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NEWS
28/2/2010 - Today Marg, Mel and Pete checked out the Highfield Mine shaft tops for D.C.A., then had a good look in Cheshire Wood Cave and Lower Cheshire Wood Cave. (Both very interesting.)
21/2/2010 - Today everyone except Marg went down Upper Limepits Mine. Very interesting! They first explored the near vertical ore pipe down into the main shaft, then Ed and Ian abseiled the main shaft and came back up the ore pipe route. Afterwards, they showed Ian the lower adit finding the water level had dropped even more with many more gour pools exposed than previously. They also found that the water in the flooded shaft had been muddied by disturbed water flowing in from the upper mine.
14/2/2010 - Today Mel and Pete showed Marg and Rob round the Hoo Valley Mines. Ie:- Botstone Mine / Hoo Valley Mine (North), Hoo ValleyTrial Level and Perseverance Mine.
7/2/2010 - Mel monitored some more caves on Darfar Ridge. Turns out there is a whole upper series (with an engine shaft) to Limepits / West Ecton Mine, so today after everyone except Ian finished exploring the lower adit and taking photos, Mel and Rob went to look for it via where Lordswood Mine is supposed to be.
They didn't find Lordswood Mine, but did find the engine shaft to Limepits, quickly followed by the upper adit. The pair explored to a newly rigged traverse line, sloping shaft following the ore pipe down and the nearby main shaft before calling it a day and returning to the others as it was getting dark.
A return with ropes, etc. is planned in a couple of weeks time when Ed is next available.
(Above: Ready to enter Limepits Mine lower adit.)
31/1/2010 - After monitoring Hayloft and the cave next to it on Beeston Tor, Marg, Mel, Pete and Rob had an initial look round Limepits / West Ecton Mine, (near Ecton), finding it much bigger than they'd expected! A return will be made next Sunday to finish exploration. (3 passages to finish exploring...)
24/1/2009 - A pleasant trip down Cascade Cavern, Lathkill Dale today by Ed, Ian, Marg, Mel and Pete. (Despite the weather:-/ ) They used mixture of ladders and SRT. Some choosing one method, some the other, some both. Marg did some of her first abseiling practise.
17/1/2010 - Today, Mel feeling lazy, convinced Marg and Pete to help her find some more caves on the NT monitoring list. So cave BG (above Old Hannah's Hole), Ladyside Cave/Fissure and the recently discovered (2006) Mel's Cave (opposite Thor's Cave) were all re-located and photographed. The three retired to Pete's house for a drink and chat afterwards.
27/12/2009 - In horrible weather, Mel did some cave monitoring on Wetton Hill, while the others were busy elsewhere. Later a pleasant time was had chatting, drinking and eating at Pete and Karen's place before heading for home.
20/12/2009 - While the others were busy elsewhere, Mel did some monitoring of some of the caves on Beeston Tor, removing the blue handlines installed back in April. She later joined them for drinks and chat.
6/12/2009 - Marg, Mel, Pete and Rob did some entrance monitoring for the NT on Nan Tor and Coope Hill before some more digging was done down 'Val's Mine' in Hope Dale.
25/11/2009 - Mel, Pete and Rob helped Dan Hibbett and friend from the EPC to remove a significant amount of rubbish from the bottom of Deepdale Pot near Grindon. A strong draught blew out of the cave throughout the afternoon.)
 15/11/2009 - Ed, Marg, Mel, Pete and Rob spent a few hours in the Iron Mine near the Watt's Russell in Hope Dale. Mel and Marg surveyed the main adit while the others dug at the end. Then Mel and Rob did a surface survey from the entrance up to Smith's Tavern on the hillside above. The upward shaft near the end was proved to lie very near to the location of Smith's Tavern and collapses into it had probably been causing the depressions in the field nearby.
(Right: Marg exiting the Iron Mine.)
