www.cheddar-caving-club.org.uk January 2011 Volume 2 - No. 4
IN THIS ISSUE...
MALAYSIAN CAVES BURRINGTON BREAKTHROUGH CAVING IN NEW ZEALAND
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CONTENTS 4
The Trip List, January - June 2011 A list of club trips over the next six months
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Rubang Rimuan Chris Lanc Cave exploring in Sarawak, Malaysia
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Magical Moments Tricia Denning-Kendall A dark, misty night on Priddy Green...
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Down Under Barry Hullat Barry reports back from a trip to New Zealand
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The Tale of Nancy Camel Robin Gray Don’t have nightmares!
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Can you dig it? Andy Sparrow & Martin Lee An interview with Andy on The Blackdown Caves Project
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The Tackle Bag Barry Hullat
COMMITTEE MEMBERS President/Training Officer Chris Castle tel 01749 344870 mob 07870 782701 e-mail chriscastle46@tiscali.co.uk
Webmaster Anna Peters tel 01454 418196 mob 07841 875 218 e-mail bana.peters@hotmail.com
Secretary Keith Milward tel 01454 418196 mob 07809 123580 e-mail milwardo@hotmail.co.uk
Chairman Andy Sparrow tel 01934 744824 mob 07989 620540 e-mail andy@mendipnet.co.uk
Membership Secretary Brendan Hanley tel 0117 9850338 mob 07968 650203 e-mail brendan_hanley@hotmail.co.uk
Equipment Officer Ian Burton (Burt) tel 01934 844254 mob 07976 315121 e-mail aard.endeavours@hotmail.co.uk
New Member Coordinator Sam Denning Kendall tel 01934 740390 mob 07751 734093 e-mail den0012@hotmail.com
Journal Editor Martin Lee tel 01373 455145 mob 07778 513419 e-mail mxjxl@hotmail.com
Treasurer Tricia Denning Kendall tel 01934 740390 e-mail P.A.Denning-Kendall@bristol.ac.uk
Trip info & equipment hire Andy & Rachel Sparrow tel 01934 744824 mob 07989 620540 e-mail andy@mendipnet.co.uk
Cover Image: Chris Lanc entering a Malaysian cave.
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CLUB INFO CLUB MEETINGS Club meetings will be held every third Sunday of the month at the Kings Head, Cheddar, either in the lounge bar or the functions room, starting at 8pm. All members are welcome. THE MEETS LIST We aim to run three fixed-venue trips every month and typically these will include a fairly simple evening trip (about 2 hours), an intermediate trip (about 4 hours) and an off-Mendip trip (various durations). These trips are described in the meets list (overleaf) and each is assigned a leader or organiser. This year (2010) we have also introduced ‘Girls Night Out’, which will run on the first Monday of every other month. EQUIPMENT The following items are available to borrow from the equipment officer, Ian Burton 6 Kenmeade Close, Shipham, BS25 1TS T: 01934 844254 M: 07976 315121 Please give Burt as much notice as possible as the kit is not stored at this address! 3 Over suits XL, L, M, 2 Spelio lights & Batteries, 2 Spelio chargers, 2 Duo lights, 2 Spelios light & helmet combos, 1 Rope 60m, 1 Rope 45m, 1 Rope 25m, 1 Rope 12m, 1 Kit bag L, 2 Ladders 10m, 2 spreaders, 5 carabiners, 3 Slings 1m, 1 SRT kit, 1 Drill, 1 Shetland attack pony surveying tool, 4 Boiler suits, 3 pairs of knee pads. Kit is free to borrow with the exception of lights and ropes; a £1 (or more at your discretion!) charge to cover replacement and repairs. Lights will be supplied partially charged so you should make sure they are fresh before use. The more modern lights require 4xAA batteries per unit, which are not supplied.
