Here is a trip report.
Thanks to everyone who helped with ideas a top time was had
I am back
very good weekend...
Sat
Drove up to meet up with joker001 just after 11am at Hitch and Hike Bamford, we brought some toys, rope bags, waterproof containers, couple of steel malions for my acending gear and gloves, mine were both left handed and changed later! I located Odin Mine, myself and Jasonbirder had visited on my last trip, marked it on my tomtom GPS.
From all the information posted we located the Giants Hole parking area easy and I stuffed a load of change in the tresspass box, we got kitted up carrying our new shiny ropebags almost looking like proper cavers. Down into Giants and finally to Garlands Pot were I rigged a fairly dubious yet safe rope down the pot. My rigging so me first to show it works I guess so gingerly with cowstails and decender swonground and in position for the decent. Check the decender, ok, cowstails off and down I went nice and controlled, easy. Next joker001 admiring my rigging dropped down pleased with himself. Harness off we headed into the crabwalk, on and on and on it goes, a few slight climbups, a few were you have to get down in the water to fit, ON and ON and BLOODY ON this bloody crabwalk goes, we passed the section which dropps down quicker with some pots, we went though the bit that levels out with, the crabwalk went ever on.... Untill... the furthest I have been we get to a point too tight for us, we cant climb up, sides too flat, cant get low the entry is round a corner and still tight lower down. We were stuffed, we tried, thought, pushed, relaxed, tried everything short of hanging upside down head in water to pass this restriction. So back out we headed, back out to Garlands Pot were Joker acended fine and I acended fine, I was rather pleased with myself. De-rigged and headed out. On the surface getting changed into dry gear, I have messages. It appears Jagman and the SimplyCrew (exluding simplecrawling) have popped up/down to meet us in Castleton. Later after a meal with the gang, and an entertaining giggle at past 'activities' we all parted and myself and joker booked into Pindale, we had a room, with bunks for 8 people, and a kitchen BRILL, the owner is in cave rescue so we happy to have a couple of cavers in.
Sunday
Our Plan, to poke around in some dry caves.. Locate places to visit maybe next time. We drove about the area. We looked at two caves on Winnats Pass just up from Speedwell Cavern, one of which later I find out is
Suicide Cave (Horseshoe Cave) (
DP Album) we went in with just torches (just checking locations for now) and found the eco-hangers and the drop and discussed about returning with kit to drop down later on. We exited meeting a mum and her two kids and ambled off just then a horrid thump and said mum running towards the entrance, we thought the kid had gone in and smacked himself inside but no, the kid had climbed a ledge some 15-20ft up over the entrance and fell off landing on his brother, the mum picked the kid up wrong thing to do, just incase of spinal injury, someone with a phone called an ambulance and me and joker made sure the ambulance knew were the accident was. We left after, the kid apparently going to get a helicopter ride to the hospital for scans etc.
Just after lunchtime and time for P8.. P8 is just down the road from the Giants turning, we parked in the usual place and poped the farmer some money, got changed and marched off in the right general direction, several fields later we found the entrance. The water level was very low, just a slight trickle of water down the hole. SRT gear on, and with a large sling round a rock as a hand hold we diving in getting drenched and crawled off downstream dragging out new but not so shiny caving bags. A rope was rigged for the first 'slide' just to make it easy for the two tired cavers exiting (us later). The first very short drop was just round the corner so we used the same rope hung from the eco hangers and decended down in the waterfall. A few twisty turns and finally at the 25ft pitch I didnt do last time. With our last rope I rigged the rope, dropped down to the re-belay and made a doubious re-belay out of the waterfall. What a pain in the ass but I finally made it past and down to the bottom, same for joker but we had spent a long time on this and knew we would take a while to get back up again so we only went a little further down before returning. Joker was up first... ooo the swearing going on at the re-belay, more ptarctice needed, later learned that we should have used the loop formed for the rebelay and stood in that. Finally joker made it up with more swearing. My turn, I was well pumped up and zoomed up the rope, dangled about and used a combination of the acender and pulled myself up with one arm managed to transfer, forgot that your ment to transfer the chest croll first, I think, its all in the new book I brought so I'll be an expert next week. Anyway, backup the last bit I went de-rigging as I went and we headed out. The little pitch being easy but still wet. For the slide I just used my hand acender to grip on. The entrance I poped out like a cork into the cold damp air, would have been nice if it was warm and sunny as we were both soaked and headed back along the 93 fields back to the cars, for changed and headed for food.
Monday
The plan - myself and joker to do Suicide Cave and the tourist caves/mines for a giggle then drive hope.
Sadly Joker had to leave early so instead I took a slow drive home instead. Plenty to do Tuesday, kit to wash and clean, ropes to clean and dry.
Pindale is an excillient place to stay when caving with a bunk being just £8 a night +£1 for each elextric token used (we only used 2) why camp!
More visits to the area will follow.
