Langthwaite
Sink Dig – Interim Report
Grid
Ref: SD 6315 8012. Alt 120 m OD
After our summer exploits
at Slab Pot things were winding down at that location by the end of August but
we were keen to continue the speleological investigations in the faulted
Limestone block around Casterton. Hugh St Lawrence and I had dye tested another
sink about 1 km away to the Casterton Rising and had also spotted a likely sink
and dig next to the road not far from Slab Pot. It lies to the east of the X
Langthwaite X-roads up Langthwaite Lane just over the wall to the south of the
road about 200 metres from the end of the lane. Hugh had found out the farmer's
location and got permission to dig there provided we made it stock proof and
did not disturb his pregnant cows in the field. Parking was also convenient
next to the sheep pens belonging to Michael Ratcliffe who's farm house is at
Fell Gate at the bottom of the Fell Road up to Bullpot Farm. He was fine about
us parking here and let us park in his field as well.
After lunch at Slab Pot on
the 1st of September Andy Hall, Hugh St Lawrence, Ray Duffy, Bill
Osborne, Alex Fletcher walked up Langthwaite Lane to the roadside sink and
started digging at the two places where the water sinks. It was decided after a
while that the easterly one was the best one to concentrate on. Dug down for
about a metre and the water was easily sinking away through boulders. Sam
arrived and did an excellent job of walling top the upstream end of the hole.
To continue here we will need scaffolding and shoring. Covered over the
entrance with old door and pallet acquired from the Chicken Run.
We did not return until
Sat 25th September as there were things to finish off at Slab Pot. I went via
Ingleton builders merchants to collect some shoring. Myself, Hugh St Lawrence.
Ray Duffy, Bill Osborne, Andy Clough, Alex Fletcher carried on at the dig with
a guest appearance from Alan Speight. When I arrived at X-roads Andy Hinde was
dropping off the concrete beams to fit over Slab Pot. Ray spent the morning
fitting and concreting in the beams including a trip to Ingleton to get sand
and gravel. Some of us went up to Langthwaite sink to improve the dam round the
dig, clear out the stream channel and continue digging down.
At lunchtime Hugh met up
with local man who said he will clear out blockhouse with a digger. We all met
up at the benches for lunch. Continued with digging Langthwaite in afternoon
including fitting some scaffolding but ran out of clamps.
By early October we were
digging twice a week (Tuesday & Saturday) and making good progress. The
hunt was on for more scaffolding and clamps and regular supplies of shoring
planks, curtsey of the Red Rose digging fund.
Loads of rocks and fill
cleared out during several sessions and planks hammered further down. Ray got
water pipe working from upstream which was useful for washing out the fill and
cleaning tools. The dam around the hole was raised and extended and a large
pile of spoil began to accumulate. We were over two metres down through black
boulders and gravel when we reached limestone blocks (not really bedrock yet!).
Logbook
extract.................
Langthwaite Dig Tues 23rd October -
Andy Hall, Hugh St Lawrence.
Collected
scaff from Farm and arrived about 10:45 followed shortly by Hugh. Spent the
morning capping boulders at base of shaft and hammering down the shoring
planks. Some of the back ones slipped down. More fill fell in down back of
planks, bugger! Break for lunch.
Over
lunch we left water pipe running to wash out the bottom and then spent the
afternoon digging and capping downwards through loose collapsed fill and
several large limestone boulders. We can now see way on down a rift on the East
side with holes opening up through limestone blocks in the floor and pebbles
falling down through gaps. Fill running in from sides still a problem. Must be
now over 3 meters deep.
By the end of October we
had a major collapse on the west side of the dig all the way back to the surface
as the loose fill kept running in behind the shoring planks. We managed to
install some scaffolding and horizontal boards to support the roof and back
fill behind it. Bit of a nightmare!
By early November we were
below the level of the shoring planks and were using some creative scaffolding
to hold back some fairly large limestone boulders. Progress was slow as we
still kept getting minor collapses of fill from behind the boards. Spent some time at the bottom sorting out
which was the best place to dig as several narrow rifts had opened up in the
floor.
Logbook.................
Tues 13th Nov -
Andy Hall & Hugh St Lawrence
Spent the
morning installing scaffolding with rebar at base of shaft to reinforce and
make safe the southern corner. Slow but steady progress. Now over 4 metres deep
Afternoon
spent capping and clearing boulders from base of shaft. Bit of a run-in
near the end with drop below that takes lots of loose debris. Cleared most of
run-in. I was sure I could hear running water further down below and a faint
draft. We need more scaff.....
I confirmed the sink does
go to the Casterton Beck Risings with a dye test carried out at the end of
November and by early December we had a tarpaulin over the dig to protect us
from the worst of the weather. We had a routine going by then using a boulder
net, two to one pulley system and capping to break up and haul out the larger
boulders. We could definitely hear the stream below us. Some of the fill has
been used to construct a patio around the hole as the muddy surface had become
very slippy after all the rain. After a couple of wet days we finished early
and adjourned to The pheasant Inn in Casterton for a pint.
One Tuesday morning in
early December Hugh and I met with Nick Cotton, local county Councillor who has
knowledge of the hydrology of the area. He showed us several sites we were not
aware of and introduced us to a couple of people, including the golf club owner
(nice cafe). This helped clear up several issues about the “underground”
drainage in the Casterton-Kirkby Lonsdale area. We now need to do more dye
tests. Some of the underground drainage may well be through culverts built at
the time of the railway construction and not natural passages in the limestone.
However
he did draw our attention to a spring near the toll house at the southern end
of Colliers Lane and a resurgence further north.
Some time was spent using
up bags of sand and cement to fill cracks between boulders and then capping the
large loose boulders at bottom of shaft. We managed to reduce this to
manageable sized pieces and stack most of it in walling in the shaft.
Logbook
extract Another minor disaster.............
Langthwaite dig. Sat 8th December
- Hugh St Lawrence, Andy Hall, visit
from Bev Stevens
Late
start as I was at Farm fixing new outside light with Bev and Hugh was
collecting cement and scaffolding (Thanks
Bill Nix).
When
I arrived Hugh blocked my view of the hole over the wall and said “you don't
want to look!”
Large
collapse of about 2 cu.mts on the side facing the dam as the stream had over
topped the dam after all the rain of recent days and washed debris down into a
void below. On investigation it was not as bad as it looked on the surface as only
a relatively small amount of smaller material has reached the bottom of the
shaft in the area we are digging. Most has been stopped by scaffolding and
planks further up the shaft. After making the shaft safe clearing loose stuff
from around the scaffolding we spent the rest of the day building a scaffolding
frame underneath the collapse so that it will be safe to carry on working at
the bottom. Finished early as it was pissing it down.
Spent most of the next two digging trips hauling out the
loose material at the base of the shaft after the collapse. Lots of loose fill
hauled out and some large boulders. The collapse hole on the surface has been
filled in and shuttering reinstalled. Cement was added to boulders behind the
scaffolding on the west side half way down just below wooden shuttering. After
two digging sessions we are now more or less back to where we were at the end
of the day on Tuesday 5th December. Six metres below the surface.
By just before Christmas
we made further progress down through more large boulders even Hugh could hear
the noise of stream below. We could see at least another 1.5 metres down
through more boulders. Adjourned to the pheasant for Christmas pint and lovely
log fire.
To be continued …................
Andy Hall
Thanks
to all diggers: Steve Gray, Hugh St Lawrence, Andy Hall, Toby Speight, Phil
Gillespie & Matt Jenkinson. Ray Duffy, Alex Fletcher, Bill Osborne, Alan
Speight, Toby Speight, Dave Matthews...
