Tuesday 29th July 2025

John Cooper, Wayne Starsmore, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Nice and dry with a good outward draught again today and still cooler on surface. Spoil hauling. Jude loading, Adrian above her, Wayne above him and John at the top each time. Started hauling up Father Duckmas, next haul was to The Tunnel, third haul was to the bottom of the entrance shaft. Final haul had John and Wayne on surface and 11 rather heavier loads were hauled up to add to the surface heap. 2¼ hours. John.

Tuesday 15th July 2025

John Cooper, Wayne Starsmore, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Nice and dry with a good outward draught today, cooler on surface at last. Capping kit taken in and used by Adrian at the bottom. Jude just above, Wayne at The Dwarf Trap and John stashing rocks temporarily at the top of Pensioners’ Pot. After a while the bottom three changed to clearing clatch and stashing it in the walls so John ferried some of the rocks to the bottom of Father Duckmas. On returning it was back to rock hauling. At the end of the session all the rocks were cleared from the top of Pensioners’ Pot and stashed at the bottom of Father Duckmas. Needs a hauling session now. 1¾ hours. John.

Jude at bottom. Photo AV.

Looking sideways at bottom. Photo AV.

Thursday 26th June 2025

John Cooper, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Warm and dry again today. Half a dozen loads of rocks hauled up to top of Pensioners’ Pot. Then while another half a dozen loads of clatch were moved from the bottom into holes in the wall the rocks were moved on up to the bottom of Father Duckmas shaft. A final load of rocks were then hauled up and Adrian tried to take photos with his pager (doesn’t work!). Nice outward draught. 2 hours. John.

Thursday 19th June 2025

Kate Lawrence, Adrian and Jude Vanderplank. All three to the bottom of a dry cave, with Jude and Kate taking out eight buckets of mud and gravel from the bottom of Pensioners' Pot and stashing it higher up in the walls. A lot more holes appearing in the floor, making it easy to poke the crowbar down in between. Lots of easy rock to clear and a steady draught blowing out the cave. 1½ hours. Adrian.

Monday 19th May 2025

John Cooper, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Warm and dry today. One mix of cement split between 2 buckets. John at the bottom building supporting wall again. Was drier again at the bottom. Brought out one rock from the very bottom of the dig to the surface. 1½ hours. John.

Tuesday 13th May 2025

John Cooper, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Arrived today just as the heavens opened and thunder and torrential rain started. Sat in Adrian’s van for 20 minutes until it passed. One mix of cement split between 2 buckets. John at the bottom building supporting wall again. Was wetter at the bottom than last week. Was raining again when Jude came out so she waited at the base of the entrance until it stopped. Another cementing session still required then might think about going down in the floor. 1½ hours. John.

Tuesday 6th May 2025

John Cooper, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Cave breathing out again today and still nice and dry. One mix of cement split between 2 buckets. As the mix was being done John Small called by and asked that, for the next 2-3 weeks while lambing was in full swing, we drove across the field not follow the road. John started off down with the first bucket of cement whilst the surface team discussed the latest large shakehole that had appeared near Cheddar crossroads (on Whitestone Farm). By the time John had used up the first bucket the second appeared. The full bucket replaced the empty bucket which was hauled up and ferried to the bottom of Father Duckmas by Jude. Once the second bucket was finished this followed and both were taken to the bottom of the entrance shaft by Jude before she finally hauled them to the surface. 1½ hours. John.