Swildons Round Trip

[russporter]

Hi all,

I'm doing the round trip on Saturday, just wondered if any one had any advice on tricky bits etc.

I've read a post by cap'n'chris about Birthday Squeeze which I'm sure will be very helpful as I'm a bit on the swollen side.

Many thanks Russ 

 

[Stupot]

Not sure how well you know Swildon's so I maybe teaching you to suck eggs

1) Try not to miss the climb up out of the streamway into Tratmans Temple, If you hit S1 you have gone wrong.

2) I would guess Mud Sump will need bailing, and If you have never attempted this before I would advise against Free diving it.

3) Greasy Chimney can be awkward, but just wedge yourself in and scramble up.

4) Over the top of Blue Pencil can be slippy, sit on your arse with your feet on the other side and shuffle up hill.

5) 1st trouble may need bailing, use the buckets and try and set the syphon off to aid the bailing.

6) 2nd Trouble - easy

7) Bang Squeeze - easy

8 ) Birthday Squeeze (Although actually unnamed) - Stay high in the wider section, belt and helmet off if you are larger and just try and slide through.

9) After a while back at the landing and head upstream towards S1.

It's not a difficult trip and route finding it quite easy due to popularity of the trip.

Stu.

 

[Elaine]

1 and a half) be sure you are at mud sump proper, and not the other one that has confused me before.

 

[russporter]

Thanks guys top info!

Stu I'm gonna print your post, top man

 

[Stupot]

Have a good trip

 

[SamT]

Just to add - dont dissappear down blue pencil passage like we did, Somehow just followed our noses down, and ended  up at the stream way.

IIRC Blue pencil is quite clean with awkward climbs down. and it gets tightish towards the end - if you end up at a big metal chain that hangs down into the stream way - you've gone all the way down blue pencil . As stu says - you need to shuffle over the top  and very soon (in a matter of a few meters) you'll be at the Troubles with the syphon hose.

 

[andysnook]

On the way towards to the landing you'll descend a muddy slope, you'll disturb some water which runs down the slope with you and off through boulders on the left.  Many people follow the larger passage to the right which heads towards vicarge pot and northwest stream passage.

The tip is follow the water down through the boulders.



Another thing people usually miss is near the end of the troubles there is a worn step up on the left.  This is the route to birthday squeeze.  If you go wrong it's no biggie - you'll hit a dead end, you might just avoid some faffing knowing that in advance.

 

[cap n chris]

It's not a difficult trip and route finding it quite easy due to popularity of the trip.

Depends on who's in the group! - unfit and/or large people may find it particularly gruelling; the ducks and sump 1 can be psychologically daunting and returning to the surface can be an arduous marathon. But that's enough about me. Route-finding is OK if you already know where you're going! (e.g. Candy's Calamity sidetracks a lot of people who fail to find Greasy Chimney) - it has even been known for experienced cavers to get lost in the first field in foggy conditions.

 

[andysnook]

Where is Candy's Calamity ?

 

[mrodoc]

Where is Candy's Calamity ?

Look at the survey!  When i started caving many moons ago I bought surveys of the caves I visited and used them to find my way around. There was no internet etc then and I wasn't in a club plus The Caves of Mendip wasn't as detailed as Mendip Underground. The most useful thing you can do is learn to route find underground. For a start if you can't find the way on at least you can get out again - a lesson  I have had to put into practice more than once!

 

[andysnook]

Where is Candy's Calamity ?

Look at the survey!  When i started caving many moons ago I bought surveys of the caves I visited and used them to find my way around. There was no internet etc then and I wasn't in a club plus The Caves of Mendip wasn't as detailed as Mendip Underground. The most useful thing you can do is learn to route find underground. For a start if you can't find the way on at least you can get out again - a lesson  I have had to put into practice more than once!

I completely agree, I was just being lazy

 

[andysnook]

Seriously though, I think mrodoc highlights an important point - the best way to learn to get around/route-find underground is to have problems.  Perhaps we are not helping by explaining routes in intimate details.

 

[cap n chris]

... just wondered if any one had any advice....

Apparently you should work it out for yourself. 

 

[pete h]

If you haven't all ready done so buy the book "Swildons Hole 100 Years of Exploration" a bargain at ?25 with updated survey and full description of the cave. 

 

[Les W]

Allow plenty of time for the trip, Mud sump and the Troubles could need LOTS of bailing after todays weather. 

You will nead a reasonable sized group if Mud sump needs substantial bailing.  :-\

 

[cap n chris]

e.g. six of us took two hours to bail it after heavy rains on a trip last year and a further hour to bail the other watery obstacles. In all it was a six hour trip.

 

[russporter]

I'm not sure how many on the trip yet but should be a few.
Is that 2 hours of bucket work or is there a syphon at mud sump?

 

[cap n chris]

buckets 

 

[Hatstand]

You can stop bailing the first of the double troubles when a bucket floats through from the other end  :-[

 

[russporter]

Done a trip in GB last weekend to Bat Passage, it was my first time at ladder dig which was sumped, not knowing what lay ahead I had to bail it with my wellies.