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91Èȱ¬ documentary unearths UK's biggest cave
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Potholers have discovered the UK's biggest cave - almost as high from floor to
ceiling as the London Eye - beneath a hillside in the Derbyshire Peak District.
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Tonight on Inside Out, 91Èȱ¬ One Yorks & Lincs viewers will be able to see the
first film of the huge cavern, carved out over millions of years by water
eating into the local limestone.
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A 91Èȱ¬ team led by Inside Out presenter Morland Sanders and producer Mike
Jackson abseiled into Titan with specialist cameraman Rob Franklin.
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They were guided by Dave Nixon, the local potholer who is the UK's leading
underground explorer. He found Titan, the biggest underground discovery ever.
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Until now, Titan has only been within reach of the relatively small number of
expert cavers who knew of its existence.
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Inside Out's TV lights revealed a huge chasm containing a massive waterfall
plunging deep below ground level.
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Titan is nearly 200 feet higher than the
previous record holder, Gaping Gyhll in the Yorkshire Dales.
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Morland Sanders said: "It was in many ways a terrifying experience but the size of the
cave is truly awesome."
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Dave Nixon and a group of Peak cavers found Titan near another huge cavern,
Leviathan, after finding an account by an obscure 18th century academic,
James Plumtree, in a university library.
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In 1793 he wrote a paper which described a network of caves which went beyond
the well-known Speedwell cave system near Castleton.
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Dave Nixon realised the entrance must have been blocked by a rockfall and set out
to find it.
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When rocks were removed, it opened the door on a long forgotten
system that eventually led the group to Titan.
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They spent three years removing another fall of boulders before finally gaining
entry into the bottom of the cavern.
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Dave Nixon's team have now completed a man-made shaft that allows cavers to reach
the roof of Titan, from which they can abseil into the cave.
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This saves a
five-hour underground journey that was a challenge even for expert potholers.
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Inside Out, 91Èȱ¬ One, Monday 6 November 2006 at 7.30pm
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AB2
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