On a  trip down Dow cave today.I came across something interesting on the walk to the cave.After crossing the bridge and slippery steam i was about to head up the final slope to the Entrance when i noticed a fresh pile of stone to my left.On a closer look a 1m by 3m trench has been dug with a small steam coming out of it .Has any one else noticed this .Is someone trying to force a new way into Dow cave.Or is it a way  of draining the water out of Dow cave.Or is there a third option. I first noticed this digging about a year ago but more has been done since then.Any info would be great.

Think it's the dig into the 'alternative' Dow, Adam.

Started ages ago, I think (at least I met one of the diggers, nice chap, on the way back from work one day in '07 - if not before). There's a theory about a fault / master joint IIRC that makes it a potentially worthwhile operation.

I met a couple of guys digging this on a trip into Dow earlier this year. They were at the stage of poking heads into a tight rift in freezing cold water whilst their heads were still outside; i.e. not very far in. Their parallel rift idea sounded very plausible at the time.