Details

Written by: Rob Eavis

Published: 12 April 2013

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Report by Jon Pemberton

Cavers: Jon Pemberton, Sam 'Dervish' Pemberton, Pippa Furlong, James 'Rodders' Wood .

A quick afternoon trip before the TSG party was on the cards, Bottom P8 and check out Ben’s dig sounded a good plan. A bit short on rope we had to improvise. 18m on the first pitch fine, 9m on the second pitch a bit shady (figure of eight backed up with a sling). Bottomed the cave as far as possible without diving in no time t’all.

What we really came for, a gander up Ben’s dig. The climb in t’owd mans rift kitted with some coated old rope. The dig contains loads of massive kibbles worn through on the bottom, you can imagine the amount of work that was done. The passage continues gradually sloping upwards until you enter a large chamber. Straight on continues followed by an iron ladder with walking passage at the top. This passage eventually ends at a hand line climb to the top of a large pot about 1.5m in diameter and about 4m depth silted at the bottom. Back at the large chamber a hand line hand over hand climb leads to a constriction and continues but was not entered.

To the right of this up a mud slope a hands and knees passage leads to a climb through a calcite floor to a chamber with stacked sandbags. At the top the going back on yourself the passage continues until another climb to another chamber with a sleeper jammed across at about 8ft high. A climb up to the sleeper gains access to a hand line climb up to another crawl where a choke has been dug through into yet another chamber containing loads of flowstone and a few long stal. Climbing up flow stone leads to s small aven on your right and a crawl over rocks on the left leads to a squeeze to a further choke heading right which I didn’t enter due to the rest of the party being slack and not climbing up the chamber with the sleeper, So quickly headed out to party at the TSG.

Details

Written by: Rob Eavis

Published: 12 April 2013

Hits: 4198

Report by Jon Pemberton

Cavers: Jon Pemberton (EPC), Sam 'Dervish' Pemberton (EPC), Andy Chapman(SUSS).

Dropped down the oil drum shaft and headed down the squeeze into the top of the streamway. Andy Rigged Deep space (Haha, we bought rope protectors just for this!) following what I believe is Dan’s Old rope, Its pretty easy going just repeating that rig exactly. Backed up, a y-hang drops you onto a ledge (rope protector 1). Followed by another y-hang over the ledge (rope protector 2) for 4m to a short deviation (straddle the sides, its not so bad.) This drops you to the bottom with one more rub point. Deep space is very impressive, amazing waterfall pitch!

At the bottom we followed the stream down the first cascade and climbed up a tight rift to a squeeze at floor level. Andy, “Don’t push too hard Sam! Did you have to control your breathing?” What a joker. The rift continues up left leads to a space with stacking straight on leads to the bottom of ‘Elbon’s Kram’ a strenuous climb/wedge in upwards leads to a squeeze on the right which is pretty damn awkward. I got through the squeeze and had a good look. Now there should be one more squeeze beyond that eventually leads to ‘happy breakthrough’ the continuation of the horrible little streamway and the bottom of the collapsed timbered shaft entrance. Supposedly ‘Elbon’s Kram’ was blocked, now the way on looked like a few rocks had fallen in but it could be pushed with ease. It’d be interesting to see how far up the timbered shaft entrance you could get before you meet the collapse.

We went for a quick look up Bag of worms and the continuation of the choke before deciding we’d need more time for a better look, so out we went.

Details

Written by: Rob Eavis

Published: 12 April 2013

Hits: 3977

Report by Jon Pemberton

Cavers: Jon Pemberton (EPC), Sam 'Dervish' Pemberton (EPC), Pippa 'Pippy' Furlong (EPC).

Went for a real quick look to inspect the timbered shaft in nickergrove, dropped the main internal shaft only to land sitting in the old cart from the 1984 dig. Pretty good bit of kit with use of a shock absorber for the self tipping mechanism (one of Tom Proctor’s creations.) Anyway we followed the railway to the clay chamber, unsure of its location I sped off the continuation level to a crawl which led to loads of stacked deads where ahead lowers until its too tight.

I met Sam & Pippa back at the clay chamber where Sam noted the spits on the wall. “Ahhhhh!” We were standing on it. We quickly removed two metal sheets a few large sleepers and a few rotten timbers to find the 6m Shaft. It has been said that this shaft is totally funked, but it’s not totally! It drops a few metres until it through timber and hits an oil drum shaft lined with three fairly solid drums. From here the way on is back underneath (towards the left wall as you enter clay chamber.) The way was through a metre square frame to a short timbered level, this leads to a solid level to a large stretch of streamway that’s sumped in both directions. Upstream is the downstream continuation of streaks east sump. Only a few metres separate the two but it has not been dived as its fairly constricted and is thick with black mud.

Downstream water is next seen in the Merlin streamway. It was pushed by Beck in the 1990 drought through a squeeze to a chamber and a continued duck to an air bell where it sumped. He said it was a very scary push, He could feel the airspace beyond and dived through into a large cross rift where the passage beyond sumped. Once it had been surveyed he got back down and started feeling for this air bell at the base of the rift but did not have a clue where it was. He eventually got out if you didn’t know but you could imagine the panic set in!

I climbed down the timber and stood on the oil drums. They seemed ok but the timbered level at the bottom may well have collapsed. If it is buggered it was noted that to gain access back to the streamway started a new shaft following down the left hand wall in the clay chamber thus deleting any need for a shored level. Although it would be a pretty difficult job as the amount of clay in there is unbelievable.
A quick climb back up the shaft and exited via the Didsbury shaft, Job done.

Oh and Pippa decked it coming out and nearly died! Haha, She said she was really having to hold back the tears, Sam just laughed, “We wouldn’t have helped you, probably just laughed.”