Black Sheep Diggers

Black Sheep Diggers
The club is based in Upper Nidderdale, North Yorkshire. Started in 1990 by enthisiastic diggers it aims to forge dry connections between the caves in Nidderdale to create a 10k system. Members meet every Thursday near to Goyden pot to explore and dig within the system and afterwards for a drink and chat in the Crown Hotel at Lofthouse. New members are always welcome and do not have to be interested in digging - but you may find yourself getting sucked in to help out after a while!

The club has a hut, organises trips to explore other caves in Yorkshire as well as occasional week-ends away in other caving regions. The club is friendly and having success finding new sections of cave and steadily joining up the different caves within Upper Nidderdale. Come and join in the fun and success.

Contacts:

Co-Founder:Chris Fox/Paul Baxter (Bax)

President: Nigel Spoors Tel. 07811136347

Secretary: Alan Crossley Tel. Tel. 07817039964 e-mail goydenscout(at)sky.com

Treasurer: Richard Rushton

Black Sheep Diggers

List of digs/finds in date order.

1993 Goyden pot  Quick Win Rift - Short cut climb from first window to main chamber

1993  Manchester Hole  Swinton Bypass - Bypass to sump 1 into Divers chamber found by divers Ian Lloyd and Andy Jackson.

1994  Goyden pot  White Gate passage - Dig to try and create alternative flood escape route to Back Steps entrance. Abandoned and better alternative found, Church pot see later.

1995  Goyden pot   Limley pot - new pot opened that drops into the base of Mud Hall.

1997  Goyden pot   Paul's Gate - link made between Mud Hall and Upper Nurgatory.

1998  Manchester Hole   Bax pot - Opened up a rift in Divers chamber to form a new entrance and make Manchester Hole a through trip.

1999  Goyden pot   Zannusi pot - opened up a pot from the top of an aven above a crawl leading off from Mud Hall. Soon to be sealed to make things easier for the farmer.

1999  Goyden pot   Church pot - Floods revealed a new hole which when opened became the key sought after flood escape route for Goyden. Fitted with escape ladders.

1999  Goyden pot  Limley Bypass - Link made between Mud Hall and Labyrinth passage by inserting large plastic piping.

2000  Goyden pot   Gargett Way - passage dug in Church pot to a too narrow bedding with sound of water ahead.

2001  Goyden pot Roof Traverse/Roof tube  - roof traverse above main stream passage bolted from third window to entrances of Upper Nurgatory and Lower Nurgatory through to roof tube and across over the stream to Gaskills passage. Roof tube dug for 2m and abandoned for sake of higher priorities.

2002  Harrogate Hole - New pot dug open in the dry river bed between Goyden and New Goyden pots. Later abandoned and sealed up being unstable and breakthrough in Frog pot a few metres away, see later.

2003  Goyden - Manchester Hole Link    Eternal Optimist - After many years of work a final breakthrough in creating the long sought after link.

2004 Goyden pot/Church pot Aven - aven climbed and passage dug to reveal choked shaft which would go the surface. Temporarily abandoned whilst higher priority leads pushed. Will make for good SRT entrance into Goyden pot.

2005  '''Frog pot - New pot dug open in the dry river bed between Goyden and New Goyden pots. Forged a dry link from the surafe through to the Aquamole series (New Stream passage) found by divers.'''

2006  Frog pot  Shackleton passage/Lister Hall - Passage originally found by Rob Shackleton pushed further to large boulder choke. Boulder choke passed and Lister Hall discovered and then connected with the passages leading to Toad Hall found by the divers. NOTE: The choke at present is blocked. Plans are in place to re-open it, call back later!

2006   Frog pot   Mud Sump Lowered - 30m Mud sump lowered to create long wet crawl with airspace just large enough to keep your head out of water most of the way, short cut to Toad Hall from Frog pot and interesting round trip in the system. NOTE: The water draining away from the 'sump' somtimes needs digging to lower the water level to create enough airspace to go through. Passage is wide and not always clear to see the best way forward.

2006   Frog pot - New Goyden Connection - Voice and visual connection made between Frog pot and New Goyden pot

2007   Thrope Edge pot - new non SRT entrance into New Goyden via South Avens