Rob: "Has it really been over a year!?!...."
Chris: "No Rob it's not taken me that long to write up this trip report!!....."
Team: Rob E, Dylan, Joe, Chris
It's amazing what a bit of sun can do to reignite a surface dig. If I remember correctly, the last time we were here the digging turned into a battle with a mash-up of clay and small rocks, which made digging with a pick and shovel very arduous work. I dug out (excuse the pun) an old set of post-hole diggers that had been lying behind the shed and chucked them in the boot of my car in the hope that they would make things a little easier.
The four of us met at the car park at the top of the farm, and the weather was far from the usual cold and windy conditions. Heading over to the shakehole, we found that the dig site at the bottom had become somewhat overgrown with brambles and nettles, and with us all wearing shorts it seemed sensible to do a spot of gardening before the digging could commence.
I was first in the hole, armed with my trusty post-hole diggers, and, as I remembered, was greeted by the same clay and rocks from last year. After a few tries, we soon got into a rhythm, cutting out sections of clay and, with Joe above the hole pulling the diggers out and clearing them, progress was good.
With music playing and banter flowing, this was a very enjoyable dig. Dylan had been keen to cap some rocks using a new drill he had brought along, but despite trying to find some suitable candidates in the dig, the clay just kept going. He decided this wasn't going to stop him and found a large rock on the surface that he wanted to use instead. I think he may need to reassess his supply of caps, as his attempt, despite him being convinced it was "bangin'", was a little feeble.
After swapping digging duties a few times, we had made very good progress. The hole was now over one Joe deep and I would estimate that more than a metre of progress had been made during the session. The digging remains mainly in clay, with the odd band of sandier soil, but I think a few more sessions at this rate of progress could see us into something different very soon.
Let's hope the weather and enthusiasm hold out this summer and that a few more sessions are on the cards.
