Return To Quarter Way Up Hole

[The Old Ruminator]

Covid brought an end to digging here just as we found the new chamber now called Boycott's Bonnett. The new dig
will take place where it says " choke " at top right. This is heading along strike towards what may have been a now captured part of the catchment for St Dunstans Well.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

The current catchment area is very one sided and theoreticaly could have extended much farther west until captured by the downcutting valley at Ashwick Grove. The Beacon Hill Pericline is the most extensive pericline on Mendip. The quartzitic strata displaced at St Dunsatns Well originally provided the only outlet.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Sadly two members of our original team Pete Rose and Tony Boycott are no longer with us.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Brian in Boycott's Bonnet last weekend shortly before I fell backwards down that boulder slope.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Tony with Brian in Fenneario.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

The QWUH to Withyhill/Fenneario connecting pitch now blocked.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Good progress at QWUH breaking rocks yesterday.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Looking down the tube with remote video.

https://flic.kr/p/2qB1KnA

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Seven hours digging in QWUH yesterday. I built this lovely wall.





A juicy undug choke in the cave if you dont mind rocks falling on your head,



The other bloke doing a bit of p and f.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Yesterdays silliness.

https://flic.kr/p/2qE4osC

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Got two poles in to support the three big boulders hanging down from the roof. One had to be " trimmed " to get the pole under it. One more short cross pole to fit. A risky job drilling the trimmed boulder.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Trimmed boulder X. Y and Z will be supported finally by the cross piece and a spacer.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Working at the tube. Now able to touch the boulder blocking the way on. Should be gone next time.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

The tube continuation at ? The choke X.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

This week at QWUH.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Some good work done today.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Ladder extended on Mr Trundle's Staircase ( for the old folk ).

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Grainy video image from the draughting hole going south.



TG camera and light extension.

 

[Goydenman]

dig on guys.... looking good

 

[The Old Ruminator]

dig on guys.... looking good

Nothing better to do really. At least we are getting away from blast damage to natural stuff by going south. Draughts well.

This from Duncan Price's survey of Withyhill and Shatter. The orange arrow left shows the current direction of the dig following a fault. Yes heading for blank space but things can change rapidly. The area is so blast damaged that its hard to define the geomorphology. We do know that the cave was truncated from above in past eras but thats fairly common at FCQ. I have written an amateur view of the cave development at FCQ due to appear in the next Belfry Bulletin. ( I happen to know the editor and can punch him if he mucks it up ). Currently QWUH is an anomaly.