Portland Caves

[portlandcaver]

is it a small crack in the floor of the passage next to the right hand wall after concrete corner? i will have a look while im in there! thanks for the reply 

 

[zaphod79]

Yes that sounds familiar, let me know if you don't find it, and I can show you at Christmas.

 

[portlandcaver]

i still haven't been, my friends keep on dithcing due to availibility problems, i would really like to do this again, i have been through the letterbox once, as a child with woec, but would like to do it again, when are you planning on coming down for christmas?

 

[AberSteve]

Portlandcaver - I've PM'd you re: caving this winter.

 

[portlandcaver]

just got back from doing flagpole through trip, and i cant see any blockage in allotment dig any more we went right through, well i say right through but that squeeze was a bit of a bugger. had an amazing time doing this and cant understand why more people don't do portland anymore

 

[Mixmif]

After following this post I thought I would take a trip down to Portland to have an explore. I found 2 obvious caves on the cliff face behind the prison. One with a concrete path leading to it, and the other slightly further South with some small rail track sticking out the entrance.
Would anybody be able to name these for me?
Some grid refs for any others in the area would be greatly received
All the best
Mick.

 

[reforma]

Hey would love some info on portland caves, ie how many, where and what to expect. would love to do some this summer possibly. thanks

 

[W82Matt]

I believe that the cave with the tracks is known as 'Flagpole'  It has a couple of other entrances further around the cliff as well.  WOEC the local Outdoor centre use it I think.

 

[Ed W]

Mixmif,

The one with the concrete path is probably "Kiddie's Cave" - there's not a lot to it, the one with the railway is Allotment Dig - which does connect with Flagpole (and Guano Rift and Skittle Alley Rift too).

Ed

 

[Mixmif]

Thanks for the responses. I believe a through trip can be done. Do you exit somewhere different, or on the same cliff face, but a different opening?

 

[Ed W]

Mixmif,

Through trips can be done between the Allotment Dig, Guano Rift, Flagpole Rift and Skittle Alley entrances via a network of slip rift passages (Alloment Dig is the only "conventional" solutionally formed part of the system).  All of the entrances lie along Grove Cliff below the road past the Young Offenders Institution.

Ed

 

[zaphod79]

I read on the forum that there has been a problem with allotment dig, and a possible collapse preventing the through trip to flag pole.

 

[Ed W]

Zaphod, I understand that the "collapse" has now been cleared.

Ed

 

[portlandcaver]

yeah went right the way through on christmas eve, a good trip with a few small but tight squeezes the last one out to alotment is the worst of it.

 

[zaphod79]

Hmmm might be worth a trip down again then.  I still want to do a second through trip of Blacknor to Sandy Hole.

Has anyone done the rift drop lately above sandy hole in the quarry, and exited from sandy hole?

 

[ianspaintpot]

Has any one explored the rift that  has been uncovered in the wall perryfield quarry.
I have looked it it and it looks like it has a dog leg at end.
It is a high rift about 2-3ft wide with a 4-5 feet drop at entrance which is at bed level with the quarry.
I think it is not going to be there much longer as they are getting short for space and blasting ever nearer.
I would like to here any comments on this one.
I think it could be a new one lads.

Ian

 

[TomSouthCoast]

If anyone is going Caving in the area any time soon and doesn't mind taking a relative newbie, then please drop me a line!

I've done roughly a dozen trips in the mendips, but thought it might be nice to do something that doesn't involve a 4 hour driving round trip!

 

[AberSteve]

I will be back down for a couple of weeks from this Wednesday if you wanted to go exploring.

To my knowledge the blockage in allotment dig still remains, I started clearing it over Easter but then had some surgery which left me out of action for a while.


As for the through trip from the quarry to sandys, I have a couple of bolts I was going to put into the entrance as the old ones were removed by someone a while ago.

 

[AberSteve]

I had a good look in allotment dig today and even started clearing it again but it needs a couple of people with a bucket.  One person in Guano rift digging and the other in allotment with the bucket.  There is space just back from the squeeze at the top to put spoil but it is very hard going as I found out today.

If anyone does fancy getting in there and digging some more be very careful of the upper section of the squeeze where the smaller hole is as there is a lot of stuff up there being held up by not a great deal.

Definitely take a digging implement, horrible gunky stuff with large stones mixed in.

Through trip from Skittle Alley to Guano rift is unaffected by this collapse.