paulf
Member
1st March 2014
A chance of joining Claire with her fellow SWCC members into Draenen for a round trip was something I'd wanted to do for years, in fact a couple of trips I?d done previously to start joining it all up helped. Years ago with Debbie and Angus we got as far as St. David's Hall then more recently going in the opposite direction with Helen down the main streamway. After a chilled out evening at the Stump with Les we left him behind and headed off for the trip. When we arrived at the Lamb and Fox, Claire introduced everyone Neil, Leslie, Dave and Phil and I promised to have forgotten all names by the time we're changed.
I headed in first as I know I can bomb through the flat-out wet bits and wait for everyone else at Spare Rib and then the climb down before we reconvene at the Cairn Chamber. From here it's a quick mosey through the flat-out Beer challenge and the usual boulder hopping to Lamb and Fox chamber. Neil is now running along the Indiana Highway traverses followed by Claire and Me, really bouncing from ledge to ledge; everyone said he?s a bit of a nightmare for running off but it was a speed I could cope with.
Another section of boulder hopping along the Mega Drive passage before a section of stooping and crawling through the Nunnery to the top of fixed ladder (with a missing rung) or the optional new ladder which looks like a bunch of staples joined together. Every now and again I remind myself to look up from boulder hopping and admire the massive passages, The Arms Park and the Players Tunnel leading into St. David's Hall, quite apt as its St. David's day.
From here on it's all new to me and Claire so I'm keen to try and remember the way for future trips. We take a relatively new by-pass that avoids going straight into the notorious Squirrel Rifts and drops us into the Agent Blorenge II streamway, so between boulder hopping we do have a bit of a splash about. Neil has a couple of points where he's not quite sure of the way on so we end up seeing the Agent Blorenge II streamway three times, until we take the passage Leslie thought might be the way on in the first place.
We now head straight up a very steep climb and although there's a few funny moves it?s easy enough but I'm sure glad I'm second as all the footholds were relatively dry so grip wasn't an issue. All up, we're now into the Squirrel rifts proper, these are a series of rift passages where you traverse along at various levels from 40ft up to back down in the streamway and not always going in the same direction. In a few places you have to double back underneath your previous position. These are relatively easy for me as I'm able to aim for the larger sections without the worry of being able to slide down at any point, unlike Claire and Leslie who are a lot smaller. Neil's now up front and I'm just behind so I try to keep an eye on his manoeuvres to limit my efforts. At one point I stretch across a wider section but just as I lean forward to use momentum my foot slips and I'm now falling backwards. I make myself as big as possible and land horizontal still suspended high up in the rift, this I'd say is due to my now bruised shoulder blades, thighs and a bit of a squashed Claire, I re-jig by stepping my right foot first (I am left handed) and I successfully complete the move.
We now drop down a level with the option of a rigged abseil or a tight crawl, I'm happy to try the crawl but while the others are looking for it, Claire sees a rope just above us, she heads through a hole and down the rope. By the time I'm at the hole Claire has gone down the slimiest knotted rope to an overhang. I ask ?are you happy to abseil on an Italian hitch down the rest? but she explains it's more than she'd want to do without a Petzl Stop saying the rope is as dodgy as the knotted one she'd just come down. Fair enough, so I wait for her to return to the top of the hole and notice the rope?s a continuous loop, so hold onto it to stop her having a hamster wheel moment, a quick haul up and she's back in the rift with me. We decide to find the others but can only follow a distant scratching noise through the low crawls, I catch up with some feet that are thrutching along a very small bit of passage and wait for the path to clear then I go for it, not half as bad as it looked and only a 4ft section where I couldn't breathe and move at the same time, but enough purchase to oomph myself out into the chamber below the slimy rope. It?s here we have lunch, a quick look at the survey and told we were just under half way round.
