Cussey Pot
During Lockdown 2020 a new hole was spotted to draught bigger and stronger than any cave in the Peak. We dug it open and this is what happened....
Full description of the trip can be viewed here.
The current survey can be downloaded from here.
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- Written by: Rob Eavis
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Team: Dream (Rob and Joe)
Just the two of us tonight, after a late farming related excuse from Sam, and we formally renamed our duo the Dream Team. After giving up on Black Draught in an immature spat of frustration last week, I was now totally psyched to be donning my wetsuit and heading for Vulgarious. Water levels in the crawl were at their normal low, but we were both surprised to see that Sump 2 was actually open (just) and pulling a draught!
We ditched out gear and excitedly went to inspect. The first section of the sump had maybe 50mm of airspace so we each navigated through on our backs, helmets off. The lowest bit was only 1-2m long and pretty easy going. We stood up in the middle airbell, reminiscing of being here all those months before on our short diving foray. Joe then went ahead for the second section of the sump on the basis that he hadn’t ever seen it before (he’d been behind me on the diving day and vis had reduced to zero once I’d inelegantly dragged myself through it). This section had much more airspace, maybe 300mm, and was very easy to navigate through. Joe pointed out the tiny squeeze he’d managed to accidentally navigate through by accident, oops! We crawled up the mud bank on the upstream side and basked in the glory of being the first non-diving trip here. Rather than be tempted to go off for a gander we decided to turn around, this time simply freediving the downstream section as it was so short and easy.
Now nice and cool we started the slow job of drilling. Today’s job was to start the lowering of Sump 2, or at least have a go. After a bit of discussions we agreed on a plan and set to work. This started with emptying a perched pool of water with our helmets and wellies, an age-old solution we’d both never tried before and were impressed with the effectiveness! This then allowed holes to be drilled lower down, hoping to get more depth.
Once all 3 holes drills and the gear was installed, we packed up and retreated up Vulgarious to a safe distance. It’s proper filthy in this section and I nearly managed to keep everything clean, apart from the one expensive bit of electronics I had with me, oops! The gear went off with a very satisfying triple boom and we turned tails and fled. Back at Inglorious Joe stepped up and took the tacklebag off me (he’s a star) and after only 2.5 hours the Dream Team emerged into the glorious sunshine. Refreshments purchased in the Mechanics whilst we discussed all the possibilities of how successful the operation may have been. Too much anticipation for my liking…
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- Written by: Rob Eavis
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Team A: Luke and Jon
Team BD: Joe and Rob
Team C: Jim and Sam
Continuing with our theme of caving as antisocially as possible, we agreed to split into three minimally-sized teams tonight. Whilst me n Joe were getting ready (pre-beers in the glorious sunshine) the other teams started to slowly appear, so we headed straight down. We were to be stationed at Black Draught tonight, popping the last boulder out of the “roof” and having a look beyond. Meanwhile Team A were to go around to Rat Roof and try get a light connection with us, or at least an idea of direction. Then Team C, slightly at a loss on what to do, went for a look around the other side of Cussey (the nice side).
I was last in the Black Draught dig so I explained the objective to Joe as best I could and let him set to work, especially as he was keen to learn “the tech”. Whilst he was in there Team A came past, had a quick rave with me, then disappeared down Loper Lust.
Once all done Joe came back to Inglorious and we fired the gear. Nothing… Oh dear.
Hoping that one of the wires may have come undone whilst Joe crawled back I went in to check. Unfortunately they were still attached well and actually looking much better than how I would have done it. Whilst there I hear the jovial vulgarness of Jon approaching from beyond. He sounds so close. We do a light check but nothing. I therefore untie the cables and squeeze through past the boulder, as I had done the previous week. This is a very tight manoeuvre and one that needs to be done very carefully so as not to apply much pressure to the boulder which is directly above you. Once through I spend a little time trying to locate Jon’s voice and unfortunately realise to my big surprise that he wasn’t along the crawling passage heading off west, but actually behind me to the south through a very tight bedding plane. This is not good news. I carefully change my position to get a better vantage point to see and hear into the bedding and for sure his voice is at the back of there. I can see ~2-3m but it’s no more than 20cm high at the biggest bit. The floor and roof look like solid bedrock throughout. Oh dear. Surprisingly a light check in either direction doesn’t work, so there’s a chance I’m wrong, I do hope so.
