I've not even really thought about this place since a single digging trip here in 2012 with Dan, however some recent dye testing work i've been doing has had me visiting this site every week since March. Come early June the flow stopped and shortly after the large(!) draught started. I didn't remember that it draughted so this certainly piqued my interest. Last week i popped in for a look to find it clean, dry and very short, making it a great summer dig!
Just me and Joe for the first hit, armed with a set of capping gear each. Joe hit the face first whilst i tidied up the rest of the passage to make it suitably ready for abuse. The end is very shattered, possibly from the previous diggers using large pills, so mostly it needed SDS chiselling, and lots of it. Progress was rapid. On a whim i had brought a drag tray and rope and i was glad.
After an hour or so we swapped and i got to play. I like capping but productive chiselling is nearly as much fun. I got loads out of the roof, much of it falling on me it was so loose, and the trays kept filling. A 110v breaker would probably be quicker but a pain to manoeuvre in there. Hilariously the draught was blowing so strong in our faces that our eyes and lungs were filled with drill dust; maybe full face masks next time!?
By the end of the session we had made probably a metre of sizeable new passage, much more than i had expected. Unfortunately from our new vantage point the path ahead looks to continue very tight for a good while, so hopefully we can continue to achieve similar progress over the next few trips.
Headed to the Queens Arms in Taddington to an brilliant pint (22, by Dancing Duck Brewery) and warm pork scratchings. Lush.
Such a nice summer dig
Scary roots in the roof
The face