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS There is usually a caving trip on a Wednesday night. Some of these are scheduled in the meets list but others are arranged at short notice between club members and then communicated by e-mail to the rest of the club. THE BLACKDOWN CAVES PROJECT The objective of the project is to extend and connect the group of caves on the western side of Burrington Combe. The project involves cave digging, surveying, aven climbing, squeeze pushing and hopefully the discovery of previously unknown passages. THE WEBSITE www.cheddar-caving-club.org.uk THE CLUB FORUM ON UKCAVING.COM We have a forum within ukcaving.com where we keep an online logbook and discuss various topics from the topical to the frivolous. This is a public access forum which can be read by anyone, we are able to moderate contributions to our own area. http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php/ board,35.0.html GOOGLE GROUPS Google groups provides us with a private forum which can only be accessed by our own membership. We keep a log of the Blackdown Caves Project activities here and various other pages of interest. New members will be invited to join the group. CLUB LIBRARY Books can be borrowed from the club library which is kept at Steve Pointon’s house. Please contact Steve well in advance if you wish to view or borrow any books. Contact Steve or Karen on: T: 01934 744824 M: 07880 587244 e-mail: kazandsteve@aol.com.
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THE TRIP LIST January - June 2011 Sat Jan 29
January
Box Mine Standard oversuit and undersuit or boilersuit
Wed Jan 5 GB Cave Standard oversuit and undersuit A huge chamber and fine formations; awesome! 2 hours Difficulty low to moderate Contact Keith Milward
One of Baths biggest mines, a walk through history - take your cameras as there are some suprises! 3 hours Difficulty low Contact Keith Milward
February
Sat Jan 15 Stoke Lane Standard oversuit and undersuit- wetsuit preferable A long wet crawl and an awkward little sump leading to a big and beautiful chambers. 3 hours
Wed Feb 2 Sidcot Swallet Standard oversuit and undersuit or boilersuit A pleasant little cave with some entertaining sections. 2 hours
Difficulty high
Difficulty low to moderate
Contact TBC
Contact Dani Gorman
Wed Jan 19
Sat Feb 12
Goatchurch Cavern Standard oversuit and undersuit or boilersuit The good old favourite beginners cave. 2 hours
Swildons Short Round Trip Standard oversuit and undersuit or wetsuit Excellent varied sporting trip; a Mendip classic. 4 hours
Difficulty low
Difficulty moderate to high
Contact Martin Lee
Contact Steve White
Sun Jan 23 Club Meeting, Kings Head, Cheddar, 8PM Wed Jan 19 Goatchurch
Wed Feb 16 Rods to Bath Standard oversuit and undersuit or boiler suit Standard oversuit and undersuit or boiler suit. The ever-popular through trip between these Burrington caves. 2 hours Difficulty low to moderate Contact Neil Rayment
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Sat Feb 26 OFD
Wed March 16 Saint Cuthberts Standard oversuit and undersuit This great cave offers challenging passages, large chambers and superb formations. 3 hours Difficulty moderate to high Contact Chris Castle Sun March 20
Sun Feb 20 Club Meeting, Kings Head, Cheddar, 8PM Sun Feb 27 OFD Standard oversuit and undersuit
Club Meeting, Kings Head, Cheddar, 8PM Fri March 25 Cave Art @ Goatchuch Standard oversuit and undersuit or boilersuit
Through trip to Cwm Dwr – a British classic.
Time to get creative with Robin Gray in one of Burringtons best known caves.
5-6 hours
2 hours
Difficulty moderate to high Contact Andy Sparrow
March
Difficulty Low Contact Robin Gray Sat March 26 Dan yr Ogof
Wed March 2
Wetsuits or neofleece essential.
East Twin / Spar Pot
One of the finest caves you can ever hope to visit.
Standard oversuit and undersuit or boilersuit The large passages of East Twin lead to the more complex and sporting Spar Pot. 2 hours Difficulty low to moderate Contact Dani Gorman Sat March 12
TBC hours Difficulty moderate to high Contact TBC Wed March 30 Fairy - Hilliers Standard oversuit and undersuit or boilersuit
Charterhouse Cave
A favourite through trip with some fine formations.
Standard oversuit and undersuit or wetsuit
2 hours
Now Mendip’s deepest cave this recently extended system is a must-do. 3 hours
Difficulty low to moderate Contact Tricia Denning-Kendall
Difficulty moderate to high Contact TBC
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April
Wed April 27 Hunter’s Hole
Fri April 1
Standard oversuit and undersuit SRT kit required
Cave Art @ GB
SRT practice in this popular training cave.
Standard oversuit and undersuit
2 -3 Hrs
Join Robin Gray for some creative fun.
Difficulty moderate
2 - 3 hours
Contact Andy Pollard
Difficulty moderate Contact Robin Gray
May
Sat April 9
Sat May 7
Swildons
Upper Flood
Standard oversuit and undersuit
Standard oversuit and undersuit or wetsuit
Waterfalls, streamways and formations Mendip’s most popular cave, and rightly so.
