Hi folks, I thought I'd introduce myself here by the way of a trip report. After spending Saturday in Burrington, three of us were feeling like a return to possibly my favourite cave on Mendip - Manor Farm.

It took rather a while to rig the entrance ladder as our buddies had taken all of the short club ropes and slings, and left us with 40+ m ones!  Once underground we quickly arrived at September Rift, which we lifelined before climbing down. Our objective was to find NHASA gallery as we had missed it before, however this time we found it as soon as we got to the black ramp. Impressed we were too, the size and flatness of the roof being a feature that stood out to me. We turned around when the stream re-entered as time was getting short.

Returning up the sculpted streamway and false floors took us to a fantastic curtain which I'd wanted to photograph for a while, and this time got my chance. Next it was up to Curtain Chamber and September Rift, which proved an easy climb. Last time we'd had to put the Traxion to use and do some hawling, which thankfully we didn't this time around. Arrived back in the real world to a lovely evening with smiles all round. Great fun - time underground 3h.

A couple of photos I've uploaded to Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/a_paphia/

Alexander

Great photo in your flickr album of the wrinkly crinkly backlit curtain. Nice. Very good. 

Manor Farm your "favourite Mendip cave"? - strange boy!

P.S. Was the wobbly scaffold bar missing at the top of September Rift or was it back in place?

Yes the bar was in place. I say it's my favourite Mendip cave but I'm torn between that and Longwood really.
Alexander

My mates Pete and Nick found NHASA gallery but in mildly embarassing circumstances. They happened to be with the breakthrough party who raced down the stream way to the 'end' and then rushed out to catch the pub. The doughty duo noticed the boulders on the floor looked up, climbed up and popped into NHASA gallery - they had a hell of a time convincing the others they had found the largest bit of cave.

Is it less smelly now?

BTW Manor Farm is almost a tackle free cave so must rate as Mendips deepest thus trip. You can abseil the entrance shaft and get to the bottom with no more tackle then free climb out. I think it is a bit exposed for a free climb down.

Some photos of it are at http://www.darkanddeep.co.uk/caving_mendip.asp#mfs

MFS is definitely one of my favourite Mendip caves. Are you Alexander Loe?

Almost Anne! Leo is my middle name. I couldn't think of an anagram for Alexander Henderson.

Peter, the smell wasn't too bad at the weekend, even though there didn't seem to be much water going down the stream. I'm not one for free climbing the entrance shaft - it's got a fair amount of moss growing on it, so it looks pretty slippery.

"No need. Learn hard sex".

Any good?

I only managed A sore hard end xnnlee.

Iv'e free climbed the entrance shaft but I would not like to do it again - it's very slippery.

There are a couple of spitz bolts in the RH side of curtain chamber about 2m down slope from the nice scaffold bar and at about head height.

As for enjoying Manor farm - endure it more like, your'e a sick puppy!!

Just had a look at your cave pictures and realised one of them is my little sister!
Small world.
When I left england a month ago she had done some derbyshire caves with me, I get back and photos of her in the mendips have made it onto ukcaving!

8)

Burt said:

Iv'e free climbed the entrance shaft but I would not like to do it again - it's very slippery.

There are a couple of spitz bolts in the RH side of curtain chamber about 2m down slope from the nice scaffold bar and at about head height.

As for enjoying Manor farm - endure it more like, your'e a sick puppy!!

Click to expand...

Do you not mean
September Rift?

September Rift has some SD spits on the LHS and RHS at the pitch head.

Curtain Chamber has some SD spits on the RHS approaching/above the waterfall pitch head.

Don't tell me Bat girl that you recognised your sis from just that silhouette... if you did I'm impressed!

:-[
I'd like to say yes but it would be a lie i'm afraid.... I saw it 1st on facebook where she is tagged.