haytime hole
- Thread starter bren
- Start date
hey - haytime hole was a bonkers trip - thanks to whoever suggested it as an alternative after we abandoned kingsdale - appologies simon - you were meant to be rescued 
fortunatly i avoided boulderchoke surfing - but by climbing up and over - did get to see an amazing wall of helectites - only small ones - but covering the entire wall
it was a cave that prooved easy to enter and hard to leave
thanks to dave king for inovative rescue technique to get me though the squeeze i struggled with
and bren - who i stood on - to get me up the accrsed last ladder
fortunatly i avoided boulderchoke surfing - but by climbing up and over - did get to see an amazing wall of helectites - only small ones - but covering the entire wall
it was a cave that prooved easy to enter and hard to leave
thanks to dave king for inovative rescue technique to get me though the squeeze i struggled with
and bren - who i stood on - to get me up the accrsed last ladder
JasonC
Well-known member
We enjoyed a trip to Haytime Hole the other day. Before we went, I couldn't find a lot about it online, and Northern Caves doesn't give a lot away about where to find it, especially if it's dark.
So, a few notes, if anyone wants to go:
1. To find it, walk up the Pennine Way from the Crown for about 1km, where you come to a gate. Carry on for another 100m, then go up an obvious dried-up streambed on your right. After ~150m, there's a big shakehole with the entrance to the left.
2. The entrance crawl is very short - don't be tempted, as I was, to continue crawling through an uncomfortable squeeze on the left, as it just goes to a squalid low passage before getting too tight.
3. The way on is down a hole on the right - this is the pitch NC suggests tackling with a ladder, and it's generously P-hangered, but you really don't need any aids, it's a simple free climb. Honestly. But it is quite warming on the way out.
4. This pitch and the following climbs do have some loose rocks, but we didn't find anything too scary, as long as you take care.
By the way, we were dismayed to find the Crown (in Horton) shut - anyone know if this is permanent?
So, a few notes, if anyone wants to go:
1. To find it, walk up the Pennine Way from the Crown for about 1km, where you come to a gate. Carry on for another 100m, then go up an obvious dried-up streambed on your right. After ~150m, there's a big shakehole with the entrance to the left.
2. The entrance crawl is very short - don't be tempted, as I was, to continue crawling through an uncomfortable squeeze on the left, as it just goes to a squalid low passage before getting too tight.
3. The way on is down a hole on the right - this is the pitch NC suggests tackling with a ladder, and it's generously P-hangered, but you really don't need any aids, it's a simple free climb. Honestly. But it is quite warming on the way out.
4. This pitch and the following climbs do have some loose rocks, but we didn't find anything too scary, as long as you take care.
By the way, we were dismayed to find the Crown (in Horton) shut - anyone know if this is permanent?
Alex
Well-known member
Also I would say you don't need any rope (or ladders) for this cave. The second "pitch" has in-situ hand-line that helps with the bottom akward (5ft) bit where it opens out into a chamber. Its also pitch, the majority of the pitch is in a rift so its just a chimbney climb and is not the least bit exposed. You should not need to rig it in normal conditions. Note: When climbing it, its best to ignore the in-situ rope for the first section and climb down the rift to the ledge you can see then slither out and climb down near the rope for the last section. Its this last section that's a little awkward.