We now enter a section called the Sewer wading in water up to and beyond my goolies - it's quite wide and a good 10" of air space. I tell the others that having a cough from my previous week?s illness helped to pop me nuts back out as the water was rather cold. After another section of rifts we?re given the option of over another tight thrutching section or a long duck, I went straight for the long duck, this was again a lot easier than told, 10" airspace and about 50ft. long. Being in the front meant I could see all the ledges before the water clouded up and I did warn Claire about a big hole at the right hand turn. Neil and Phil joined us from above and he complimented us on being the first on his trips to attempt the duck, Leslie and Dave came through the duck too.
More upward rifts till Neil notices the rope below us, this is where we climb down. Once he's down I hold onto the knotted rope and just as I'm about to go my foot slips and I hurtle down with the knots just slipping through my hands, I land on my feet but whack my left forearm, even with the elbow pad on it bloody hurt, " That was a bit rapid" said Neil. "It was not intentional" I said, my thoughts go back to Claire and the overhanging rope and think it was a wise move to use the crawl, an Italian hitch would have been lethal. Another easy rope climb down, slowly this time, then it's nice climbs down through the Agent Blorenge streamway (a bit like Swildon's) for a distance. It?s a lot of traversing pools and waterfalls before I notice the waters now going in a different direction. We're now heading upstream in the Main Streamway, our 4th streamway on the trip so far.
We?re now into a boulder choke and I'm following Neil through this way and that till I come across a T-Shaped hole I just can't fit through. By now Neil and Leslie have gone on while I attempt every conceivable position and direction to negotiate it. Phil slides through without touching the sides and gives me encouragement while I give it yet another go, Nope it?s too small a hole with a couple of pointy bits stopping my rib cage from doing it. I ask if there's any other holes through the boulders and between Phil and Claire they find me an alternative. This hole is still small but with no pointy bits I see if I can fit, first of all its straight up between boulders so I have to lean between and try to fit through, it's too small for me to get both arms through at once as this increases my chest size so I go up leaving my right arm behind me. Phil asks if there's anything he can do? I reply "Maybe just chop off my right arm as my shoulder is jammed up? he doesn?t think it?s a good idea.
I take a breather to compose myself then check that I can at least reverse if necessary and I realise my ribs have popped back out over a lip protruding beneath me so by calmly squeezing in and breathing out I reverse a few inches down which is enough to let me know I'm not completely stuck.
I now have to turn and face the other direction but this means a committed effort from which there might be no return, a calm second to compose myself and think about having to return back around the round trip, there's a lot of upward climbs and a lot of bloody rifts we slid down with the aid if gravity which would be hard work and we'd already been in here for 5 ? hrs, so with this in mind I went for it, a massive exhale and a lot of scraping I was now facing the other way. All through this, Claire had been giving me purchase by letting me stand on her whilst going up through the vertical hole, all I needed now was the final length of my torso before I was free of this bloody hole. For the next few minutes it was a case of breath out, Tip toe up a few inches off of Claire and breathe in to stop any downward movement then start again, it was a great relief when I finally emerged after 5 minutes.
I spent a bit of time lying on the boulder like a seal clapping for a fish before we continued through the next Boulder Choke. A few more holes before I recognised where we were, it?s where I'd visited with Helen. From here in I was happy and enjoyed the prettiest section of the whole round trip passing numerous formations. Auto pilot kicked in and after another half hour we were up through Wonderbra and back into Cairn chamber. From here I led out, not overly tired just battered and it was nice to change in daylight and relatively warm too. A chance to buy everyone a pint for letting me come on the trip and helping me through the tight hole, although I think Neil would have enjoyed the experience of the 8hr return trip.
We return to the Stump to pick up Les before heading down for a curry with Vince and Kim. Once back a chance for a much needed shower and chill out in a cosy Stump.
On Sunday I felt too battered to do anything so chilled before a good tidy up and headed home.
Thanks to all, I think I need to remove a few ribs before I attempt the Round trip again but have to say an Amazing adventure.
