Bit of OFD help please?

Gerbil007

Member
Hi all. Would someone be so kind as to post a relatively fail safe route description from top of Maypole inlet to Top Entrance please? God knows how many times I've done it in both directions, but I always end up getting bloody lost!
 

Long Drop

Active member
That's going to be tricky to do in enough detail for it to be useful to you... it would be easier to show you... I would have to do a little ferreting around at the top of maypole inlet, but from there I would head for the cross-roads, arriving there by clambering down a slippery boulder slot (with the route to president's leap behind me). From the crossroads over a slanting boulder into the bottom of salubrious, continue up salubrious shortly joining the water.  Continue upstream and eventually turn right (just after a point where the water goes over the top of my wellies) to climb up the corkscrew. From the top of the corkscrew go right over boulders, passing the wedding cake formation to arrive at gnome passage. Turn right again, the passage narrows to a junction, continue ahead / slightly left through the brickyard (various routes available!). The brickyard brings you out at drippy corner and from there it is mostly an easy walk along a nice passage with an excellent roof until you climb up the rubble ramp to top entrance.  There you go, no help at all!

Even the survey in SWCC long common room will be little use to you because the passages in the area of the corkscrew are all on top of each other... But, even if you get lost it's only going to be a temporary misplacement. :)
 

alastairgott

Well-known member
Long Drop said:
That's going to be tricky to do in enough detail for it to be useful to you... it would be easier to show you... I would have to do a little ferreting around at the top of maypole inlet

After you've climbed up maypole inlet and are standing on a boulder chock above the drop, look "upstream" from where you've come from. you'll be faced with a choice: right is a rift and left is a very gentle mud slope with a knee-worn "monorail" in it. follow the left hand monorail and you will get to a junction, turn right here and you will join up with the end of the rift. (a much easier route).
The end of the rift is something which I think Long drop called the presidents leap, but I thought that was just below the corkscrew. anyway, carefully go over this.

The crossroads, easier in this direction than many of the others, but continue straight ahead, through this 'chamber'. then you will get to a junction with a choice of straight on or right. straight on is not the way! but right has evidence of the start of the moonmilk in Salubrious, so is a clear indicator your taking the right (right) way.

reasonably straight on caving up salubrious, as long drop says (till wellies are wet, or you see the passage narrows ahead but theres a big rift on your right), and with long drops help the rest you (should) be ok with. only difficulty you may find is around the brickyard and Elephants foot passage.
 

Gerbil007

Member
Sincere thanks for this. As I say, I've done it numerous times and always bumble my way out in the end, but I'm taking a group tomorrow and would prefer not to be faffing towards the end of the trip!
 

Mattrees

Member
Long Drop said:
Continue upstream and eventually turn right (just after a point where the water goes over the top of my wellies) to climb up the corkscrew.

A large fallen block on your right, I've heard it called "The Captain's Table", is a useful landmark here marking the turning right for the corkscrew.
 
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