13th February 2025 - Pull through practice

 

Mike and Tony kitting up at the entrance, a sprinkling of snow on the hills

Mike descending a damp pitch

Tony rigging the second part of the Split pitch

Mike descending the final pitch

Mike in the final chamber

30th January 2025 - In search of Excellent Pot

I don't know if it's still there, but at some point I'm sure there was a page of either the Wezzie Gazette or the Craven Herald framed in the Royal Barn's gents toilets. The article described the discovery of a new pothole on Leck fell and how features of it had been named after various Kirkby Lonsdale brews. The accompanying photo was a terrific shot of a caver on Monumental pitch so called after a pint popular with the diggers. As this is also the favoured tipple of  both the other members of our usual Thursday caving team, a visit seemed in order. 

A GPS brought us within a few metres of the entrance, but in the end it was Mike's sharp eyes that found the boarded entrance in a shallow sink hole. Boards quickly off and he was away down the impressively scaffolded shaft to join the natural streamway at the bottom.

The impressively scaffolded entrance shaft

A short squirm along the stream and then over some boulder debris brought us to the first of the Kirkby inspired features, Orange Tree chamber. (I think I'm right in that, pre The Royal Barn, the Orange Tree pub was the tap for Kirkby beers). A couple of small stall were definitely on message sporting subtle orange hues.

Orange formations in Orange Tree chamber

Our rapid progress was brought to a shuddering halt as I swapped over with Mike to rig the first pitch. Sensing that this could take a while if he didn't help, he quickly found me a natural thread to start my rigging from and pointed out a couple of spits. Having rigged the first y-hang from these, I then found another and re-rigged the pitch head. Finally I was off down the pitch, but 3 metres later I failed to find the deviation bolts and spent further time rigging off a couple of natural spikes. As it was huge, I did manage to find the ledge 10 metres above the bottom of the pitch and for once, ended my descent in the right place.

Mike descending Monumental pitch

An interesting little climb led down into Constellation Hall and a number of ways on. The bolts at the top the aptly named Loose Head pitch were placed so that even I could see them, right in front of me at head height. Part way down I was once again rigging off a natural before noticing the rebelay spit.

Following the stream once again the top of Stanley's pitch was soon encountered. Unbelievably I spotted a spit straight away, but where was the other? Moving back a couple metres from the pitch head and lying in a convenient stream Mike found the errant spit and rigged it for me.

Mike rigging the bolt I'd missed at the top of Stanley's pitch

The short pitch lead to a small rift and the sump, but after a brief nosey I reversed making some excuse about having a camera in my pocket. Oddly neither Tony nor Mike fancied a look and we instead began the upward journey. 

The plan had been to test out a faster photo protocol making use of both Tony and I having relatively bright lights. Shouting direction down the pitch to Tony I didn't realise I was placing him directly under the water and when he arrived at the pitch head he was behooded and slightly damp.

Mike ascending Monumental pitch in black and white

Mike ascending Monumental pitch in colour

The moors were clear and bright when we emerged and it was a brisk walk back to the car. There was now only one thing left to do, find a couple of pints of Monumental in the Barn...

Tony and Mike replacing the boards on the entrance shaft

 

23rd January 2025 - Pillar holes

For the first full team trip of 2025 suggestions were asked for and Tony was the fisrt back with a trip to Pillar holes. While there are 3 advertised routes available, it's been very damp and only Route 1 is advised in these conditions. If you want to enjoy the walk up rather than worrying about pacing and bearings then a gps is the way to go, while it's not the smallest of entrances there is an awful lot of similar looking moor.

With Tony having found the entrance for us and prior to rigging down the first pitch we needed a team photo. Aunty Liz has been very busy crocheting and has made us all superb merino wool beanies for under our helmets. They're absolutely superb, especially on an evening like this one where there was a chill in the air and the occasional snow flurry.  

Aunty Liz has been busy crocheting our new team beanies!

Watching Tony rig the first pitch it was clear how the pot hole gained its name with a line of quite stunning little pillars leading away from him in the open pot. Making a mental note to return in daylight when this would be a very atmospheric place to be I made my way down to the first rebelay and then on to the Tony busy rigging the second pitch.

Tony rigging the first pitch

Tucking myself in to allow Mike to descend behind me I was aware that it was quite drippy where I was hanging. Like with some types of rain that seem particularly damp, these drips were definitely of the wetting variety. For the second time in the evening I was glad of my new beanie and I anti-socially pulled my hood up. This just seemed to make the dripping louder with no reduction in wetting so I was relieved to hear the call of "rope free" from below.

The topo had mentioned that some innovative rigging might be required and Tony didn't let us down. I was particularly impressed by the deviation based on a jammed knot/crab combination.

Despite my beanie I was starting to get cold now. [This probably requires some explanation. Chasing Mike around Easegill has lead to me buying ever thinner under suits to avoid suffering serious overheating and dehydration. I should probably just go for a running vest and shorts and be done with it. So, after last week's trip, I'd arrived this evening in my thinnest suit. Unlike last week this was not a horizontal time trial but an SRT trip in an open (and therefore chilly) pot. The drips hadn't helped either] As soon as Mike touched down at the bottom of the pitch Tony set off back up and Mike and I began the winter belay ledge rewarming boogie.

Heading up last I was able to avoid the wait on the surface and I hope I didn't leave the others waiting too long. The brisk walk was definitely welcome and I was almost warm by the time we arrived back at the car.

Have to say I'm loving being able to move on from a pint of mild to a Guinness 0.0 at the Barn, much more in keeping than the Erdinger.