It’s a long trip with some technical squeezes but the formations are stunning and the effort is worth it.
2 Hrs Difficulty moderate Contact TBC Wed April 13
8 Hrs+ Difficulty high Contact Ed Waters
Girls Night Out - TBC
Wed May 11
Standard oversuit and undersuit
Eastwater / Twin Verticals
Testosterone free caving for the girls
Standard oversuit and undersuit
Contact Rachel Sparrow
Either Upper Series for those who would like an easier cave and the Lower for those who like a work-out in this challenging classic.
Sat April 23 Tynings Barrow Swallet Standard oversuit and undersuit A long enjoyable ramble with few difficulties. 3 - 4 Hrs Difficulty moderate Contact TBC Sun April 17 Club Meeting, Kings Head, Cheddar, 8PM
2 Hrs Difficulty Both depending on what you choose Contact Keith Milward Sat May 21 Browns Folly Mine Standard oversuit and undersuit or boilersuit For the adventurous historian with some amazing sites, and bring a packed lunch! 3 – 4 Hrs Difficulty low to moderate Contact Keith Milward
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Sun May 15
Sat June 18
Club Meeting, Kings Head, Cheddar, 8PM
GB Cave Standard oversuit and undersuit
Wed 25 Water Wheel
A huge chamber and fine formations totally awesome!
Standard oversuit and undersuit or wetsuit
2 Hrs
A fun little cave with a bit of everything
Difficulty low to moderate
Including some wet sections.
Contact Martin Lee
2 Hrs Difficulty low to moderate
Sun June 19
Contact TBC
Club Meeting, Kings Head, Cheddar, 8PM
Fri 27 – Mon 30
Wed June 22
Yorkshire Weekend
Rhino Rift
Contact Andy Sparrow
Standard oversuit and undersuit. SRT kit required
June
Mendip’s best SRT cave – a very impressive place! 3-4 Hrs
Sat June 4
Difficulty moderate to high
Manor Farm Swallet
Contact Andy Pollard
Standard oversuit and undersuit A 15 metre pitch leads to a long streamway with many fine formations.
Wed June 8 White Pit
3 Hrs Difficulty moderate Contact Barry Hulatt Wed June 8 White pit Standard oversuit and undersuit or boilersuit A fascinating little system with some superb formations. 2 Hrs Difficulty moderate Contact Keith Milward
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View of the Paddy Field
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RUBANG RIMUAN
& Cave Exploring in Sarawak Chris Lanc
D
uring a two-week holiday at the home of friends in the Malaysian state of Sarawak (on the island of Borneo), I was fortunate to visit a series of museums in the state capital, Kuching. At one museum I was very interested to read about Gua Sireh, a cave not far from the house where I was staying, near the town of Serian. (Gua is Malay for Cave).
The article in the museum also indicated that there might be a number of other caves at this location. Having also visited some tourist caves at Bau (Gua Fairey and Gua Wind), I was keen to go off the beaten track and do some cave prospecting. A few days later on the 4th of June 2010, myself and my local friend Alik, headed off in the car on a cave finding expedition. It was really for a day’s entertainment and I had no great hopes of finding much, as I was very aware of the dense nature of the jungle. (Un)suitably attired in sandals, t-shirt, floppy hat and with one Myo head-light, one windup/solar–powered(!) torch and one shaketo-charge torch, we headed off for “caverns measureless to man”. After a 30-minute drive, we approached a small village, Kampung Bantang, and drove around for a while. Adjacent to the village was a limestone island with an exposed limestone cliff and clear evidence of caves. One such cave was about 400-feet up the side of the limestone island. I was later to find that this was named Gua Mako. Seeing the limestone island gave me confidence that we were in a good location.
We parked the car by the side of road 8304 (Garmin GPS coordinates N 01° 10.394’, E 110° 28.177’, elev 20m) and headed off towards the limestone island, passing through a paddy field, pepper bushes and into the jungle behind. We quickly located a path leading from the pepper bushes towards the village. After 100-yards a small stream intercepted the path. The steam came from the direction of my target, the limestone island. As the stream was not of great size, we jumped in and walked upstream towards where I hoped we might find a resurgence. Amazingly, after 10-minutes, we did indeed come to a resurgence, populated by various small fishes. I was quite excited and entered the cave from which the stream emerged. Inside there were a few resting bats and various boulders. Sadly, the cave proved to be a rock shelter and at the back I could see daylight, with the upstream section disappearing into an area of breakdown. Nevertheless, we were both excited at the find. After emerging at the entrance, we then climbed up the lower slopes of the limestone island over an area of breakdown and boulders. Various obstacles were negotiated with Alik chopping offending vegetation with his razor-sharp Parang (knife).
