I first came across Black Shiver as a scout, flicking through the Northern Caves volume 2, looking for trips to get my speleology badge. At the time I felt I was quite adventurous, we were doing things like surveying High Douk Holes or mapping the entrances of Great douk, anything vertical was out of the question but seeing the guide for Black Shiver, the cross section from the ULSA survey blew me away! What a dangerous place, Black Shiver, brrrrr, Blood Pot, Black Dub, North Chamber, the list of places that flood to the roof and the fact that it was 19cms high to get in yet further down the Black Rift was a huge chasm, and it really fired my intrigue.
Many years later I started caving again at University and srt became the ticket to all these deep trips but as we bought the CNCC rigging guides and I'd forgotten about Black Shiver and it wasn't until I read Dave Elliot's SRT book that caves I'd not considered before came into the mind, Vesper Pot being one of them and I was reminded of that cave I'd been so in awe of as a youngster.
Rain seemed to always make a trip to Black Shiver unlikely and I could never find anyone to help me carry our clubs 11mm rope up the hill so it was not for a long while that I got to the entrance shakehole for the first time. We didn't make the sump that time, nor on my next visit, but after a carefully reading of the weather forecast leading up to the day I decided enough waiting and packed my new 9mm rope (superb competition prize on UkC!) and set off early one morning.
The 2nd time I headed up the hill, it was the weekend of the Dalesman fell running race and we were definitely going against the flow of hundreds of smiling people coming down Ingleborough. This time though I saw no one, there were a few cars at the parking spot on the main road but only a few sheep disturbed the tranquil morning air, one hanging on the side of Braithwaite Hole, more sure footed than I for sure.
The forecast was for no rain, and it hadn't rained for a few days, so I was thinking if I could get into the cave then I will be able to get out more easily as the water levels drop. I took my helmet off to avoid having to hold my breath on the entrance crawl but really it wasn't necessary, water wouldn't stop me getting to the sump this time, so suitably enthused I carried on.
I had three bags, 1 larger and 2 smaller and they seemed to disagree with each other about being dragged and I was making hard going of the entrance passage, but the first pitch arrived soon enough. I used a 24m rope, which was a bit short but using as few anchors as I could I got through the narrow section between pitch 1 & 2, and set off to descend the double section Blood Pot. The 2nd section is free climbable in low water so when packing rope, I was tempted to only use a 10m rope, but I decided not to risk it and used a 15m, so I rigged both sections before the short travel to the 3rd pitch, Black Dub. This is has caused me strife in the past, trying to crawl along on the floor is not as easy as it looks, I seem to struggle more than others and so approach it with a bit of caution, no issues on the way down, though I knew it would be a different story on the way out.
Black Dub is a great pitch, it looks like a bottomless pool and there's no way on, but a crawl at the far end of the pool which can become a bit too watery in high water, gives a way on from the small chamber taking you through to Thunder Pot. A simple, small pitch, the rigging guide suggests using the same rope to rig it and go across to the next pitch down into the Black rift, but I find that a bit heavy on rope for no really benefit so I used a small rope and crawled across into the Eagle's Nest looking over the 80m drop to the floor. Rigging from the roof down to a deviation with the noise of the waterfall booming around you, reaching out to the roof bolt is a nervy stretch but I went for the tried and tested method of using a tiny headtorch backup light so you can't see the drop and soon I was on the rock bridge ready for the freehanging drop to the floor. The chamber is not quite the beautiful place that the Juniper Gulf 4th pitch is, but the walls are interesting on the way down and the feeling of being a very small visitor in this cathedral of nature is rather humbling.
A small crawl in the water goes though a duck, but the water wasn't too cold and with your helmet off it wasn't a duck. It leads to a watery passage, quite twisting and small compared to the open space I'd just abseiled through. Somewhere around here is the White Shudder series, but I'm leaving that till another time, the target for me is the sump and arriving at the window of North Chamber was interesting, that waterfall must be a sight when the rains are high.
There were lots of handlines in place to get down to the last piece of passage to the sump and once there I allowed myself to feel a little smug though tempered by the idea that I still had to get out. I didn't hand around for long but did enjoy a warm drink and a little contemplation, I wonder what the twelve year old me would think about this place, I couldn't help feel a little anti-climactic, Black Shiver Pot isn't that hard a trip, if you pick a low water period, but it it's worth it and I was happy to explore it to the sump.
Everything passed more quickly on the way out as it usually does and I arrived at the top of Thunder Pot looking forward to a dip in the Black Dub to cool off! 80m seems a long way without having to wait for anyone else on the pitch. I had a bit of a battle with the pitch head on the way out of Black Dub. The pitch approach is either at stream level or higher up by the ceiling, which is where you rig it from, but the pitch head is quite snug and I opted for crawling along the stream to get out and proceeded to make hard work of it, then went back along the ceiling route to derig, clipping the two bags together but forgetting to clip them to me so having gone through the short crawl, I turned back to see those colourful tackle sacks a short but also very long way away. I considered trying to lasso the hauling cord but decided to just get on with it and go back to get them, and despite the very recent practice I still struggled through it and felt rather relieved to be at the bottom of Blood Pot with the difficult bits of the trip all behind me.
Nothing of note all the way up to the exit, but the passage from the first pitch to the entrance seemed a very long way, the bits of grass were a nice marker and the smell of the outside too, I was very happy to see the chink of sunlight ahead though I forgot the shakehole is 4m deep and I'd a few heavy bags, but it was no problem. I sat on the grass outside allowing myself a photo to capture a moment I was rather proud of, Black Shiver Pot on my own, good trip that was.
