Bull Pot, Kingsdale 15-06-16

[tim.rose2]

Wed 15th June 2016, Tim & Sas still up North.

A week after our Sell Gill Holes adventure BBC weather was still threatening us with thunder storms.  Whilst up North we'd hoped to 'do' Long Churn and out onto the bridge of Alum pot, however we agreed we'd rather not die in nasty horrible ways should it piss down and instead headed for Bull pot in Kingsdale.  After a minor amount of faffing to decide upon the parking spot, followed by more faffing to find some signal to organise a call out we eventually headed up the hill and found the hole without too much hassle.  Now compared to Sell Gill Holes, the hike up was better, but by Mendip standards, Valley entrance looked about the right distance from the road for us.  Therefore, it should come as no surprise we once again arrive exhausted and dripping in sweat - it was nice and sunny though.

We kitted up and descended the entrance shaft.  Many bolts to choose from, however there was a very nice pair giving a y-hang down the left hand side of the shaft which would keep us dry should the heavens open.  This seemed the best option, but isn't mentioned in the rigging guide.  Next was the 2nd pitch; being Mendipites we obviously just wandered down the stream way expecting to find some bolts to tie string to at the pitch head; but none there be.  Sas then noticed a line of bolts and y-hang up in the gods.  Now, I know I'm short, but even Yorkshire men couldn't reach those!  So back up the stream way, read the instructions properly and we started traversing.  This did make us think though, just how big could we pointlessly make some of our Mendip pitches if we started traversing upwards back before the pitch heads?  We also noted we'd managed to get through 30m of rope doing the traverse, starting from the thread belay and down onto the ledge as described in the rigging guide (not 20m of string as suggested).  We then descended the 'slot' route appreciating the perfect location of the re-belay bolt above that little ledge - if only they were all like that.  Once at the bottom (having run out of string) we followed the gully to the 4th pitch head, peered over, did a few hand-stands and a couple of cartwheels before heading back up the string to the entrance to find the sun still shining.  Much de-knitting was done on route. 

Another thoroughly enjoyable trip.
Tim

The piccy's....

Down the entrance shaft (and what a nice one it is too - beats Mendip concrete pipes)

Down pitch 3

Up pitch 3

Up pitch 2

Peering over the top of pitch 2 from the traverse

 

[langcliffe]

A week after our Sell Gill Holes adventure BBC weather was still threatening us with thunder storms.  Whilst up North we'd hoped to 'do' Long Churn and out onto the bridge of Alum pot, however we agreed we'd rather not die in nasty horrible ways should it piss down and instead headed for Bull pot in Kingsdale. 

Bull Pot is probably just as risky. The second pitch can become nasty, the slot most unpleasant (the water from the second bounces down it), and the fourth impassable even with both deviations in. I was rigging the fourth pitch once, and a flood pulse hit just as I continuing down below the first deviation. The bit below me became an impassable maelstrom in a couple of minutes.

You seemed to have gone down when it was very dry - in normal water the traverses save one from a soaking.

 

[tim.rose2]

Bar a few drips here and there the cave was dry.  No stream flowing, but we could hear one somewhere below the 4th pitch.

I probably should have added a couple of caveats to the trip report...

1. The storms (which didn't come) were forecast for late afternoon / early evening as have been all week.  We deliberately did a morning trip.
2. We'd been told to check the 'dry' river bed in Kingsdale and make sure it was dry before going down a hole.  It was dry.
3. We'd sought local knowledge & discussed our abilities before going underground.  The advice was to give Dolly tubs / Alum a miss, but Bull pot would be fine providing we used the slot route and didn't go down pitch four as this and the alternative pitch 3 can become impassable if it really chucks it down.  The other pitches become 'wet'.  Hence only having rope for 3 pitches with us.
4. It was very clear why the traverses were there and looking at the route the water follows the advice we'd been given appeared to be good.
5. We didn't want to do Pikedaw again which seems to be the first suggestion every time there is a cloud in the sky.