With plenty of time on my hands what better than a quick doze in the garden.
I had hardly nodded off when I spotted a previously unexplored stream sink just a short walk from on from Swinsto. Who'd have dreamt it?
The stream was a little bigger than Swinsto and the water was quite a bit warmer. Initially it looked choked, but I weighed up the largest boulder carefully and with one good shove it rolled aside and I was in.
After a short wriggle it opened up to a standing height streamway in nice smooth white rock with the water racing off and the sound of a roar in front. Fortunately unlike other dream caves the noise turned out to be the stream falling down a pitch and not a tiger about to chase me back into reality!
The water cascaded down the pitch which was rigged just to the side off two great naturals - a thread and a large spike of rock just in reach. 15m metres later and I landed on a dry ledge looking into a continuing canyon.
The canyon descended steeply with a couple of sporting 2-3 metre climbs and after 50 metres I arrived at the top of another pitch. This one was larger and I could see another stream coming in on the far side from a nice looking tube - something for another day, but for now I wanted to see where this pitch lead.
Again a selection of fine natural belays gave a hang just next to the water, then as both streams merged I spotted a great deviation giving a clear hang to the bottom - What a pitch 45 metres, not too wet and nicely fluted walls.
The water ran away into a large pool with no apparent way on. Just as I was about to accept defeat I thought I could see a small passage 5 metres up the far wall. The first attempt to reach it failed as the climb was undercut, but traversing in from the side I grabbed a large hold and could then reach the lip of the passage.
Once in position I realised it wasn't a passage, but a window opening back out into the continuing streamway below. The roar of the combined streams together with a strong draught drew me on. I rigged my last 10 metre rope as a handline and was just able to reach the floor.
The continuing canyon was now 2m wide and about 4m high with the water flowing fast.
It continued down 3 spectacular cascades that were just free climbable with care into a large well decorated chamber with two obvious ways out - a high level tube that must be nearly 10 metres in diameter with lots of formations that has a continental feel about it plus the continuing sporting looking canyon with the stream.
Being alone and with no tackle, plus not entirely certain where the tiger was (no dream needs to turn into a nightmare unnecessarily!) I decided to make a hasty exit and see if I could get a last pint.
On the trip out I spotted a couple of other possible leads, but in no time was back at the entrance and it was ten fifty.
Amazing really that in all the years of caving in the Dales I had never realised there was such a great pub within 50 metres of Swinsto entrance, that lets you in in your caving gear. Even better the landlady knew my name and was handing me a drink - imagine my surprise when I took a big gulp only to find it was a cup of tea and I was sat in the garden at home.
Once the tea was drunk I settled back for an extra 20 winks to sort the survey notes (In dreams surveying is quick, warm and only requires one person, plus the notes are all legible and all the statistics are bigger than you guessed). Turns out the cave is now 150 metres deep and 300 metres long plus wide open.
What a dream, a new cave in such a well known location and to think I ran out of tackle and there are at least 5 going leads.
Anyone fancy a snooze to explore the next part?
I can't wait to see where it ties in, maybe someone has sufficient imagination to nap a dye trace or plot the survey on snoozex.
Good luck on the next push, I am so shattered after that pushing trip I am going to have to stay awake for a while to recover.
I had hardly nodded off when I spotted a previously unexplored stream sink just a short walk from on from Swinsto. Who'd have dreamt it?
The stream was a little bigger than Swinsto and the water was quite a bit warmer. Initially it looked choked, but I weighed up the largest boulder carefully and with one good shove it rolled aside and I was in.
After a short wriggle it opened up to a standing height streamway in nice smooth white rock with the water racing off and the sound of a roar in front. Fortunately unlike other dream caves the noise turned out to be the stream falling down a pitch and not a tiger about to chase me back into reality!
The water cascaded down the pitch which was rigged just to the side off two great naturals - a thread and a large spike of rock just in reach. 15m metres later and I landed on a dry ledge looking into a continuing canyon.
The canyon descended steeply with a couple of sporting 2-3 metre climbs and after 50 metres I arrived at the top of another pitch. This one was larger and I could see another stream coming in on the far side from a nice looking tube - something for another day, but for now I wanted to see where this pitch lead.
Again a selection of fine natural belays gave a hang just next to the water, then as both streams merged I spotted a great deviation giving a clear hang to the bottom - What a pitch 45 metres, not too wet and nicely fluted walls.
The water ran away into a large pool with no apparent way on. Just as I was about to accept defeat I thought I could see a small passage 5 metres up the far wall. The first attempt to reach it failed as the climb was undercut, but traversing in from the side I grabbed a large hold and could then reach the lip of the passage.
Once in position I realised it wasn't a passage, but a window opening back out into the continuing streamway below. The roar of the combined streams together with a strong draught drew me on. I rigged my last 10 metre rope as a handline and was just able to reach the floor.
The continuing canyon was now 2m wide and about 4m high with the water flowing fast.
It continued down 3 spectacular cascades that were just free climbable with care into a large well decorated chamber with two obvious ways out - a high level tube that must be nearly 10 metres in diameter with lots of formations that has a continental feel about it plus the continuing sporting looking canyon with the stream.
Being alone and with no tackle, plus not entirely certain where the tiger was (no dream needs to turn into a nightmare unnecessarily!) I decided to make a hasty exit and see if I could get a last pint.
On the trip out I spotted a couple of other possible leads, but in no time was back at the entrance and it was ten fifty.
Amazing really that in all the years of caving in the Dales I had never realised there was such a great pub within 50 metres of Swinsto entrance, that lets you in in your caving gear. Even better the landlady knew my name and was handing me a drink - imagine my surprise when I took a big gulp only to find it was a cup of tea and I was sat in the garden at home.
Once the tea was drunk I settled back for an extra 20 winks to sort the survey notes (In dreams surveying is quick, warm and only requires one person, plus the notes are all legible and all the statistics are bigger than you guessed). Turns out the cave is now 150 metres deep and 300 metres long plus wide open.
What a dream, a new cave in such a well known location and to think I ran out of tackle and there are at least 5 going leads.
Anyone fancy a snooze to explore the next part?
I can't wait to see where it ties in, maybe someone has sufficient imagination to nap a dye trace or plot the survey on snoozex.
Good luck on the next push, I am so shattered after that pushing trip I am going to have to stay awake for a while to recover.