2nd January 2025 - Off beat Easegill

With Tony having exclusive use of a Spanish ski resort, Mike and I were left to fend for ourselves. Mike had a think and came up with a plan to head over to Cape Kennedy and the Fire hydrant in Easegill but with a little SRT loop to add interest. 

Unusually there were ropes down Lancaster Hole, Cambridge uni. on a New Year's meet by the look of the labels, but we were on our own as we headed down the pitch and towards Kath's Way. Fall pot and the beginning of the high level series were passed with Mike covering ground fast with a steady pace but always on the most efficient route, while I zipped around like a collie pup going nowhere slowly.

I'm sure back in the day I didn't blink an eye at crossing over Stake pot by hand over handing the in situ ropes, but either Easegill is slippier, I need new wellies or I've a different outlook on life and it's harness and cows' tails every time now. 

The Stake pot series of Easegill is one of the parts that I know I don't know. Even after recceing it a few times before taking on the traverse I always had the description in hand. I know it involves a fixed ladder at some point, but that's about it. Fortunately today I had a head up display and as long as I moved fast enough to keep him in my sights, I just needed to follow Mike.

Having kept my SRT gear on from Stake pot (no time to take it off following Mike), I had the indignity of coming to a standstill, or more a liestill just before Cellar pot as I just didn't fit through the low bedding. Fortunately it's removal allowed me to pass and find Mike at the top of Cellar pot where he'd cached his gear and was ready to climb up through an obscure hole leading up to the pretties in Cape Kennedy.

Sight seeing tour over we were reunited with our gear and out of the choice of a rope, a thin polypropylene line and a chain, I chose the rope and tried to began my descent. In the equivalent of trying to start a car with a dead battery I was going nowhere. The rope had become so heavily calcited that it just wouldn't run through my descender and in the end I was forced to down climb on my jammers. Mike meanwhile made a smoother descent on an Italian hitch. It's worth noting if passing this way that Stops just don't seem to like petrified rope.

I always find the Wormway an intimidating place and today was no exception. There's something about the texture of the mud that reminds you that you really are in the bowels of the Earth. Fortunately it's not far to the 88' pitch but a more sobering view then came into sight, a metre high ring of foam about 20m up the pitch. A day or two previously where I was stood would have been 20 m underwater. I seemed to be up the pitch a bit quicker than usual.

If you're looking for a bit of an off beat adventure with a little bit of everything then this is a great little trip - just make sure the water levels aren't too high.

19th December 2024 - Next Gen

 

A lovely warm, dry trip to Glasfurd's chamber with Tony and son who performed brilliantly with his SRT.

Used the eyehole route to avoid the horrific deviation on the open pot.

For the second week in a row met other cavers! These poor wretches aren't able to meet up until 6 pm so have to go caving but never get to make it to the pub!

Royal Barn now do Guinness 0.0!

11th December 2024 - County Pot Treasure Hunt

With Mike away Tony and I decided to see if we've any hope at all of finding anywhere in Easegill and duly set off to County (which we can find) to see if we could navigate the Manchester Bypass.

Dropping down the entrance climb I found a laminated card that resembled the first page in one of the adventure books I used to love as a kid, where your choices determined which page you'd turn to next. Intrigued, I proposed a short detour off our planned route into Spout Hall to see if we could find the location of the next card in the series so that our adventure in search of "Newton's golden crowbar" could continue. Despite a bit of time looking we left the Hall without having found the card and we set off for the Bypass, I for one a little disappointed.

My disappointment was short lived as moving out of Battle of Britain chamber I spotted another card! I'm not sure who the trail was intended for but the cards kept appearing as we continued down the Bypass which isn't the easiest of caving.  

[in progress...]

Al and Tony (Rick and Nick!)

5th December 2024 - Roaring Rowten

It was wet. Proper wet. Definitely an evening to be anywhere flood prone. Mike though had noted a post by Ian Patrick mentioning that Rowten could be descended in high water if a hybrid route was taken, though getting to the sumps would obviously be out of the question!

Even before we got to the gate on the Turbary road we knew the pot was close from the unmistakable roar of the water pouring down it. As advertised though the Eyehole route was dry and it was only at the end of the traverse after the bridge that we encountered our first drips. We were soon dry once again on the second traverse at the end of which Mike set off on the big pitch down the main shaft.

With his usual melodic "rope free" I set off down the impressive fissure. Soon a deviation loomed out of the darkness and fortunately I was able to use the rope to guide me across to it. I'm still not sure how Mike managed to pendulum across and clip the lone bolt on a smooth wall. Descending further I could see he was on a roll with his rigging as I approached the kind of flake you'd find on a "classic" Lake District climb sporting a rebelay rigged from purple cord. Ever since our Spanish trip where this cord initially proved its use, it's come in handy over and over again. It turned out the rope had been a little on the short side and rather than a mid pitch knot, Mike had come up with the, easier to pass, flake rebelay solution.

The thundering water was now almost at arms reach but we still remained dry despite the strong breeze. Even this wasn't to last long as we moved into the shelter of the flyover route. Mike's bolt radar must have undergone an upgrade as he can now detect bolts quite a long way around corners which is remarkably handy. As I arrived at the bottom of the pitch, Mike was arriving from round a corner with a wide eyed look. Peeking round, the entire shaft was filled with an almost solid wall of water and the noise was incredible. Despite our proximity, bar a bit of spray, we could marvel from a dry vantage point. We were definitely not going any further though!

This has to be one of my favourite trips down Rowten. The sheer power of the water is something to behold and yet, while tantalisingly close, you're never actually in it which is just the way I like it.