A chance of joining Claire with her fellow SWCC members into Draenen for a round trip was something I'd wanted to do for years, in fact a couple of trips I?d done previously to start joining it all up helped. Years ago with Debbie and Angus we got as far as St. David's Hall then more recently going in the opposite direction with Helen down the main streamway. After a chilled out evening at the Stump with Les we left him behind and headed off for the trip. When we arrived at the Lamb and Fox, Claire introduced everyone Neil, Leslie, Dave and Phil and I promised to have forgotten all names by the time we're changed.
I headed in first as I know I can bomb through the flat-out wet bits and wait for everyone else at Spare Rib and then the climb down before we reconvene at the Cairn Chamber. From here it's a quick mosey through the flat-out Beer challenge and the usual boulder hopping to Lamb and Fox chamber. Neil is now running along the Indiana Highway traverses followed by Claire and Me, really bouncing from ledge to ledge; everyone said he?s a bit of a nightmare for running off but it was a speed I could cope with.
Another section of boulder hopping along the Mega Drive passage before a section of stooping and crawling through the Nunnery to the top of fixed ladder (with a missing rung) or the optional new ladder which looks like a bunch of staples joined together. Every now and again I remind myself to look up from boulder hopping and admire the massive passages, The Arms Park and the Players Tunnel leading into St. David's Hall, quite apt as its St. David's day.
From here on it's all new to me and Claire so I'm keen to try and remember the way for future trips. We take a relatively new by-pass that avoids going straight into the notorious Squirrel Rifts and drops us into the Agent Blorenge II streamway, so between boulder hopping we do have a bit of a splash about. Neil has a couple of points where he's not quite sure of the way on so we end up seeing the Agent Blorenge II streamway three times, until we take the passage Leslie thought might be the way on in the first place.
We now head straight up a very steep climb and although there's a few funny moves it?s easy enough but I'm sure glad I'm second as all the footholds were relatively dry so grip wasn't an issue. All up, we're now into the Squirrel rifts proper, these are a series of rift passages where you traverse along at various levels from 40ft up to back down in the streamway and not always going in the same direction. In a few places you have to double back underneath your previous position. These are relatively easy for me as I'm able to aim for the larger sections without the worry of being able to slide down at any point, unlike Claire and Leslie who are a lot smaller. Neil's now up front and I'm just behind so I try to keep an eye on his manoeuvres to limit my efforts. At one point I stretch across a wider section but just as I lean forward to use momentum my foot slips and I'm now falling backwards. I make myself as big as possible and land horizontal still suspended high up in the rift, this I'd say is due to my now bruised shoulder blades, thighs and a bit of a squashed Claire, I re-jig by stepping my right foot first (I am left handed) and I successfully complete the move.
We now drop down a level with the option of a rigged abseil or a tight crawl, I'm happy to try the crawl but while the others are looking for it, Claire sees a rope just above us, she heads through a hole and down the rope. By the time I'm at the hole Claire has gone down the slimiest knotted rope to an overhang. I ask ?are you happy to abseil on an Italian hitch down the rest? but she explains it's more than she'd want to do without a Petzl Stop saying the rope is as dodgy as the knotted one she'd just come down. Fair enough, so I wait for her to return to the top of the hole and notice the rope?s a continuous loop, so hold onto it to stop her having a hamster wheel moment, a quick haul up and she's back in the rift with me. We decide to find the others but can only follow a distant scratching noise through the low crawls, I catch up with some feet that are thrutching along a very small bit of passage and wait for the path to clear then I go for it, not half as bad as it looked and only a 4ft section where I couldn't breathe and move at the same time, but enough purchase to oomph myself out into the chamber below the slimy rope. It?s here we have lunch, a quick look at the survey and told we were just under half way round.
