Glasfurb's : did I get to the end?

[topcat]

Trying to piece together Gavel Pot descriptions and surveys.........

I did about 5 or 6' Glasfurb's' chambers, linked by tight crawls, which ended in a deep pool / duck.

At the end of the duck/pool there was a very serious looking 'snorkel' passage on the L.

Was I at the end, or does the snorkel lead further on?

TeeCee

 

[Pitlamp]

Does this help?

http://cavemaps.org/surveys/other/full/CM%202010%20Gavel%20Pot.png

I think there is only one Glasfurd's Chamber (which I've heard argued should be spelled "Glasford's" chamber).

Were you in the area labelled "Waterlogged" or somewhere else?

 

[Pitlamp]

But this has been discussed before; you may find the following useful.

Gavel Pot - Glasfurds

Does anyone know whether Glasfurds is being actively dug by anyone at the moment. Most of the digging stuff, tools, buckets, bars, the various pipes, etc., look old and abandoned. PM or reply on here. Thank you.

ukcaving.com

Definitely "Glasfurd's" Chamber.

But this doesn't really answer your question, other than to refer to others digging in the area.

 

[Pitlamp]

In fact - Badlad on here can probably tell you more than most . . . .

 

[topcat]

Re the survey: I wasn't in the area marked waterlogged. I was either at the end marked choked or at the very narrow point level with the words October series (definitely not in that passage though).

There may be only one official Glasfurb's Chamber but the flat out tight crawls link a number of very decorated chambers.

 

[Badlad]

I think you might have missed something. The end is a flat out crawl to emerge in a choke, on the fault, which you can just about get to stand up in. You shouldn't get wet anywhere if I remember correctly. Maybe things have changed as it has been a few years.

 

[Fulk]

I recollect that beyond the last chamber reached by those little crawly bits there's a squalid wet passage, but this does dry out from time to time (it did so in October year). So when Badlad says he doesn't remember getting wet, then he must have gone there in a dry spell; odd, isn't it? One person's squalid wet passage is someone else's dry crawl!

 

[topcat]

I got very wet! Head and shoulders were just out of the water, pool some ?4m long, ending in a stand up, but still in water.
L was the nasty snorkel (which might have totally sumped after a metre or so), R was a scramble up which looked to close down so i didn't investigate.

 

[Alex]

I have never gotten to the end, as I have always been confronted by a lake in what I assume is a flooded chamber, I guess I need to go back in a dry spell.

 

[Pitlamp]

Out of interest, is there a modern survey of that area?

 

[DaveyDubz]

When I went in Feb 2023, after passing east through the crawls towards the area marked as Choke, I was presented with a 3m pool which then turned 90 degrees left (don't remember much on the right Topcat) as a duck under an arch with maybe 5cm of airspace but only right in the middle, with quite a bit of space under the water. After this there was about 3m more of pool and a short muddy crawl before it emerged in a small chamber with an impressive single stalagmite in. After a bit more crawling there was a tight upwards gravely crawl with a bit of a stale sulphur air taste so I turned back.
What was most memorable for me, was after going through and getting wet, I convinced 2 of the 3 others I was with to follow.

 

[topcat]

^^^that sounds right, but I experienced a higher water level??
Rats! Another cave section not completed!

 

[Al S]

Unfortunately I've had the same experience not finding Glasfurd's chamber.
The confusion came from where to turn right. In an earlier CNCC description I'm sure it said something about take the first right, but the current one reads:

"At the bottom of this pitch a short crawl reaches a low streamway. Follow this downstream for 90m. The passage soon enlarges, and a junction is reached where right leads to the October Series (rather unpleasant so best ignored). Continue downstream for another 50m. The stream then starts to cut down as a canyon as it approaches the next pitch. As the stream approaches the next pitch, there is a short dry oxbow on the right containing a small crawl which leads for 50m to a junction in a large passage. Left goes to a sump but right follows along a fine passage to Glasfurd’s Chamber, a beautifully decorated grotto. Please take extreme care here to avoid damage to the vulnerably located formations! Do not confuse the October Series with the route to Glasfurd’s Chamber! This is very easily done (including by the author of this guide) and is definitely not recommended!"

Which is much clearer. All the grim wallowing is in the October series. Though there are a couple of low slots to wiggle through, there's none of that sort of aqueous malarkey on the way to Glasfurd's!

There are some lovely curtains towards the end, but the final chamber is particularly pretty:

 

[langcliffe]

Unfortunately I've had the same experience not finding Glasfurd's chamber.
The confusion came from where to turn right. In an earlier CNCC description I'm sure it said something about take the first right, but the current one reads:

"At the bottom of this pitch a short crawl reaches a low streamway. Follow this downstream for 90m. The passage soon enlarges, and a junction is reached where right leads to the October Series (rather unpleasant so best ignored). Continue downstream for another 50m. The stream then starts to cut down as a canyon as it approaches the next pitch. As the stream approaches the next pitch, there is a short dry oxbow on the right containing a small crawl which leads for 50m to a junction in a large passage. Left goes to a sump but right follows along a fine passage to Glasfurd’s Chamber, a beautifully decorated grotto. Please take extreme care here to avoid damage to the vulnerably located formations! Do not confuse the October Series with the route to Glasfurd’s Chamber! This is very easily done (including by the author of this guide) and is definitely not recommended!"

Which is much clearer. All the grim wallowing is in the October series. Though there are a couple of low slots to wiggle through, there's none of that sort of aqueous malarkey on the way to Glasfurd's!

There are some lovely curtains towards the end, but the final chamber is particularly pretty:

View attachment 17532

They had found Glasfurd's Chamber, but beyond the pretty bit in your photo, there are another 150 metres of grovel, including through a pool.

 

[Al S]

They had found Glasfurd's Chamber, but beyond the pretty bit in your photo, there are another 150 metres of grovel, including through a pool.

Cheers @langcliffe Turns out we've never been to the end then either! But by the sounds of things I'm not too fussed about going!

 

[rm128]

Cheers @langcliffe Turns out we've never been to the end then either! But by the sounds of things I'm not too fussed about going!

Nice photo though!