Mendip Caving Group

What an exciting place Mendip is for cavers at the moment thanks to the Upper Flood Swallet breakthrough, the promising Stainsby's Shaft dig, and now the breakthrough in Charterhouse Cave.

Although I was a Charterhouse leader for many years I never went into the dig beyond Grotto of the Singing Stal. I am just sorry I will no longer fit down the narrow fissure near the entrance so, as with Upper Flood Swallet, I will have to rely on the chat and photos

Breakthrough by WCC in Charterhouse Cave

After 26 years of digging and over 125 working trips the Wessex Caving Club have finally got through the Charterhouse Cave boulder ruckle and have explored an estimated 300m of walking sized streamway. A sizeable inlet enters part way down the extension and it is believed that this water is probably the G.B. Cave stream. Work continues. The final section of the Charterhouse boulder ruckle is extremely unstable and makes the Upper Flood Swallet boulder choke look positively safe!

The hard-won and significant breakthrough took place in the boulder choke in Charterhouse Cave where, after 125 digging trips over 26 years, the Wessex digging team lead by Pete & Ali Moody and Pete Hann found about 300m of new passage, some of it well decorated, and added about 90m to the depth of the cave. The breakthrough was just in time for the MCG dinner and Pete Moody came along as Guest Speaker to describe the discoveries.

However, most Charterhouse leaders will not be taking trips into the new stuff for a little while. There is a gate at the beginning of the dig, beyond The Grotto of the Singing Stal and this will remain locked for some time, with trips being undertaken only with the diggers. The reasons for this are twofold: firstly the diggers will have the usual period of grace in which to complete exploration, surveying, photography, conservation work and scientific inspection. Secondly the breakthrough choke is in an extremely precarious state and time will be needed to analyse the extent of the danger that it poses and to undertake any stabilisation works that might be possible.

A week after the announcement of the breakthrough, the team was back in action and several new things came to light:

There is a hint, based on altimeter readings, that the cave is actually considerably deeper than was first thought. The diggers are making no claims as yet, that will wait until the high-grade survey can be done, but the possibility is that they have broken their own Mendip depth record (Longwood Swallet 575 feet) and have the first 600 feet deep Mendip cave.

Time will tell, but with this team anything is possible. However, the choke is still extremely nasty and still needs work.

This is the second significant breakthrough in the Cheddar catchment area in less than 2 years (the other being in Upper Flood Swallet).

MCG extend their congratulations to the WCC. The race is well and truly on for the 2008 digging barrel!

Hidden Earth

Upper Flood padlock

Biff and Doug have modified the Upper Flood Swallet lid to take the new security padlock. Leaders should note it is a close fit and a bit fiddly at first but once you find the knack it's ok.

There is currently a single new key in the Upper Flood Swallet key box - it has the Upper Flood Swallet key tag attached to it. Make sure you have the right key when going to the cave!

The new padlock has a detachable shackle. When the key is turned in the body of the padlock, the shackle drops out. It is important, when opening the lock, to hold onto this shackle so that it is not dropped down the entrance pipe.

The cave should be kept locked at all times. However, the lid is designed so that it can be opened from within without a key.

Charities and Public Benefit

From 1 April 2008 all charities must not only have 'charitable aims' but must also demonstrate that the aims are for the public benefit. MCG already satisfies the 'charitable aims' condition, but do we meet the 'public benefit' requirement?

Public benefit - It must be clear what benefits to the public arise from carrying out a charity's aims. Our aims as stated in the Constitution are: 'the furtherance of all aspects of the exploration, scientific study and conservation of caves and related features' This is evidenced by:

The benefits must be related to the aims (exploration, scientific study and conservation. Between our different activities, each of the aims is covered, not just some of the aims

Benefits must be balanced against any detriment or harm. Our activities are not detrimental (unless you count digging) and we do not have aims that are illegal or are a sham.

The beneficiaries must be appropriate to the aims. Membership is open to anyone over the age of 16 years with an interest in the objects of the Group. Persons aged under 16 years may be sponsored by a member and attend meetings as their guests. Members can bring accompanied guests to the cottage and use tackle etc for no further fee. The actual number of people who can benefit at any one time may be quite small (120 members) but anyone who could qualify for the benefit is eligible. The benefit may be to a 'section of the public' (cavers), rather than the public generally, but the restriction is reasonable and relevant to the charity's aims (caving carries a risk so restricting membership to over 16 is reasonable).

Where benefit is to a section of the public, the opportunity to benefit must not be unreasonably restricted by geographical or other restrictions; or by ability to pay any fees charged. Well, we are geographically limited to Mendip because that is where the caves are. But we have members throughout the UK.

Charities must not be seen as 'exclusive clubs' that only a few can join. MCG membership is open to anyone over the age of 16 years with an interest in the objects of the Group and persons aged under 16 years may be sponsored by a member and attend meetings as their guests. Charities can charge fees that more than cover the cost of their services or facilities, provided that the charges are reasonable and necessary to carry out the charity's aims.

Where the charging restricts the benefits only to people who can afford to pay the fees charged, this may result in the benefits not being available to a sufficient section of the public. Members in hardship can apply for a reduction in subs, and cottage fees are charged at cost.

