The Old Ruminator
Well-known member
And yet another.
Next time Skyfall
Next time Skyfall
Reservoir Hole Digging Prospects
- Thread starter The Old Ruminator
- Start date
MikeK
Active member
Tom C that led the climb up Pulsation actually, and his climbing property is still in thereThe last virgin cave passages in Reservoir Hole were found above the Pulsation Aven series. From wallowing in Jill's Slither Mike Kushy climbed the big aven to enter a well decorated chamber at the top. Ladders were rigged for the two aged visitors. Traversing across the next aven and an awkward uphill squeeze led to more passage . Some beyond a choke and going up hill to another loose choke. At this point it was realised that the most likely connection beyond the choke was a hole in the floor in High Country. All being in the same fault. That if connected would be a massive short cut to High Country avoiding TFD. A stream down the wall in H C is likely the one in Pulsation Aven. Possibly not a good idea so digging was halted though no survey was down or trial voice link. Some side passages might lead elsewhere.
Peter Glanvill and I went along to do the photos. I was ill with the flu so Peter was cameraman. His camera had a flat battery so I did the photos except this one of me with my camera by Peter. Here an un named junction in the new unsurveyed area.
Tom Chapman
New member
Thanks for the reminder Mike - I was thinking it looked familiar ....!Tom C that led the climb up Pulsation actually, and his climbing property is still in there
Chris Binding was with me on the day that we climbed it and indeed it was entirely at his suggestion that we did it.
I'm pretty sure and hopefully Chris will be able to confirm that Willie Stanton had actually technically beaten us to it !
If I remember correctly there was his trade mark WI signature in carbide at the top lip of the main Pulsation Aven ! Getting out of the top of Pulsation into the rising passage above, would have required a pretty desperate unprotected move for Willie, so I think he probably didn't enter the passage. There were certainly no boot marks or other signs of it being visited before Chris and myself. I'd actually not climbed Pulsation Aven directly, I noticed an adjacent aven that looked much easier, climbed that into the start of the rising passage above and then climbed down to head of Pulsation.
And thank you OR for putting all this information together, hopefully one day soon after a lot of hard work on both sides of the access standoff we'll get back and following your hardwork, explore more of the Cheddar Master Cave !
MikeK
Active member
I think you're thinking of a different part of the cave...possibly Topless aven?
It was you, me and atti when we climbed and put the ladder down. Then I went on and put the traverse line in. We discovered a very old sling with Karabiner, they must have free climbed the part of Puslation aven that has water flowing down it possibly. Everything above that was then dug into
cap n chris
Well-known member
I free climbed climbed Topless Aven with Bruce Blagden watching aghast, obviously the trailing rope was helpful for the return but there were no belays en route to the top, yikes; subsequently it was surveyed by Andrew Atkinson and Clive North (IIRC) - I've got some video of that. Tom C wasn't in on the Topless Aven gig. I'd been up Pulsation before until it crapped out at a choss/stal false floor near the roof of the easier climb; anything across from there would have been done by Tom C cos he's waaay braver than I. And cleverer; I'm just a stoopid.I think you're thinking of a different part of the cave...possibly Topless aven?
It was you, me and atti when we climbed and put the ladder down. Then I went on and put the traverse line in. We discovered a very old sling with Karabiner, they must have free climbed the part of Puslation aven that has water flowing down it possibly. Everything above that was then dug into
Edit it: found it...
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cap n chris
Well-known member
Yes, correct.
MikeK
Active member
Ah cool. I hadn't realised this
I remember when we did this traverse across and found that sling/krab we were a bit weirded out because traversing across the top of that without a rope is incredible (I remember thinking).
Reservoir Hole could do with its own book it seems, maybe that would be a positive step towards getting it reopened aswell? If the owners can see how active it has been and still was then it may appeal to them more?!
The Old Ruminator
Well-known member
Looking at Willie's logs Peter thinks that he never went up Pulsation he left it to others. Anyway I am surpised MK had not heard of Peter's remarkable book. A good description in UBSS as well. I got Peter's book hard bound with gold lettering. I kid you not.
David Rose
Active member
Why is access closed at Reservoir at the moment?
cap n chris
Well-known member
Minutes of Annual General Meeting - Saturday 19th May 2018
Approved 15 Sept 2018
Page 2 of 11
6 Conservation & access officer's report Les Williams
6.1 Access to caves on land owned by Longleat Enterprises Ltd.
A summary of the negotiations between CSCC and Longleat Estates was read out
This is included at the end of these minutes in Appendix 1.
The Agreement has been forwarded to the CSCC executive by email previously.
GM The current ‘Agreement’ is an agreement between the four named individuals and Longleat
estates Ltd. It is not an agreement between CSCC and Longleat Estates Ltd.
AB The named individuals have taken legal advice and will not be signing the agreement
because the agreement makes them and their estate personally liable.
AB CSCC therefore have two alternatives, to walk away and stop negotiating, or to go back to
Longleat Estates and try and find a solution. The proposed solution is to ask Longleat estates if it
would be possible to modify the agreement such that, the agreement would be between a ‘limited
company buy guarantee’ and Longleat Estates The CSCC named individuals have taken legal
advice and this was recommended as a way of making the named individuals, and members of
CSCC, and their estates not personally liable.
