Caves with exposed rigging/traverses?

[skippy]

Agree as mentioned before that the Kendal Flyover route in Boxhead is a very Airy place, particularly with the big descent.

The traverse in Jingling feels friendly to me.

How about the traverse which goes off part way down dihedral? No idea where it goes, but always think it looks scary.

That traverse joins the Rat hole route...I think.

 

[skippy]

A little off topic, I'm afraid, but it may be worthwhile recording how the pendulum rope was originally fixed.

Mike Wooding and I originally developed a route down Rat Hole in 1984. On that original route there was a tensioned traverse down the rift between the main Rat Hole shaft and Mousehole, reaching a very precarious stance overlooking Mousehole about 15 metres below the current one. We returned some 20 years later to find that the spits were in poor condition, so we set about rebolting it with P-hangers (although Mike finished up doing the lower section on his tod). The route was totally redesigned, and shared litle of the original

At the stance at the start of the rift leading to Mousehole we could see a further stance a few metres away that was perfect for a couple of bolts, but the rift was too wide to get to it. I went back up the first pitch to a small chamber on the true left, where there was a small gap in the back wall. I hung a rope through that and Mike was able to use it to pendulum across and reach the stance. Later, Mike climbed the pendulum rope, and fixed a new 10.5 mm rope to a P-hanger to make it a feature of the route.

The rope had now been in place for 20 years. It is it probably due for replacing, and maybe adding a second attachment bolt.

If anyone is interested, one can traverse over the top of Mousehole to reach a respectfully-sized inlet with a couple of avens, and a passage emitting a howling draught that with a little bit of work will probably enter Motley Pot. We meant to go back, but Mike died soon after.

By way of visualisation for those who have not visited, the photo's are of the pendulum rope. The caver is positioned at the head of Mousehole shaft. The second photo is the pitch head. The third photo is looking down the shaft. The caver is approaching the ledge before the final 35m drop into main chamber. The Topo depicts it all making sense .

 

[langcliffe]

Nice piccies!

Isn't the first one the start of the rift with Rat Hole Shaft behind the caver, taken from the Mousehole Y-hang? I remember the Mousehole stance being relatively spacious.

This brilliant photograph, showing the joy that can be had descending Rat Hole, is one taken by Mark Sims from the same place. He published it on Wezzit, so I'm sure that he won't mind me re-publishing it. The pendulum rope is the one on the left.

 

[HardenClimber3]

The High Level Traverse in Heron Pot has some interesting steps.

 

[skippy]

Isn't the first one the start of the rift with Rat Hole Shaft behind the caver, taken from the Mousehole Y-hang? I remember the Mousehole stance being relatively spacious.

Ah yes, I remember now. Andy was behind me so that is where you deviate from Rat Hole into the rift.
Also, I recall you being in MC as we descended

 

[Cantclimbtom]

Mousehole looks a cracker of a route, probably OP should consider for spicy rigging! Of course none of the pics have shown the initial crawly bit which may put people (including me) off? I've only been to Fell Beck twice and the river was still diverted/dam from only just finished the day before winch meets, so if it's the hole the water was going down at the time? then the entrance looked a bit snug!

 

[langcliffe]

Mousehole looks a cracker of a route, probably OP should consider for spicy rigging! Of course none of the pics have shown the initial crawly bit which may put people (including me) off? I've only been to Fell Beck twice and the river was still diverted/dam from only just finished the day before winch meets, so if it's the hole the water was going down at the time? then the entrance looked a bit snug!

It doesn't last too long, and it's the sort of passage in which a well-trained rope bag can be dragged behind you.

 

[Maj]

Has anyone suggested any Mendip caves?
Rhino Rift, both the left-hand and the right-hand routes.
Thrupe Lane Swallet - Atlas pot from Marble Streamway, across the ridged boulder.

 

[langcliffe]

That traverse joins the Rat hole route...I think.

