Some Fun Images From Vurley Over Three Years.

The Old Ruminator

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Speleofish said:
As always, this is fascinating! When (and where) are you going to publish the details about Vurley? In the meantime, please keep posting the pictures - they're wonderful!
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Thank you for the nice reply.

Vurley details are appearing in some club magazines. Mr O' Doc has been running a commentary in Belfry Bulletins  ( BEC ). I have done a little in Chelsea SS mags.

I have recently joined the Wessex Cave Club ( they might well regret that ) and hope to start a full history of the dig with my amateur geological ramblings the first of which may be out this month.

Our consortium numbers about 15 so consequently we have different views . I am taking a chance with these images as the wrath of The Karst Police may yet descend on me. Up until now we have been reticent regarding publicity mainly because we have a new landowner so we are treading carefully. We do not allow visitors as yet. I have restricted the thread to images only with little comment. I feel the time is right for that as images and videos have been shown at Hidden Earth and at the J'Rat awards. I did the same with Reservoir Hole which recorded over 100,000 views and as far as I know none of the backlash that some of the group feared. I hope for the same this time.

Another issue within the group hinted at by Mr'O Doc was whether the 20m pitch should be SRT only. Not my forte at age 71. Therefore it has not been climbed on ladders yet.
There is a ledge half way down so the pitch may well split as two ten metre ladder drops.( there is an SRT deviation here ). Easily obtained with a small platform ( there are two such in Reservoir ) but the SRT purists are dead against that idea today. Two of us have bought the ladders for the 20m pitch but no additional bolts for the ladders and lifeline have yet been added. I therefore do not know when or if this will happen.

Clearly the main concern is the CO2. Possibly we have been happily burrowing away with that in the past but with four pitches that is clearly not advisable now. Regular monitoring is still going on and as before we have no real idea when things might change for the better.
 
MarkS

MarkS

Moderator
The Old Ruminator said:
Our consortium numbers about 15 so consequently we have different views . I am taking a chance with these images as the wrath of The Karst Police may yet descend on me. Up until now we have been reticent regarding publicity mainly because we have a new landowner so we are treading carefully. We do not allow visitors as yet. I have restricted the thread to images only with little comment. I feel the time is right for that as images and videos have been shown at Hidden Earth and at the J'Rat awards. I did the same with Reservoir Hole which recorded over 100,000 views and as far as I know none of the backlash that some of the group feared. I hope for the same this time.
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I'm delighted you've made this topic. It's been really interesting viewing/reading.  (y)
 
The Old Ruminator

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Vurley by SRT.


P5010004 by Nicholas Chipchase, on Flickr

Autumn 2018.

Now that the entrance pipe has become an occasional active conduit we thought it best to reinforce all of the area directly below the pipes. Basically I volunteered to do this as I can go at my own pace on my own and enjoy the countryside as well.

P8020002 by Nicholas Chipchase, on Flickr

First thing was to recover the half bit of pipe left over in reforming the old Balch entrance. This was cut to make one permanent piece and one a temporary concrete mould.

P8170001 by Nicholas Chipchase, on Flickr

The temporary moulding was used at the bottom of the entrance ladder then the space behind filled with concrete.

PA090043 by Nicholas Chipchase, on Flickr

After that a stone wall was built up part way using cement. That then continued as a dry stone wall as it looked more natural.

The permanent piece was used to fill under the pipe where there had been some washout.

P8170020 by Nicholas Chipchase, on Flickr

This looks better today as it has been cemented over at the top to join up with the pipes.

A wall was then built where the gravel matrix has washed out in the rift below the ladders.

P7310046 by Nicholas Chipchase, on Flickr



P8020015 by Nicholas Chipchase, on Flickr

 
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