3/6/25

Estelle Sandford, Mike Moxon, Hollie London, Adrian Miles, Wesley De Beer, Matilda Doel, Stu Lindsay, Ed Ford

1.5-2hrs

Early bird group started at 6:30 with rest turning up usual time of around 7. Mike picked Wesley de Beer up as there wasn't space on MCG trip this evening for him. He went with Hollie around other bit of passage before joining Adrian and myself at front, Adrian and Wes dug, Hollie cleared more of slump from aven and I moved buckets back, until Matilda arrived to do end haul, and then Estelle, Stu and Ed arrived to complete the team. First 34 buckets were mostly full by the time the later ones arrived, so these were dragged out of the system and dumped in the side hole again, then Estelle and Matilda dug the second round of 34 buckets with Estelle left side and Matilda on the right. Still really easy diging and quite a few rocks also coming out, some moved out and some moved to the conveyorbelt chamber area for staging. After the second round of buckets removed and dumped and scraped, we headed to the Waldy. 

27/5/25

Report from Mike Moxon

I was digging on left, Jon on right, James in support, & clearing the drainage hole, until Kat arrived to do end haul. Most of material dumped in side passage, plus some of previous week's rocks moved back to entrance.

20/5/25

Estelle Sandford, Jon Riley, Mike Moxon, Ed Ford, Matilda Doel, Hollie London

1.5hrs

Estelle & Hollie dug first and filled the first round of 34 buckets. Digging is easy and quite dry mud, which is easy to empty. On the left is going in 2 directions, up left looks like an aven possibly again, right hand digging is easy and dry and still going forwards and also down a bit too. After the spoil from the first round of buckets was emptied into the old left hand dig hole and a load of rocks removed, plus a bit of crazy paving in the puddle, 19 buckets went back down and Ed and Matilda filled those and they were brought out and emptied before heading to the Waldy. 

13/5/25

from Mike Moxon

Ed and Mike arrived 6pm to find the rheas in the garden (they were still there an hour later when James and Jon turned up). We took 24 buckets down, filling 18 from the front and 6 with puddle slop, and had got them back along the further 2 hauls by the time others joined us. The wet ones went onto the spoil heap, but most of the mud was dumped down side passage. J&J then dug the full 34 loads, plus about 6 lots of rock - latter left either end of first haul (depending on size) and buckets all dumped down side passage - followed by some vigorous scraping! Out by 9pm for a quick stop in the waldegrave with Estelle and Stu as they closed up around us.

6/5/25

 Estelle Sandford, Mike Moxon, Jon Riley and Matilda Doel

1.5hrs

Was expecting Duncan and Fran to join us later, but they didn't make it. Filled all 34 buckets 0 Mike and Matilda at the front digging, whilst Estelle shuffled them up the chamber and Jon shuffled them further up the cave. Once all filled, we moved everything out of the cave. Some of the spoil filled the last couple of bags that had space from previous weeks, some was dumped down the hole in the floor and some in the usual spoil dumping spaces. Headed to Waldy after. 

22/4/25

Report from Mike Moxon

Jon, James, Ed and Mike - 32 buckets dug out from end in pretty short order (3 filled with rocks and couple more larger ones left to side), whilst 2 others filled with slop from puddle, were then ferried back to spoilheap and most of last week's bags filled, rest dumped. Broken tools were also brought out and one of small shovels plus crowbar taken in. Off to hunters before 9pm.

15/4/25

Estelle Sandford, Mike Moxon, Jonathan Riley, Matilda Doel, Stu Lindsay

1.5hrs

Estelle, Matilda and Mike filled all 34 buckets. Estelle and Matilda at the front, there is easily space for 2 at the dig face! On the left, there is what looks like a large boulder that currently feels solid but needs to keep an eye on. Mike continued to clear slop from the winter flooding. All buckets were transported through the cave and emptied at the surface, mostly into bags which Stu can do alone. Hunters tonight as Waldy closed early.  

1/4/25

 report from Mike Moxon

Mike had a live herald moth in his suit at start, he headed in and dug the slump from aven on right (he and Matilda also climbed up - it's now mostly solid roof with a few, sort of, mud formations). She moved all 34 buckets back to the first haul, whilst James dug the way forward. Fortunately Fran arrived in time for the second haul, so we could get tubs out to Stu at the entrance. 7 bags had 2 loads put in them & need topping up next week, rest was dumped quite easily, with minimal scraping required. Dead duck was removed from below entrance. Met Estelle and Duncan in waldegrave.

25/3/25

Estelle Sandford, Mike Moxon, Dave Walker, Matilda Doel, Stu Lindsay, Fran Campbell, Ed Ford

1.5hrs

No sign of any water level at the end, but the layer of flood slurry, plus the slump is going to need a fair bit of work to clear. Estelle & Matilda filled all available buckets, think it's 34, with a mixture of slurry from the end chamber and slump from the aven and these were transported out of the cave and emptied into bags and spoil heap. Waldy afterwards. 

Winter consolidated update

15/12/24 still flooded to top haul

Weather over the winter months has been fairly consistently wet, so no visits were undertaken as it was assumed the dig would still be flooded. 

11/3/25 Report from Mike

Me, Matilda, Stuart, Callum bisley, Ed and Kat found it was still flooded just above the conveyor belt. We removed 17 buckets of slumping / sludge from along the passageway, 1 big frog and a toad. Left 12 or 13 buckets on shelf down near the water. Callum had a look around the other bit of the cave. Then went to join James, Estelle and holly at the waldegrave (photos Kat and Mike)

20/3/25 Mike visited the dig - just a pool over the drainage hole and slump from aven on right, so is now diggable. 

Hopefully this means digging can resume on a regular basis if the weather remains dryer. 

19/11/24 flooded again

Report from Mike
End was flooded just over Welly height, so James, Jon, Matilda and I moved about 15 loads of rock back to entrance.