8/11/2009 - Marg, Mel, Pete and Rob spent a few hours in a newly found-out-about Iron Mine near the Watt's Russell in Hope Dale. (The name of it is currently unknown.) Two shafts in the floor were descended and a shaft in the roof near the current 'end' climbed for a short distance to what looked like a very dodgy-looking 'roof'. Using the Disto A3, it was estimated at 75m long with a vertical range of 14m. A dig is at the current 'end' into what appears to be an echoing continuation. There is obviously also another way to surface, as there was a good movement of fresh air and it all went up the shaft near the terminal dig. A return is planned very soon...
28/10/2009 - With the river receding, but still up and flowing into Proband Pot and Shilling Pot, Mel, Pete and Rob re-opened the route from the right-hand entrance passage of Redhurst Swallet to Puke Sump.
The river was entering from the right-hand side and looked as though the way on could be enlarged reasonably easily.
(Above: Proband Pot.)
Mel also took photos of Ossom's Crag Cave and Fissure as part of her cave monitoring for the N.T.
25/10/2009 - Due to the river being in flood after the recent rain, Marg, Mel, Pete and Rob had a look round the caves on Nan Tor, Mill Cave & Pot and Darfar Crag Caves as part of Mel's cave monitoring for the N.T.
 7/10/2009 - Due to the fact that the River Manifold had flooded overnight, Mel, Pete and Rob visited Hell Hole Swallet to check the lid was in good condition, (it was, see photo, right), Lees Pot (to see if anyone had been down there since they last had, nope) and Plughole where some conservation work was done before they headed home.
4/10/2009 - Today Ed, Marg, Ian and Pete decided to track down wapping mine in Matlock due to the absence of Mel and Rob. Pete took charge this week to track down the mine armed with an old cave guide book Lent to him by a fellow ex-caver.
With the book being old we had trouble first locating it but when we did we found the entrance with big metal gates and it was all padlocked up!
After some discussion and the realisation that info in the old books soon goes out of date, we headed back to the valley to carry on our usual dig. We pulled out around 20 buckets of silt and sand with the cave still making progress down!!!
A good day was had by all.
10/9/2009 - Today Mel, Pete and Rob did some work down Lees Pot making it safer. While doing so they found a small, descending rift issuing a gentle, but steady draught keeping the air clear. Mel measured the cave as about 8.7m with her new Disto A3:-)
 6/9/2009- Today Ed, Marg, Mel, Pete and Rob had a look down Lees Pot in the Hamps Valley, where Dan and the Eldon guys had extended and scaffolded it vertically down for about 26ft. (8m.) Well done Dan!
The way on is an easy dig removing rocks and gravel from the floor of the shaft.
Later, the team dug some more fill out of Smith's Tavern at Alstonefield. (See photo.)
Afterwards, Ed performed some watersports in the river around Redhurst Swallet and went in the same cave to the Knifeedge. (With the river flowing into the cave. Great fun!) Finally, Ed and Marg had a swim in the deep pool just upstream!
Above: Some of the team down Smith's Tavern.
25/8/2009- Mel took friend Laura round Thor's Cave and the first bit of Elderbush Cave. (Her first ever caves.) A nice afternoon. Meanwhile, Pete and friends were doing conservation work in the river bed;-)
Left: Laura outside Elderbush Cave.
23/8/2009- Trip to P8 as Marg and Rob hadn't been down it before. Two new peeps (Tim and Chris) came too, so we just did a novice trip to the top of the alt. 2nd pitch before exiting. (And Marg had fun on Idiots Leap, lol!)
26/7/2009 - Giant's Hole. All of us except Eddie, (who was in Norfolk), did the standard round trip, despite the inclement weather... A great, if (very) tiring trip.
11/6/2009 - Due to the Manifold being in flood again, (after the recent rain), Mel and Pete made good progress down Lees Potin 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, Mel and Pete made good progress down Link Swalletat Wetton Mill main sink area today.
31/5/2009 - Eddie, Margaret and Pete went to Owl Hole and Dowel Dale Side Pot today as Mel was sorting out BCA membership forms, etc. (And Ian was selling his Landrover.)
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 Caveand 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 Torand 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 Mineat 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
16/11/2008 - Ed, Ian and Pete took Margaret down Elderbush Cavetoday, 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
17/8/2008 - Martin and Pete did some scaffolding just inside Plantation Swalletafter 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
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!
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!
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