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Suddenly, I noticed a small cave entrance that looked very interesting. I crawled in and found a low passage that descended down to an even smaller hole. At this point in time, I was really starting to miss my gloves, cordura oversuit and boots. The rock was very sharp and my knees, forearms and hands suffered a fair bit of abuse. At the end of the passage, was a small hole through which a stream could be heard. A couple of stones were dropped down through the hole. This revealed a 4m pitch with a stream at the bottom. There was no safe way down, so I went back up the passage hoping to find an alternative route. As I struggled through a pinch point, I looked up and was dismayed to see a large spider above my face (about the size of my spread hand). Alik confirmed the poisonous nature of this specimen so I did not hang around. Emerging into a large chamber, I could see another entrance. My friend Alik entered through this entrance. Hanging from the roof were some paper-like nests of some flying insets (wasps, mosquitoes or flies). After a few seconds the inhabitants emerged, buzzed around and flew off without causing us any problems. I have no idea what these flying insects were, nor did Alik have any idea.
Alik in the streamway
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Tree Roots in Streamway At one end of the chamber, we dropped down over some boulders and into the streamway. Things were now looking very interesting indeed. Strangely, there was a knot of tree roots that had grown into the streamway and were happily absorbing the water. We walked upstream in the streamway and were rewarded by some very pretty stalactites and flowstone. Only 10-metres upstream we came to a beautifully decorated duck, containing a Catfish, which sensibly swam off when it saw me. To the left of the duck, was a junction leading up and out of the streamway. This area proved to be a favourite place for the cave crickets, and we noted a good few lurking about here. (Interestingly, these cave crickets had shorter bodies than those we saw above ground). Alik and I had a quick explore and found various ways on, mostly containing mud. The lure of the clean streamway proved too much, so we dropped back down into the water. There was some evidence of flooding in this area but I was pleased to see that the floods had only risen by about 1m above the current water level. Our way on was blocked by the duck, but as I now had exploring fever, I saw no choice but to brave the unknown waters. I therefore tentatively walked into the duck. The chilly water came up to my chest. I peered through the duck and could see some more welldecorated streamway beyond. As I looked through the duck, I was surprised to see a pair of red-eyes looking at me from beneath a rock ledge in the water. I recognised these eyes as belonging to a crustacean, probably a freshwater shrimp.
“AS I STRUGGLED THROUGH A PINCH
POINT, I LOOKED UP AND WAS DISMAYED TO SEE A LARGE SPIDER ABOVE MY FACE (ABOUT THE SIZE OF MY SPREAD HAND)
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Entrance Area for Waterfall Cave
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“DURING THE EXIT MANOEUVRES FROM THE CAVE, WE PASSED UNDERNEATH A POISONOUS LOOKING MULTI-COLOURED GIANT CENTIPEDE...
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Catfish Duck
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During the exit manoeuvres from the cave, we passed underneath a poisonous-looking multi-coloured Giant Centipede (I was advised politely but firmly not to touch it). There was also a snail graveyard containing some large shells, which my friend did not recognise. Having read about similar caves in the region, I think we can count ourselves lucky that we did not meet any local Racer Snakes, which inhabit caves.
Above the streamway Pushing into the duck, I realised that my chest would not fit. I was not going to give up so easily, so I moved into a more horizontal position and put my mouth and nose beneath the water. It worked, and I was able to slither through while holding my breath. Alik had a physiological advantage (being slimmer than me) and was able to squeeze through in a slightly easier fashion. There was standing room upstream of the duck, which made movement easy as we walked up the streamway for about 30-metres before coming to a chamber containing a beautiful 4-metre waterfall. We were both taken aback by our find and we stood for sometime admiring it.
