Darfar Potholing Club, based in the Manifold Valley, Staffordshire

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NEWS

14/6/2009 - After a visit by Martin, Pete and Rob, Lees Pot in the Hamps Valley is now 11m long and 4m deep with 4 possible ways on. (Nothing obvious though, unfortunately...)

11/6/2009 - Due to the Manifold being in flood again, (after the recent rain), Martin and Pete made good progress down Lees Pot in the Hamps Valley. (See photo on the right.) The cave is now 3m deep and 10m long with a nice draught blowing up out of the floor. Thanks to Dan Hibbet and friends for re-opening it, and for getting permission to work there again. (This site was last worked on in 1983, when the river flooded while we were down it and access was lost!)

4/6/2009 - Due to some decent weather and rare lowish water levels, Martin and Pete made good progress down Link Swallet at Wetton Mill main sink area today.

31/5/2009 - Eddie, Margaret and Pete went to Owl Hole and Dowel Dale Side Pot today as Martin was sorting out BCA membership forms, etc. (And Ian was selling his Landrover.)

3/5/2009 - Excellent, (if hard), trip round Streaks Pot today by all club members. Entry was via the upper entrance and Lu Blue Sump was visited before the through trip was completed. Time underground was around 3 hours. (Martin for one was aching for several days afterwards:-/ )

29/4/2009 - Finding the river up again, Martin and Pete had to abandon plans for more work down Link Swallet and instead had a look down Project Pot and the old entrance of T-Pot. (Where a bulge in the floor of the entrance rift was partially removed.)

26/4/2009 - Today, while Pete took Rob round St. Bertram's Cave, Martin took some photos of the now closed-down archaeological dig at Cave CX, before joining them in the river bed. Then they did a bit of scaffolding work in Link Swallet at the main sink area before home.

19/4/2009 - Due to time restrictions everyone stayed local today, instead of going to Stoney Middleton. So Ed, Ian, Marg, Martin and Pete had a look round the entrance series of Redhurst Swallet (to Sump 1), followed by the main parts of T-Pot , before cleaning off at the main sink area near Wetton Mill, where marg was shown the entrances of several caves she would probably be going down later in the year. (If we have a summer this year, that is!)

12/4/2009 - Martin and Pete took Ian, Marg and newcomer Rob (from Alstonefield) to see the archaeological dig on Beeston Tor. While Martin and Pete finished rigging a handline to Lynx Caves, the others went for a look round Beeston Cave and Cathedral Rift. Afterwards, while Martin took some photos of the archaeological work going on, the others explored Upper Lynx Cave.

(Above: The Archaeological dig at Cave CX on Beeston Tor.)

8/4/2009 - Ed, Martin and Pete rigged handlines between the new archaeological dig at Cave CX on Beeston Tor and the nearby Beeston Cave and Cathedral Rift.

15/2/2009 - Margaret, Martin and Pete had an enjoyable afternoon on Beeston Tor investigating various caves including cave CX and the 'Unnamed Arch' and eventually ended up at Lynx Caves which proved to be very interesting. (See photo.)

(Martin hadn't been in there for about 30 years!)

About to descend Dowel Dale Side Pot

18/1/2009 - Margaret, Martin and Pete had an enjoyable afternoon in Dowel Dale today. (Despite the freezing weather.) First they went to Owl Hole and explored the OCC 'Three Chambers' extension then the lower dig, 'Owls Bottom' and were suitably impressed by the formations, etc. They then went down Dowel Dale Side Pot and Martin and Pete were suitably impressed by the chamber and sump pool at the bottom.

21/12/2008 - Ian, Margaret, Martin and Pete had an easy pre-xmas afternoon having a look around Hollybank Mine at Ecton. (Margaret hadn't been in there before.)

14/12/2008 - Margaret, Martin and Pete had a pleasant and easy trip down Waterways Swallet to the Gallery. Martin showed Margaret down into the scaffolding for a way, but thought it would be good to leave going any further again until everyone was present. (Can look at the new chamber then.)

In Hillocks Mine

23/11/2008 - Great trip down Hillocks Mine today by Ed, Holly, Ian, Margaret, Martin and Pete. (The weather was horrible though, as usual!) The girls did brill, despite ladder climbing, etc. being new to them...

16/11/2008 - Ed, Ian and Pete took Margaret down Elderbush Cave today, then had a look around St. Bertram's Cave where Ed and Ian removed some of the obstruction blocking the second way into the cellars.

9/11/2008 - A most enjoyable look around the mined section and lower series of Jugholes by Ed, Margaret, Martin and Pete today, despite the atrocious weather conditions. (See photos.)

Pete reaches the top of the 1st pitch

24/8/2008 - Excellent trip down Lathkill Head Cave today. (See photo.) The river passage itself was flooded however, so the 4 couldn't explore further than the bottom chamber.

17/8/2008 - Martin and Pete did some scaffolding just inside Plantation Swallet after chatting to Dan and the 2 Eldon guys who were with him. (Mike Salt and Bob Toogood.) They also deposited another scaffold pole and some clamps in tne main chamber. They also had a look at the scaffolding below the main chamber, both being impressed by the amount of work that had been put in. While Martin went down to the end of the scaffolding, Pete waited for him in case of a mishap. Martin eventually chickened out just past the end of the scaffolding, where the dig was in pure boulder choke again!

10/8/2008 - An excellent afternoon drinking, caving, digging and drinking again, all in lovely weather! The usual 4 visited Dukes Deep Level and Hurts Deep Level (Bincliffe Mines), then had an initial digging session at 'Smith's Tavern' at Alstonefield.

'Smith's Tavern' at Alstonefield

31/7/2008 - Today Martin and Pete visited Link Swallet and delivered a package, then did most of the installation of a cap and manhole cover on 'Smith's Tavern' at Alstonefield. (See photo.)

27/7/2008 - Today Martin and Pete visited 'Smith's Tavern' at Alstonefield where some scaffold bars and concrete lintels were dropped off, Plantation Swallet where some scaffold bars were dropped off, Project X where another package was delivered and Link Swallet where some much needed scaffolding was done.

Ed getting wet in Riverside Swallet!

11/5/2008 - Ed, Martin and Pete spent a lovely sunny afternoon building a dam downstream of Riverside Swallet to reduce the amount of water going down it, then got the lid off and built up the river bed round the entrance ready for concreting. Probing of the river bed was done just upstream to start to see if a connection between Darfar and Riverside could be made from above. As the river was sinking at the Crater, it was hoped that it would be flowing down the Hole in the Floor in T-Pot, but both it and Wednesday Pot were found to be dry. (Thanks for checking Ed!) Martin thought that the river must be flowing at a lower level directly to Ladyside, though this wasn't checked due to the time. Riverside 2 was later found to be sump free and Ed and Martin had a refreshing shower in there and then in the entrance of Riverside Swallet (see photo) before finishing for the day. The 3 had a 'beer in the byre' before returning home.

On one occasion in 2007, the manhole covers over Riverside Swallet and Moonmilk Pot were removed and then just 'placed' back over the entrances so that any member of the public could open the entrances and fill them with rubbish. Can anyone visiting any of the caves with manhole covers over them, please refit them properly.

A pair of molegrips can be used to 'adjust' the edges of the covers if they don't fit back on properly. (They should do if they were removed properly and then replaced the same way round as they were fitted originally.)

It's a bit of a pain, I know, but if they get filled in again then I (Martin) may not be around to re-empty them. I (and other D.P.C. members) have already done it once in recent years!

Many thanks,

D.P.C. - aka The Manifold Mob!