After a bit of a recce, a DIY (and I do have to say, very well made!) rope ladder, and a couple of weeks of waiting, we finally got down there. It started with me calling cookiebizkit up at 10pm:
"Fancy doing the shelter now?"
"Nah, can't tonight, but how about in the morning?"
"It'd have to be early 'cause of the light...how about 4am??"
"Yeah ok, see you then."
Due to the location of access, a nighttime explore would be needed. The plan was to put my tent up over the access, open up, drop the ladder in and go down.
At 4am, I picked up cookiebizkit and we headed to the location. We put down the bags and set about pitching the tent. Then we ran into a problem: I'd lost the pegs!! We decided that the tent should be ok, as there was no wind, so after pulling the access, we dropped and secured the ladder.
Cookiebizkit: "I'll make sure the rope holds."
Lutex: "Oh, so that means I'm first in then?!"
Cookiebizkit: "Um, yeah, that's another way of putting it!"
So down I went into the unknown darkness, hoping the ladder wasn't going to drop, and I wasn't going to be attacked by swarms of rats!
Luckily, neither happened, and after setting my feet down onto solid ground, I looked around. There were two tunnels running at right angles to each other.
Lutex: "Cookiebizkit, chuck me the bags and get down, we've scored here!"
After CB and the bags were down, we decided to start the explore. We left the bags by the entrance and walked a short way down one tunnel, only to find it linked up with the other one and continued onto more tunnels, with yet more splitting off. After walking a short way, we decided that it would be a good idea to return, pick up the bags and set up the cameras.
Our rope ladder, hanging down from the entrance.
Into the unknown tunnel system.
One of the two bricked up former entrances to the shelter
We assume, remnants of the toilet facilities. There were several of these dotted around the shelter.
The tunnels seemed to just go on and on, although they formed a grid pattern, each joining onto eachother.
CB setting up.
Possibly one of the last visitors? We couldn't find any more recent grafitti in the complex.
Some helpful previous visitor had drawn arrows leading to the exit, allowing us to find our way back out with ease. Although its set out in a grid, it can get quite disorientating down there.
After about 45 minutes in the system, we decided it would probably be best to leave, so we returned to the exit. Cookiebizkit was taking his last few shots, when I walked up to the ladder and looked up.
Lutex: "S**T, Cookiebizkit, we've got a problem..."
Cookiebizkit: "Whats up?!"
Lutex: "There's something missing...I see sky..."
And with that, I practically ran up the ropeladder. I stuck my head out and looked around. The tent was on its side about 20metres away from where it was when we left it! I clambered out the hole, much to the surprise of a dog walker, who I gather from his worried look, doesn't usually see people with headtorchs and high vis vests on quickly clambering out of holes in the ground at 6am!!
I ran over, grabbed the tent, dragged it back over the hole, went back inside and looked down to see Cookiebizkit looking up at me with a worried expression on his face. "Time to go I think, chuck me up the stuff!"
We quickly dragged out the bags and cameras, CB climbed out, and we packed up the equipment before closing the pit. All while trying to hold the tent down, as the wind had picked up quite a bit! We then packed up the tent and left, in an excellent mood as we knew we'd finally done it!
"Fancy doing the shelter now?"
"Nah, can't tonight, but how about in the morning?"
"It'd have to be early 'cause of the light...how about 4am??"
"Yeah ok, see you then."
Due to the location of access, a nighttime explore would be needed. The plan was to put my tent up over the access, open up, drop the ladder in and go down.
At 4am, I picked up cookiebizkit and we headed to the location. We put down the bags and set about pitching the tent. Then we ran into a problem: I'd lost the pegs!! We decided that the tent should be ok, as there was no wind, so after pulling the access, we dropped and secured the ladder.
Cookiebizkit: "I'll make sure the rope holds."
Lutex: "Oh, so that means I'm first in then?!"
Cookiebizkit: "Um, yeah, that's another way of putting it!"
So down I went into the unknown darkness, hoping the ladder wasn't going to drop, and I wasn't going to be attacked by swarms of rats!
Luckily, neither happened, and after setting my feet down onto solid ground, I looked around. There were two tunnels running at right angles to each other.
Lutex: "Cookiebizkit, chuck me the bags and get down, we've scored here!"
After CB and the bags were down, we decided to start the explore. We left the bags by the entrance and walked a short way down one tunnel, only to find it linked up with the other one and continued onto more tunnels, with yet more splitting off. After walking a short way, we decided that it would be a good idea to return, pick up the bags and set up the cameras.
Our rope ladder, hanging down from the entrance.
Into the unknown tunnel system.
One of the two bricked up former entrances to the shelter
We assume, remnants of the toilet facilities. There were several of these dotted around the shelter.
The tunnels seemed to just go on and on, although they formed a grid pattern, each joining onto eachother.
CB setting up.
Possibly one of the last visitors? We couldn't find any more recent grafitti in the complex.
Some helpful previous visitor had drawn arrows leading to the exit, allowing us to find our way back out with ease. Although its set out in a grid, it can get quite disorientating down there.
After about 45 minutes in the system, we decided it would probably be best to leave, so we returned to the exit. Cookiebizkit was taking his last few shots, when I walked up to the ladder and looked up.
Lutex: "S**T, Cookiebizkit, we've got a problem..."
Cookiebizkit: "Whats up?!"
Lutex: "There's something missing...I see sky..."
And with that, I practically ran up the ropeladder. I stuck my head out and looked around. The tent was on its side about 20metres away from where it was when we left it! I clambered out the hole, much to the surprise of a dog walker, who I gather from his worried look, doesn't usually see people with headtorchs and high vis vests on quickly clambering out of holes in the ground at 6am!!
I ran over, grabbed the tent, dragged it back over the hole, went back inside and looked down to see Cookiebizkit looking up at me with a worried expression on his face. "Time to go I think, chuck me up the stuff!"
We quickly dragged out the bags and cameras, CB climbed out, and we packed up the equipment before closing the pit. All while trying to hold the tent down, as the wind had picked up quite a bit! We then packed up the tent and left, in an excellent mood as we knew we'd finally done it!
