Sunday 28th January 2024

Dave Morrison, John Cooper, Jake Baynes, Geoff Newton and Mike Kushy. DM and JC on surface hauling buckets, JB at the bottom of the fixed ladder transferring small buckets into the larger ones, GN on the step pulling up smaller buckets from MK in the pit. Lots of clatch cleared for ages. GN and JB came down for a look at the bottom at some point, then GN filled small buckets at the dig face. JB left around 1ish, DM left around 1.30. Then we decided to put some cement in. One decent mix made and support put in around the pit walls. GN left around 2ish then JC came down with MK to finish off the cementing work. Would have liked to cement more but hard work with just 2. Lots of clatch left at the bottom to clear and some large rocks should come out the floor fairly safely. Cemented around the blasted boulder that's left, but we could take the face of this now to allow more working room at the bottom. A good view on down and a view up cave following a fossilised wall. It's possible to dig with 3 people. 4 1/2 hours. Mike.

The very bottom. Photo MK.

Looking down into the pit . Photo MK.

Looking 'up cave' from the very bottom. Photo MK.

Wednesday 24th January 2024

John Cooper, Pete Hellier, Trevor Hughes and Wayne Starsmore. Pete and Wayne went for a look round the old cave, Bedding Chambers and top part of Boulder Rift, recovering a tackle sack in the process. Meanwhile John kept Trevor company whilst he drilled holes in a couple of boulders. Once everyone was out the boulders were popped. 1½ hours.John.

Tuesday 23rd January 2024

John Cooper. Solo trip to survey the new bedding below the entrance. 1½ hours.John.

Saturday 20th January 2024

Mike Kushy and Dave Morrison to start with. DM surface and MK down cave. MK broke up and moved rocks from the last session to the bottom of the shaft where DM hauled them to the surface. After 20 minutes or so Sam.Hill and Callum.Simmonds came to join us. With MK at the bottom of the shaft, SH at the step down and CS at the dig face (breaking up boulders) we cleared for a while. MK then went to the lower rift area and filled small buckets with clatch, a small line of rope with karabiner is now in place and helped with pulling the smaller buckets up. All the rift and the continuing bedding is fully cleared, can now be surveyed. CS continued breaking and moving boulders from the pit, then left around 1ish. SH then worked the pit and MK transferred waste from the step. DM left around 1.30pm after a non-stop hauling session. Around 2ish Alex.Randall came to join us. MK in the pit  with AR on the step and SH on surface. SH took point for a while with MK on the step and AR on surface. Many buckets were cleared until 4pm ish. At the dig face it is now possible to look up cave (towards Swildon's way) for several metres. A solid floor can be seen dipping down towards the pit. In the pit a view over some large boulders gives sight to the clean washed solid floor that looks to be headed off towards proper cave! Unfortunately the gaps between boulders are not large enough to squeeze through. I propose a few short holes with some 20g to shape the boulders and get us into the next area. If anything collapses we will just have to deal with it. Great draught getting sucked into the 'proper cave passage'. 5 hours.  Mike.

MK's YouTube Video from today

Sam.Hill sat in the pit. Photo MK.

Obstructive boulders with proposed drill holes. photo MK.

Can look over and down to see what looks like solid floor. Photo MK.

View over the boulders, red area looks like potential cave passage. Photo MK.

Sunday 14th January 2024

Mike Kushy and Dave Morrison to start with. A big cementing session with 3 bags worth of sand, building up to the ceiling and propping natural pillars. DM left around 1.30 and John.Cooper arrived not long after. JC helped with the final cement buckets. After all cementing done MK worked on widening the bedding wall of the rift where we propose to dig down next. Should be safe to move/break boulders in the floor now. Unusual draught, air from outside being dragged into the dig, hitting the bedding passage which draughted outwards, then the draught got dragged into a void in the floor. 5 hours. Mike.

MK's YouTube Video from today

Draught cycle. Photo MK.

After plug and feathering and cementing. Photo MK.

Looking into the rift, under where we've cemented
(the top void is sucking away all the drill dust). Photo MK.

Saturday 13th January 2024

John Cooper, Billy Evans, Damon Fentham, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Billy, Damon and Jude loading spoil. John and Adrian hauling. All spoil removed BUT Damon then moved another few rocks up the bedding. 1 hour.John.

Wednesday 10th January 2024

Mike Kushy, solo trip. Again breaking up more rock and making things more comfortable. Then finished off clearing the rift some more, sat in the rift working back under the step down. I think the best place to go down is immediately at the step down. Very good draught again. Came out to meet Tuska wall building and John popping over. Too cold to make a mix. 2 1/2 hours. Mike.

Looking horizontally into the dug out rift, heading back up cave. Crowbar is 18inch. Photo MK.

Tuesday 9th January 2024

Mike Kushy, solo trip. Downsizing rock and clearing out the rift at the bottom, trying to figure out best way on down. Really cold outside and cold air being dragged into the dig and dragged into the on going bedding at the bottom. 1 1/2 hours. Mike.

Monday 1st January 2024

Started with Mike Kushy, John Cooper and Dave Morrison. MK went to bucket fill the spoil in the horizontal tunnel with JC and DM on surface. After half hour or so Monica Bollani showed up. With MB and DM on surface, JC took over the bucket filling and MK went to the dig face to break up the big boulders above the rift. After a while MK moved up cave and cleared out behind the retaining wall, passing smaller buckets and rocks up to JC. MB left after a couple of hours. After this, time was spent downsizing a large boulder at the bottom of the step down. JC came down to inspect the lower chamber and we both agreed after a good cementing session we can look at opening up the step down to make a straighter pull to surface, JC also agreed it's worth pushing the rift at the bottom of the slope. Good draught coming out at the end once the big boulder was removed. The rift at the bottom has a lot of loose clatch to come out. Could potentially be done with 3, a rope would be needed to pull buckets up the slope at the bottom though. Probably over a ton of spoil taken to surface today. Came up to a poly fram that had been constructed by DM, ready for the shelter covering. 4 hours. Mike.