27/8/24

Estelle Sandford, Mike Moxon, Fran Campbell, Stu Lindsay

1hr 15mins

 

Estelle and Mike started filling buckets, 12 were already in the cave empty and we took 6 more down so 18 were filled in total. The air was ok at the end and it felt like there was a slight draught coming up through the floor hole. Estelle filled the buckets from the left hand side under the big boulder and above the crack in the floor. Fran arrived and started hauling and we started moving everything up through the cave. The air wasn’t great when sat at the bottom of the middle haul, but the rest of the cave was ok. Stu hauled at the surface and part filled a few bags whilst waiting for help emptying on the surface. The mud was sticking quite a lot in the buckets, don’t know if it was worse due to the type of mud or that some buckets were left stashed in the cave. Waldy was closed so we went to the Hunters.

20/8/24

 report from Jon

Three regular Team members (Fran, Jon and Mike) were joined by two visitors, Joe Holloway and Krystal Thompson from Mendip Outdoor Pursuits. Joe had previously visited; Crystal was paying a first visit to the dig site. The visitors had a quick look at the upper cave and then, in traditional fashion, they were invited to dig.

Joe took the lead, initially supported by Jon. The air quality remains poor. Krystal sensibly took a cautious approach of starting at a hauling point, until she had acclimatised to the air. She then moved forward, sharing the lead duties with Joe.

Given the air quality, the Team limited themselves to a small number of buckets. Twenty bucket loads were removed from the front; six rather liquid loads were taken from the bottom haul point, where Fran hauled. In due course, the Team moved up to fresher air; Fran again did most of the hauling.

The good news is that the buckets remain easy to empty.

The Team eventually relocated to a local hostelry for light refreshments, delayed a little by an issue with the site gate. Fortunately, the landowner came to their rescue. The Team extends a word of thanks.

13/8/24

 report from Fran

Jon, James Ed, Fran and Stu were at the dig with James and Jon at the digface. Ed and Fran and Stu hauled with Stu working the railway at the top. It was hot and humid with spells of rain.  We emptied all the buckets into bags or onto the spoil heap then headed for the Waldy.

6/8/24

 Report from Mike Moxon

Duncan dug the end, whilst Jon and I checked the buckets left last time still emptied (they did, but then it hadn't rained). Adrian arrived to help shift stuff back & Duncan stopped at 26 due to air still being poor, before assisting with getting them back to the entrance where we filled bags for the wall. Finished about 8.30 to find stu had only just arrived, before heading to the waldegrave where James, Estelle and holly met us.

30/7/24

 Estelle Sandford, Mike Moxon, Jon Riley

1.5hrs

Trying different ideas with 3. Mike, Jon and Estelle took 22 skips into the end of the dig, Jon filled them all and whilst he was doing that, Mike and Estelle moved them through the first skip run, there is space there to store that number, we actively left 2 skips in the cave in that area to see how well they empty next time having been left full in cave. We then moved them to the chamber end of railway with one each end of the haul and one on steps, followed by moving them out of the cave and emptying them, including filling 2 bags, apart from one skip which we left by the railway to test how well it empties next time. This took just over an hour to do from start to finish and we arrived in the pub just after 8:30pm. We felt 20-25 would be the max 3 could do and make the pub for 8:30ish on non-darts nights. The air in the dig wasn’t great, but not unworkable.

We discussed in the pub after with Stu and James present, options around trying bags instead of the skips like they use at Halloween, Jon said he’d see about getting some of those – from experience of many digs/mud types, we will probably need to experiment with leaving them full for a week, then maybe 2 weeks, etc. to see how well they will empty. We also suggested that filling some brewery bags and loading them into the pool just before the last run, with a view to putting another conveyor belt over that would lose that puddle with rocks in and make it more comfortable to get across and a little more storage space too. There is also a lot of smaller rocks by the last skip run that could come out allowing more stacking space if required. Basically there is probably work that can be done with 3 as long as the individuals are up for triple handling and being in a variety of locations working. We just have to accept we can’t do things as fast and vigorous with just 3! 

16/7/24 report from Mike M

 Ed Ford, James Begley, Mike Moxon, Jon Riley, Stu Lindsay, Fran Campbell

2hrs

Ed and James were at the front, Jon and Mike moved skips back, whilst Stu did the middle haul, for all buckets present, then Stu moved up to top haul and rest of us kept moving them along. Fran arrived as we were emptying.