During our visit to this cave, we did not come across any evidence of previous human activity. There was no rubbish or footprints. Subsequently, I have been in contact with a local caving expert who confirms that although this limestone island is known to local cavers, this particular cave was undiscovered. I asked my local friend Alik to name it with a local name, and he has called it “Rubang Rimuan”, which means Waterfall Cave in the local Bidayuh language. I have named the well-decorated duck as Catfish Duck (for obvious reasons) and the waterfall as Rose Waterfall (after Alik’s sister). The unofficial Sarawak-branch of the Cheddar Caving Club is intending to make a further expedition to this cave during Christmas 2010. Hard-hat, head-lights, boiler suits, gloves, boots, belts, Karabiners and ropes will be used this time!
I managed to climb up one side of the waterfall and just about got my head level with the top. I could see that there was a way ahead, but given that we were not equipped with ropes or suitable clothing, I decided that we had pushed our luck far enough for the day. We could easily climb up and pass the waterfall but coming down would be a different story. A broken limb at this point would have a high risk of causing a fatality, so we reluctantly decided to return back to the car. On the way back to the entrance, we decided to explore the downstream section of streamway. We did so and found a much reduced ceiling height, which resulted in us having to crawl along the streamway, After 20m or so, the streamway fell through some boulders, towards the earlier rock shelter.
Chris at Rose Waterfall
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Magical Moments
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group of people gather on Priddy green one dark and misty night. Work clothes are replaced by oversuits, fleeces in bright colours and wellies. Office weary faces begin to light up and people begin to chatter excitedly. “Oh hello, haven’t seen you for ages!” “Oh great, I see you’ve got the ladder Andy.” “What’s the plan tonight?” All is prepared and the group move off across the fields, their lighted lamps bob up and down like a chain of glow worms on a mission. Favourite stiles are crossed, hands placed ritualistically on polished stones worn smooth by years of use. Conversation gets faster, butterflies are felt. Is it excitement or trepidation? “Do you remember last time…..?” Someone recounts an amusing story. Each person has their own challenges and ambitions, a squeeze perhaps down the keyhole or a tricky climb. There’s a chance that a beautiful feature will be spotted for the first time or a favourite one revisited. There’s the fun of helping one another and laughing together and the excuse to get completely muddy or wet.
Swildon’s in explored once more. There is an intense feeling of being close to the elements as each climbs, crawls or bends over and under rock and pushes on through streams and waterfalls. The long dry way, the oxbows and the double pots, all free from traffic, street lights, man made monstrosities and modern day pressures. No two trips are ever the same, each of the group takes home new experiences and memories of this hidden earth. Soon there is talk of a warm fire, pasta and a pint but the cave always holds onto some secrets to ensure those magical moments before entering the cave are guaranteed! Tricia Denning-Kendall
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Down
Under Barry Hulatt
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W
ell, I did eventually find a caving museum, but it entailed going all the way to New Zealand to find it. There is an excellent comprehensive museum of caves, karst and caving history in Waitomo, North Island. It’s pitched at about the right level, with sufficient in-depth scientific content as well as fun for the kids among you, such as simulated crawls and stuffed kiwis (the birds, that is). If you’re likely to go to NZ I would thoroughly recommend it. It’s in one of the principal caving areas with several good show caves, including the famous Blackwater Rafting trips. I also managed a couple of very interesting stream caves, Mangapohue Cave and Gardiner’s Gut. These were reminiscent of, but slightly different from, anything I’ve done before. Instead of our usual scrabbling around on bleak hillsides or crawling through blackberry bushes to find cave entrances, for a change we started by wandering in circles through tree ferns and acres of disorientating old growth bush, avoiding swamps and sink holes. Once in the caves the water was delightfully clean, and pretty cold considering it was midsummer. (Christmas over there, confusingly.) Underground navigation was helped in places by distinctive bones of the extinct moa, a flightless bird larger than a giant ostrich which was probably wiped out by the (archaeologically speaking) recent arrival of humans. As in Mendip caves, it looks like bones were washed into the caves, or the creatures fell down a sink, rather than them actually living underground.
If anyone is planning a trip to New Zealand it’s well worth while planning some caving. There are some problems about taking in dirty kit. Basically you can’t – but I did get away with a clean helmet, a light and a well laundered new oversuit. I bought new ‘gumboots’ (wellies to you). Adventure caving trips in the Waitomo area looked pretty good, but pricey and full of gap year students and Japanese tourists. We didn’t use them, but you need to make contact with some friendly local cavers if you are to go independently. You could look up the Auckland Speleo Group for contacts, surveys and caving hut accommodation in the area. Alternatively you might find the cabins and extensive local knowledge and friendly advice provided by Angus and Rachel Stubbs on the Stubbs Farm rather more appealing. (Te Tiro Accommodation, Waitomo. www.waitomocavesnz.com). Remember, Christmas is expensive for travel, and July/August holidays are winter (so you might want to look at combining caving with some South Island winter sports?) Oh, and wellies are gumboots.