AN Asked a question at this point: The climbers have an agreement which allows them to climb
in the gorge. Why can the cavers not have a similar agreement?
AB CSCC does not know the details of the climbers agreement however is aware that climbers
must be members of BMC and would therefore be insured through BMC.
AB To investigate the agreement which the climbers have made with Longleat estates.
AB Rather than forming a limited company by guarantee, why can Longleat not just make an
agreement with CSCC which is an ‘unincorporated organisation’.
LIW Some landowners have made access agreements with ‘unincorporated organisation’, for
example, some local councils and the forestry commission. But this is a legal grey area and it
depends how literal their solicitors are going to be when interpreting the law.
LW Longleat Estates have already discounted this option by, removing all mention of CSCC
from the agreement and asking for an agreement between themselves and four named individuals.
GP Will BCA insurance not indemnify the individuals if they sign the agreement personally?
LW I have spoken to the BCA insurance officer and BCA will indemnify both the individuals or
the limited company. However there is a limit on this insurance and costs exceed this, the named
individuals and their estates will be liable. BCAs legal advice was to form a ‘limited company by
guarantee’.
ffi: https://www.cscc.org.uk/wiki/_media/documents/cscc_2018.05.19_agm_minutes_approved.pdf
David Rose - this cut and paste probably doesn't answer your specific question which is why is access closed *at the moment*; the material above merely provides a precis for why access became a sticking point in the first place; obviously there's masses and masses which has gone on over and beyond all this so it's probably impossible to provide a clear walk through about the topic.[/USER]
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cap n chris
Well-known member
Thanks for this TOR; I'd forgotten about the excellent UBSS essay and it's nice to re-read it. Reminded me to ping up the video report of Rob Harper's exploratory dive in Dingley Dell while the others found High Country:
mrodoc
Well-known member
Just to put you right it was the late Bob Lewis who climbed up - it is all in my book and of course that was derived from his logs.
I have the video of the first dive. I gave the video camera to one of the team with me and the thing was filled from beginning to end. Interesting seeing yourself disappear into a sump on the end of a rope.
MikeK
Active member
I'm surprised I haven't too!
The Old Ruminator
Well-known member
Mugby Junction.
Never heard of it ? Not surprised I saved it back from the Dickens related theme. I meant to add it to the end of High Country but then the survey was done before I got around to it. If you look at the plan in Mendip Underground just before the end of High Country you will see a passage branching off in the direction of the rising. It is unusual as its beyond the High Country fault line going in a down gorge direction. Its a lovely well scalloped bit of passage but ends where the roof reaches the mud floor. Maybe it connects to White Spot cave. Clearly it was active at some time. It was never investigated as there was too much else going on. Trying to find my photo of it.
Never heard of it ? Not surprised I saved it back from the Dickens related theme. I meant to add it to the end of High Country but then the survey was done before I got around to it. If you look at the plan in Mendip Underground just before the end of High Country you will see a passage branching off in the direction of the rising. It is unusual as its beyond the High Country fault line going in a down gorge direction. Its a lovely well scalloped bit of passage but ends where the roof reaches the mud floor. Maybe it connects to White Spot cave. Clearly it was active at some time. It was never investigated as there was too much else going on. Trying to find my photo of it.
cap n chris
Well-known member
The White Spot/High Country connection's nearest horizontal link is ~10m and best worked from WS near the top of the current diggers' pit there, on a bearing of around 110 degrees; it will connect about half way along High Country and would avoid the botryoidal walls (just!).
The Old Ruminator
Well-known member
Here is a bit from Andy Farrant
britgeopeople.blogspot.com
The Frozen Deep & Roger Moore’s eyebrows by Andy Farrant
Caves aren’t just holes in the ground. They are also valuable geological archives. The type of cave, its shape, length, morphology, along w...
britgeopeople.blogspot.com
The Old Ruminator
Well-known member
The filming was less than fun for us the " donkey's ". Ruddy great batteries, lights, loads of sandwiches and bottled water. I was not supposed to use the camera during filming in case the flash was apparent. Got some reasonable stuff though paricularly the green images given by the camera lighting. Miranda was lovely. Very proficiant and well clued up. I helped her down from the ladder. Martin grabbed all the bits to camera whilst the poor donkeys did all the work. I felt sorry for Andy as his part was never used. Hey ho thats TV.
The Old Ruminator
Well-known member
Must get on to Skyfall.
I lost the images of Trapdoor Chamber. With 2,000 plus photos of Reservoir Hole its not surprising. Luckily the forum search facility took me back to the original post here and then via that to my Flickr account where I copied this block as a collage. So by posting here you at leastcan retrieve images thar you cant find on the pc.
Trapdoor Chamber.
Such a pretty rift rarely visited. Possibly a way on in the choke in the roof but at what cost to conservation ?
I lost the images of Trapdoor Chamber. With 2,000 plus photos of Reservoir Hole its not surprising. Luckily the forum search facility took me back to the original post here and then via that to my Flickr account where I copied this block as a collage. So by posting here you at leastcan retrieve images thar you cant find on the pc.
Trapdoor Chamber.
Such a pretty rift rarely visited. Possibly a way on in the choke in the roof but at what cost to conservation ?
The Old Ruminator
Well-known member
Trapdoor Chamber aven and roof choke.
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