People in poverty must not be excluded from the opportunity to benefit. �If we excluded people from the opportunity to benefit because they could not pay the fees, then our aims would not be for the public benefit. Trustees should think about other ways in which people who cannot afford those fees can benefit in some material way related to their charity's aims. Members experiencing financial hardship may apply annually to the committee for consideration of a reduced personal subscription. If people are unable to join because they cannot affords the subs, they may use the facilities (tackle, library) for no charge as the accompanied guest of a member.

Any private benefits must be incidental. Where people or organisations benefit from a charity, other than as a beneficiary, then those 'private' benefits must be incidental, and not a necessary result, or by-product, of carrying out the charity's aims. Where private benefits are more than incidental this might mean the organisation is set up for private, not public, benefit and so might not be charitable. Any fees paid for presenting lectures should continue to be donated to the Group!

Reporting on MCG's public benefit. We already explain our activities in the Trustees Annual Report to the Charity Commission but this information now needs to be set in the context of our aims to show how in practice the aims have been carried out for the public benefit. Trustees will also need to confirm that we have had regard to the public benefit guidance.

Assessment. The Charity Commission decide, based on our Trustees Annual Report, if we are failing to meet the public benefit requirement. If we are failing, the Commission advise on what needs to change in order to meet the requirement, and give clear reasons and advice on what happens if it is not possible to meet the requirement. We will be not be expected to make changes overnight and the Commission will take reasonable account of how much time and resources might be needed to make changes in order to meet the requirement. If we fall foul of a public benefit decision, we can seek a review of that decision using the review procedures and, if necessary, can make a further appeal to the Charity Tribunal and, ultimately, to the courts. Having said that, the committee believe we already meet the public benefit requirement.

Upper Flood Lectures

Tim Francis is continuing to give a series of Upper Flood presentations to external groups and events. The slides in the deck continually get updated so feel free to drop Tim a line if you need a copy for something, such as Julie's session at the Grampian. Where a fee is being paid Tim donates all monies to the digging fund, so its all in a good cause. Recently he has lectured at the annual AONB Mendip Wardens and volunteers dinner in the Burrington Inn. So that's to all the people who have an active interest in the above ground world of the Mendips and of course including the Charterhouse reserve. Next stop was the Subterranea Britannica spring day conference at Imperial College on Saturday 12th April. And there is a Wells Rotary Club meeting coming up as well.

Lost swallet

Following the breakthroughs in Charterhouse Cave and Upper Flood Swallet, there is much interest in the remaining gap between the Charterhouse area and Blackmoor Valley. There is always the possibility that the still-slumping sink in Velvet Bottom about 400m down-valley from the old�Mendip Adventure Base should also drop into something interesting. It took a large amount of water after the 1968�flood. Vegetation had been visibly sucked into the hole.

As a practical guide to its location, walk on down Velvet Bottom having passed the 'adventure centre' on your right, initially the path hugs the drystone wall to your left. After about 300m it veers a little to the right�toward the right-hand drystone wall, and then it is followed among banks of mining spoil. The valley bottom lowers on the left�to form an elongated flat-floored depression. The path continues alongside and to the right of�this depression. The slumping feature is clearly visible at the farthest down-valley south-easterly�point in the depression floor.

We first noticed this feature a few days after the 1968 flood. It was immediately impressive but the surrounding soil was like a squelchy�bog. Despite the presence of grass and other vegetation showing clearly that it had been sucked down�into the hole we didn't fancy 'doing' a bog, and shortly afterwards we began work on Upper Flood Swallet which was guaranteed 'real' cave. The prospects in and around Velvet Bottom had momentarily gone�crazy: Grebe (Middle Flood) Swallet looked interesting; Waterwheel (Lower Flood) Swallet was inviting. These two were tempting until we saw Upper Flood Swallet which simply demanded our attention. Manor Farm Swallet had been transformed. However, Velvet Bottom was our first love, so there we stayed.

Regardless of the foregoing, it would still be interesting for fresh eyes to look into Bone hole. It is an impressive site which may still hold possibilities. Anyone with half-an-hour to waste could also find peering into White Spot Cave in the Gorge�interesting if it is still accessible.

I believe the feature which is being discussed is the end of the trench which the 18thC miners dug when they were reworking the older waste which filled the original valley. The sediments in the central deepest part of the valley had the highest concentrations of lead. When the price of lead plummeted, the mining company dug out the best stuff before they went bust. I suspect all this info is in Stanton and Clarke's paper.

During the 1968 floods the water flowed (rushed) down the valley until it reached the end of the trench and then disappeared. Whether it went down a swallet or just drained to the bottom of the sediments to emerge further down the valley is unknown (but I suspect the latter). Note that the water didn't flow all the way down the valley on the surface but resurged just below Charterhouse 1 Floor (smelter). I don't know where it sank below the breached embankment of the horseshoe bend.

A feature which intrigues me is the kink in the wall which bounds the south side of Velvet Bottom. It can be seen on Bill Chadwick's website to the east of the end of the trench (GR approximately 4950 5495). Why is the kink there? Presumably the wall builders were avoiding something and (if I remember rightly) there does appear to be a depression on the south side of the wall.

