Stream Passage Pot July-August 2024

[CNCC]

Hello all

The entrance pipe of Stream Passage Pot is coming towards the end of its life, showing signs of degradation and loosening of the material behind. Rather than wait for a more significant failure, a team will be working through July and August to replace this with a modern plastic pipe which should last for many decades.

Current entrance to Stream Passage Pot:

This will be a significant effort which will require digging out the current pipe (a serious effort as it extends about 3m underground), any necessary stabilisation work of material that comes loose from behind, installation of the new pipe and back-filling around it, followed by some final landscaping.

The team are hoping to commence work on 2nd July, and they expect it to require several sessions including working through the CPC winchmeet. They are unable to commit to exactly what days they will perform the work, or the accessibility of the entrance through this period, so we kindly ask that cavers avoid Stream Passage Pot for July and August. Through the first few weeks of August, the CPC winchmeet will manage access (if any access is possible by then) in the usual way.

Once the winchmeet is finished, we hope to provide an update on progress.

There were no groups booked for Stream Passage Pot on our online booking system, so hopefully this does not change any plans for anyone, and the cave has been temporarily closed on the booking system to avoid disappointment. If you really want/need to access Stream Passage Pot during these works, please get in touch with us (email our Secretary or PM us here) and we can put you in touch with the team performing the work to try to accommodate your visit as best as possible. However, if you would be happy to select a different cave for your day out then that would be appreciated and make life easier for everyone.

Thanks to the team for the planning that has already gone in, and thanks in advance for their efforts.

This work should secure access to Stream Passage Pot for several decades to come. This is an outstanding pothole, with three absolutely iconic, classic Yorkshire Dales pitches (plus the entrance pitch), followed by some splendid caving in large passage. If you need some inspiration for a trip later in the year, look no further than this excellent photo of Stream Passage itself, only a few minutes beyond the final pitch (courtesy of Clive Westlake):

 

[JoshW]

Oooh outrageous request, but it would be lovely if the tube could be marginally wider. Remember having a very awkward thrutch up when my pantin had popped off and my foot came out of its footloop, leaving me hanging on a croll unable to rehome either of them 😂

 

[ChrisB]

Josh, I believe the new pipe will be 60cm internal diameter. If the existing drums are typical, they will be about 58cm internal - so the new tube will indeed be marginally bigger - but perhaps you were thinking of a bit more than 2cm!

 

[mikem]

Bigger diameters involve more material, so increased cost, just make sure you've got a spare sling to use as a foot loop

 

[Pitlamp]

I think the above is the finest image I've ever seen of Stream Chamber. Yet another great example of Clive's well honed skill with a camera. Thanks for sharing it.

I wish I could take pictures like that. I have tried . . . . . . but it appears that any aptitude I might have within caving must lie elsewhere!

 

[Loki]

Also many moons ago when doing an exchange our derigging team got to the pipe after a minor epic on flooding pitches they found the pipe was almost a vertical sump and had to prussic out while holding their breath. So can the main pipe be proud of the surrounding area with some smaller pipes around the outside that take the flow leaving the person pipe dry?!
The team was then so disoriented they walked the wrong way off the fell ending up somewhere over cold Coates way.

 

[Pitlamp]

I can believe that Loki, having visited the entrance in exceptionally wet conditions and encountering a large pool with a vortex in the middle.

 

[JoshW]

Bigger diameters involve more material, so increased cost, just make sure you've got a spare sling to use as a foot loop

I still had the footloop, just couldn’t put my foot in it, so a spare sling wouldn’t have helped!

2cm extra would have been useful, so ace!

 

[kay]

Also many moons ago when doing an exchange our derigging team got to the pipe after a minor epic on flooding pitches they found the pipe was almost a vertical sump and had to prussic out while holding their breath. So can the main pipe be proud of the surrounding area with some smaller pipes around the outside that take the flow leaving the person pipe dry?!
The team was then so disoriented they walked the wrong way off the fell ending up somewhere over cold Coates way.

I've passed this to the project manager as I don't think he's on ukcaving. Whether he'll be able to do anything to alleviate the problem I don't know.

 

[kay]

Project manager says the tube will stand proud, though not by very much. Alternative routes for the water will be explored (but no promises). He wonders if Loki has a date for that incident?

A larger tube was considered but decided against because of the scale of the excavation required.

 

[Huge]

Great news, thanks to everyone involved for their forthcoming efforts! Had to push some sharp, rusty edges back into place, earlier this year, while going down through the oil drums.

Was hoping for a larger pipe myself but if that's not possible, it's not possible.

Don't know if anyone else has tried this technique to get out of the drums but what worked well for me in May, was to get pulled out the top by my mates. 🙂

 

[Loki]

Project manager says the tube will stand proud, though not by very much. Alternative routes for the water will be explored (but no promises). He wonders if Loki has a date for that incident?

A larger tube was considered but decided against because of the scale of the excavation required.

I’d make a stab at between 1995 and 1998.

 

[Fulk]

Pitlamp:

but it appears that any aptitude I might have within caving must lie elsewhere!

I think that you've proved that over and over, John!!

 

[mikem]

I still had the footloop, just couldn’t put my foot in it, so a spare sling wouldn’t have helped!

As sling isn't attached to you it can be lowered down below foot then clipped to ladder at best available rung to provide an additional step

 

[kay]

Size of new tube compared to size of existing tube

 

[braveduck]

I think the above is the finest image I've ever seen of Stream Chamber. Yet another great example of Clive's well honed skill with a camera. Thanks for sharing it.

I wish I could take pictures like that. I have tried . . . . . . but it appears that any aptitude I might have within caving must lie elsewhere!

 

[braveduck]

Skateboarding springs to mind !

 

[Cavematt]

I think the above is the finest image I've ever seen of Stream Chamber. Yet another great example of Clive's well honed skill with a camera. Thanks for sharing it.

I wish I could take pictures like that. I have tried . . . . . . but it appears that any aptitude I might have within caving must lie elsewhere!

And from my memory, Clive got it in one shot too!

That small amount of extra space inside that new pipe should be just enough to allow better bending of legs for prussiking for us taller cavers 😁

Personally I'd like to see footholds cut into it, but that's just me being lazy.

 

[braveduck]

And from my memory, Clive got it in one shot too!

That small amount of extra space inside that new pipe should be just enough to allow better bending of legs for prussiking for us taller cavers 😁

Personally I'd like to see footholds cut into it, but that's just me being lazy.

 

[braveduck]

The trouble with footholds is they let the water in flood conditions and right in your face !