Langcliffe Pot - The Roads

[psychocrawler]

Interesting article in Descent 248 by Simon Wilson on Langcliffe Pot.

I agree that it is an outstanding cave and should be better visited. Shame that the 1st Choke seems to have moved between Boireau Falls Chamber and the Nemesis pitch.

Regarding The Roads and the calcited-over gour pool, I went in via The Roads and Skirfare Inlet on my own on 3rd March 1990 on an abortive diving trip as the rest of the large party went in via Strid Passage. I certainly noted the "noteworthy gour pools" (ULSA Review 5) but don't remember them being calcited over.

Has nobody else been this way in the last 25 years or so?

 

[David Rose]

There used to be two very different ways through that first choke. One was very tight and awkward, basically following the water. I got stuck in it once and ripped a lot of skin off my back wriggling free. The other way, less obvious, was further to the right (going in) and much easier.

It is a superb system, no question, especially towards the end. I wasn't clear about something from the Descent article. Is access now allowed by the landowner? (Of course it should be anyway, under the CROW Act.)

 

[C.Raven]

Just checked on the CNCC website it says no access.

 

[Alex]

I have been through the choke below the chamber but only got as far as the pitch as by then I was on my own at this point and saw nothing sensible to rig off. The squeeze I used was the triangular one that dropped you into a choke (there was a scaff bar at the bottom to stand on to get out). Then to the left in a small chamber was a slope that got tighter and tighter towards the bottom. It took a couple of attempts but I found if I sat down then slipped my legs forward I was able squeeze down under the rocks (felt committing!) I eventually slid down and was lying in the water. (You need to find a small space with your feet to get into this position). The way on from here now you are in the water is not where your feet are but right behind your head through another narrow bit before the passage suddenly enlarges after ten feet of boulders. Beyond that there was a load of boulders on the ground this time and a drop I was not going near without anything to back off of. I was in a chamber and interesting I climbed up the boulders at the back of the chamber to almost the same height as Falls chamber. I think a dig by the right-hand wall in the chamber above would get you through after a few meters of digging.

This was a few of years ago (I think 2013, I tried in 2012 and failed but I can't find my later trip report, when I got through). I guess the choke could have moved again since then. EDIT: It was June 2013, but I did not write a trip report .

 

[Simon Beck]

Just out of curiosity; who said the choke was impassable? 

 

[Alex]

It was indeed impassible. There were several loose rocks in the way of the squeeze you normally use to get down to the stream, but with a bit of effort I can now report it is once again passable but still blooming awkward, the squeeze is now exactly as it was when I visited in 2013.

 

[Simon Beck]

Thanks Alex and good job!

Although I will say (and this is not in response to Alex); stating it impassable was rather strong. We laboured for quite some time in order to clear the route the first time round and removed a few the second time several years later, so maybe slightly blocked would have been more suitable.. Such is and should be expected especially in boulder chokes subjected to violent flooding...   

 

[Alex]

Sorry, I meant im-passible in that it was not passible without removal of blockage. It was blocked with about an inch gap between the rocks but the biggest one was only about 30kg and was loose. Our work to remove the blockage was only short compared to the original explorers and Simon's labouring. We only needed to remove 3 similar sized to make it passible again. (one of which is now in the stream below making that slightly more awkward, unfortunately).