye and tried to lick it out, unsuccessfully, but it was entertaining.
P8 Breakthrough Dig 2 by
tommypmoore, on Flickr
The variance in mud quality in the bottom of the dig is superb, from gloopy clay to wet slop to dry sand. It seemed as soon as you clear the wet stuff away you're just kneeling right back in it again.
Whilst having my turn at the face, something odd happened: lots of dry sandy material flowed down the face into the dig. I heaved on a boulder with the crowbar a little more and sure enough, more sandy soil flowed down. I thought it may have been a pocket in the ceiling that had remained uncompacted, but the amount and it's readiness to flow into the dig was staggering, I assumed we had hit a small crossrift.
But no, moments later, things were sounding different, almost like there was a chamber beyond! Making my ridiculous but trademarked "cave call" I estimated the chamber to be around 3*4*5m.
With everyone now tired and wanting to go home, and knowing we had some work to do before getting through "proper", we left it for the day, besides - we had cheese boards and boards games waiting in Sheffield.
P8 Breakthrough Dig 1 by
tommypmoore, on Flickr
Sunday was more determined and significantly less rambunctious. However, it was well worth fighting the gritting caving gear back on to our cheese-swollen bodies.
Botch and I sped off ahead to calibrate the Eldon Disto, after some typical bluetooth challenges we got a suitable setup and were off to the dig, now with Ethan and Will alongside.
Botch had first dig, with me jockeying the kibbles, and Ethan and Will hauling.
Botch was certain he could get through the gap, but we knew this from yesterday, and I reminded him he didn't want to be buried alive on his back in the arse end of P8, and we should stabilise the breakthrough slope first.
When I went to have a look, I realised that a lot of the loose stuff had slumped away, and Botch was right; fitting through was a trivial affair. Stood up in the new aven (2*3*4m - close!) I could see a continuation passage beyond, and the same stable conglomerate mud on the right wall, as with the other side of the dig - perhaps we could have come round the side or from above?
I figured this move could be interpreted as bad form, so slid back out, let Botch finish the digging, and he went to look into the continuation passage.
He was happy with his findings but was deterred by thick mud, returning to bring the group through. Meanwhile I leapfrogged his limit, over the mud, and found a tight squeeze leading up into a passage, rather similar to one on the way in to the dig from T'Owd Man's Rift, 3m diameter, and half filled with a muddy hump. Pushing mud forwards and to the sides super man style with my helmet off proved to be strenuous after 20 mins of so, and with the complaints of dillydallying from Botch and Will (who just wanted to survey what we'd found so far), I let Botch go through the squeeze to keep us all moving.
Botch pissed about for a little bit, giving the concluding chamber its name -
"Golden Dreams", and we came out to grab the Disto. We found Ethan and Will sharing a bin bag and thus dubbed this short but momentus extension to P8 -
"Bin Bag Passage". Located some 14m above the Sump B/C/D area and heading north, we are definitely in the old development in from
Bin Bag Passage Plan by
tommypmoore, on Flickr
Bin Bag Passage Elevation by
tommypmoore, on Flickr
Bin Bag Passage Animation by
tommypmoore, on Flickr
Getting quite cold now from the mud we flew through to survey what we had found, unfortunately I did not photograph the new find but shall return this week or next, I was acutely aware that Ethan would soon be fed up with Will's close company.
There is potential to continue digging, but of the handful of options none are easy or obvious, I suspect a day or two of prospecting would suffice to pick which one to focus on. The "too-tight" continuation has a gour/crystal pool floor and calcite ceiling heading upstream and downhill to the north-northwest (right towards Gautries

), it's mostly horizontal, ~3m wide, and around 20cm high, though I couldn't see very far (here's to hoping it opens back up immediately. When I return to photograph I'll take some draft detection apparatus.
Golden Dreams is moderately pretty, a few short straws, stals, decent flowstone etc. nothing to write home about but nice enough to find.
I'd packed some Champers in inside a wetsuit, firing the cork in true celebratory fashion somewhere into the aven before dishing out into partially shattered plastic party glasses. We hastily made a toast to passages anew before heading out as it wasn't long before one of us froze to death. Not before a few terrible selfies though.
P8 Breakthrough Dig 4 by
tommypmoore, on Flickr
P8 Breakthrough Dig 5 by
tommypmoore, on Flickr
P8 Breakthrough Dig 6 by
tommypmoore, on Flickr
P8 Breakthrough Dig 3 by
tommypmoore, on Flickr
If anyone wants to come prospecting at the rest of it and receive a guided tour, get in touch!