Deflated, I eek my way back through the boulder blockage, rewire the cables, then head to Inglorious. I bring the big drill back too, so we can try fire with a bigger battery. Nothing again. Double bugger.
Joe goes in and cuts off the wires from the dud so it’s left as “safe” as possible. We then head out with our heads down, knowing that the Black Draught connection it still a long way off being realised….
Luke and Jon emerge to the surface not long after us. Seems that Sump 2 in RAT was very low and Jon was able to navigate through to the first small airbell. Only maybe 200mm more and the whole thing would be open. They set the syphon going so hopefully next trip we’ll be able to get through to SMMC.
We then all head to the Moon for tea and medals (beer and pork scratchings) at the Eldon monthly meet and discuss what to do now!
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- Written by: Jim Thompson
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Team: Sam P, Jim T
With an impending Eldon monthly meet and more bodies than you could shake a stick at, I decided it was time Sam took a look at the magnificent east side of Cussey, through Timewarp and into Rocky Horror whilst the Awesome lot went to have a chat between Black Draught and RAT.
This direction was my first taste of the cave, and although, having just returned from a lengthy hiatus, I found it really hard and the squeezes desperate, I’d been absolutely mesmerised by the scale of the place with clean washed walls adorned everywhere with antlers of chert. Progress had been slow as I had to remove and re-don my SRT kit every time the going got a tad snug.
This time there was no such faff. We shot downwards and were soon at the vertical squeeze above the NCA pitch. I slid through, SRT kit and all, and soon enough I was once again admiring Timewarp. It felt a lot smaller than last time but nonetheless I was still in love with the ambience of the space. Sam joined me and we had no trouble finding the way down over a big hole thanks to Jon’s description of the route before we parted ways.
A big stretch is needed to get on the Rocky Horror rope but it’s easy enough and I headed down. Sam went first through the squeeze into Gloom Room and I followed, finding it really rather awkward so progress was incremental to say the least. Before I committed to the final push Sam announced how filthy the remainder was and started on his return. Slightly relieved I squirmed back out.
Climbing back over the big hole provided a heart stopping moment when I carelessly used a chert nodule as a foothold and it immediately detached itself in protest. I managed to hold myself up, arms at an angle they shouldn’t really be at, and get my dangling legs onto something more suitable for feet.
Jon caught us at the entrance pitch and seemed to freeclimb it in the time it took to get my jammers off the rope and out of the hatch, although hatch egress may have been longer than necessary as he was ‘hilariously’ hanging off my footloop. The gimp.
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- Written by: Rob Eavis
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Team: SamP and RobE
With a nouveau Team Average off pushing Bagshawe tonight, it was up to me n Sam to try make some decent progress down our old fave. I missed out on the Cussey action last week so was raring to go, armed with the new Eldon drill and plenty of snappers. Trip was off to a bad start when I realised my pre-beer had punctured and leaked all over my gear, and the remaining half can was certainly not the satisfaction I’m used to.
At Inglorious Sam went in first as he knew what the crack was from last week. This first involved using the new drill to retrieve a stuck drill bit! He then opened up that hole with our new 8.5mm bit and loaded her up. When he returned to Inglorious he woke me up and we fired the beast, giving a very satisfying kaboom.
I went in next and was pleasantly pleased with the destruction. After clearing the debris the way on was a small gap over a solid wall of calcite and rock. After too much deliberating on a hole location I put one in on the left and returned to a cold Sam in Inglorious. The passage Black Draught is truly gross to work in, covering you head to toe in heat-zapping sludge. Thankfully the dig face itself isn’t too bad, but nevertheless we were both now fully marinaded. Even with very little stemming my hole fired very well and it was Sam’s turn to head back in, although his enthusiasm was elsewhere at the time. I did a quick time check, 20:36, so plenty time to get busy still. When he got to the face the report back was good and that he might be able to get through. Thankfully he chose the wiser option of drilling another hole, this time in the righthand side of the face. By the time he was back in Inglorious it was 21:22, it’s crazy how time flies when having fun!
