More Bald Bits.

Eventually you reach the point where squeezing past that big boulder block in the rift passage on the way to Canuck dimb in the Earby Series to the Cancuck Climb: Digs become just too much and a displacement activity is called for. So we decided to have a scratch around at the other side of the area west of Canuck Climb in the Graveyard area. Pete Seed, Graham Proudlove, and other miscreants seem to have now fully cleaned out the Graveyard Avens Series (NPC Journal 1987) and the hypothetical overland route to Pegleg Pot never materialized.

Meanwhile the real end to the Graveyard Series seems to be at the end of Stump Cavern just before the breakdown and the short iron ladder where the passage turns South East and ends; we decided to have a rout down there. Also in the ‘CRG Transactions (1967) Eyre’s describes; “above this low section it en opening in the flat roof where a magnificent aven towers out of sight above. This is probably the highest aven in the Graveyard series and certainly the least known. ’So we decided to have a look for this as well.

The end of Stump Cavern just before the iron ladder consists of a big stone block with sand infill on all sides and no indication of anything exciting behind this block.

Meanwhile this least known aven. While in the hands and knees crawl along Stump Cavern up the banking on your left, just where the banking meets the flat roof there in a small hole in the roof, a vertical 45 degree squeeze for 6ft that appears to be a one way squeeze — Fred and Alan pushed me up with a blatant bullying technique of there’s only on way out Jim and that’s up. This leads into an aven chamber of 6ft. diameter and towering about 40ft. up. On the Northern edge there is rift that can be climbed. At the top of the aven running North to South there is an old phreatic passage, but this it blocked in each direction by sand fill. The avens not new but I didn’t know about it and there’s no mention of the phreatic passage at the top. We dug the squeeze wider in order to get out but it still entails taking your battery off and dragging it behind you on the way down.

Meanwhile I suppose it’s back to Canuck Climb dig.

Jim Birchall

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