You go through a portal to get to the nether. Hopefully drew's new map will pinpoint the nether gates/portals. The nether is scary and full of lava, there's various new blocks there too. No mobs.
The nether transport works based on the fact the nether is smaller so if you travel across the nether it's like travelling further in the normal world (can't remember the factor, on my phone) so if you go into the nether and leave via a appropriate portal it'll send you much further across the normal map. Someone will no doubt explain this better.
Ant, Jon - that all makes some kind of sense.
I'm sure it'll all become more apparent in game.
I told you, it's not an ugly hole!
I plan to build something big. 120 blocks high, double real life scale. I'm thinking now though that maybe I should do it 1:1 so there's hardly any digging. Or one of each maybe.
Oohh, yay, thank you :D There are some chests right next to the hole which might have some iron tools in, and possibly some iron ore. Haven't got any diamonds though.
I have drawn a square around the area that needs clearing but I think it needs moving up (on the dynamic map) 5 or 6 blocks.
I'm also gonna have fun finding the materials to build what I want. I think a large part of it can be made from dirt (orange wool would be better though) but need to find lots of white and black. I started to build one part from dirt, gravel and sand to see what it looks like and its huuuuuge.