The kaboom was a pleasing one, giving me enough enthusiasm to dive back into the crawl for more wallowing glory. Indeed there was destruction all over so I cleared the mess into the last remaining stacking holes and went for it. The hole was very tight an awkward, with my right arm totally in the wrong place no matter where I put it, so I just pushed hard at it. I eventually got my torso through into the void beyond which give a great view to the left of 3-4m of body sized passage, all nicely decorated with stal (for now). This we believe is heading straight for Race Against Time so is great news. Unfortunately the view behind me was that the roof was in fact a precarious looking, fridge sized boulder. I quickly yet carefully slither back, making sure not to push on the roof this time!
I gather the tools and retreat back to Sam who’s already with SRT kit on, just waiting for the drill before heading up the rope to some warmth. As Sam had the bag (again) I loved the trip out, feeling at one with every useful foothold and handhold, and even managed to do Coconut Airways without needing a one arm pullup for a change. We were greeted on the surface by torrential rain so we skipped any Saltpan washing and changed quickly, heading straight to the Mechanics Institute for a pleasant pint and snacks. Surprised we hadn’t tried this place before, cheapest pint in Eyam and spitting distance from Cussey.
Now we need to formulate a plan of attack for next week…
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- Written by: Jim Thompson
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Team: Sam P, Bog, Jim T
With all efforts currently focused on Black Draught, the Cussey team have fragmented into pairs on different evenings to maximise time at the dig face which provides less-than-ample accommodation for one, with no home comforts laid on. We also have a brand new Eldon drill at our disposal to mitigate against any protest from the old one at being expected to operate in conditions that probably don’t feature in Makita’s design process.
Sam headed off to make a start whilst I accompanied Bog down the entrance pitch, at the bottom of which I left him to have a look at Timewarp and continued on to join Sam at the mucky end. Tonight would be our night, the one in which the breakthrough would happen, another piece of the jigsaw slotting into place.
A rapid descent was made, enjoying the solitude and singing my heart out the whole way. I got the digging tunes started and stood by for Sam to come out of the dig and give his assessment.
The up slope boulders had been prepared with the necessary encouragement so we quickly released the energy with a satisfying report, I donned balaclava and headtorch, left my helmet behind and plunged into the squelch of the bedding and slid, well lubricated by the six inches of mud, up to the 90 degree turn and wriggled to the face. The scene was one of success, little fragmentation – but with even less in the way of stacking space or places to move my arms, I shifted all the tools and wrestled the rock out of the way, got things ready and retreated backwards, feeling the way out with my feet.
Back in the chamber we tried and tried again to repeat the process to no avail, until eventually we heard a barely audible pop, so Sam gathered the necessary supplies, including the ‘well loved’ Eldon drill, and returned. A few seconds of that familiar sound of SDS+ into limestone later, I heard a new, never before encountered sound – angry shouting from Sam. He returned to inform me that not only was the drill stuck and unable to drill any more in the right direction, it wouldn’t reverse either and had let out a lot of smoke in the process of refusal. I had a look, and it was well and truly dead. Unfortunately the brand new drill was still at Rob’s, awaiting delivery of a lovely cover courtesy of Josh, one that the old drill would probably have appreciated at some point a long time ago.
So that was that. We packed away the kit, I stuck my helmet back on my head, closed the Pelicase on the speaker without turning the music off and set off back up the rope. The ever lovely prusik out of Inglorious flashed by, I climbed the Shattered Dreams pitch (why hadn’t I thought of this before?) and by the time I was at the foot of the squeeze, Sam was behind me again. At this point things got a bit ethereal and zen… The Orb’s ‘Star 6 & 7 8 9’ played on the speaker, semi-muffled by the Peli. I stood into the squeeze. It wasn’t a squeeze. My eyes were closed and I vaguely heard Sam exclaim something about having gone through without trying.
Unfortunately I didn’t quite manage to levitate up Coconut Airways but like last time it was just a climb and we were soon back on surface.
I’d been keeping my post-beer in the ice box of the van fridge all week and fate had a silver lining up her sleeve as it was just still at the point of being a liquid.