Was messing about in P8 yesterday and ended up having a look in the original entrance (base of small crag above usual entrance). Dropped down in and then went down a short slope to end up in the bottom of a rift.

Seemingly two ways on:

Low route through a low flat bedding heading for the water. Took this route and got to the point where my feet were in the main stream passage but I couldn't get my chest through and had to come out. Didn't fancy attacking it in a headfirst stylee. Would be interested to know whether I'm just too big for it or whether I should have tried harder.

Alternative higher way which snakes along something that looks like a vadose trench but looks like it gets desperately tight after about 20ft. Anyone got the beta on whether this higher route is a dead end?

I think someone posted on here that some part of this entrance has moved a bit recently. Would be interested to know which bit cos it all looked fairly solid to me.

Hi JB,

I had a go through there early this year. There was a well dead sheep at the bottom of that rift where the lower route goes off so squeezing over it was not pleasant! (dead sheep really smell!) This bottom way worked fine for me going head first, but i do remember it being a little tight. The key i found was to, when you think your just about there, stay in the bedding plane and head left downstream a bit more before poping out into the streamway. Bit wider that way.

As for the higher route, me no know.

Cheers for that Rob. Next time I'll try a bit harder. Possibly the most pointless objective in modern Derbyshire caving?

FYI - the sheep is still 'well dead' and has now 'run-in' to the passage itself but it's head is still where you left it. I have contacted John Beck to have the survey amended.

I had a look earlier this year and it seems as though there is much more soil in the tight section than when I did it in the early 1990's. Then the floor was clean/sharp rocks.

JB said:

Low route through a low flat bedding heading for the water. Took this route and got to the point where my feet were in the main stream passage but I couldn't get my chest through and had to come out. Didn't fancy attacking it in a headfirst stylee. Would be interested to know whether I'm just too big for it or whether I should have tried harder.

Click to expand...

Had a play with this ten years ago or so. Went in head first and then realised I was not as slim as I once was! Great fun reversing out, as I recall.

Marcus

Iirc a calf/cow fell down soon after it was opened (1962 ish) - thus speeding the opening up of the stream bed entrance. That also accounts for the unusual red stain on the walls where the old entrance come in.