Chi and I went to Newby Moss Pot today after some difficulty locating it! However, were stumped at the first pitch after manoeuvring our way through the awkward tight crawl/climbs we arrived at the first pitch and found a spit thread but no spit or other bolt as we were expecting. So are wondering if we were being blind or if there is no bolt? Do people usually just rig of naturals?
Newby Moss Pot
- Thread starter Mealy
- Start date
nobrotson
Active member
Yes you need your own bolts to go in the spit sleeves, and some hangers. The bolts in there were pretty fucked when I went in 2016. Most spits only screwed in halfway. Its not a very inspiring cave aside from that as well, good dig potential at the bottom though as you're high above phreatic zone...
nobrotson
Active member
I do remember it being quite clear that if it flooded suddenly and you were in that bit, there wasn't much hope for you... a trip for a settled forecast definitely. Overall quite an awkward cave considering its short length.
Alex
Well-known member
I am either too fat now, or the entrance has shifted but last time I tried going down there I could not fit down the entrance, I don't remember that being an issue earlier but it could be me rather than the cave!
From memory I backed up to a rock pillar in that small chamber and I can't recall if I then used the spit, I probably did. The spits were "okay" back then for most part but I bet there fecked now. Yeh it can do with the CNCC P-bolting team making a visit, it's pity I don't seem to fit now so I can't join them (maybe I was just having a bad day).
As regards to digging, I was digging with someone from ULSA I think (sorry my memory of people is crap) at the bottom of there at one point too, trying to cap an outlet crawl and clearing mud from another, but we did not get anywhere more than a couple of meters, as I only made a few trips to the bottom.
From memory I backed up to a rock pillar in that small chamber and I can't recall if I then used the spit, I probably did. The spits were "okay" back then for most part but I bet there fecked now. Yeh it can do with the CNCC P-bolting team making a visit, it's pity I don't seem to fit now so I can't join them (maybe I was just having a bad day).
As regards to digging, I was digging with someone from ULSA I think (sorry my memory of people is crap) at the bottom of there at one point too, trying to cap an outlet crawl and clearing mud from another, but we did not get anywhere more than a couple of meters, as I only made a few trips to the bottom.
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UNCC, we went down here for a nosey years ago before the entrance slumped. From memory the outlet bedding would need a fair amount of work
thehungrytroglobite
Well-known member
UNCC down newby moss? Must have been some time ago!
Great. This sounds better than everything else I've been able to dig up.
Three, according to the write-up, with a high rate of attrition! Sounds taxing.
https://yssuk.com/forum/8-Trip-Repo...th-november-2024-by-matt-mccormack.html#21804
https://yssuk.com/forum/8-Trip-Repo...th-november-2024-by-matt-mccormack.html#21804
Cavematt
Well-known member
Responses above are correct about needing to take your own hangers (and a spanner) to screw into the spits.
When I started caving only(!) 20 years ago, this was standard practice in all caves that weren't in the CNCC rigging guides of the time (which was nowhere near as extensive a catalogue as it is today). All clubs had a stock of hangers for those kinds of trips. Before the CNCC started anchoring in the early 1990s, it was standard for most caves, even the most popular ones.
It's not surprising that this is an unrecognised concept these days; So many more caves have now been fixed-anchored (thanks CNCC) and of the dwindling numbers of pots still with spits requiring hangers, the threads are knackered.
About ten years ago, when the concept of visiting harder caves appealed to me more than it does today, we had a trip to Newby Moss:
The entrance was certainly a struggle, and the first pitch (shown in the photos) was rather snug. However, what thwarted me was a slide down into a small chamber just after the first pitch. This isn't even mentioned as a squeeze in NFTFH, yet try as I might, my rib cage and chestbone wasn't happy. I could have pushed, but I had gravity on my side and so the upward journey would have been hellish. No thanks! There was a small chamber just around the corner where it looked like someone might have (unsuccessfully) tried to dig a bypass.
Yet another trip where I had to console myself with a premature tea and cake at Inglesport.
Definitely one for CNCC anchors if any of the installers fancy it... if I say 'Sam' three times it might happen...
When I started caving only(!) 20 years ago, this was standard practice in all caves that weren't in the CNCC rigging guides of the time (which was nowhere near as extensive a catalogue as it is today). All clubs had a stock of hangers for those kinds of trips. Before the CNCC started anchoring in the early 1990s, it was standard for most caves, even the most popular ones.
It's not surprising that this is an unrecognised concept these days; So many more caves have now been fixed-anchored (thanks CNCC) and of the dwindling numbers of pots still with spits requiring hangers, the threads are knackered.
About ten years ago, when the concept of visiting harder caves appealed to me more than it does today, we had a trip to Newby Moss:
The entrance was certainly a struggle, and the first pitch (shown in the photos) was rather snug. However, what thwarted me was a slide down into a small chamber just after the first pitch. This isn't even mentioned as a squeeze in NFTFH, yet try as I might, my rib cage and chestbone wasn't happy. I could have pushed, but I had gravity on my side and so the upward journey would have been hellish. No thanks! There was a small chamber just around the corner where it looked like someone might have (unsuccessfully) tried to dig a bypass.
Yet another trip where I had to console myself with a premature tea and cake at Inglesport.
Definitely one for CNCC anchors if any of the installers fancy it... if I say 'Sam' three times it might happen...
I was one of the three that bottomed it with the YSS. I think it was 3 or 4 spits with two of them requiring a natural backup. All spits were functional though the last one only went in about halfway.
One of the natural rigging points was a small knobbly knobble of rock, just high enough for the rope to snag on
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