|
Details of work done down Rabbits Hole in 2007, (mostly), the first in over 25 years. (Should have been done ages ago...)  Rabbits Hole Entrance Chamber 17/5/2007 - Today he dug out the floor from just beyond Poo Chamber (since renamed Curtain Chamber) all the way to the descending bedding squeeze that Eddie Potter got to a few months ago. It was then much more comfortable and he was easily able to turn round at the top of the upward slope before the squeeze. The next thing to do is descend the squeeze feet first and remove rocks from the side of it to enlarge the way through.
 Crawl between the Entrance and Curtain Chambers All the formations on the roof were active and dripping water today, something he'd never seen before, obviously due to the recent heavy rain. (It was thought they were all 'dead/inactive' before today.) There was also a strong, cold draught blowing from the entrance today... strong as Plantation Swallet... there must be a sizable cave behind what's been explored already, surely...  The curtains in Curtain Chamber
20/5/2007 - Today Martin and Pete Ray spent a couple of hours taking some photos and then making the approach to the descending squeeze much, much bigger. It was then possible to crouch sideways above it and work on enlarging the tightest bit. Some protruding bits now need drilling and splitting off with a chisel to allow easier entry to the continuing passage. 17/6/2007 - Today, (with the river dropping after a flood due to the recent heavy rain and sinking in the Project Pot area), Martin enlarged the descending squeeze by drilling and chiselling some pieces of the right-hand side, then removing a large 6 inch thick rock from the floor of the squeeze. It was now large enough for a 'normal-sized' person to get through! 1/7/2007 - Today, due to the continueing rain ruling out the river caves, Ed, Ian, Pete and Martin made another visit which was again draughting quite strongly. After removing a roof flake just before Curtain Chamber, Ed made his way to the descending squeeze that Martin had enlarged a couple of weeks before and slid down into it. Martin followed him to the top. Ed became a bit freaked out by the tight and awkward nature of it and not knowing where he was going, so after some manouvering of bodies, he and Ian changed places. Ian then heroically dug out the floor of the squeeze some more, (despite being in a very awkward position), lowering it by 2 or 3 inches so that Martin could easily get through. He and Martin then changed places and Martin spent the next hour, (assisted when possible by Ian), turning a large pointed rock over which had been sticking up in the middle of the floor and making it extremely awkward to progress. After this work, it was possible for Martin to easily put his leg into the passage leading into the chamber just beyond. The next thing to do will be to dig the clay and rocks out of the left hand side of the passage here. (Looking into the cave.) It will then be possible to turn round more easily and get a proper look at the way on so that it can be enlarged. By the time they left the cave, 3m more progress into the cave had been made and moving back up through the (former) squeeze was much, much easier... 8/7/2007 - Today, Martin returned and started digging out the left-hand side of the horizontal passage regained the previous Sunday. He removed between 6 and 18 inches of clay from this side, in the process opening up another (very) small way into the terminal chamber. He also removed some from the floor up ahead, but even after doing this was still just unable to turn round. Very frustrating.  Stream near Rabbits Hole in flood Another 1/2 metre of progress was also made horizontally past the way on into the terminal chamber and this will be the main target of the next visit, so that the way on can be seen (and worked on) without having to go down into this passage head first and without any guarantee of being able to turn around. While Martin was underground, there must have been a heavy downpour of rain, because on regaining the surface he found everything dripping and the nearby stream in full flood. (As was the Hoo Brook at Wetton Mill.) 15/7/2007 - Today, due to the continueing rain (again), Ed, Ian, Pete and Martin paid another visit to the cave, which was draughting strongly as usual. Ian went to start digging out the far end of the horizontal passage just before the terminal chamber, followed by Martin, Ed and then Pete. While Ian was digging, Martin passed all the spoil he'd stacked the previous week to Pete via Ed where it was disposed of in the passage floor. Ian then managed to turn round and was able to dig forwards and pass a load of spoil back to Martin where it was duly relayed out of the way. During the lulls in activity while Ian had the occasional rest from digging, the team cheered themselves with amusing banter and song. (Good job no-one else could hear...) Eventually, Ian was able to insert his legs into the Supermangle, (the tight squeeze into the terminal chamber), and start digging the fill out of the side passage going off to the right. While he was doing this, Martin found he was able to lie in the passage just behind him, and Ed where Martin used to be with Pete at the top of the enlarged, descending squeeze. After some time, and with 2 metres of progress into the side passage made, Ian declared himself knackered. (Unsurprisingly!) While Ed and Pete made their way out of the cave, Ian passed Martin in the horizontal bit, so that Martin could have a look. By pushing both legs up into the dug-out passage on the right, he was finally able to see into the chamber. A clean-washed vertical wall could be seen about 3 metres away with the floor sloping down from the squeeze towards it and to the right where the main part of the chamber must presumably be. He decided that he would need to drill into a slab forming the bottom of the squeeze and split an inch or two off to allow 'comfortable' entry for everyone and so could do no more that day. After cleaning up in the nearby stream, they retired to The George at Alstonefield for some much-deserved beer, satisfied that good progress had been made. (Without filling up the stacking spaces at the far end too...) 22/7/2007 - Martin spent 3 hrs down the cave today and on reaching the current 'end' was able to turn round by putting his legs into the 'Supermangle'. (Thanks Ian!) He removed around a foot of clay from the right-hand side of the squeeze ahead and 2 large pieces of rock from the floor of the squeeze after drilling/chiselling it. It should be possible for Ian and/or Ed to get through now with a bit of digging of the clay floor leading into the chamber from the squeeze. (Maybe try using the hoe to push the floor forwards into the bigger bit ahead?) A few more bits of the rock floor on the right-hand side of the squeeze still needed removing to allow him and Pete to get in and out though.
He also dug a bit from the top of the slope in the right-hand passage that Ian dug out last Sunday and was able to see down into a sizable hole, but not into the chamber beyond. A good stacking place though. (He left the mattock/entrenching tool up there.) It is intended to install the expanding stemple recovered from the 3rd pitch of Darfar Pot underneath the dodgy looking roof block just before the squeeze on the next trip. 29/7/2007 - After having a look at the location of the now filled in Botstone Mine collapse, Ed, Pete and Martin returned and Ed managed to dig out the floor beyond the now enlarged 'Supermangle' and pass it feet first without too much difficulty. However, the passage didn't get any higher and Ed couldn't work out which direction was the way on, so he suggested Martin had a look. After changing places, Martin could see why Ed had been having trouble. The floor ahead, (now flattened out by Ed), wasn't a descending slope and the roof dropped down in two steps meaning it stayed just as low as in the squeeze! The way on was definately down the slope to the right, but there was just this big clean-washed vertical wall in the way and he couldn't find a way round to the right or over it. After some time, he decided that some of the 'unstable looking roof' of the chamber mentioned in the original write-up from 1980, must have collapsed. Disappointed, he decided to call it a day and the team removed all the tools from the cave. Afterwards in the pub, Martin decided that he would go back in once more to install the expanding stemple, (left in the cave today), underneath the dodgy looking roof block just before the now enlarged 'Supermangle' and then dig the right-hand passage for a couple of hours in the hope that it might provide a bypass to the blockage in the chamber... sometime or other...
|
