Between work and wine and women I’ve managed naff all that’s worth reporting for ages, so when @UrbanCaving messaged me and said something like “Friday evening. Pick up @KM_Punk and get to MK. We’re doing Plunger” it seemed more like an order than an invite but I quite like that feeling of being dominated.
History (such as it is) copied from @UrbanCaving’s report –
This is a storm drain, constructed around 1977 during the development of MK. Its task (or so it would appear) is to take surface water from the city center of Milton Keynes. It dumps to a sumped outfall from a very wide yet 7' high box section
We parked up near by, popped a lid and dropped into the cool evening depths of underground Milton Keynes. @UrbanCaving suggested we head down stream first.
When we got to the first vortex drop shaft the noise was completely out of proportion to the trickle of water dropping six feet into the pool. Not deafening but totally immersive. @KM_Punk was straight up the ladder to the vortex with @UrbanCaving following close behind. I hung back to get a few shots of the bottom of it.
Then I hear a very faint but echoing “Yyrrkkkk cccnnn nnng sswwhhh yyyyyrrrrr ttttorchchchch orrf mmmmg wnnng pppllsss?” Or something like that. Guessing that UC was lighting up the vortex for KM, I switched my torches off.
And stood in the pitch black.
With just the glorious noise of the water.
And waited.
For what seemed like 20 minutes.
Then they started, and I should have expected it but I didn’t! Happily, I hadn’t moved from the last shot and with the same settings managed a couple of hasty shots borrowing their light. Cheers guys!
Then up to the top for a shot of the vortex
The upstream drop shaft and vortex
One more serendipity shot.
Finally, I got the 35mm out for a shot of the three of us at the top of the slope to the much-talked-about sump
History (such as it is) copied from @UrbanCaving’s report –
This is a storm drain, constructed around 1977 during the development of MK. Its task (or so it would appear) is to take surface water from the city center of Milton Keynes. It dumps to a sumped outfall from a very wide yet 7' high box section
We parked up near by, popped a lid and dropped into the cool evening depths of underground Milton Keynes. @UrbanCaving suggested we head down stream first.
When we got to the first vortex drop shaft the noise was completely out of proportion to the trickle of water dropping six feet into the pool. Not deafening but totally immersive. @KM_Punk was straight up the ladder to the vortex with @UrbanCaving following close behind. I hung back to get a few shots of the bottom of it.
Then I hear a very faint but echoing “Yyrrkkkk cccnnn nnng sswwhhh yyyyyrrrrr ttttorchchchch orrf mmmmg wnnng pppllsss?” Or something like that. Guessing that UC was lighting up the vortex for KM, I switched my torches off.
And stood in the pitch black.
With just the glorious noise of the water.
And waited.
For what seemed like 20 minutes.
Then they started, and I should have expected it but I didn’t! Happily, I hadn’t moved from the last shot and with the same settings managed a couple of hasty shots borrowing their light. Cheers guys!
Then up to the top for a shot of the vortex
The upstream drop shaft and vortex
One more serendipity shot.
Finally, I got the 35mm out for a shot of the three of us at the top of the slope to the much-talked-about sump
plenty more of those to come 
