Tynings Barrow Swallet

[Elaine]

Well, that's at least two Mendip caves that have recently had mud and gravel washed out from under blocks, close by the entrance, any more?

That's interesting. I have never seen that hole in the floor anything other than bone dry.

 

[whitelackington]

Well, that's at least two Mendip caves that have recently had mud and gravel washed out from under blocks, close by the entrance, any more?

That's interesting. I have never seen that hole in the floor anything other than bone dry.

Hello Elaine,
TWICE
I have seen that eight foot drop a maelstrom,
obviously impassable then.

 

[darren]

I didn't realize Les W had been to this cave recently.

Can't think of another reason for rocks to have moved.  :-\

 

[Ali M]

I still think that Tynings still has plenty of potential - especially when you consider the size of the passages being found in Charterhouse at a depth of over 600ft.

 

[graham]

I still think that Tynings still has plenty of potential - especially when you consider the size of the passages being found in Charterhouse at a depth of over 600ft.

I completely agree. I've been discussing with the estimable Dr Farrant where it might go and whichever one of us is right there's a helluva lot of cave down there somewhere. Someone should mount a serious attack on A-day. Second Front Now!

 

[Knobby]

I've mounted a couple of trips down the cave recently with a group from the BEC made up with some keen ones from Exeter Uni. Have spoken to those who have dug down there in the past and agree with the massive potential of the cave. Intend to make it a regular dig.

 

[Andy Sparrow]

I've mounted a couple of trips down the cave recently with a group from the BEC made up with some keen ones from Exeter Uni. Have spoken to those who have dug down there in the past and agree with the massive potential of the cave. Intend to make it a regular dig.

Sorry, but as an ex-digger of this cave I am going to be Mr negative wet-blanket.  I see no evidence that Tynings has 'massive potential'.  The big passage degenerates into a narrow rift that required banging but it did not draft and there were chronic bad air problems.  I would suggest that means we were banging towards a sump.  Also there are no phreatic levels obvious in the cave that might provide a bypass.  It's a very simple vadose solutional cave - the upper levels are larger where the stream has gradient and where the water has solutional capability.  By the time you get down to A day there is no gradient to generate corrasion and no chemistry to generate corrosion. 

 

[exsumper]

There was a post on the BEC email list last week ,with the sad news that Mr Reakes has passed away and that it might be best to give the family some time to come to terms with their loss and to avoid trips to tynings in the short term.

 

[cap n chris]

There are some interesting phreatic roof features in the approach to A-Day but nothing appeared obvious on casual inspection as a potential bypass to AD further downstream. Mr. Boost showed me this (new to me) part of the cave on our last visit there.

 

[graham]

There are some interesting phreatic roof features in the approach to A-Day but nothing appeared obvious on casual inspection as a potential bypass to AD further downstream. Mr. Boost showed me this (new to me) part of the cave on our last visit there.

I don't suppose either of you took any photos?

 

[cap n chris]

Nope, sadly: easy to find - simply go down to A-Day, turn back upstream for about 10-20m and then squeeze your way (really rather tight!) up into the slot in the roof into a phreatic/anastamosed higher level.

 

[graham]

Ah, I know where you mean, squeezed up there years ago, nearly got stuck, came back out.

 

[whitelackington]

If I remember correctly, that phreatic roof tube can with difficulty be accessed from a few places,
you can traverse along it for a bit, mind u a bit tightish.
On Saturday, not a hint of a draught and air quality poor for the bottom 3/4 of the cave.
I am very sorry to hear about Mr. Reakes, I always got on very well with him, his wife and his family.

 

[bill chadwick]

Thanks to Graham Mullan (who supplied the survey) and especially for Whitelackington (it's a favourite of his) I have added "Tyning's Barrows Swallet" to the cave overlays on http://www.bdcc.co.uk/mendip.html

See here

http://tinyurl.com/ygmjvob

Apparently there are no copyright issues with this survey at this scale.

 

[Cookie]

Hi Bill,

copyright for all these surveys would probably be readily granted for your Google Maps project.

Although that would mean a lot of tracing to do ...

 

[graham]

Cookie

That's where the TBS survey came from. No tracing required.

 

[Cookie]

Cookie

That's where the TBS survey came from. No tracing required.

I guessed that, but wasn't sure that Bill was aware. I also get to plug the MCRA again. 

Tracing, outlining whatever - surely some such work has to be done even if you are starting from an digital copy.

Either way it is a damned fine piece of work Mr Chadwick.  :bow:

 

[whitelackington]

I've mounted a couple of trips down the cave recently with a group from the BEC made up with some keen ones from Exeter Uni. Have spoken to those who have dug down there in the past and agree with the massive potential of the cave. Intend to make it a regular dig.

You will have to dig quite slowly or you will likely find yourselves short of good air.
The cave lid could do with holes being drilled through it, like Cuckoo Cleeves.

 

[whitelackington]

Five of us bottomed Tyning's Barrows Swallet yesterday,
got the key straight away, a quid each.
Padlock operated perfectly.
Lots of water charging through the cave.

About 100 feet from the entrance or fifty feet before Griffin Inlet is an eight feet tightish drop, part of the huge boulder you slip through had washed out, about a twelve stone lump, I hoicked it out of the way, so eight feet drop now spacious but the large slab it was resting on has recently had the "stuff" underneath it washed out,
this large slab may go  during the next storm.

Has anyone checked this out lately?