We now enter a section called the Sewer wading in water up to and beyond my goolies - it's quite wide and a good 10" of air space. I tell the others that having a cough from my previous week?s illness helped to pop me nuts back out as the water was rather cold. After another section of rifts we?re given the option of over another tight thrutching section or a long duck, I went straight for the long duck, this was again a lot easier than told, 10" airspace and about 50ft. long. Being in the front meant I could see all the ledges before the water clouded up and I did warn Claire about a big hole at the right hand turn. Neil and Phil joined us from above and he complimented us on being the first on his trips to attempt the duck, Leslie and Dave came through the duck too.
More upward rifts till Neil notices the rope below us, this is where we climb down. Once he's down I hold onto the knotted rope and just as I'm about to go my foot slips and I hurtle down with the knots just slipping through my hands, I land on my feet but whack my left forearm, even with the elbow pad on it bloody hurt, " That was a bit rapid" said Neil. "It was not intentional" I said, my thoughts go back to Claire and the overhanging rope and think it was a wise move to use the crawl, an Italian hitch would have been lethal. Another easy rope climb down, slowly this time, then it's nice climbs down through the Agent Blorenge streamway (a bit like Swildon's) for a distance. It?s a lot of traversing pools and waterfalls before I notice the waters now going in a different direction. We're now heading upstream in the Main Streamway, our 4th streamway on the trip so far.
We?re now into a boulder choke and I'm following Neil through this way and that till I come across a T-Shaped hole I just can't fit through. By now Neil and Leslie have gone on while I attempt every conceivable position and direction to negotiate it. Phil slides through without touching the sides and gives me encouragement while I give it yet another go, Nope it?s too small a hole with a couple of pointy bits stopping my rib cage from doing it. I ask if there's any other holes through the boulders and between Phil and Claire they find me an alternative. This hole is still small but with no pointy bits I see if I can fit, first of all its straight up between boulders so I have to lean between and try to fit through, it's too small for me to get both arms through at once as this increases my chest size so I go up leaving my right arm behind me. Phil asks if there's anything he can do? I reply "Maybe just chop off my right arm as my shoulder is jammed up? he doesn?t think it?s a good idea.
I take a breather to compose myself then check that I can at least reverse if necessary and I realise my ribs have popped back out over a lip protruding beneath me so by calmly squeezing in and breathing out I reverse a few inches down which is enough to let me know I'm not completely stuck.
I now have to turn and face the other direction but this means a committed effort from which there might be no return, a calm second to compose myself and think about having to return back around the round trip, there's a lot of upward climbs and a lot of bloody rifts we slid down with the aid if gravity which would be hard work and we'd already been in here for 5 ? hrs, so with this in mind I went for it, a massive exhale and a lot of scraping I was now facing the other way. All through this, Claire had been giving me purchase by letting me stand on her whilst going up through the vertical hole, all I needed now was the final length of my torso before I was free of this bloody hole. For the next few minutes it was a case of breath out, Tip toe up a few inches off of Claire and breathe in to stop any downward movement then start again, it was a great relief when I finally emerged after 5 minutes.
I spent a bit of time lying on the boulder like a seal clapping for a fish before we continued through the next Boulder Choke. A few more holes before I recognised where we were, it?s where I'd visited with Helen. From here in I was happy and enjoyed the prettiest section of the whole round trip passing numerous formations. Auto pilot kicked in and after another half hour we were up through Wonderbra and back into Cairn chamber. From here I led out, not overly tired just battered and it was nice to change in daylight and relatively warm too. A chance to buy everyone a pint for letting me come on the trip and helping me through the tight hole, although I think Neil would have enjoyed the experience of the 8hr return trip.
We return to the Stump to pick up Les before heading down for a curry with Vince and Kim. Once back a chance for a much needed shower and chill out in a cosy Stump.
On Sunday I felt too battered to do anything so chilled before a good tidy up and headed home.
Thanks to all, I think I need to remove a few ribs before I attempt the Round trip again but have to say an Amazing adventure.
