Rana Description / Tackle etc

[andys]

Is there a written descirption of Rana anyway on the 'net yet? I and a group from Yorkshire are visited Assynt for the first time in a couple of weeks and are planning a couple of caving trips whilst we're in the area. It would be good to look at the results of the recent endeavours and well as look at the "older" bits of Claonite and ANUS. All pointers gratefully accepted!

 

[mrodoc]

Rana as of a week ago was accessible. Always make sure the entrance is safely covered and the ladder removed before leaving. An aluminium ladder is lowered onto scaffold bars for the first 2 or 3 metres and then it's all fixed ladders apart from an obvious central traverse. There are lines to clip cow's tails in for extra safety. Other tackle required is a 10 metre ladder for Black Rift. After the entrance is the Skye Way now self draining and hopefully not a chest deep wallow as it was recently - has been engineered last week to be self draining but you can never be certain. Beyond the route is obvious although to get to Black Rift you need to cross 2 A's the chamber you enter moving down to the left and across to a slot in the wall. The pretties are best viewed one at a time.  Beyond the slot a crawl leads downwards through rift chambers towards the top of Black Rift marked by a bolt in the wall above a squeeze down. Again there are traverse lines. Competent climbers can belay the ladder at the lowest bolt from which a 4 metre drop reaches a boulder floor. The way on is down again and the side passage here leads to 2 B's chamber via some tight traversing. Down the hole past some mud formations across a flake traverse up a scramble and you are down a fixed rope into the base of Belhaven. From here you are on your own but in Clanoaite 7. Have fun. Pics at http://www.darkanddeep.co.uk/caving_scotland.asp might help.

 

[Dave Tyson]

Andy, there is a useful publication which include copies of the surveys and some descriptions and photos of
caves in the Inchnadamph Area:

http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/commissioned_reports/F02AC105.pdf

We were up there a few weeks ago. I emailed GSG about six weeks ago to find out about RANA access, but
didn't get a reply so we didn't take any harnesses and just had a very wet time in Uamh an Claonaite despite the moorland around being bone dry

 

[mrodoc]

A copy of the Claonaite survey and Assynt cave guide are in the GSG hut so new real problems!

 

[Bob Mehew]

Julian & myself spent a few unhappy hours filling the pool prior to Skye Way in to reduce it depth from chest deep to around thigh deep. But beware the floor is not even, so search with your feet for the bags / rocks which will give you a bit more height!  As a consequence, I doubt if it will now self drain.  The syphon was also not really working and probably will be taken out.  The dam has been partially de-constructed to get the spoil to go into the pool and is no longer to be relied on.  However, there is more than sufficient air space in any condition to get pass this point thanks to the effort of the Mendip invasion, so being trapped is no longer a problem.

 

[andys]

Cheers everyone.    I'll add to this thread on our return in about three weeks time, to tell folks how our first trip to Assynt went and how we got on in Rana.

 

[JAA]

Much more fun visiting Rana from the other end!

 

[mrodoc]

Whilst there in April did the Rana - claonaite through trip. first time it had been done this way I gather. Did it in about 3 hours including working on the voice connection between Edward Concrete Head and the Treen Scene.