starting a dig
- Thread starter wildside
- Start date
I went to the sink at the weekend and had a dig where theres a gurgling sound it scared the s*$t out of me suddenly a fountain of water erupted about 4 feet away from me and the big pool drained very quickly by my feet. the hole that I dug is full of debris again and the pool is refilling so have another look this weekend. The other hole in the woods that I have been digging has opened up a bit more as well but it is getting to deep now so im going to leave it for a while until we hopefully get permission to build a cover and dig it properly.
An update on this very interesting hole the land owner has fenced round the shaft! I am thinking if he was approached again by a known caving club something may be able to be sorted out the land is owned by lady gass and if somebody is interested please message me and I will give the name of her land agent who manages the woods !
The Old Ruminator
Well-known member
wildside said:
Umm. Lady Gass is a bit remote from such things and her land agent not too helpful I hear. You might do better by approaching the tenant if there is one. We have a site on her land and the previous tenant was on the point of letting us dig but then he died. Still on the back burner.
Well I have now heard that the wood is going to be cleared in the spring and the hole we have been digging is likely to be filled ! So after writing a letter and talking to people it seems no permission is going to be granted to dig officially . I was going to pipe and ladder the dig if we had got permission but there we go another promising dig probably lost for good....
Pitlamp
Well-known member
Have you considered capping it off and including a large steel item, so it can be re-located long into the future with a magnetometer, if the circumstances change?
At least photograph the site and / or produce a drawing - and write it up somewhere, then it's never truly "lost".
At least photograph the site and / or produce a drawing - and write it up somewhere, then it's never truly "lost".
Andy Farrant
Active member
You might want to suggest to the landowner/agent that they are better letting you dig and discover whatever void is down there and where the water goes, rather than just filling it in. Chances are it will only subside again, and other collapses may occur elsewhere. If I was the landowner, I'd prefer to know what we are dealing with, rather than block itand cause potential issues further down the line. Either way, worth writing up, and if it is going to be backfilled, put some large rocks in at the base or a grille so water can escape easily, and make it easier to excavate it in future.
rhychydwr1
Active member
Where is it? Portland?
A_Northerner
Active member
This was a rollercoaster of a read with some great tips on digging. At first it looked like some scrotty hole, then when it eventually showed some promise, all hopes were dashed. If it were a cinematic production, the insurmountable bad guys would be fought off in the final act and the dig would be completed!
The author has qualified it's location several times in the thread; it is in Somerset.
rhychydwr1 said:
The author has qualified it's location several times in the thread; it is in Somerset.
Update on the swallet after 5 weeks of intensive night time digging it is now around 15 feet deep and very promising . Still no luck from landowner. When digging in n wet weather the floor /mud just drops away below the digger . Then bad news th hole has been filled in with logs and brash by the local whoever's ?? But I have commenced digging in a rather remote part of the wood in a very active sink where the water is an absolute godsend as I can direct it with planks to wash away the digging spoil down another hole more on this soon......
