Rod's Pot - The Murlis Loop

Andy Sparrow

Active member
I am very pleased to announce that after several months of work members of Cheddar Caving Club have created a new round trip in Rod's Pot.

The Murlis Loop is named after Brian Murlis - a well liked member of the MCG who died in 1997.  Brian played a leading role in the discovery of Hanging Rock Chamber in Rod's Pot.  Without his contribution this round trip would not be possible.

Currently the route is very tight but it is our intention to make it Sparrow/Waters size over the next few weeks so that 'normal' size cavers can fully enjoy this speleological delight.

Description of the Route

Until the route is enlarged I would recommend only attempting it 'anti-clockwise'.  Go through the low arch at the end of Rod's Main Chamber to the base of a steeply ascending chimney [Eyeball Aven].  Climb this to an awkward squeeze past a boulder and then through a difficult horizontal squeeze.  Down and straight ahead are routes into Hanging Rock Chamber.  To the left is a narrow rift which thin caves can pass directly - larger people need to squeeze up between jammed boulders before dropping back down to floor level. 

A small passage leads off to the left.  Follow this for a few metres to a constriction.  The crux move is to pass the tight rift and make a left turn into a small tube.  This tight difficult section is called 'No Picnic'.  Beyond the route enlarges and emerges at Whippets Junction with choked tubes to the right and straight ahead.  Turn left into Four Ecks Passage - a low muddy crawl for 10 metres.  This enlarges where a tube rigged with a traverse line leads off to the right.  This is The Nit Picker, a tight tube emerging directly over the 15 metre El Capitoff Pitch - make sure you clip to the line! 

Following the traverse line leads to Ever-Ready Passage which quickly leads a squeeze - The Resistor.  Beyond the passage enlarges and emerges at the head of the Blind Pots.


The Full Monty

It's not often, if ever, that there is a Mendip first on offer!  But here is one for somebody....  The Full Monty.  Descend Bath Swallet by abseil pull-through and then climb Purple Pot (no handline at present) to enter Rod's Main Chamber.  Follow the Murlis Loop as far as the El Capitoff.  As you emerge from The Nit Picker there are two ring bolts above you.  20 metres of rope is enough to reach the ledge - you can free climb down from there.  Abseil down to the lower series.  Follow the crawl through to the Blind Pots and then climb the second pot (fixed handline in place).  Exit via Rod's.

Here is a very crude survey:


murlis%20loop.jpg


Let me know how you get on! 

The race is on for the first Rod's/Bath Full Monty.....
 

cap n chris

Well-known member
Well done you lot! - thanks to your, and WCC diggers', efforts, Rod's-Bath had already become the "best" trip in Burrington and this latest addition is going to rank it as a top sporting trip in due course, I reckon. Fabulous.

8)  :)

Although I never met Brian his starring role in the acclaimed film "Solo" and this trip means his name, and image, lives beyond his too-short years. His rigging in Cave Safe 3 of the formative section of Castle's Hairy Ring was an inspiration to me as a wannabe SRTer, I recall.
 
That is a lot of Squeezing  :eek:

4 squeezes
3 tights
2 smalls
1 narrow
1 thin

WELL DONE I do appreciate you doing all the hard work but I might wait a bit until a few people have enlarged it a bit (like what happened in bath - Rods)

Fabulous  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:
 

JeremyG

New member
Well done on discovering this, I am very pleased that it has been named after Brian who I knew well and had the pleasure of caving and digging with in the '90s.
 

whitelackington

New member
What brilliant news Mr. Sparrow, keep up the good work, this is just the sort of thing we want under Mendip, much appreciated,
all I've got to do now is loose a shed load of weight, any tips?
 

Andy Sparrow

Active member
whitelackington said:
What brilliant news Mr. Sparrow, keep up the good work, this is just the sort of thing we want under Mendip, much appreciated,
all I've got to do now is loose a shed load of weight, any tips?

You don't need to diet, Mick.  Just give us a month or two and it will become normal caver size. 
 

whitelackington

New member
Is Rod's Bath,
Burringtons first system?
Any estimates of the length of this system?
Also do you know where the water is next spotted?    :-\
 

Aubrey

Member
I think I will give it a miss at present.  :cry:
I believe that the only person to have actually got through is James who is really thin (and keen).
He said it was VERY tight, so without being rude I think even Elaine might not make it unless she also stops eating.  :LOL:
 

graham

New member
Congratulations on the find, but might I ask the reasons for enlarging it? It's been done, it can be done & making it bigger will remove a challenge now available to our thinnest and fittest.

Why?
 

Ed W

Member
Graham, the only point which is not passable to persons of "normal" size is the connection at "No Picnic" leading to "Whippets Junction".  The tight bit is about 2m long and was passed by a thin guest of the regular digging team on Sunday.  If James had not accompanied Andy, then the regular team would have continued to enlarge the route until we could get through (probably only one more session).  It is also worth pointing out that the area of the final connection has already been artificially enlarged, and a little further enlargement will not greatly affect the nature of the trip.

Obviously those of us who have put in a large number of trips into realising this loop would like to be able to do it (note that without the effort of a few dedicated regular diggers, who also happen to be well fed, that neither side of the connection point would be accessible to anyone).  Even when enlarged, I can point out that the trip through the Murliss Loop will be a challenge to even thin cavers.  Though all the obstacles are passable to larger cavers (or soon will be) there is plenty enough of awkward thrutching to satisfy most people.  I would also note that Andy needn't have announced the connection until work had finished, thus no one would be any the wiser.  However the Cheddar CC digging team is committed to being open about what we are up to, and announcing this now does give a chance to those thinner cavers wishing to sample the loop in its current state before the further slight enlargement takes place.

This will then result in a fun sporting trip that should bring enjoyment to many cavers rather than a collectors item to be ticked off by the minority.

Hope this answers your question,


Ed
 

Amy

New member
OMG congrats! And sounds like a lot of fun. I love tight little spots :D My fav cave obstical so far was a boulder choke in a cave in TAG that you can get through if you know the way - otherwise you'd get lost - it's a 3D maze of belly/crawling size SO MUCH FUN. :D
 
Hello,
Did this loop on Saturday morning and had a great time doing it.  Thought I'd just say thanks for posting the description and survey.  If they hadn't been posted here I wouldn't have known anything about the trip.  Suffice to say it was the highlight of my first trip down Rods/Bath and generated a number of big smiles.  There's some high quality wriggling to be had in there!

Me and the guy I was with both agreed that the survey and description were spot on and easy to follow  (y).

Thanks for getting this info out there.  It's appreciated.

Tom
 

Aubrey

Member
You might be interested to know the link (loop) was enlarged last week  (y) (y)

However I am told it is still not my size  :thumbsdown:
 

Les W

Active member
Andy Sparrow said:
Aubrey said:
However I am told it is still not my size  :thumbsdown:

Nor, sadly, mine either.

...then you are digging with the wrong people...  :tease:

Every digging team should have a fat bloke to determine standard passage size.  :LOL:
 

Andy Sparrow

Active member
Les W said:
Andy Sparrow said:
Aubrey said:
However I am told it is still not my size  :thumbsdown:

Nor, sadly, mine either.

...then you are digging with the wrong people...  :tease:

Every digging team should have a fat bloke to determine standard passage size.  :LOL:

And every digging team should have a skinny whippet to push through first - the awful thing is I used to be one and now I'm the other!
 
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