Upper Flood Swallet

Brief history of exploration

The entrance was first revealed after the Great Flood of 1968 and was probably first entered, by Mendip Caving Group, on 03/08/68 when a tourist (Peter Anderson) drew the entrance to the attention of an MCG party who were digging at the nearby Middle Flood Swallet (now called Waterwheel Swallet). The first party explored what is now the entrance and first section of Upper Flood Passage including the phreatic passage which leads to the chert bridge.

Very quickly, a dig was established in Upper Flood Passage yet it was slow going as the passage was filled with calcite. A lot of spoil was built up around the entrance which is why it is now a man-made shaft. The first section of Upper Flood Passage was enlarged to make the digging easier and the spoil was used to create the steps in the entrance passage.

From here, progress was quite slow with trips laying bang then clearing spoil. The next breakthrough came in June 1972 opening the first well-decorated chamber. Another breakthrough came in August of the same year, this lead to more calcite-filled passage which was passed in November 1972. It was to be another 13 years of digging, and 17 years after the cave was first opened by the floods, before the next breakthrough was made.

On 13/14th April 1985 the small low chamber just prior to Midnight Chamber was finally passed and access was made to the streamway. From Midnight Chamber the cave was open upstream almost to the point that it is today and downstream was open as far as where the stream disappears down a small tight hole. It was decided to dig in the higher-level chamber, Bypass Passage, which was filled with mud at its far end, with the hope of re-joining the stream deeper in the cave. In August 1986 after 40 to 50ft of passage had been dug out a breakthrough was made into the top of a high passage. Progress was halted after a short distance at the Lavatory Trap.

The next breakthrough came in July 1987, at the T junction with Black Shale Rift, just beyond the Lavatory Trap. From here part of the Canal and most of Black Shale Rift was explored. The following month saw a blockage in the Canal being passed, so Puddle Lake was met along with the main stream and the Red Room and the Boulder Choke were first explored.

In Oct 1989 we entered Black Aven in Black Shale Rift, tantalisingly close to the surface and not far from the entrance. We had almost gone in a complete circle without finding the Master Cave!.

Although Golden Chamber was discovered in 2004, the difficulty of passing the boulder chokes would delay the discovery of the Master Cave for a further 2 years