There is a traverse that goes from Dihedral to Pinnacle Ledge in Rat Hole, via Hamster Aven. It was put in by Mike Wooding when he was bolting the lower section of Rat Hole to save lugging a drill through the Rat Hole entrance series.

Hamster Aven is an interesting place, We climbed it for about 30 metres (in about two hours, would you believe) to a small crawl that we never went back to. The technique we used was to jam a four metre-long lightweight pole across the shaft with a rope on the end; climbed the rope, put in a bolt in the wall to support the base of the pole, pulled it up, and started again.

 

[Samouse1]

There is a traverse that goes from Dihedral to Pinnacle Ledge in Rat Hole, via Hamster Aven. It was put in by Mike Wooding when he was bolting the lower section of Rat Hole to save lugging a drill through the Rat Hole entrance series.

That's interesting, is this the rope that goes off part way down the first section of Dihedral, or is it from the ledges?

 

[langcliffe]

That's interesting, is this the rope that goes off part way down the first section of Dihedral, or is it from the ledges?

It's about two thirds of the way down to Wingfield Ledge, if I remember correctly. There are P-hangers, but I don't know about a rope.

 

[Chocolate fireguard]

Mousehole looks a cracker of a route, probably OP should consider for spicy rigging! Of course none of the pics have shown the initial crawly bit which may put people (including me) off? I've only been to Fell Beck twice and the river was still diverted/dam from only just finished the day before winch meets, so if it's the hole the water was going down at the time? then the entrance looked a bit snug!

If there isn't too much water going in Rat Hole Sink is a decent alternative.
It's hands and knees in running water for only a couple of minutes to the pitch.
Amusing on the way out because the rocks make dragging a bag a pain so you have to chuck it in front then scuttle along as it gets washed back towards you.
I thought that a square metre or so of polythene sheet plus some local rocks could easily be used at the entrance to make an effective dam to get the water to carry on down towards the main shaft, but we never went back to try it.

 

[porgzilla]

Thank you to everyone for some excellent suggestions. I am most enthused to visit some of these!

Here's a plot twist I didn't see coming:

You know how I started this thread for a mate, who, in their words had said they "had done all the hard stuff."
I challenged this, not least of all informing them that they haven't done a single black book trip amongst other things.
They like rigging srt trips with exposed traverses and such; fine, we all have our preferences so hence asking here for more of them.

But before doing this I suggested that "there can be more to caving than just srt trips," and "maybe you're not into caving anymore."
They messaged back quite defensively that this is not the case, but, two days later at the end of the weekend, I get a message, they've been thinking, and I was right, they're just not feeling the urge to go caving

The best bit is they don't even know that I started this thread to get them a bunch of suggestions.

Oh well!

 

[paul]

Has anyone suggested any Mendip caves?
Rhino Rift, both the left-hand and the right-hand routes.
Thrupe Lane Swallet - Atlas pot from Marble Streamway, across the ridged boulder.

This is "The Dales" section - so that's probably why not. You can always start a similar thread in the Mendip section of course.

 

[Steve Clark]

Rigging the 1st rebelay, Kendal Flyover, Boxhead Pot

 

[Cantclimbtom]

... they've been thinking, and I was right, they're just not feeling the urge to go caving... ...

Maybe a sufficiently spicy challenge could lure them back? But it might have to be fairly outrageous in some way for that, if their appetite was jaded

 

[langcliffe]

It's about two thirds of the way down to Wingfield Ledge, if I remember correctly. There are P-hangers, but I don't know about a rope.

I've just been reading Mike Wooding's notes from 2005. Apparently he did leave a traverse line from Dihedral to Rat Hole through Hamster Avem, and he also left a rope (one of mine, apparently!) hanging down from the top of Hamster Aven.

 

[Maj]

This is "The Dales" section - so that's probably why not. You can always start a similar thread in the Mendip section of course.

Ooops! Didn't spot it was in the Dales section.

 

[porgzilla]

Maybe a sufficiently spicy challenge could lure them back? But it might have to be fairly outrageous in some way for that, if their appetite was jaded

What would you recommend and I'll see if I can entice them