Team: Joe, Luke, Rob
A rare Saturday trip, originally coined as the TA Christmas trip but the naming changed when Jon prioritised going away for Christmas instead of joining us. Also a rare but pleasant show for Luke, although he admits it’s probably his last trip for a few months due to work (and other questionable priorities). It felt strange meeting in the Cussey carpark at 10am in daylight and with a drum full of snacks and beer we headed down. The plan was to explore some of the more modern mine workings below which head over to the NW which were abandoned pre 1970. Some of this is many kilometres away from Cussey so it needs a full day to do it any justice.
As expected Loper Lust was horrific again but not quite enough to stop Luke going through so once passed I was excited that we would get the trip done. I’d previously visited some of these workings before during the Credit Crunch expeditions when we found Doom, but then we mostly just stomped through it all quickly rather than today’s plan which was to have a good look about. Heading north we passed a level off to the West which was giving the strong draught which goes up Cussey and continued (now with the draught) until we got to the massive shaft up to daylight, although to my surprise it was totally dark today. From here we carried on NW, now wading waist deep into a really strong wind which was getting me cold for sure. We found a blind side passage at the start of the big worked rift and settled down for some much welcome chocolate and beer.
Heading back to the main level the mine all of a sudden takes on a new and exciting change. Every 50m or so is a short level to the north which breaks into the worked vein. In places it is massive, totally massive! Some bits have a lake instead of a floor with the most crystal blue water I’ve ever seen and no end in sight. Others are so high that the roof cannot be seen. And some bits the vein is really wide, maybe 6m or so. Every cut through revealed a new exciting window. We were bouncing around like kids.
A little further west the workings stepped over to the south side of the level and the proportions shrank slightly, although still very impressive in places. We reached a level to the south which the draught was coming up strongly but continued for now along the main line. After not long the way ahead was collapsed and totally blocked, apart from a small gap through boulders mostly filled with water. The air gap was seemingly being kept open by the wind which was creating impressive waves and spray.
After a careful poke about we headed back to the southerly trending level and followed it to a T junction. The draught was going from right to left here so we headed west into it, exploring a level that was full of orangey crusty formations which we nicknamed Crème Brûlée passage. After quite a way we reached a dead end collapse under a high stope, the draught seemingly coming down from somewhere far above. The end of the road for today.
Back to the T junction where we devised a theory that if we headed the other way it might be a shortcut back to the draughty level we passed ages ago, which is pretty close to Cussey. Joe made a quick decision and headed off east. Turns out this was a very bad call.
Quite soon the floor got very sloppy with a smooth white sludge, which at first was inconvenient but soon became hard work. Once it got to above knee deep it actually became easier to crawl, being careful not to break through the light crust on top. This was hardest for the person at the back who had to plough through the other's wake.
On we went, with only the hope it would end soon and the knowledge that it was getting deeper only by the fact that the roof was getting gently lower. After what seemed an eternity we reached a level heading off north but unfortunately this wasn't taking a draught and was blind. Also to our demise it was a small inlet, so the mud ahead was even more fluid. Luke bravely ventured forwards and quickly realised he was in too deep and fought his way back to me and Joe, who were waiting carefully by laying totally flatout. An executive decision was easily made and we reluctantly turned around. As expected the return was even harder. In places we were forced to pull ourselves along by the metal piping hung off the roof. It was desperate and fatigue was definitely kicking in. We all agreed it would indeed be possible to die here from exhaustion-induced drowning. What an adventure.
With muscles burning and heart rates pumping, slowly the going got easier and our fears were replaced with a keen desire to get outta here. There were none of the frivolities of our inward trip just a determined trip straight to Cussey and out. Even the deep duck of Loper Lust was inviting compared to where we'd just been and soon we were all thankfully on the surface enjoying a beer in the drizzle.
After reviewing a survey since we probably made the right decision to turn around as the connection looks to be quite a bit further on from where we got. The scale of this mine complex is incredible and I'm sure there are still many more secrets to discover in there, not least where all the clean ladies are...