Suggestions please

[traff]

Going to Ingleton tomorrow for a week. Looking for some suggestions for girlfriend friendly caves. She's fine with SRT however refuses to do a rehang underground :-\. She likes calf holes and sunset but i'm getting seriously bored with them. I suggested swinsto as a pull through  but the idea of a pull through horrifies her.

 

[Peter Burgess]

"Trust me, I'm a caver".

Long Churn to Alum Main Shaft?

 

[paul]

Yordas Pot? Jingling Pot direct route?

 

[Rachel]

Why don't you try to desensitise her with a trip to Sell Gill? - the rebelay at the top of the entrance pitch can't really be classed as underground.

 

[gus horsley]

Heron Pot sounds like it would be suitable.  Maybe Magnetometer or how about Pikedaw if you fancy something a bit different.

 

[AndyF]

Even a Valley Entrance trip, touring around to the Rowten sumps etc is a jolly trip, with minimum gear. The streamway is really very nice.

Heron (as someone said) is also good.

 

[dunc]

Bar Pot.
Bull Pot, at at bottom of second pitch land on ledge, step over usual 3rd pitch (which has a rebelay) in the slot and head towards other pitch - I'm sure it had p-hangers but it was 8-9years ago when I was last there and I didn't go down, just looked at it and did the usual route.. At bottom it could be a little climb? before reaching the start of the fourth pitch.
Hardrawkin Pot.
New Goyden Pot.
Cherry Tree Hole - entrance pitch not exactly suited to srt but could be done in a fashion.

You need to apply for permits months in advance for these of course, but other options - County Pot, Short Drop (does she like traversing?) and part of Gavel (don't recall any rebelays to get you to Glasfurds Passage)

 

[spikey]

Why not stick with Swinsto, and do it as a rigged "down and up" trip?

I did it about 15 years ago like this, and I'm pretty sure its now P bolted, with no rebelays.

 

[dunc]

Why not stick with Swinsto, and do it as a rigged "down and up" trip?
I did it about 15 years ago like this, and I'm pretty sure its now P bolted, with no rebelays.

Yep.. Closest you get to a rebelay is half way down the big pitch at that respectably sized ledge - so it doesn't really count!

 

[damian]

Why not stick with Swinsto, and do it as a rigged "down and up" trip?
I did it about 15 years ago like this, and I'm pretty sure its now P bolted, with no rebelays.

Yep.. Closest you get to a rebelay is half way down the big pitch at that respectably sized ledge - so it doesn't really count!

Although I tend to rig the first of the top half of the "big" pitch with a deviation and then a rebelay from two well-placed spits ... it means the pitch is then nicely out of the water, making the return journey much more pleasant.

Bull Pot, at at bottom of second pitch land on ledge, step over usual 3rd pitch (which has a rebelay) in the slot and head towards other pitch - I'm sure it had p-hangers but it was 8-9years ago when I was last there and I didn't go down, just looked at it and did the usual route.. At bottom it could be a little climb? before reaching the start of the fourth pitch.

If you are feeling brave, you might like to descend the slot to the rebelay, as it's an excellent one to practise on. You can even stay clipped into the rebelay for protection while standing on a ledge alongside to help her throught it. You never know, she might even then have the confidence to let you go somewhere else.

How about Sunset & Great Douk before / after doing Hardrawkin (which has some reasonably technical pitch heads from memory, by the way)

Hope you have a good week.

 

[smollett]

County.
It has loads of great trips and you can make them as long or short as you like. www.braemoor.co.uk has some really good accurate route descriptions of some of the more interesting areas of county such as the trident series. There's not much SRT but the trident series is well worth looking round and the pitches it does have are reasonably easy. Gets a bit busy on weekends where it's a bit wet tho.

 

[traff]

Thanks for the ideas

Bar Pot.

I would love her to do Bar pot but her brother-in-law told her the first pitch head was awkward.

Why not stick with Swinsto, and do it as a rigged "down and up" trip?

I did it about 15 years ago like this, and I'm pretty sure its now P bolted, with no rebelays.

Swinsto down and up - I don't fancy carrying all the rope

Yordas pot and Heron are on the list

I'm intrigued by Hardrawkin - I had a very quick drunken look at the rigging topo last night but didn't read up on it - is it a good trip?

 

[whitelackington]

Retched Rabit,
that should not scare her toooo much

 

[ianball11]

Thanks for the ideas

Bar Pot.

I would love her to do Bar pot but her brother-in-law told her the first pitch head was awkward.

Why not stick with Swinsto, and do it as a rigged "down and up" trip?

I did it about 15 years ago like this, and I'm pretty sure its now P bolted, with no rebelays.

Swinsto down and up - I don't fancy carrying all the rope

Yordas pot and Heron are on the list

I'm intrigued by Hardrawkin - I had a very quick drunken look at the rigging topo last night but didn't read up on it - is it a good trip?

For your purposes probably, you can hop out to the pub afterwards and get warm  It's not a long trip about 200 meters stooping like Great douk stream passage to the first pitch which is a little deceptive but ok then a few cascades which are good fun then the second pitch to the top of a pretty black looking sump. The rigging book says the entrance sumps but I would find thet difficult to believe.

It's not a big trip but a nice one. A photo of the cascades between the pitches won a photo comp. a couple years ago.
Ian B.

 

[Simon R]

Have you tried part-exing your girlfriend for one that works properly? :-\
(Sorry, couldn't resist)

 

[Pitlamp]

The entrance passage most definitely does sump - the problem is where there's a flowstone restriction forcing a short crawl.  We once had to free dive out through there against a raging current, which is not an experience I'd like to have to repeat.  Otherwise we'd have missed the pub . . . . .

 

[BCMCXIV]

How about Mistral? It's nice and easy caving with absolutely loads to see and do (so you can make the trip as long or as short as you want). No SRT involved at all, so no gear needed (although the entrance climb could be roped if your girlfriend doesn't like freeclimbs). It's nice and warm too (with no draughty wet bits)... the only downside I can see is if she doesn't like mud... in which case probably not a good idea after all. Having said that, I haven't known a novice yet who hasn't absolutely loved this cave.