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| By Mr. President |
We pushed on through the hole in the fence at Windtunnel (i.e. onwards from where welooked last time).
At the end of Windtunnel there is not open passageways but a bankvault like doorthat looks like it would defeat even Roystons safe breaking skills.So the route is barred to Spring Quarry and beyond to the ex-military parts of themines.. There is a bricked up wall that may be more open topersuasion. However this is not advised because we found evidence that someoneis still down in these parts of the cave.
The old video camera cables are still present but no cameras.
On the way back we had a closer look at another fence like the one at the start of windtunnelThis looked beyond our abilities to force, but on closer inspection there was a door in ti.This door was secured by iron bars into the passageway. But as we could see no boltswe tried successfully in moving the bars aside with a crowbar. The door opened and we began a dungeons and dragons like adventure. We were loose in anotherpart of box without a survey!
We followed a windtunnel-sized passage for several hundred yards, following an oldvideo cable, to where the passage intersected an underground roadway large enoughto take the largest of lorries. The roof was held up by enormous steel collumns.
First we explored up the road, the passage went on for a long while, through sections clad with asbestos, until it ended with a large fence as it met some old mineworkings.Here there was lots of passagesways and deads, but we simply followed the main routewayand ignored many fine leads elsewhere including one near the start heading eastwards(perhaps by-passing the bank vault at the end of windtunnel).
Anyway eventually the passage we followed ended near a 25foot shaft to the surface(I think this is beneath radnor camp). There is lots of old mine workings and we suspected that there are other entrances into this part of the mine. Howeverwe had a reasonable look and gave up as the mine is too complicated and we could easilly have got lost. On the way back we had misgivings when on several occassionswe realised that the main passage we had followed merged with other equally large passages that in our haste we had not noticed. Luckilly we guesssed right each time although we did split up and follow both alternatives on one occassion.
Anyhow we made it back to where we first found the roadway and followed it in theother direction heading in the direction of spring quarry. This ended again withblocked passages -- one with a metal door with a generator on the otherside (well somethinghumming like a generator). Someone still uses the passages down there.It does not seem to be the military anymore (hopefully as the verge of war is nota good time to be snooping around ex-nucleur bunkers).
Back to the pub, and Robin made three beavies.It was good fun and there is more to explore, and it taxes your navigationwe need to take a compass and make a crude survey to explore more.However it did not feel like caving, more like being in a maze.
It was the first time in for Robin and Rachel so we gave them a tour to see the cathedralon the way out. Having the box survey makes everything so easy, but in the newparts we entered caving without a survey is a nervous game.
Actually even with the survey we got a little lost just before the backdoor entrance!
Dave G