Wednesday 3rd September

Mikes Wise and Waterworth. Scanning from surface towards Puddle Dig and assessing work needed on the entrance ladder, Boulder Rift Chamber and Cement Dig Light Connection.

2 hours

No photos 

Mike Wise  

Monday 1st September 2025

Mike Kushy, Mike Waterworth and Ed Ford. 

MK to begin with, did an hour on surface picking larger rocks from the newly landcaped ground around the well. 

Latest surface shot. Photo MK.

Got into the cave around 5pm armed with extra batteries and new chisel bits. Picked up a 2ft length of scaffold bar on the way through and a few steel pins. 

First job was to pf the chocked stones in the ceiling of the light connection. Awkward, but all loose blocks removed with 2 batteries. This now gives an unobstructed view of the chamber from above the connection. 

MK in the light connection (after opening it up), looking down into TPC. Photo MK.

Second job was to drill for pins at the lip of the drop into TPC. The scaff' bar was then laid across these to allow decent foot holds to get out and to stop anyone sliding off the edge when coming into TPC. The bar is not fixed as of yet.

Looking up into the light connection, newly fitted foot bar. Photo MK.

MK had a little bit of juice left in one battery so started attacking the calcited phreatic tube with the hammer drill. Shortly EF and MW arrived. The tube looks to be heading into a larger chamber with a small clean washed stone floor.

MK then went to start a trial dig at the higher end of TPC, into the corner it seems to follow the bedding straight on. It quickly became a 2 person dig, meanwhile EF was attacking the calicte phreatic whilst MW scanned the lower regions below the pit. MK then wished the rest of the team good luck and headed out alone. 4 1/2 hours. Mike K.

 

Ed Ford, Kushy & Mike Waterworth down WR tonight. EF and MW headed down 1845. MW spent his time scanning the chamber and various offshoots while Kushy explored a dig at the top of the chamber. EF focused on breaking up flowstone blocking the onwards phreatic tube. Several attempts were made by EF and Kushy to squeeze in but a little too committing. EF confirmed the sight of floor on the other side so no drop off. The tube echos well and there's a strong draft. Kushy left leaving EF and MW to continue. EF P&F'd a block in the ceiling and had a go at navigating the squeeze successfully while MW headed out scanning as he went. EF didn't go into the breakthrough point and opted to leave for next session. Some more calcite could do with coming out of floor to make it a bit easier. All out by 21:30. Ed.

View chamber scan

View cave scan

Sunday 31st August 2025.

Hollie London, Mike Kushy and Ed Ford. 

All arrived just gone 10. After half an hour of dressing and Daren Drum faffing, 3 cavers, 3 mugs, 3 bacon and egg butties, a kettle, a stove, 5L of drinking water, and a selection of tea, coffee and hot chocolate made their way down to TPC. Cement was left at cement dig alcove. HL had to take the gas canister from the stove halfway down as EF was gassing himself with every knock and bang. 

The squeeze was a much more comfortable affair after last week's efforts. MK led the way, collecting conservation tape from higher above to relocate to TPC formations. 

HL's first time in TPC. HL dissapeared down a hole in the bottom left of the chamber (red). The hole turned back on itself and continued downwards following the bedding plane for another 10m, with various avens and tubes either side. The bedding plane got tighter and carries on down further at the typical ~45° angle, but would be a longer term lead. Tight with lots of loose blocks and silt further on. EF and MK took turns to explore the onward phreatic passage higher up (blue).

All gathered back in TPC to assess the new tea-making facilities. Cappuccinos and bacon/egg butties in a large roomy chamber felt very un-Mendip of us. Fueled up we attacked the bottom right lead (blue). MK built up the wall above and to the right of the previously explored lead, whilst HL began dragging material out from the 'blue' lead. EF began restructuring the boulder field terracing and retaining walls (yellow). The 'blue' lead is draughting well. A mutual decision was made to remove the calcite over mud floor whilst preserving as much formations as possible.

Screenshot 3d scan.

Formations to the right of the phreatic tube. Photo HL

EF looking up into the phreatic with the formations to his right. Photo MK.

