Dow Cave. Couldn't find the end.

[Stevie]

Hi. I had a trip into Dow Cave but couldn’t find Albert Hall and I’m hoping someone can tell me where we went wrong.

Two questions really.

Beyond Hobson’s choice, between the two rope climbs we climbed up and right and entered a small, really well decorated chamber. I dropped down into a small hole in the floor but got a bit wedged. My feet felt like they were in fresh air but round a corner that I couldn’t force. Does anyone know if it goes anywhere? My suspicion is that even if it does it will just re-enter the main passage. Also as an aside it smelt really strongly of carbide. (So much so I thought maybe my battery was on fire). I hadn’t dislodged any rocks. Any ideas?

Secondly, and more frustratingly we couldn’t find the way into the very last chamber from where it looks like it constricts on the map to a small passage. We crawled in the stream under a short low awkward section. Tried all sorts. Found some old phone wire. Climbed up through the boulders. Thought we had it. And ended back up where we started .

From that vague description can anyone with The Dales Knowledge help!

Cheers.

 

[huwg]

If you got to the second boulder choke, the way on I found was a short awkward climb up a greasy slab into the boulder choke. This is a few meters above the stream way. The way on was then a drop down somewhere over on the right hand side (looking up stream). You end up at stream level under bed rock in a crawling size passage. From here you can stay under the bedrock for a bit, past a calcited bit. There was some wire here quite a few years ago. I think. Northern caves has a description of the next bit.

My memory is a bit hazy but hopefully that is useful.

 

[langcliffe]

If you got to the second boulder choke, the way on I found was a short awkward climb up a greasy slab into the boulder choke. This is a few meters above the stream way. The way on was then a drop down somewhere over on the right hand side (looking up stream). You end up at stream level under bed rock in a crawling size passage. From here you can stay under the bedrock for a bit, past a calcited bit. There was some wire here quite a few years ago. I think. Northern caves has a description of the next bit.

My memory is a bit hazy but hopefully that is useful.

I seem to remember crawling through a scaffold cage in the crawl.

 

[wellyjen]

You went underground in Dow Cave, so at least you found one end of it. For me that would be a win!

 

[Alex]

If you got to the second boulder choke, the way on I found was a short awkward climb up a greasy slab into the boulder choke. This is a few meters above the stream way. The way on was then a drop down somewhere over on the right hand side (looking up stream). You end up at stream level under bed rock in a crawling size passage. From here you can stay under the bedrock for a bit, past a calcited bit. There was some wire here quite a few years ago. I think. Northern caves has a description of the next bit.

I think that's right but when we tried it last we could not get through (I had been through before). Likely just fatter lol, though it did seem tighter than I remember.

 

[Stevie]

Thanks for the direction. Sounds like we went left somewhere inside the boulder choke instead of right.