Bottom of Grange Rigg

skippy

skippy

Active member
Hi all,

On a trip to the bottom of Grange Rigg on Saturday, I was keen to get through the drain pipe and into the final sump chamber.
The description in the black book describes clambering through the boulders at the bottom of the last pitch and through a downwards sloping squeeze. There is no indication of the squeeze being desperately tight however, when I got to the squeeze as described, it looked unfeasibly tight. I?m hardly big and a couple of feet first attempts had me wussing out.
The whole area appears quite unstable and I was not overly happy in the choke,

I have read a couple of reports stating this area may have collapsed, closing the squeeze to its current dimensions and rendering it impassable.

Does anyone have any further info on this area of GR..or is the passage(Drainpipe and final sump chamber) beyond just for the mega(and I mean mega) skinny?

Cheers.
 
Alex

Alex

Well-known member
I have done it about a year ago or so, I remember it being pretty tight and akward. I think I had to slip down the slot the right then squeeze left into the parallel bedding before finally entering a wet tube and getting through. As they are boulders its possible they have moved but I reckon it is probably still passable if you are brave enough (or stupid enough as me).

Okay this was back in feb 2015, an extract from my trip report...

Now for the challenge, on a trip more than 5 years ago, Rob was turned back an ?impassible? boulder choke that separates this cave from Pay Sank/P5. I took my SRT off expecting to put in on a minute later, assuming it was blocked as recorded. The gap against the left hand wall, which was suppose to be the way through was ludicrously tight, impassible even. However to the right there a slightly larger square shaped hole between boulders, this I entered feet first.

I made it through without too much difficulty, but beyond the hole there was another squeeze to regain the stream, an awkward L shaped squeeze again not massively tight but you got to be a bendy lad like me. A bit of a grovel in the stream I was soon in a small chamber. Thinking I was in Pay Sank now, I whooped and invited Dan through. He valiantly managed to slip his hips into the hole but could not get his chest through and aborted. I quickly realised that I was not yet in Pay sank, when I was unable to find the climb up, so I looked around for the continuation. A claustrophobic water-filled tube seemed like the only way on. At first I thought the tube was sumped so I turned back, but finding no other way I pushed on through, finding at the end the water blocked by rocks that I swiftly removed to make the return more pleasant. Now satisfied I was definitely in Pay Sank final chamber with a foamy sump in-front of me and a climb up on the left I ate a celebratory Pepperami, before returning to Dan.
Click to expand...

P.s. I don't think I am mega thin. 100cm chest, is that mega thin?
 
skippy

skippy

Active member
That's superb..Thanks for the info Alex.
I did see the hole in the boulders over to the right but it looked partially filled with small rocks.
Cheers (y)
 
F

Fulk

Well-known member
It's ages since I was last down Grange Rigg Pot, but even so long ago the crawl to the Drainpipe looked dodgy, and two (smallish) people had a look and decided against it, owing to the rock collapse. Since then I've been down Pay Sank, but can't remember where it enters GRP ? before or after the Drainpipe.
 
nobrotson

nobrotson

Active member
went through on a trip last year around this time, it was incredibly dry and this may have made it easier but I remember it being pretty straightforward. One of our freshers did it, and he and myself had been out on the town until 6am the night before and had slept around 1 hour each so my recollections are not the clearest. I also didn't have the black book description with me.

we went through the drainpipe, round the L bend and found the sump that alex describes, then over to the true left, where another smallish squeeze led through to a muddy climb up to a platform and some fine formations. there was a 8m or so drop down on one side at the top of the climb which would have needed a rope. I wasn't exactly sure where pinnacle hall was relative to this point, I was quite pre-occupied with making sure the fresher in question didn't try and climb down it! A_Northener, if he reads this, will have fond memories of this trip. Never done pay sank but read about it in adventures underground. Still need to do P5 as well. 
 
Simon Beck

Simon Beck

Member
I'm little help but....
It's a decade since I did Grange Rigg and almost the same since Pay Sank. During the latter trip (Pay Sank) we headed as far as we could upstream in Grange Rigg. I recall we found an alternative to the choke, but really can't be sure now where this alt-route was located. I've not read the description given to GR in NFTFH so have little idea how the sections you speak of are depicted. My memory of passing the choke; it was bloody awkward and far from obvious to begin with. Ian C wrote both these visits up which I will add (links) below.

https://www.white-rose.org.uk/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=88

http://www.white-rose.org.uk/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=100
 
skippy

skippy

Active member
Thanks Simon,

I love Ian's comparison with regard to the colour of Limestone making a difference...It does...But I don't think I shall ever remove the imprinted image of Nazi storm troopers dressed in pink :)
 
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