Devon Mine Dig

Date:

02 July 2010

Party:

Big Dave, Ali, Rick, & Margot

Photos:

Big Dave

In Brief:

Two trips into a mine had left a shaft, which had impeded further exploration impossible so far, bridged, and ready to be crossed! The day had come to taste the sweet fruits of our efforts. The same four that had built the bridge gathered two days later, and we, or rather, I couldn’t wait, but I had gone to bed early the night before, and had managed to dry my caving kit since the previous trip down. The same could not be said about the men. Unhappily they wrestled their tired bodies into their sloshing kit...

Continued:

In no time we arrived at the shaft. I tied myself into the rope, and was eager to cross that barrier between explored and surveyed terrain, and places where no man alive had ever set foot. Brainstorming by the men on how they would draw the bridge back as soon as I was over, and only put it back in place after I had given my bank details did not distract me. And soon I could go! I quickly crawled over, hearing Dave behind me say to Rick “I told you she was mad!”. It was then time to get the men over too. All of them were moaning to some extent, especially Dave, who sounded like me in a traverse, but they all came over safely. Almost safely, perhaps; I noticed that the somewhat robustly walking men made the floor undulate... was it wood we were standing on? Centuries old wood? Time to bugger off, see what was beyond!

 The floor didn’t give. We walked on through the old tunnel to a Y-junction, with beautiful structures on floor and ceiling. The first were doomed, the second at risk; we tried to make sure we took photographs of everything before we ventured on. And the tunnel on the left did not leave much to venture; it came to a dead end. We made sure we properly surveyed all of it, so we spent quite some time in there anyway; then on to the right tunnel. The same features: a dead end, but quite some surveying time. And then there was nothing other to do than go back, surveying and taking pictures on the way! A modest exploration, but one has to start somewhere. And this had been great. 

We crossed the bridge again, defied the mud, and came back in a more civilised place. There was a stream there, and Ali and I took the opportunity to clean up a bit. He took off his oversuit and dragged it through the water; I just laid down in it (both sides) and tried to scoop water over the filthiest bits. And then we walked back. Still in the stream I suddenly heard “ow, bugger, ha ha!” behind me; Ali had stumbled in the stream, and fallen over in his undersuit.  

When we approached the cars we were greeted by mud flows having their origin in Rick’s boots. We were quite filthy indeed! Even after the stream. But we figured we had a chance of charming the landlady of Chipshop into serving us a late beer, so we threw off our wet muddy kit, jumped into something less appalling, and raced to the pub. And the plan worked, giving this already very successful evening an equally enjoyable end!

Write up by  Margot

Added 03-07-10