Sure footed sheep
Back out to grey skies
Not how I did it Rigging Guide!
Many years later I started caving again at University and srt became the ticket to all these deep trips but as we bought the CNCC rigging guides and I'd forgotten about Black Shiver and it wasn't until I read Dave Elliot's SRT book that caves I'd not considered before came into the mind, Vesper Pot being one of them and I was reminded of that cave I'd been so in awe of as a youngster.
Rain seemed to always make a trip to Black Shiver unlikely and I could never find anyone to help me carry our clubs 11mm rope up the hill so it was not for a long while that I got to the entrance shakehole for the first time. We didn't make the sump that time, nor on my next visit, but after a carefully reading of the weather forecast leading up to the day I decided enough waiting and packed my new 9mm rope (superb competition prize on UkC!) and set off early one morning.
The 2nd time I headed up the hill, it was the weekend of the Dalesman fell running race and we were definitely going against the flow of hundreds of smiling people coming down Ingleborough. This time though I saw no one, there were a few cars at the parking spot on the main road but only a few sheep disturbed the tranquil morning air, one hanging on the side of Braithwaite Hole, more sure footed than I for sure.
The forecast was for no rain, and it hadn't rained for a few days, so I was thinking if I could get into the cave then I will be able to get out more easily as the water levels drop. I took my helmet off to avoid having to hold my breath on the entrance crawl but really it wasn't necessary, water wouldn't stop me getting to the sump this time, so suitably enthused I carried on.
I had three bags, 1 larger and 2 smaller and they seemed to disagree with each other about being dragged and I was making hard going of the entrance passage, but the first pitch arrived soon enough. I used a 24m rope, which was a bit short but using as few anchors as I could I got through the narrow section between pitch 1 & 2, and set off to descend the double section Blood Pot. The 2nd section is free climbable in low water so when packing rope, I was tempted to only use a 10m rope, but I decided not to risk it and used a 15m, so I rigged both sections before the short travel to the 3rd pitch, Black Dub. This is has caused me strife in the past, trying to crawl along on the floor is not as easy as it looks, I seem to struggle more than others and so approach it with a bit of caution, no issues on the way down, though I knew it would be a different story on the way out.
Black Dub is a great pitch, it looks like a bottomless pool and there's no way on, but a crawl at the far end of the pool which can become a bit too watery in high water, gives a way on from the small chamber taking you through to Thunder Pot. A simple, small pitch, the rigging guide suggests using the same rope to rig it and go across to the next pitch down into the Black rift, but I find that a bit heavy on rope for no really benefit so I used a small rope and crawled across into the Eagle's Nest looking over the 80m drop to the floor. Rigging from the roof down to a deviation with the noise of the waterfall booming around you, reaching out to the roof bolt is a nervy stretch but I went for the tried and tested method of using a tiny headtorch backup light so you can't see the drop and soon I was on the rock bridge ready for the freehanging drop to the floor. The chamber is not quite the beautiful place that the Juniper Gulf 4th pitch is, but the walls are interesting on the way down and the feeling of being a very small visitor in this cathedral of nature is rather humbling.
A small crawl in the water goes though a duck, but the water wasn't too cold and with your helmet off it wasn't a duck. It leads to a watery passage, quite twisting and small compared to the open space I'd just abseiled through. Somewhere around here is the White Shudder series, but I'm leaving that till another time, the target for me is the sump and arriving at the window of North Chamber was interesting, that waterfall must be a sight when the rains are high.
There were lots of handlines in place to get down to the last piece of passage to the sump and once there I allowed myself to feel a little smug though tempered by the idea that I still had to get out. I didn't hand around for long but did enjoy a warm drink and a little contemplation, I wonder what the twelve year old me would think about this place, I couldn't help feel a little anti-climactic, Black Shiver Pot isn't that hard a trip, if you pick a low water period, but it it's worth it and I was happy to explore it to the sump.
Everything passed more quickly on the way out as it usually does and I arrived at the top of Thunder Pot looking forward to a dip in the Black Dub to cool off! 80m seems a long way without having to wait for anyone else on the pitch. I had a bit of a battle with the pitch head on the way out of Black Dub. The pitch approach is either at stream level or higher up by the ceiling, which is where you rig it from, but the pitch head is quite snug and I opted for crawling along the stream to get out and proceeded to make hard work of it, then went back along the ceiling route to derig, clipping the two bags together but forgetting to clip them to me so having gone through the short crawl, I turned back to see those colourful tackle sacks a short but also very long way away. I considered trying to lasso the hauling cord but decided to just get on with it and go back to get them, and despite the very recent practice I still struggled through it and felt rather relieved to be at the bottom of Blood Pot with the difficult bits of the trip all behind me.
Nothing of note all the way up to the exit, but the passage from the first pitch to the entrance seemed a very long way, the bits of grass were a nice marker and the smell of the outside too, I was very happy to see the chink of sunlight ahead though I forgot the shakehole is 4m deep and I'd a few heavy bags, but it was no problem. I sat on the grass outside allowing myself a photo to capture a moment I was rather proud of, Black Shiver Pot on my own, good trip that was.
Sure footed sheep
Back out to grey skies
Not how I did it Rigging Guide!
