Well, given the dry weather we've been having recently, the sumps between the upstream end of the downstream part of Bull Pot of the Witches and the downstream end of the upstream part of the system have probably been open for some time, now. However, we only got round to popping down there today to see the state of them.
We went down the two scruffy little pitches to 'Long Gallery' (I think; it's a very confusing place, BPoW!) and took the upstream direction until we could join the stream. On reaching the first sump, it was totally dry, with the diving line lying forlornly on the floor. The second sump (going upstream) was no longer a sump, with maybe half-a-metre of airspace above it, nevertheless there was still a fair bit of water left in it; at its worst, it was chest deep but one of our party managed to not get too wet by skirting round the outside of the pool. Then there is a steep slope up to the upstream passage, at the foot of the hading rift that drops down from Gour Chamber. Some people find the route to the gours a bit tight – so the open sumps provide an easy way to the upstream part of the cave, arguable the best part of the system, comprising, as it does, of a fine vadose trench (once you've got past two low, wet but mercifully short crawls).
We went down the two scruffy little pitches to 'Long Gallery' (I think; it's a very confusing place, BPoW!) and took the upstream direction until we could join the stream. On reaching the first sump, it was totally dry, with the diving line lying forlornly on the floor. The second sump (going upstream) was no longer a sump, with maybe half-a-metre of airspace above it, nevertheless there was still a fair bit of water left in it; at its worst, it was chest deep but one of our party managed to not get too wet by skirting round the outside of the pool. Then there is a steep slope up to the upstream passage, at the foot of the hading rift that drops down from Gour Chamber. Some people find the route to the gours a bit tight – so the open sumps provide an easy way to the upstream part of the cave, arguable the best part of the system, comprising, as it does, of a fine vadose trench (once you've got past two low, wet but mercifully short crawls).
