starting a dig
- Thread starter wildside
- Start date
Interesting happening today at the hole. the mud has slumped even more and I pushed my digging / scaffold pipe in at an angle and nearly lost it that's 12 feet straight into an( invisible at the moment) chamber going to have a dig in at the same angle over the weekend to see whats there........... And caver mark they are not all small down here come and have a look 
Ive been over to the hole today after a few months away and its got deeper with the rain that I chaneledd into it and also I can now see probably three feet along the top of the slump and its draughting well. Would anyone want to try and dig it officially? It would need concrete pipes on the top and a manhole cover.
Honest John
New member
Private property in the UK is owned and taxes are paid. I suggest using a Google Earth 2014 download
and printer to copy aerial views of hole location. Record by writing available information provided by tools
and presentation as viewed. I could obtain service of a Title Officer to verify property ownership history as
are presently married to one. Real Estate Firms employ bonded and licensed agents frequently to verify
title, land use provisions, or record adjustments. Mine will not freelance so seek one elsewhere. Once you
discuss your interest with property obtain permission to trench. Divert water entry if possible to dry earth.
Wet soil is less stable and more heavy if it moves. In my region wet soil slides knock moving trains off rails,
fill a valley meters deep, and dams a river. If stream is seasonal wait for middle of dry season to dig. This
writer prefers to expose all bedrock around a hole as described before addressing simply soil. Having solid
stone skirting a soil excavation is safer than walls of soil higher than knee deep. Writer has employed wood
shafting and steel cable rigging but that is ahead of game as presented. Remember to fence the dig. Deter
animals and people. Suggest lightweight metal fencing cord knotted to trees if possible to reduce cost.
and printer to copy aerial views of hole location. Record by writing available information provided by tools
and presentation as viewed. I could obtain service of a Title Officer to verify property ownership history as
are presently married to one. Real Estate Firms employ bonded and licensed agents frequently to verify
title, land use provisions, or record adjustments. Mine will not freelance so seek one elsewhere. Once you
discuss your interest with property obtain permission to trench. Divert water entry if possible to dry earth.
Wet soil is less stable and more heavy if it moves. In my region wet soil slides knock moving trains off rails,
fill a valley meters deep, and dams a river. If stream is seasonal wait for middle of dry season to dig. This
writer prefers to expose all bedrock around a hole as described before addressing simply soil. Having solid
stone skirting a soil excavation is safer than walls of soil higher than knee deep. Writer has employed wood
shafting and steel cable rigging but that is ahead of game as presented. Remember to fence the dig. Deter
animals and people. Suggest lightweight metal fencing cord knotted to trees if possible to reduce cost.
Honest John
New member
When I have permission to dig my usual practice is to wire off excavation. I post a notice to denote contact source.
No tools are left unattended. Any rigging should be out of casual reach and require tool use to remove. Removed
soil and rubble is by direction of land management. I have built walls using dry lay of extracted lava or limestone.
Low and wet areas are often filled. My starting tools are long steel pry bar, metal handle plastic bucket(s), pickaxe,
sledge hammer, shovel, and steel measure tape. Safety equipment includes Petzl harness, Kong carbon steel rescue
with gate, Kong Micro D for tools only, length of UK made Aeris 10.7 mm by Marlow, Kong Futura, and 11 mm lengths
for equipment prusik as needed. I have the Petzl Stop, various Eight types, and more for vertical descent. Training
by ukCaving would not be my first choice.
No tools are left unattended. Any rigging should be out of casual reach and require tool use to remove. Removed
soil and rubble is by direction of land management. I have built walls using dry lay of extracted lava or limestone.
Low and wet areas are often filled. My starting tools are long steel pry bar, metal handle plastic bucket(s), pickaxe,
sledge hammer, shovel, and steel measure tape. Safety equipment includes Petzl harness, Kong carbon steel rescue
with gate, Kong Micro D for tools only, length of UK made Aeris 10.7 mm by Marlow, Kong Futura, and 11 mm lengths
for equipment prusik as needed. I have the Petzl Stop, various Eight types, and more for vertical descent. Training
by ukCaving would not be my first choice.
The hole is probably 1 mile from my house across fields and a railway line and is only accesible on foot so carrying much more than a rope, bucket and small spade is a job and a half but thanks for the advice. draught is all i can say about the hole at the moment and lots of it
Ed W
Member
Wildside very generously showed me this site on Wednesday, and I have to say it is really interesting. It is an intermittently active sink in what appears to be the Oolitic Limestone. A stream channel runs down to a nicely defined swallet hole with well exposed vertical hole in solid rock. The hole is choked with woodland debris about a metre or so down, but a scaffold bar can be pushed down into this soft muck for about 2-3m. Jason (Wildside) tells me that in wet weather moving water can be heard.
Though not in the main Mendip Carboniferous Limestone, other Jurassic Oolitic limestones have extensive cave systems (Portland, Excalibur Pot etc). I don't know of any other karstic caves in this particular limestone, so whatever is there will be interesting! As well as this swallet, there are several more sinks and depressions scattered around these woods. Whilst looking around we found a pile of limestone boulders that Jason believes were part of the spoil from the excavations of a subterranean reservoir very close to the sinks. Interestingly some of these have stal on them, does this mean that the excavations broke into some form of cavity?
This is the dig site with Wildside. The bar protruding from the hole is about 4m long in total.
Scalloped rock in the swallet
stal on the boulders from the reservoir excavations
Though not in the main Mendip Carboniferous Limestone, other Jurassic Oolitic limestones have extensive cave systems (Portland, Excalibur Pot etc). I don't know of any other karstic caves in this particular limestone, so whatever is there will be interesting! As well as this swallet, there are several more sinks and depressions scattered around these woods. Whilst looking around we found a pile of limestone boulders that Jason believes were part of the spoil from the excavations of a subterranean reservoir very close to the sinks. Interestingly some of these have stal on them, does this mean that the excavations broke into some form of cavity?
This is the dig site with Wildside. The bar protruding from the hole is about 4m long in total.
Scalloped rock in the swallet
stal on the boulders from the reservoir excavations
Cartwright26
New member
Id be quite happy assisting you on a dig even though im in Devon so would only make it once or twice a month, let me know
I have been up to the hole today after some time away letting the water do its work its getting bigger and im going to dig to the left of the pole in the picture as i can see a fair way in now and its body sized and still draughting.The spoil in the hole is just some earth and mainly leaves that have rotted down so its easy to dig with my cut down army shovel.
