can anybody let me know what kit we need for streaks top entrance
is it p bolted or do we need hangers

The top entrance is the only place where you need any gear. There are anchors in place, think they are p-bolts. A 10m ladder should get you to the floor but i'm not 100%. Depending upon your group it is possible to traverse over the pitch (relatively exposed) to a pretty easy climb down in a tight rift, all the way to the floor. All the times i've been there was a long piece of knotted rope to aid this climb and i bet it's still there.

So, to summarise:

Maybe you need hangers; maybe you don't.
A 10m ladder might be enough; but it might not.
There might be a handline in situ; but there might not.

There are to p-bolts, but its prehaps 1 short. The handline is climable without bu hard. its anchoured to a big boulder in the rift at floor level. with the hand line is easy going down and a bit harder going up.

I think the pitch is more like 12m tho not sure

According to Classic Caves, a 12m ladder is required and there's a long belay for the lifeline.

Did the through trip the other Saturday before the DCRO AGM so this is fairly up-to-date.

There are three hangers (not P bolts) already in place at the head of the pitch (1 backup plus a Y-hang) and an 18m rope just does the 1.5 metre traverse + Y hang + abseil. We usually abseil, de-kit and leave our rigs on the bottom of the rope to be pulled out by whoever gets the short straw and has to walk back up to the top entrance.

There are optional spits without hangers to cover the easy (but don't fall) traverse over the pitch which leads to the free climb down at the far end, and yes there is a knotted rope on this.

Smashing trip but be careful of the old wooden supports holding up the choke half way down to the stream level. It's time we replaced these with something more substantial. I thoroughly recommend going upstream to look at Alexander's Aven, Telescope Aven and Lu Blue Sump before weaving your way out through Nervous Breakdown.

absoloutley correct
we lost the draft beyond telescope aven (the highest one ?)
sadly there is a strong smell of diesel (see carlswark thread) and you can see it in the static water
brilliant trip even after doing it  a few times

Bog said:

absoloutley correct
we lost the draft beyond telescope aven (the highest one ?)
sadly there is a strong smell of diesel (see carlswark thread) and you can see it in the static water
brilliant trip even after doing it  a few times

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Glad you enjoyed the trip, tis a classic indeed.
Telescope aven is the highest one, the last before West Choke. It gets very close to the surface, that's where the draught comes from. Interesting there was no draught past there, normaly the choke emits quite a bit. Where was the smell of diesel? Throughout the whole cave or just upstream from Telescope?

Bog said:

sadly there is a strong smell of diesel (see carlswark thread) and you can see it in the static water

Click to expand...

Do you mean in Lu Blue sump?
Cheers,

Marcus

AT THE JUNCTION NEAR NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
WHEN YOU GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THE CLIMBS DOWN FROM THE TOP ENTRANCE
LAST TIME I WAS IN THERE I CRAWLED UP A FLAT OUT SECTION AND GAVE UP AFTER 30MTRS
IT WAS AT THE END OF A PASSAGE YOU FOLLOW IF YOU DONT GO INTO ALEXANDER AVEN
AS YOU HEAD UPSTREAM(TURNING LEFT WITH AVEN IN FRONT OF YOU)

Bog said:

AT THE JUNCTION NEAR NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
WHEN YOU GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THE CLIMBS DOWN FROM THE TOP ENTRANCE
LAST TIME I WAS IN THERE I CRAWLED UP A FLAT OUT SECTION AND GAVE UP AFTER 30MTRS
IT WAS AT THE END OF A PASSAGE YOU FOLLOW IF YOU DONT GO INTO ALEXANDER AVEN
AS YOU HEAD UPSTREAM(TURNING LEFT WITH AVEN IN FRONT OF YOU)

Click to expand...

Just trying to desypher what you've put here. Am i right in finking your talking about two different things:

Firstly, that the diesel was in some static water just before you reach the stream, at the bottom of the cliimbs from the entrance?

Secondly, that last time you were in Streaks you went upstream, following the water and turned left just before alexanders aven, and got to a section that was flatout for a while. If so it must have been pretty dry as the flatout section of this is often full. If you managed to reach a quite high cross rift, slightly off to the right, that was as far as you can get in there. Tis an interesting place as the stream passage must continue past there, probably at floor level. Not sure if anyone's dug here in an attempt to find it. When i went two summers ago i climbed the aven to find a mars bar wrapper placed on a top ledge, with a best before date of 1989!

thanks
that sounds like the place didnt get to the cross rift but that sounds like the place
i will have to try again next time
you are right about where i said the diesel is

Of course...to do the through trip...you have to be able to find the top entrance...Mission aborted on my last visit!!!