North End Pot

[Alex]

Had a trip down there with my mate, thanks for all the P-bolts, several points/notes for anyone else that comes down. The below list is not a criticism just my thoughts as being one of the first people on a "tourist trip" it was only 2 of us and my mate did not come down the big one.

• The "thread" for the second drop is really hard to find, unless you crouch down. It's on the left over the hole hidden half way up about the only solid bit of rock, at about shoulder height. It can do with some yellow paint or tippex, I normally would not suggest this sort of thing in natural cave, but the shaft's a mine anyway! We wasted a lot of time here, trying to find it.
• Our own fault, but we also wasted time as despite reading about the breakthrough in descent. I stupidly forgot the way on was not actually at the bottom of the shaft! That confused us a while and for a moment we actually thought maybe you were all pulling our legs about the breakthrough! Thankfully, I eventually remembered and the way on is through the rift that looks like it don't go anywhere about 6m from the bottom just above where the shaft gets narrow. (The topo also seems to suggest the way on is down the shaft, it says shaft continues climb, as if that's the way on, remove the word climb?).
• It's not as loose as you guys make it sound (compared to the topo), at-least compared to places like Craftman's or practically any mine, it's mainly just on the floor thankfully, I was thinking there was poised blocks overhead everywhere reading your descriptions. However, when going down the pitch, it's prob best to complete the traverse over the big hole first before the next person comes down, if you do that, then it's fine.
• One problem bit though and it could do with another bolt is after the first slope and you begin the descent round the next corner, the rope gets caught and for me it got caught on a loose boulder! A bolt half way down would prob stop this, it only happened I think because I was de-rigging, however.
• Out of interest, why was that last 2.5m drop rigged in such a way you need to carry a 20m rope to the bottom? The slope leading down was not exactly steep, glad I brought my 8mm for what was essentially a free climb. However, if you don't want to bring 20m there's a P-anchor a bit back and if you don't mind going just off of that and one at the pitch head you could just probably get away with 10m for this saving you some weight. It is a boulder slope but seemed solid enough to me and like I said was not that steep.
• It's an awesome place, that shaft. It's been a while since I have rigged anywhere so atmospheric and echoed so much. I was both exhilarated and nervous on that pitch, it's well worth a trip for the careful/experienced caver.

Good find and thanks for mining the connection!

 

[Alex]

Would also love to do an exchange trip too perhaps out of Low duke so there's nothing to rig that side. It's a pity there's no way of pulling through this place, now that would be exciting lol. (and deadly).

 

[Alex]

I should comment on the above, when I say it's not loose, it is loose just not as loose as I thought it would be, I guess that just shows how dodgy places I get to are, when I only give this place a 6 out of 10 on the dodgeyness scale, I was expecting an 8.

 

[Fjell]

Still not convinced about taking the wife down it.

 

[s_allshorn]

Alex thanks for the comments. I disagree in terms of painting the cave, I'd hope no one takes up your suggestion, cavers should be able to find such things, a detailed description can also be useful.

"One problem bit though and it could do with another bolt is after the first slope and you begin the descent round the next corner, the rope gets caught and for me it got caught on a loose boulder! A bolt half way down would prob stop this, it only happened I think because I was de-rigging, however."

Not sure I understand this correctly. Are you refering to the anchors between 8 and 9 or 9 and 10?

The last pitch was a short climb and this was before a large collapse. The material will have shortened the climb further but it'd still leave you in the line of fire climbing up and down it. The two wedged blocks about where the first Y hang is was only one wedged block until recently when it was joined by a "friend". 20m rope isn'trequired a 17 will do . I'd hate to be considered one for excessive anchoring!

 

[Badlad]

Our own fault, but we also wasted time as despite reading about the breakthrough in descent. I stupidly forgot the way on was not actually at the bottom of the shaft! That confused us a while and for a moment we actually thought maybe you were all pulling our legs about the breakthrough! Thankfully, I eventually remembered and the way on is through the rift that looks like it don't go anywhere about 6m from the bottom just above where the shaft gets narrow. (The topo also seems to suggest the way on is down the shaft, it says shaft continues climb, as if that's the way on, remove the word climb?).

