Withyhill Extravaganza. Yesterdays Photo Trip.

[The Old Ruminator]

With Mike Wise, Peter Glanvill and Brian Johnson.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

About 80 photos were saved from the batch. All taken on the move or during a short break. T G 6 on I Auto with one or two hand held torches. Minor editing mainly cropping and contrast. A fun sort of photography really. Yes. I could do with younger models. Essentially it was a working trip to inspect a dig site from ten years ago.

Microgours formed on the old tape from 50 years ago.



Relict phreatic bore tube near Barabobath's Bath.



Large boulder pinned against the bedding wall.



We Might Meet Up One Day.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Crystal basin.



End on cryogenic stal recemented and botyoidal stalagmites. This only seen in the old Shatter relict conduit .Cryogenic stal is only seen in this part of Withyhill and the capture rifts.

 

[Tritim230]

About 80 photos were saved from the batch. All taken on the move or during a short break. T G 6 on I Auto with one or two hand held torches. Minor editing mainly cropping and contrast. A fun sort of photography really. Yes. I could do with younger models. Essentially it was a working trip to inspect a dig site from ten years ago.

Microgours formed on the old tape from 50 years ago.



Relict phreatic bore tube near Barabobath's Bath.



Large boulder pinned against the bedding wall.



We Might Meet Up One Day.

Ah the calcified (impossible to remove) conservation tape. As in Otter and countless other places.

Great photos BTW

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Sectional view of Withyhill East Branch ( The Shatter Conduit ) in brown and the East Branch in black ( the occasional active branch and later in terms of geomorphology.) Terminal Chamber is close to the the valley bottom where effectively this part of Shatter has been truncated by erosion on the escarpment.



Probable routes of streamways . Top the relict Shatter route exiting above St Dunstan's Well Cave via Hillers Red Room. So in order.

East Branch Withyhill.
Shatter Cave via Four Ways.
WL Cave.
Balch Cave
Christmas Hole ( destroyed )
Fernhill Cave
Fairy Cave
Hilliers Cave.
Exit via Red Room.

Later routes

Capture routes and West Branch Withyhill.
Sinks beyond the periglacial head at Withybrook etc
HillwithyCave
Hilliers Cave.
Modified exit at the rising.

Possible loss of %50 of the catchment to Ashwick Grove.

Active but immature route.

Rift at Helictite Rift Shatter Cave.
Viagara Rift Shatter Cave
Conning Tower Cave.
Ducks Pot ( part destroyed )
Possibly Drop Out Rift, Fairy Cave
Hilliers Cave.

Dig to intercept Ducks stream passage ongoing from Fernhill but this can flood to a level higher than the rising.

Possible catchment loss.

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Possible routes. Based on Survey by Duncan Price et al.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

In the above X shows the likely current termination points of Shatter Cave below the periglacial valley on the plateau. Bottom QWUH showing possible relict inlet from the west though this is rather wishful thinking.

Most of Withyhill and Shatter have been re taped with the rot proof agricultural tape as has Reservoir Hole. In areas off route some of the original fabric tape remains.

Fairy Cave at a higher level served as an inlet from the West either the periglacial valley or a catchment now draining to Ashwick Grove.

Stoke Lane Slocker now carrying a misfit stream may well have had its rising at St Dunstan's Well Cave.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

West Branch in black. The edit time here is far too short.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Massive bedding collapse at North Choke Chamber ( it never got a name )
That includes large blocks of bedding and part stal flows. Bat guano in here. A strong draught exits through the trapdoor cut through stal flow and stream deposits. A standing water line can be seen in Jonathan's Chamber and North Choke Chamber. Jonathans Chamber is part of the primary route shown on the plan.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Jonathan's Chamber.











Not the way out. He needs a hand.



Thats the way but take care.



My son Jonathan was one year old the same month that I found the chamber . He is over fifty now.