HL and MK alternated attacking the calcited mud with all the arsenal. EF also retired from wall building to help out. Another break for tea and hobnobs resulted in the need of toilet facilities, this came in the form of a black 5l container. HL can confirm the toilets are unisex.

Eventually a large block was removed from the 'blue' lead. This allowed a good view on showing an obvious chamber around 3m ahead. The retaining wall for this is now 6ft high and back filled with spoil. It was determined sds chisel bits on the drill would be the best method of attack next round. Camp tidied and rubbish removed, we retreated. Upwards climb out of TPC still a thrutchy struggle but totally doable with the handline and on your back halfway up, needs stemples. All crew out of cave at 1700 for a well deserved beer. Hollie.

EF and HL brewing up in TPC. Photo MK.

Saturday 30th August 2025.

Mike Kushy and Mike Waterworth. Got to the dig around 11am. Took in 3 drums of sand, drill with extra batteries (thanks Trevor H) and scanning gear belonging to MW. The Wednesday crew had done a great job opening up the vertical squeeze to a much better size and around the head of the light connection. This allowed MK to fish out rocks from the floor and bar a good amount of mud away which was pushed down the slide. MW slid through to the Tea Party Chamber side easily enough and MK followed him. We started piling up large rocks under the climb down then we assesed what rock could be crowbarred from the floor of the light connection from this side. MK went back up to the 'safety zone' whilst MW worked on some huge slabs. 2 particulary stubborn ones took both of us from above and below to shift. With both in TPC we moved the freshly dropped slabs into safer positions. MW then started scanning TPC whilst MK made use of the batteries downsizing some of the larger boulders blocking the pit. MW had a go at pf work, then had a look down the pit and a look around the corner. About 5m of awkard passage ahead but thin bedding gaps, the floor looks interesting here though. A trial dig was also made into the waterworn ceiling straight ahead of you as you come into TPC. This revealed a very pretty and draughty little grotto with a view of a man sized phreatic tube heading off to the left. We would be best to dig into this 2m over so as to preserve the formations I believe, easy to bypass them anyway. Had another little clear of mud on the way out. Still a lot more that can be done and even some more rock from TPC that could be shifted, but we'll see what everyone thinks. We've put a handline down through the light connection, hold it. Puddle Dig had a small constant flow into it today, no water anywhere else. 5 1//2 hours. Mike K.

Youtube channel.

Screenshot of TPC from scan by MW.

MK doing pf work on the boulders blocking the pit in TPC. Photo MW.

Aerial view of TPC with dimesions. Done by MW.

Some formations in the little, pretty, draughty grotto. Photo MK.

View scan

Wednesday 27th August

Mike Wise, Hollie London and Ed Ford to do some cementing and anything we felt appropriate to the squeeze and the light connection. We took in between us several daren drums of sand, one of cement plus a drill bag and capping kit.

HL had passed the squeeze and was examining options for light connection work by the time MW arrived with the drill bag. MW completed a test fit on the squeeze face up and face down. Face up was much easier but the squeeze still did not qualify as a trade route for explorers so the capping kit was put into action after HL had returned above the squeeze.  30 minutes or so later with large slabs of rock removed and only minor collateral damage, the squeeze was retested and passed fit for general use. While all this was going on, EF took on the thankless task of cementing things higher up in the area below the scaffolding.

After some discussion between HL and MW peering into the light connection, it was decided the rock in the roof and associated awkward bits could not be safely attacked without creating more working space so HL startd P&F work on the floor on the right hand side as shown in the image.

In red the bit attacked by HL

Although very awkward to do, the nearer half of the rock shown was taken out after protracted effort and work on the rear half commenced before time was called at 2030 hours.

EF by this time had run out of rocks and places to cement and had 2 full buckets of cement left over. HL and EF rendered everything they could see to use it up. We exited Cement Dig at 2100, surfaced and got to the Hunters just before 2200.

Hopefully now the focus can be shifted to opening up the connection. We suggest installation of a short piece of ladder on the climb down into the chamber rather than cementing a boulder pile unless new cement portering and cementing volunteers are available.

 3.5 hours 

Image by Snip & Sketch 

 Mike Wise