Sunday 10th March 2024

Mike Kushy, Trevor Hughes and John Cooper.

Just MK to start with, filling up the retaining wall built yesterday, quite surprised how set the cement was already. Started breaking up some rocks then TH Showed up. TH in the bottom pit filling up small buckets, with MK at the top lifting buckets on rope. Every 4 small buckets MK ferried up cave to the higher up rift, at least a dozen loads of 4 done. TH broke up some decent sized rocks. TH had to leave so MK went down to use up the rest of the drill batteries. TH left taking 4 small buckets out with him. Drill batteries spent MK made his way out with drill looking forward to a rest and a tea at Upper Pitts. MK arrived on surface to find JC mid mix. After a short break MK then went back down cave and ferried 3 big buckets of cement to the bottom. This was used building up more retaining wall and supporting more underneath the climb down wall. 5 hours. MK.

Bottom of pit after clearing. Rock my right foot is on has now been moved. Photo MK.

View underneath the rock moved in first photo. Photo MK.

John Cooper. I thought all I was doing today was loaning my drill to Mike to use but during lunch in the Hunters',  post my Swildon's Hole trip, I was approached by Trevor saying Mike was expecting me to do a cement mix. Finished lunch then went across and was just preparing to add the water when Mike emerged. I think he regretted asking for the mix but it was too late so after I'd finished the mix, split into 3 loads as usual, he descended to use it up. I cleared up and packed things away then went back to Upper Pitts for afternoon cups of tea. There is 1 bag of sand, no cement but plenty of stone dust still on site. 1 hour. John.

Saturday 9th March 2024

Mike Kushy, Pete Hann, Adrian Vanderplank, John Cooper and Nigel Graham.

MK started at 10 and got about down sizing the stacked up boulders left from mid week. All broken up and stacked higher up then the rest turned up. With NG on surface all the rocks were cleared. After this PH went to the sharp end and many buckets of clatch were sent to surface. Some big boulders removed from the floor and walls by AV capping. PH set about cementing the climb down and some rocks in front, a small retaining area ready to be filled in. Whilst this happened MK and JC did a little clearing within the rest of the cave. Interesting voids lower down, one which looks like a significant inlet coming directly into the solid wall. 5 hours for me. MK

MK's YouTube Video from today

Pete at the deepest point of the dig. Photo MK.

Pete on his way out, pit below. Photo MK.

Straight ahead from the top of the pit. Photo MK.

Passage over the top,which we aim to keep open for future exploring if needs be. Photo MK.

Wednesday 6th March 2024

Dave Morrison, John Cooper and Trevor Hughes. Tuska hauling from the surface, John transferring tubs of spoil and rocks with myself at the bottom. Good progress- removing a lot of wet mud and gravel, revealing moveable rocks and open vertical voids. A stacked pile of biggish, just about moveable, rocks need to be broken up and cleared away. Much more work needs to be done before any passage gain possible. A good start though. 2 hours. Trevor.

Cave being rebuilt on surface, we can have the caverns as large as you would wish. David.

Tuesday 5th March 2024

Dave Morrison building spoil retaining walls on surface followed by John Cooper dropping off 4 bags of sand and a bag of cement. John.

Saturday 2nd March 2024

John Cooper, Pete Hann, Nigel Graham, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Sleet/rain on surface – not nice. One full mix of cement done. Adrian capped rocks for building material. Most of the cement was then used by Pete building up the wall. John used a bit of cement higher up. Meanwhile, on the surface, Nigel was moving spoil from the heap to the wall fill. A second full mix of cement was then done before Jude and Nigel retreated back to Upper Pitts. All this was used by Pete building up the main wall. Nice holes in the floor but a lot of clatch to move out first - 4 people? Filled up the water container but no sand or cement on site now (just rock dust). 3½ hours.John.

Pete wall building. Photo AV.

Looking back out. Photo AV.

Onwards and downwards. Fossil, upper centre left? Photo AV.

Onwards and downwards. Photo AV.