There And Back Again . Backwards and Forwards in Withyhill

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Scurion trip report. (y)

Well this was to be our second post flood check up of Withyhill this month. I guess we left the worst until last. OK I didnt actually tell my mates Chris Milne and Nigel Cox how horrible the terminal chokes are at the end of Withyhill stream section. I suppose time and distance had blurred the danger in my mind as well. " Dont you dare spoil Christmas said" She Who Must Be Obeyed. ". Well that's "Ayesha" to Rider Haggard fans. I really cant think why she thinks like that. She hasnt got me out of hospital for ages . Oh and only four different hospitals anyway. We had to take back in the semi repaired famous twisted stal that " fell off " a good many years ago. So off we went with Chris nursing the injured stal all wrapped up in bandages. We left the poorly stal at the Junction of Glistening Pool Series and headed upstream passing Green Lake Grotto and Icing Flake Chamber. Here the burly Chris could not negotiate the awkward right angled squeeze below the Icing Flakes.

Poor Chris stuck in the squeeze.



The Icing Flakes early 1970's.



Now beyond tapes and usually under water.
 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Left poor Chris behind to snooze in the passage. Onward to The First Boulder Choke. Nigel seeing it all for the first time backed off a bit so I carried on with fingers crossed.

A nice stal beyond the squeeze.



Nigel makes a hurried exit from the confines of The First Boulder Choke. No, I wont ever, ever be going through there again. A huge boulder hangs in the roof supported by pebbles.



Mind you The Second Boulder Choke is no better. This from my log in 1974.



He who pokes boulders might be in for a surprise.



Well the collapse did reveal a horrible rout into an upper chamber we surveyed way back then but did not take photos.




 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Where are we. Oh yes back to 2016 and about time to get those belated photos. Well I am not as sprightly as I used to be so Nigel had to push me up into the chamber and then he decided to wait there.

Nigel. " Yes. I think I will wait here ".



Well he did whilst I took the photos I should have took in 1974. Here that's 42 years ago. I must be getting old. So accompanied by two roosting bats ( they were not around in 1974 ). I took these photos. Well rather more but you will moan about the high res uploads if I do too many.













Yes I know. Those looking with mobile phones are frothing at the mouth.

OK

Just one more then-

Can you see what has happened here? Yes a bit fell out a very long time ago and stuck itself back in.



Time to leave our 1974 chamber. We never gave it a name. Perhaps I could think of one now. " Never To Return " ( With apologies to Never Land ). I wont be coming back. All done in a rush. Nigel is getting impatient as Chris is fast asleep somewhere back in the cave.

Oh Nigel. Did you really have to point out that horrible hanging boulder in The First Choke.
 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
So then back to Chris who had woken up by now. Thought I would do a nice photo of each of them.

Here is Chris in my favourite part of Upper Withyhill streamway. A lighter boiler suit would have helped. You get what you get.



And Nigel still looking strained from his choke exploits.



Back to Glistening Pool Series to lay to rest the now deceased stal. Anyone care to say a few words?



" Oh dear departed stal. We so loved you in your youth. Your poor remains lie here as a testimony to the fragility of calcite . ( Or if you are rather cynical the blunders of cavers ). May you rest here ever in peace."

Ahh time runs like sand though our fingers. My hirsute brother is now bald and our lovely twisted stal broken and abandoned ( though he had been in Martin Grass's garage for years )



So time to mooch on ( get the link ?). Chris goes out early to feed the kids whilst Nigel and I linger some more in the most beautiful cave system on Mendip. ( Yup and lots of other places too ). We get out and its nearly dark. We remember both of us cant see without our glasses. It's no good we cant unlock the quarry gate as we cant see the numbers. Oh dear an undignified scramble over the gate just avoiding the barbed wire.

Lock the car park and off we go. Its three degrees up here. On the way home we are diverted as the road has been closed by a crash. A lunatic passes us at 100 miles an hour. We round the corner and there he is sideways in the road. Nifty driving by Nigel ensures a near miss and lots of bad words.( He should have kept the Humvee. )

They say caving might be dangerous !

Can of soup for tea as Ayesha is out.  Yes. A pretty normal day's caving.

Toodle Pip.

Merry Christmas. ;)

This is Chris asleep in Withyhill  :sleep:




 
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