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Clod Dyke
This is just my log of some of the events starting at GG 2006. Follow this link for the latest news.
GG 2006
This hole was first dug by the CPC in 2005 following a suggestion from John Cordingley (the project owner). It might link to Avalanche Inlet in GG
At the 2006 GG meet, water was diverted into Clod Dyke from the Grange Rigg streamway.
Sat 9 Sept 2006 Present Pete Jones, Gordon Coldwell, Jacqui Cowling, Joe Foster, Ric Halliwell, Steve Kirk, Anna Smith & Robert Scott
Taking advantage of the newly installed water supply, John Cordingley had installed a flopjack (or tippler) at Clod Dyke betweentimes. Following his advice we removed the stones & boulders washed out by the flopjack. Sad sods that we are, we became mesmerised by the flopjack's action and watched it for longer than is decent for normal people.
Eventually the spell was broken by a microlight spying on us. Rather than pack in early, we went to the Bradford's new dig at Mouton Noir near Clapham Bottoms. They were struggling with a large boulder which was a nanometre smaller than the passage & entrance shaft. We helped them and in no time the reluctant beast lay on the fellside. The exhausted underground team were brought out and Pete with Ged & Fred went down to help clear some more spoil with the greatly augmented hauling team doing sterling service.
We met with the Bradford later in the New Inn for a drink and a chat about how our various digs were going.
Sun 10 Sept 2006 Present Pete Jones, Gordon Coldwell, Anna Smith, Edward Whitaker & Robert Scott
Because Edward had not seen the flopjack, we spent some time photographing and filming it. We also pulled more spoil out of it.
The walls could probably do with some shoring, but that may be the prime contractor's responsibility.
Sat 7 October 2006 Present Pete Jones, Rob Dove, Edward Whitaker & Robert Scott
A few buckets of spoil were removed and flop-jack adjusted. A reappraisal of its walls would suggest that it would be premature to put in any shoring just yet.
The "woolly" hole next to Clod Dyke was proddled with the bar and the pond quickly drained through the cobbles.
Here is a film made by Gordon Coldwell of the flop-jack in operation.
Sat 9 December 2006 Present Pete Jones, Gordon Coldwell, Rob Dove, Pat Halliwell, Ric Halliwell,
Neville Lucas, Edward Whitaker, Ted Wood &
The overhang is quite alarming and needs some engineering support. Neville, Pete & Gordon pulled stuff back and we were all impressed by the swift disappearance of the water. The "woolly" hole next to Clod Dyke was again proddled with the bar.
As reported in Descent, we took our post-dig refreshments in the New Inn, together with Chris Ashworth & Amy Holley, refugees from the Christmas Pot meet.
Sun 17 December 2006 Present Pete Jones, Clive Bone, Ric Halliwell, Edward Whitaker & Robert Scott
Ric & Pete pulled some stuff back. The flopjack seems to be exposing more of the left hand side of the engulfment. The "woolly" hole next to Clod Dyke was again proddled with the bar.
Sat 13 January 2007 Present Pete Jones, Ric Halliwell, David Robertson & Robert Scott
Pete pulled some stuff back and rearranged the fall area. It is gradually washing more of the floor away. The "woolly" hole next to Clod Dyke was again proddled with the bar.
Sat 10 February 2007 Present Pete Jones, Jacqui Cowling, Rob Dove & Robert Scott.
We dragged some scaffolding across to Clod Dyke to make a frame to protect the washed out area. The flop-jack wasn't running because the water feed was frozen.
We didn't put the scaffolding then for 2 reasons.
1) we would have had to destroy some rather nice icicles to do so,
2) because of the cold, we had lost most of the feeling in our fingers.
So a job for another day
Sat 14 April 2007 Present Pete Jones, Dave Kaye & Robert Scott.
The scaffold frame was set up.
Sat 9 June 2007
After another bracing bar had been expertly added to the scaffold frame, we put in some of the planks to hold back the expected spoil. Ted did an excellent job of cutting down within the frame, whilst the rest looked on.
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After the sun had past the yard-arm, we set off back Clapham via the show cave. At the show cave, we looked the survey of GG to see the how Avalanche Inlet fitted in (or not) with the Clod Dyke dig.
We partook of refreshments at the New Inn, glad to be indoors and out of the fierce sun. Of course, the Bradford diggers were there and we discussed progress at our digs and their progress at Nettle Pot. It seems that Nettle Pot looks nothing like the description produced by Scoff. Strange, where have we come across that before?
During the meet we clear down to the bed-rock. We did a positive tracing test with Mike Bottomley & Wayne Sheldon in Avalanche Inlet. To help clear the very small passage running out of Clod Dyke, we installed a right angled pipe under the flop-jack. This is clearing the fill very slowly.
