CavingPig
New member
Another gloriously sunny day in Yorkshire, the sort that makes you feel a little bit guilty for going underground. Our new Kiwi recruits almost believed us when we said we always had this kind of weather up here, but we were rumbled when Rose revealed she'd previously been climbing nearby and it was emphatically Not Like This.
Our destination was Pool Sink, where David assured us he knew the way through to Wretched Rabbit so we could do a pull-through (he also assured us he knew how to rig one of those). We were pleased to note the low water levels in the pool by the entrance, and I made friends with a bee while the others began to file in, Phil reassuring Matt that yes, his shoulders would in fact fit.
We sped down the pitches with a brief detour to look at Magpie Grotto, and were suitably intimidated by the foam and fresh grass high up in the roof from recent wet weather. The main drain was looking calm, so we decided to make another detour up to Holbeck Junction, where we enjoyed an orange and some very squashed houmous sandwiches.
Retracing our steps, we attempted to find the Spiral Staircase. David was fairly sure the way on was up, but the chimney he started up did not have much in the way of footholds. Then down floated a voice: "Oh. There are bolts here..." He rigged a rope so the rest of us wouldn't have to deal with the climb, then mysteriously disappeared... only to reappear behind us from the actual Spiral Staircase, which was clearly indicated by the obvious large pile of rocks to climb up into it. His route-finding honour thus restored, he and I went back up that way to speed things up while the others took the rope, then we all reconvened at the large stone mushroom before heading out.
Wretched Rabbit was negotiated easily by all, and I was pleased to discover that I didn't have to stand on anyone this time round. Back in the sun, we had some chocolate and a dip in the beck before getting thoroughly mucky again falling in the bog on the way back to the Farm.
T/U: about 4 hours
Our destination was Pool Sink, where David assured us he knew the way through to Wretched Rabbit so we could do a pull-through (he also assured us he knew how to rig one of those). We were pleased to note the low water levels in the pool by the entrance, and I made friends with a bee while the others began to file in, Phil reassuring Matt that yes, his shoulders would in fact fit.
We sped down the pitches with a brief detour to look at Magpie Grotto, and were suitably intimidated by the foam and fresh grass high up in the roof from recent wet weather. The main drain was looking calm, so we decided to make another detour up to Holbeck Junction, where we enjoyed an orange and some very squashed houmous sandwiches.
Retracing our steps, we attempted to find the Spiral Staircase. David was fairly sure the way on was up, but the chimney he started up did not have much in the way of footholds. Then down floated a voice: "Oh. There are bolts here..." He rigged a rope so the rest of us wouldn't have to deal with the climb, then mysteriously disappeared... only to reappear behind us from the actual Spiral Staircase, which was clearly indicated by the obvious large pile of rocks to climb up into it. His route-finding honour thus restored, he and I went back up that way to speed things up while the others took the rope, then we all reconvened at the large stone mushroom before heading out.
Wretched Rabbit was negotiated easily by all, and I was pleased to discover that I didn't have to stand on anyone this time round. Back in the sun, we had some chocolate and a dip in the beck before getting thoroughly mucky again falling in the bog on the way back to the Farm.
T/U: about 4 hours
