I've been to Vesper Pot a couple of times now and the rigging is always entertaining. There are a couple of sections that I find a bit odd so I want to hear what other people do.

1) Top of the second pitch (can't quite remember if that's right).

You have to traverse a couple of meters above the rapidly dropping away streamway. There is a single bolt in the wall, just by a little rock bridge that you can stand on. Round the corner is the pitch, and the next bolt. Directly below the bolt is a window through which it might be possible to step and rig the next bolt.

I normally rig from the first bolt, descending round the corner, and treat the second bolt above the pitch a rebelay. It seems odd that there's not even one bolt to protect the traverse and provide a backup, and I haven't seen any good naturals there, so I wasn't sure if that is correct.

2) The long sketchy traverse.

Rig the final traverse bolt as a pitch. Then put your descender on and lean out backwards to get to the y-hang. This works quite well, if a bit strange, because you can stay on the relatively nice footholds. Does anyone just do it as a tight traverse line?

3) Top of the final pitch.

The reach out to the far wall. Crazy bit of bolting. I normally have a tight traverse line back to the bolt at the back of the ledge. Was it bolted like this just for fun?

I watched a rigger size up those last pitch bolts by eye, tie the bunny ears and attach krabs, and Stop below the knot.  He then fell over the abyss, krab in each hand, clipped the bolts and stepped off the ledge.  I think he may have done it before!

The Vesper Pot anchor installation is something that was done in two stages. The anchors for all pitches except the final pitch were installed during an earlier phase of installation (not sure why the original installers stopped here, maybe batteries ran out). The final pitch was resin-anchored at a much later date.

For the second pitch I don't recall any section were the rigging did not enable suitable backup. I do remember that there was the option to stay high in the traverse (as we did) or drop down a few metres in the narrow rift before the pitch head to reach a window over the pitch (which I don't think is the intended route).

The long traverse out on the penultimate pitch (one of the most exciting and dramatic bridging traverses I have done in years) is rigged along the right hand wall, ending at a wide Y-hang from resin anchors on the left and right walls. I believe we rigged it in a similar way to how rhyst described. There is a convenient footledge (slightly hidden from view) at the take-off point which is useful for those getting on and off the pitch but too low for the rigger to reach the second anchor in the Y-hang, so some acrobatics are required.

The final pitch, the anchors are roughly where the spits used to be. I agree that the placement is awkward and unconventional but I doubt anyone will have bolted it in this way 'just for fun' (and would probably be quite disappointed at this suggestion after the effort spent carrying all the necessary bolting gear down there). I was on the team that installed the resin anchors in Spectacle Pot, which also drops into the Great Rubble Heap at the bottom of Vesper, and I know that the walls are by no means solid in that area. Dodds Pitch in Spectacle (which is probably at a similar height and only 50m away from the top of the final pitch in Vesper), was extremely loose, with big flakes of rock peeling off several walls. It took quite some doing to find a wall that was adequately solid to sustain the anchors. I suspect the same is true at the top of the final pitch of Vesper Pot. I'm sure whoever installed those anchors was taking this into account along with a number of other factors.

We had a trip down Vesper Pot in wet conditions last year and it reminded me what an absolutely excellent pothole it is; a great balance of slightly more challenging caving, some excellent pitches and acrobatic scenarios, and as rhyst has alluded to, an exciting challenge for those seeking some technical rigging. Thoroughly enjoyable.

The person who installed the anchors on the first few pitches is probably the most experienced and skillful of installers. He has a reputation for creating bold and dramatic routes but always with the aim of making a route as safe as possible in a range of water levels. There are a number of factors which have to be carefully weighed against each other when installing which have to be prioritised. Safety is a high priority and conservation is also high whilst ease of progression is a lower priority.

I agree with Cavematt and Simon. As the caves get harder, so do the technical skills required to descend them. This is reflected by the anchors throughout. The final pitch is indeed awful rock. The anchor that protects the approach to the "interesting" y-hang is in the only solid rock around. I know because I spent a lot of time hitting a lot of rock with the hammer before installing it. It is that spot or nothing. The awkward y-hang is tricky but it's worth noting that there is no other option. It is also worth considering that anchors take a while to drill and install. I am only about 5'6" and probably spent 15 minutes at those anchors ... definitely not easy, but within reach!