Another interest were the freshwater crayfish in the streambed, fine cave spiders, and the famous New Zealand glow-worms (which hung from the cave ceilings so you could almost navigate by them with your lights out). Perhaps a little off-putting for some people would have been the large cave wetas – giant crickets with long antennae which might drop on unwary passers-by. (Not too worrying for members on my last trip, though, who just missed swallowing a bat in Bos Swallet). Look out for some ‘cave-life’ pictures in a future exhibition!
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The Tale of
By
Nancy
N
Camel
ear Shepton Mallet lived a crone: A horrid hag, all skin and bone: A hook nosed countenance, quite horrid, With a vile wart upon her forehead. Her toothless gums held just three pegs, She hopped about on crooked legs, In worn out shoes and filthy weeds, She lived on rabbits, nuts and seeds. High in a wood, she lived alone, This shadow with a heart of stone; A witch: and evil hearted soul, Who lived inside a deep dank hole. Less like a home, more like a grave. This was Nancy Camels cave. To earn her crust she used to sell Twigs collected in the dell, And many feared to turn it down When she appeared in Shepton Town. The evil eye or something worse Like Nancy Camels wicked curse, Could cause you blindness or the crick, Or make your chickens very sick. The locals would avoid her stare, To cross her path some wouldn’t dare. While others desperate with hate Would pay to seal another’s fate. For kindling was not all she’d sell. Some would pay her for a spell.
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O
Robin Gray
ne dismal night, out for a stroll, The Devil passed her dreary hole. He peered inside and saw the hag Packing sticks inside her bag, While on a fire her cauldron bubbled. He set his sights on causing trouble. ‘Good evening Miss,’ the Devil said ‘Could you spare me soup and bread? I am a traveler and I’m lost, I’m happy now to pay the cost.’ The hag replied, ‘I know that song, Beelzebub if I’m not wrong,’ And Nancy, using skill and wit: Invited him to come and sit, And take some soup and eat some bread ‘You’re very welcome Sir,’ she said. Now once inside this place of gloom, That served as Nancy’s sitting room, The Devil soon relaxed and fed, ‘May I pay you back?’ he said. And Nancy Camel in a flash Replied, ‘I really need some cash.’ ‘No trouble that,’ replied Old Nick ‘You surely never miss a trick.’ Then as he scampered to the door Left golden sovereigns on the floor. And as he left poor Nancy’s hole He shouted, ‘Now I’ve got your soul.’
N
o more did Nancy sell her wares She didn’t come and no one cared. No more the locals saw with dread, Some even thought she must be dead. But Nancy Camel lived at ease Still in her cave, in seeming peace. Warm and cozy, and well fed On chicken now, and ginger bread. And there it seems, she lived for years, Till Shepton people lost their fears Of Nancy Camel and her curse, Though what came next was somewhat worse.
T
he night was wild with wind and rain, When Lucifer came back again. To Nancy’s cave he came to claim The crone, who’d, sold her very name. With jet black horse and cart as well, He’d come to take her down to Hell. He dragged her screaming from her hole, His eyes turned red like burning coals. She struggled hard. He threw her down. They heard her screams in Shepton town.
H
e bound her arms, he bound her feet. She struggled in the driving sleet. The Devil stuffed her in his sack And with her went her goat and cat: A struggling bundle in his cart, And all the time the Devil laughed. The locals saw a flash so bright, It gave them all a fearful fright. They heard his laughter, heard her scream, In dairies everywhere, the cream Was turned to cheese or something worse, The last of Nancy Camel’s curse. Then all was quiet, quiet as the grave. And empty, Nancy Camel’s cave.
A
little later on, the brave Ventured up to Nancy’s cave. They found her pots and earthen wear But wicked Nancy wasn’t there. Outside the grass was all burned black Where Nancy’d struggled in the sack And on the rock above the door The evidence was very clear. The Devil’s foot had touched the roof And left the shape of his cloven hoof. And up the cliff deep grooves and cracks The Devil’s cart had left its tracks, The night he’d carted her away. The tracks are still quite clear today. 19 19
Can you dig it? An interview update on the Blackdown Caves Project with Andy Sparrow, questions - Martin Lee.
