Spar Mine (Hendre)

[Tim Watts]

come out with us on a couple of trips and we'll gladly take a membership fee off you and sign you up :-)

[Ian A]

It's worth mentioning that subs are £20 per year (non-profit making). You also need insurance (BCA) which you may already have. If you haven't we can sort it out for you and it is £17 per year (about double if you do it yourself). In both cases, it runs 1st Jan to 31st Dec.

[Xan Asmodi]

Cheers for the infor, guys! I'll need to sort out the funds for stuff when my student loan comes in.

[Tim Watts]

liar - it'll all go on beer and you bloody know it! ;-)

[Xan Asmodi]

I'm trying not to, gotta carry on losing weight. Plus, the girlfriend would kick me out if I didn't give her some keep!

[Xan Asmodi]

I've been back here a couple of times. Thought I'd share the fruits of my labour with you all

[John Nicholson]

Xan Asmodi - where are you from?  What are you studying?  Do you need a lift from Bangor to get to UCET trips?

[Xan Asmodi]

[quote="JohnNicholson" post=11428]Xan Asmodi - where are you from?  What are you studying?  Do you need a lift from Bangor to get to UCET trips?[/quote]

Hi John,

I would love a lift to UCET meetings; unfortunately I'm the Birkenhead based lad of the four you bumped into yesterday before Poachers.

I'm study nursing BTW!

[John Nicholson]

I am so glad you have managed to make contact with us through the UCET forum.
We had an amazing day yesterday meeting so many new cavers. Yourselves before and after our Poachers trip, and then in side Poachers main Boss Chamber we met three others who had filled the place with candles.

I think we may sometimes adopt your route to Poachers avoiding the steep hill walk.  But it does a lot to keep us fit and trimm.

Sorry I can't help with lifts from Birkenhead, as we come from Bangor.  I suggest you ask Ian or Mike Lehey if there are UCET members who come that way.  It may be that you could get a train towards Chester and Alison could meet you at Capenhurst or Shotton.

[Andrew]

Another of the motley crew you met the other day here.

I'm the one with short hair!

The other two will no doubt be along soon, we've been over to Wales before in the past splitting the costs of LPG as we go, no doubt we'll be back in the future for more mud related fun.

We had a mooch in Hendre after we left, although i'm not a huge fan of ladders so didn't spend an awful lot of time in there.

[John Nicholson]

Hi Hawkeye - and others!
Very glad you have been able to post on the UCET site, and you are very welcome to join us for a weekend frolic underground.  I normally post a weekend trip most weekends, but next weekend I am doing a surveying course in South Wales, and the weekend after we have the UCET Christmas Bash.

I am sure we can sort out some way to accommodate overnight if necessary.  I can help if you are doing stuf near Bangor.

Did we also meet in Moel Fferna Slate Mine?

[Adam]

Hi John,

I've never been to Moel Fferna so it wouldn't have been me, one of the other three may have though - Xan?

Thought I'd add some Hendre pics, from another visit:








Adam

[Andrew Farrow]

[quote="JohnNicholson" post=3764]

How difficult would it be to fit new ladders to enable non-SRT people to get into this section?  If I could get a ladder, then how difficult would it be to get it into place?  Obviously a long ladder will not go through the doorway at the bottom of the first shaft,  but I seem to recall seeing another vertical hole with trees and daylight showing.  
[/quote]

in my opinion - it would be easiest to rig the pitch with electron ladders and life line on a " per visit " basis

however if people REALLY  wanted a fixed ladder to enable anyone to access the lower level at any time - with no assistance the instalation is IMHO  the easy part

my first question is : i want to know who is going to pay for the materials

the next - the legal and liability issues of fitting such a ladder

i am going there tommorrow - and can take some measurements and think about the problem



the four opitions would be :

1 - a roy fellows template - cave exploration ladder [ 2 wooden drilled sides - with steel rungs ]

2 - a commercial pree-made alloy or steel ladder

3 a maypole ladder - as seen in the top ent of nagdolin

4 a all steel ladder - either pre built or assembled in situ

as john correctly opinies - the open shaft adjacent to the fire hose scramble does actually give access to the lower level - it slumps with mud / grit - but could be dug to increase access

but like i say at the top - who is going to pay ? - i will glady provide time effort and equipment - but cannot afford to pay for materials

its not just the ladder - it has to be secured [ brakets and anchors ] - and if an unsupervised ladder is fitted - the mousehole will require some protection too - like via ferrata foot holds ? to enable safe descent to the ladder itself


once a plan is approved - if the materials are transported to the site - getting them installed is the easy part

but there is the legal aspect - that must be addressed - and like i say - someone must pay for the shoppoing list

like i say - putting a fixed ladder in - opens up the lower level for anyone - but has a price tag - and legal implications

on trips featuring non SRT  capable folk - rigging electron ladder and lifeline is very simple - but adds to trip time

[John Nicholson]

Thanks for digging up this old topic Andy.
I have not been down the hole in question (down under the railway treacks), and it may well be that people do not want to see this section opened up to all and sundry.  For now it is an SRT only zone.  It will be very good to read your appraisal.

Also, we do not know whether this section is now also flooded, and not worth spending much extra effort on.

My, what wind we have to-night!

[mike leahy]

it would be quite simple to put a smal  platforf and a maypole in.
i will try and sort it out early in the new year