Dub Cote Cave

xley

New member
On Saturday 23 February, with Jason Mallinson, I revisited the boulder choke in the far reaches of Dub Cote Cave. It was a challenge to myself really as last year I'd foolishly offered to accompany Jason to the end. It's quite an arduous trip to the choke and involves diving and an awful lot of crawling. Nobody has visited it since 11 March 1984, and I was actually on that trip! If the choke can be passed, it has the potential to intercept the main Fountains Fell drainage system beyond the current Gingling Hole extensions. This was another surreal experience, especially when we were trying to remove a boulder that had dropped into one of the constrictions and needed to be shifted to get through. At one point I picked up an old lump hammer to try and knock some edges off the rock and suddenly realised that I'd picked up the hammer from where I had put it down myself - 35 years ago!! Since then, I've had a full 30-year career in the Fire Service AND been retired for five years!! The lump hammer shattered after about three blows, but Jason had taken a spare, unfortunately ruling out an early exit to the pub. I'm already looking forward to my next visit here when I'm 94. Very pleased to have done it though!
Full report in the next CDG Newsletter.
Here's a link to a VERY edited video of the trip.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJwnL5NxhYY
 

maxf

New member
Excellent, often read about dub Cote in various books and wonder when someone was going to go back !
 

Simon Beck

Member
Thanks for sharing Geoff!

I was captivated with your mention of the 35 year pause between hammer blows, and your realisation of that fact. I've been trying to find the words for the past ten minutes but can't quite. I think it's an emotion we've all experienced at one time or another, and more so the older we get, but there is something very profound and of great comfort in connecting to our old selves, or a past event, in this way. If that makes any sense.     
 
Great stuff. The sumps look quite spacious. Hope the choke goes.

I?ll have to get my old AC/DC album out to psych up for 35th anniversary trip down Memory Lane in another nearby classic pothole.
 

richardg

Active member
Wow, really enjoyed this video, the voices of two people that I know, deep underground, at a remote location, stirs ones emotion, its strange, its as though we are there with you.
Returning to familiar ground, caving is unique in the way that we can have a project and leave it, for sometimes decades and then return to it...
Two superstars teamed up... Looking forward to hearing more as the story of your adventure continues.
Richard.
 

xley

New member
Thanks for the comments. Regrettably, the camera got stuck in 'video on' mode, so I ended up with lots of rubbish to trawl through! Only realised at the Contortion and there was just a tiny bit of power left to get some footage of the '76 choke. Yes, the sumps are quite roomy, but there are lowish sections over the boulder strewn floor. The last 15 metres and 'wriggle' before surfacing in Pacer Streamway are definitely more 'snug' though (as Jason put it). As Sumps 1 and 2 are static, they have good visibility, though that soon goes in Pacer Inlet as it's very silty. Simon, I know where you're coming from re the hammer blows, though I was brought down to earth later in the pub when Geoff Yeadon reminded me it was his hammer I'd borrowed and demanded payment for it in beer tokens! Richard, sadly, Jason was the only 'superstar' present on this trip!  :)
Are you interested in buying Badlad?
 
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