“IT’S BETTER THAN SEX, BUT DOESN’T USUALLY LAST AS LONG.
“
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Since your last ‘Blackdown Caves Project’ article (CCC Journal Volume 2, No.1 Feb 2008), what progress has been made? At that time we were actively digging in Drunkards. The phreatic tube looked very promising but problems arose when we hit a cross-rift. This was completely choked with mud and cobbles and extended to the right, left , up and down. I chose to dig upwards as this is generally the best tactic as it offers the prospect of breaking up through a floor into open passage above. Unfortunately there was no breakthrough in that direction – the rift just kept going up and up till we were a good 5 metres above the original tube. Danny Burnett built a sectional siege ladder which was really invaluable. The problem with the rift is that it’s not that far underground – less than 20 metres – and directly under a surface depression – so the choke could go all the way to the surface. In hindsight we would have been better off digging straight on to find the continuation of the tube. That’s a possibility for the future and a good project for any new members who want to experience the pleasures of cave digging. If we were going to find a Rods-Drunkards connection it had to be evident in Rods somewhere, so we turned our attention away from the rather punishing Drunkards to the more user-friendly Rods. About this time I got talking to a couple of friends from the MCG, namely Ed Waters and ‘Buddy’, on the subject of capping. Capping uses small explosive charges to very effectively shatter limestone. A hole is drilled and the ’cap’ is gently persuaded to the end before being fired with a specially tooled firing pin. There is obviously rather more to it than that and you need to employ some strict safety protocols. This technique interested me because I knew of a passage in Rods Pot ideally suited to it. If you are familiar with Rod’s you may have noticed a low arched passage leading off to the left from the head of the ‘blind’ pots. This obviously phreatic passage ended in constriction after a few metres but could be seen to enlarge beyond. Ed and Buddy accompanied me here in October 2009
and the capping process began. They were quite impressed with the dig, more so when it became apparent that there was a strong outward draught. The club agreed to buy a new drill while Buddy made us up several firing pins and a much weightier bar into which tye slotted before use. We were soon selfsufficient - fully tooled-up and ready to continue the project. We quickly opened the initial squeeze and pushed through into an enlargement of the passage. We noted a couple of things here – firstly there was an old Ever Ready battery dumped in a crevice by some midget diminutive enough to have passed the squeeze we had enlarged. Secondly, and more significantly, the passage continued, very tight, to another constriction. Alun Wiliams attacked this head-first and could see an enlargement beyond. You need space to work when you are capping so we couldn’t just squeeze to the end and take out the localised constriction. It took several weeks to enlarge the route sufficiently to reach the constriction. We were joined by Keith Milward whose enthusiasm and lean physique combined to get him through first to the next short section of passage. It was only a body length and then the route narrowed once again. Jammed in the final constriction Keith managed to throw a stone into a narrow rift visible in the floor ahead. We all heard it fall – a long drop and an echoing final impact – excitement rose to fever-pitch. It took weeks to open the head of the pitch – awkward, strenuous, and sometimes infuriating work when the caps failed to fire and the pin jammed in the hole. Eventually the way on was open and I found myself making the first descent of an impressive pitch – El Capitoff. The rift belled out to a good size as I reached a ledge 10 metres down. From here the climb narrowed into a free-climbable rift and I finally touched down on a gravely floor at 15 metres. There was one open lead which Ed forced his way through to discover the Bone Chamber – a high rift with the bones of long dead goat sat on neat little mud pedestals.
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El Capitoff Pitch
Entering Bone Chamber
Entrance to pitch head
Bones
Skull Passage
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In the other direction at the pitch bottom we found the goat’s skull at the entrance to a small choked passage which inevitably became Skull Passage. Since the initial break-through we have dug Skull Passage and, with only a couple of hours work, extended it by four metres. It looks very promising but spoil storage is a real problem and we may have to remove the bagged spoil all the way to the surface! That’s the current state of play. There’s an interesting too-tight passage above the pitch – the continuation of the original tube. I called this The Nit Picker for reasons I wont go into here. It’s good looking lead but more capping will be required. I should acknowledge and thank all the club members who have been involved with this – Ed waters especially, (who has now joined the club, I am very pleased to report). Ian ‘Burt’ Burton has been a very dedicated digger, also Keith’s friend Neil, (another new member). We have had very welcome visits from Chris Lank, Rachel, Robin Gray, and Dani Gorman, to mention but a few. Now that there has been a recent significant breakthrough in Rod’s Pot, does that give any more information into the possibility of Rod’s Pot and Drunkards Hole joining together? Well, we are a few metres closer! I wont tempt providence by being over optimistic. We are going the right way in what I am sure is a major phreatic passage. We just need a bit of luck and for the next 30 metres to be easy progress. That should put us in a position where any up-dip inlet passage will be in the same beds as Drunkards and then a connection becomes much more possible. Another possibility is that Skull Passage will break through into a something significant justifying all the hard work, but that extension may not provide a Drunkards connection.