The last time I was down Vespers the 'new' bolts had not been installed, so we did it on the spits that were there then. As I was descending the last pitch, one of the spits popped out, and one of my friends had to stick his foot between the rope and the rock to prevent the rope from wearing through as I tentatively climbed back up. . . . . I guess the new rigging has to be an improvement on that!

I don't understand why Vespers is only 3 and Spectacle is grade 5. Yes Spec is a little tighter but its far easier to rig! In my mind they are rather balanced in difficulty. Should both be grade 4.

Anyway, thanks for giving me a trip idea for this weekend as the weather is looking good.

The Black Rose is strong in Spectacle Pot.

Isn't Splutter Crawl a risk in rain, so more dangerous than Vesper where no such water level barrier exists?

I like Vesper Pot and the bolting is much appreciated.

I'd agree that the two trips are of similar difficulty in my opinion and I would put them both as grade 4. Spectacle has a tighter crawl plus a wet crawl, but is shorter and less physically demanding than Vesper and the SRT is less technical. But grading is always highly subjective. I guess it all depends on exactly what aspects of caving you find the most difficult and daunting.

For me, I don't mind a few short-lived squeezes or awkward or technical pitches, but I hate getting soaking wet and then waiting at pitches!

My thanks to Damian for sorting out those anchors on the last pitch of Vesper; we also had a previous trip turn around there because the spits were knackered, so we were delighted when we found out that this had been completed.

Splutter Crawl is an interesting crawl, and yes, water does flow along it. Under most situations it is little more than a trickle. However, as the tube is only just body size, as I pass along it heading out of the cave, my body almost perfectly seals the tiny passage causing the trickle of water to start backing up in my face as I wriggle along it like a worm! I had to perform a challenging maneuver half way along to allow the water to drain down one side of me (it was either that or drink it). I certainly wouldn't fancy it in wetter conditions. Slimmer cavers will have fewer issues.

I am not sure how Splutter Crawl responds in very wet conditions; has anyone any experience of this?

Vesper-Spectacle makes for an outstanding exchange for those wanting a slightly more challenging (but by no means horrific) and rewarding day out with some very varied scenarios. Just be sure that whoever is going down Vesper will fit out through Splutter Crawl in Spectacle - Broad shoulders or wide chest will be problematic.

On a similar note, Christmas Pot to Grange Rigg Pot is another splendid exchange trip of similar difficulty (Christmas Pot is reasonably easy but Grange Rigg is more challenging particularly on the upward journey). We had an outstanding exchange trip earlier this year and these two caves surpassed all my expectations, particularly the passages and formations before the final pitch.

Descriptions and rigging topos for all of these caves can be found on the CNCC website 

You read this and compare it to the other less pleasant caving conversations on the go at the moment and it just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.  Thanks to the bolters for their time, skill and probably financial input, to the people who drew up the surveys and wrote the guides, to the CNCC and whoever else negotiated access - all so normal cavers like me can go and enjoy some excellent caving, hassle free in the lovely caves of Yorkshire. Not that I will be visiting splutter crawl by the sounds of it!

Get organised, go in summer in Vesper and out of Spectacle. One of the best trips you could do in the Dales.

Or you could go in Spectacle and out of Spectacle on ladders like potholers used to do before Vesper was found - breaking the ice on the way in and again on the way out then walking home to our cardboard box int' middle o' road.

Is it Vesper or Vespers? You will see both in published sources. I think it might be Vesper in the NPC Journal. It was called that because it was found in the evening.

Thanks for the responses! It's really cool to get an insight into the bolting in the Dales, the P-bolts just seem like natural parts of the caves to me at this point. It's easy to forget they had to be installed by someone at some point. So thanks for installing the anchors Damian! It's scary enough on p bolts, I wouldn't have liked to do it on spitz.

Has anyone got any thoughts on the top of the second pitch? It's the part I'm concerned I'm rigging unsafely at the moment. I'd be willing to accept that I've just missed a bolt or natural somewhere.

Stop being concerned and move on. There are lots of other interesting Dales potholes to go at.

Hi Rhyst, the CNCC topo shows two anchors for a traverse to the pitch which is in line with my memory. But I definitely remember that it is possible to approach the pitch too low in which case you may have missed them. If you do go back, I'd be interested to hear how you get on 

Ps. I believe it is Vesper Pot, not Vespers Pot, but I am guilty as charged for just calling it 'Vespers' in general conversation.