Brilliant. We spent a lot of time digging that extra bit of shaft just so it would catch the unwary and those who weren't paying attention

 

[Ian Ball]

. I'd hate to be considered one for excessive anchoring!

Sentiment all anchor installers share I'm sure

 

[Ian Ball]

I am possibly alone, but describing a cave passage in words, I find often impenetrable.

 

[georgenorth]

Brilliant. We spent a lot of time digging that extra bit of shaft just so it would catch the unwary and those who weren't paying attention

Can I suggest painting a discrete sign on the rock part way down the shaft so that the unaware don’t accidentally go the wrong way?

 

[Maisie Syntax]

Can I suggest painting a discrete sign on the rock part way down the shaft so that the unaware don’t accidentally go the wrong way?

If you do go to the bottom of the shaft, it's only adding a whole minute to the trip! Besides, it's a really nice bit of the cave and well worth taking the time to appreciate in it's own right . Who knows, it may inspire someone to take on the task of continuing digging the NxNE shaft on its downward journey. It's getting wider, it does draught, doesn't join Llean Bean, and smoke tests (on a draughty day) didn't establish a connection to the original Earby dig at the opposite end of the shake hole.

 

[Maisie Syntax]

• The "thread" for the second drop is really hard to find, unless you crouch down. It's on the left over the hole hidden half way up about the only solid bit of rock, at about shoulder height. It can do with some yellow paint or tippex, I normally would not suggest this sort of thing in natural cave, but the shaft's a mine anyway! We wasted a lot of time here, trying to find it

Thread? What thread? When was that installed?
Why yellow?

 

[georgenorth]

If you do go to the bottom of the shaft, it's only adding a whole minute to the trip! Besides, it's a really nice bit of the cave and well worth taking the time to appreciate in its own right . Who knows, it may inspire someone to take on the task of continuing digging the NxNE shaft on its downward journey. It's getting wider, it does draught, doesn't join Llean Bean, and smoke tests (on a draughty day) didn't establish a connection to the original Earby dig at the opposite end of the shake hole.

How intriguing! Was the source of the roaring noise ever discovered?

 

[Maisie Syntax]

How intriguing! Was the source of the roaring noise ever discovered?

Nothing definitive. Presumably the sound of the 3 counties draught looking for a way out? It wasn't there all the time, but the worse the weather conditions on the surface, the louder the noise in what became the connection point in the side rift. Conjecture pre-breakthrough was either wind or the inevitable 'falling water in the distance'. No obvious signs of water in Llean Bean, or at least to the extent that would account for the noise.

 

[s_allshorn]

Maisie, the thread was made! Just where the Y hang on the left wall was there was a small calicited tube. I drilled a hole into the back part of this to create a thread. This was the only sound rock that I could find in the top half of the shaft, you guys seemed to have taken the rest out!

 

[Alex]

Not sure I understand this correctly. Are you refering to the anchors between 8 and 9 or 9 and 10?

I think it was between 9 and 10, as you go round the corner onto the next bit of slope from the muddy ledge.

The last pitch was a short climb and this was before a large collapse. The material will have shortened the climb further but it'd still leave you in the line of fire climbing up and down it. The two wedged blocks about where the first Y hang is was only one wedged block until recently when it was joined by a "friend". 20m rope isn'trequired a 17 will do . I'd hate to be considered one for excessive anchoring!

Ahh, so it was more loose than it looked.

 

[s_allshorn]

I think it was between 9 and 10, as you go round the corner onto the next bit of slope from the muddy ledge.


Ahh, so it was more loose than it looked.

Between 9 and 10. As you face down the pitch yes the left wall would be a slightly better location but unfortunately much of this wall is rather loose. When I climbed up it was with great relief that the wall where 9 is was reached as all the way round the corner there weren’t any good placements. The one out to the right was the best solution for the circumstances. Avoids what would otherwise be a nasty rub point. If you bridge on the ledges it’s possible to avoid problems as you derig but any loops of rope will snag.

 

[Ian Ball]

Sounds a challenging location