Are you able to reveal future dig sites that interest you in the Blackdown area? This would be my short-list: Goatchurch beyond the Drainpipe – two leads here which need capping. Sidcot beyond the duck (which is an old dig of mine from 30 years back) – we were stopped when it got too tight but capping could be a solution. Also in Sidcot the chimney in the Boulder Chamber could lead up into a continuation of Goatchurch – again capping is required. Hanging Rock Chamber in Rods has two possible leads – a high level capping job, or a major conventional dig at the lowest point. Drunkards – the very top of the rift chamber needs to be bolted. There could be a wayon up there somewhere. I am very unlikely to do all these myself and would be very pleased if any club members wanted to take any of these projects on. How confident are you that major cave systems still remain undiscovered under the Mendips? Caves are all water-courses. They have a beginning where water sinks into swallets and an end when the same water flows from a resurgence. Mendip caves represent little fragments of these water-courses, little windows into what lies beneath. We have found barely a few percent of underground Mendip. How does it feel to break into a new chamber or section of cave passage? It’s better than sex, but doesn’t usually last as long. Unless you’re a Charterhouse digger. For inexperienced members that are interested in future digging activities, what is the best way for them to get involved? Send me an e-mail right now!
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The Tackle Bag
I will put into my magic bag an ascender that only descends, a single rope with little technique and one soulless boot. I will put into my bag my feather wetsuit, limed and pitched, a soft shelled helmet, double yoked, and a skein of dissolving string. I will put into this bag joy from a jolly jumar clip, with all its carbide trimmings; there my zealous pet will stop. I will put into the bag a wholesome drip of halogen, with my hairshirt harness, stuffed with pride, and the odour of old man’s armpit. I will put into my bag the survey of a silted swallet, and a boulder on which to choke; and, finally, that luckless ladder. My bag is cast from the lightest of lead, inlaid with the silken skins of ichthyosaurs, and tied tight with your own frantic sinews. I shall ride my bag on a runaway stream down into the deep, to resurgent risings; I shall sit astride as it sinks and plunges, Clasping it to me as it rears and lunges. Who will open this bag? Barry Hulatt, December 09 (some apologies to Kit Wright)
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The next edition of the journal is planned for publication this July (2011).
Farewell Chris! CCC member Chris Lank has left the UK to work abroad. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Chris for all his hard work on behalf of the club over recent years. We look forward to hearing more about his caving exploits overseas. (keep the articles and pics coming please!) Martin Lee
We are always very grateful for material our members provide for inclusion. If you have any Cheddar Caving Club related articles, pictures or information you would like to submit, please contact the journal editor/ designer - Martin Lee. e: mxjxl@hotmail.com m: 07778 513419 Happy Caving!
Good luck Dave CCC Member David Morrow is currently working overseas in America for a year. He has invited any keen cavers to join him and his new caving club on trips in the area he will be visiting. Check the website: www.yorkgrotto.com for details on his new local caving club. Illustration ŠYork Grotto. 25
The Gallery The photographs below were taken by various members of the club. Send your photos for future editions to mxjxl@hotmail.com.
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Steve, Trish, Nicky, Sam & Chris in St Cuthberts
CCC Yorkshire trip
Lynette in Shatter Cave
Shatter Cave
Judi, David and co, Shatter Cave
Andy H in Large Chamber Cave
CCC Yorkshire trip
At the entrance to Westbury Brook Iron Mine
Westbury Brook Iron Mine
Gathering at Westbury Brook Iron Mine
The arse end of Westbury Brook Iron Mine
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No part of this journal to be reproduced without the permission of Cheddar Caving Club.
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Š Cheddar Caving Club 2011