As I was making my way up the last pitch in Aquamole I looked across to see a line of aid climbing spits on the far wall.  This got me thinking about the history of Aquamole Aven.

Diving through (from Rowten?) and climbing the aven must have been an audacious project. Google reveals that Geoff Yeadon and Rupert Skorupka may have been involved?

Can anyone tell me any more about the efforts made to connect the Aquamole sump to the surface?

It was originally climbed in the early 80s; those involved were Yeadon, Griffiths, Watson, Tucker, Nixon, Hague - and probably others (maybe Jim Abbott). More recently further climbing was done by Skorupka and Holroyd to the point where they were close to the surface. Then with the help of people like Bob Mackin a surface entrance was opened.

The efforet by Rupert Skorupka and Martin Holroyd and others to create a surface entrance (partly to facilitate further upstream diving at ground floor level) was the subject of a very good article in at least one issue of Descent.

If you're really interested in detail of who and when then send me a PM and I'll look it up for you in CDG literature.

There is a good article about it in
Descent  No 168, Rupe Skorupka , A pot into Aquamole, Pages 20-22 Oct/Nov 2002 with survey

regards
Beardy

That's the one I was thinking of; thanks Beardy.