Also, there is a leat and water channel which occur down-valley of the buddles associated with the Charterhouse 1 smelter. Could this have been channelling water to a swallet?

Swildons book review

Few and far between are the books on caving that have really grabbed me. I will always be a life-long advocate of 'Subterranean Climbers' by Pierre Chevalier. From a few weeks ago that tome will have a challenger. I had not been too much enthused by prior announcement of 'Swildon's Hole 100 Years of Exploration' by D.Irwin, A. Moody and A. Farrant; edited by J. Hanwell and R.Whitcombe (Wessex Cave Club, 2007). However, the published result attests to the success of this team.

Before I had read ten pages, I was warming to the narrative. The exploration story begins in 1901. I was only six months old when Sump One was first dived in 1936. Having been familiar with Swildon's Hole since my first visit to Mendip in 1953, I thought I more or less knew the story of its exploration. However, this book fills in gaps in my knowledge, which I never knew existed.

It was often the proud boast of cavers in the 1950s that they had done a 'Full Swildon's'; this was a trip to Sump Two, free-diving Sump One on the way. Today such a trip doesn't merit a mention because it is no longer done wearing linen boiler suits and woollen underwear. Using a carbide lamp didn't help much, either. I vividly remember finding several 'lost' stinkies during one particular passage of Sump One.

The narrative moves smoothly through the early phases of exploration, helped in no small measure by copious photos and survey extracts. Page design is easy on the eye, giving text and graphics room to advantageously complement each other.

It soon became obvious that putting down the book would be difficult. As soon as exploration moves beyond Tratman's Temple through the Forbidden Grotto and past the Blasted Boss, the story picks up great momentum as St Paul's and Paradise Regained and ultimately Swildon's Four are entered between 1953 - 1957. This was a period on Mendip when every caver and his dog were eager to lend a hand with the rapidly extending exploration.

Barriers, imagined or real simply melted away as individuals from any and every club were drawn into the effort. WSG played a leading role in the effort to reach Swildon's Four, notably as coordinators. If you wanted to join in on a working trip, all you needed to do was to approach Len Dawes in the Hunters' and offer your services. There were always 'sherpa' trips to join. Enthusiasm and a willingness to perform an allotted task were all that it required. Friendships were quickly formed and 'heroes' began to emerge as progress became increasingly distant and difficult.

The name of Dennis Kemp will forever be associated with Blue Pencil Passage. Miners-style belt-mounted electric lamps had now become the standard form of lighting. This permitted longer trips and exploration of some particularly wet and nasty places such as the Mud Sump. However, they made passing the original Blue Pencil Squeeze a trifle difficult.

With the discovery of Swildon's Four streamway, it was largely divers who took up the gauntlet of exploration. However, Paradise Regained continued to provide a source of new discoveries with such gems as Shatter Series, Double Trouble Series and South East Inlets. Eventually the exploration story begins to reflect the extremely demanding progress in such areas as Renascence Series, Watergate, Cowsh Aven Series and Passchendaele.

I was pleased to read that the last 2m of the Cowsh Aven climb was regarded as tricky - it was like emerging out into a funnel, with about as many obvious holds. The recently discovered link from Priddy Green Sink into Swildon's Four via Cowsh sounds well worth avoiding.

Just when you think the book cannot get much better; it does, when the folded Swildon's survey falls out at your feet. The geomorphology section is clearly written and well illustrated, but I mourn the loss of 'Old Red Sandstone' to 'Portishead Formation'.

For me personally the book is full of names and photos of people I remember so well and is a reminder of a golden age on Mendip. This book simply begs to be read by anyone interested in Mendip caving. There are many other caves which could benefit from such caring, detailed treatment.

Keys deposits

A deposit of �20 is required for any key loaned to casual callers to the Cottage. When giving out a key, take this deposit and agree how the borrower will a) return the key and b) collect the deposit.

Preferably, take a �20.00 note or cheque and hang it on the key hook, to be exchanged for the key on return.

If this is inconvenient (eg the key is to be returned at a time when the cottage may not be open) it is acceptable to take a cheque which can then be destroyed when the key is collected from the letterbox.

It is advisable to place a note on the key hook explaining which key has been taken and the arrangement for return of the deposit.

Yv'sdroppings

They words

If you missed they words in the back room of the Hunters, fear not. You can now Listen Again thanks to Thrupelite® (the sounds & sights of caving,�with the discomfort and effort involved carefully processed out in the laboratories)

Do you want to know how the bison bones got into Hunters Lodge Inn Sink? The bones are a source of much puzzlement but Thrupelite® has an elegant theory to explain their presence. This theory is supported by an exciting discovery made recently at the lower end of Cheddar Gorge

Mendip Caving Group. UK Charity Number 270088. The object of the Group is, for the benefit of the public, the furtherance of all aspects of the exploration, scientific study and conservation of caves and related features. Membership shall be open to anyone over the age of 16 years with an interest in the objects of the Group.

Recent news

April 2008

From the Editor