caving_fox
Active member
Who: RDCC team thin - me Ian and Paul
Where - Nettle pot Derbyshire.
When - Sat 16th Jan 15
Nettle pot is one of those bugbear caves. From the cavers I know (not necessarily a representative selection) it gets talked about a lot, in past tense, of the horrible trip they'd had, and never again, how tight and horrible it is, etc etc. And so, sensibly, I've never done it. However when you've done a lot of the other attractive possibilities in the Peak, you start to wonder just how bad could it be? People on UKC seemed to think it was fine, even for a quick mid-week trip. And so RDCC having had a fine club curry the night before arranged for a trip bright and early on Saturday morning. Breakfast was had at the always filling (even for me) and excellent Yonderman's cafe, and we were good to go. The air was crisp and cold but no snow (yet). We had the layby to ourselves until the other parties turned up, and dues paid, off we set. All the directions start from Oxlow, which is a daft way of writing a book, but as it happened we did know where that was, and found the impressively engineered entrance without hiccup in the middle of a flat field on top of the hill. A somewhat unlikely spot for a cave.
We'd only organised enough rope for the entrance and Far flats, although if we'd been clever we might have had enough for reaching the bottom. - But this was an exploratory trip to see whether it was worth coming back to. Ian rigged smoothly down the natural shaft - a surface back-up point would have been ideal - and as soon as he was a onto the 2nd bolt, Paul and I ducked into the entrance housing; the wind chill was perishingly bitter. The descent was smooth the Narrows proving no obstacle, although one re-belay involves being unable to see any of your kit so a degree of proficiency :read: is required. Emerging at the Grand Canyon I realised this was quite a fun cave with more volume than I'd appreciated. Stalagmite crawl is probably the nicest hands and knees crawl you're going to do - smooth comfortable stal floor and pretty formations, ending in a pleasant aven. Back at the junction we met the other party going on to do Elizabeth shaft. We noted the entrance to Crumble shaft for future trips - the hole looks like it might be entertaining!
Leaving an unpleasant odour behind at Grand Canyon (remarkably persistent as well - the source of the bad air reports? from one of the blind pots we thought) we crawled through the gloop to Far Flats wishing we could leave the SRT kit behind. Fortunately Ian reached the first pitch and found it rigged while I was faffing, and so we didn't have to drag bags through the particularly gloopy yellow mud. Having in-situ Up ropes was a huge bonus - thanks whoever left them in place, we didn't make them any more muddy than they were already! - a final crawl and pitch and we reached the "very tight" freeze Squeeze that leads to what sounds like pleasant walking passage and the final chamber.
They weren't joking :blink: was Ian's first attempt. No SRT. No Helmet without even trying it this looks very tight. Although I'm larger (but by no means a big caver) I had a look. That way won't work, maybe on my back, at that angle, no, try feet first is better, but on my front. Now my arse is jammed. Hmmm
Paul had a go. Wiggle your arse up a bit than back in a z shape. Now his ribs are at the crux. "I could do it" "I think" "But I'm not going to push that hard". Ian has a 2nd go and gets to the same point. Takes things out of his oversuit pocket a never before required strategy! Yes that's how thin he is. DCRA's goto small person. But it still won't go. I have a final attempt and manage to get my arse through the tight bit. But I'm not prepared to push my ribs that hard, although there's a little bit of flex left in them. Coming back out of it again is on all of our minds.
Team thin failed to get through. :bow: to whoever does!
The return is relatively uneventful. Although we're thoroughly mud coated, possibly the muddiest I've ever been from lying in the squeeze jammed against mud coated rock on all sides including my face. The Narrows are notably trickier on the ascent, with only an inch or so of prussic space for a few metres, it's slow going. The bags causing from above. As the lid is opened snow starts to drift gently down the pitch Not a common experience. But it quickly stops after settling only a few mm. Getting changed is cold! But the Wanted Inn warms so back up - after a careful drive to get there.
We'll go back! It's not that bad, I want to get to the bottom of the lower pitches, but I'm prepared to admit defeat to the Squeeze, however Ian hasn't ever previously been defeated and plans a rematch!
Questions:
The guide describes the Flats as "washed out Lava bed". How do you know? Really volcanic activity in the Peak? Is there much else?
Is there a trick to passing Freeze Squeeze?
Thanks as ever: - Ian for driving and rigging, Paul for organising and company, the Landowner for access, an whoever's in-situ ropes are in Far Flats.
Where - Nettle pot Derbyshire.
When - Sat 16th Jan 15
Nettle pot is one of those bugbear caves. From the cavers I know (not necessarily a representative selection) it gets talked about a lot, in past tense, of the horrible trip they'd had, and never again, how tight and horrible it is, etc etc. And so, sensibly, I've never done it. However when you've done a lot of the other attractive possibilities in the Peak, you start to wonder just how bad could it be? People on UKC seemed to think it was fine, even for a quick mid-week trip. And so RDCC having had a fine club curry the night before arranged for a trip bright and early on Saturday morning. Breakfast was had at the always filling (even for me) and excellent Yonderman's cafe, and we were good to go. The air was crisp and cold but no snow (yet). We had the layby to ourselves until the other parties turned up, and dues paid, off we set. All the directions start from Oxlow, which is a daft way of writing a book, but as it happened we did know where that was, and found the impressively engineered entrance without hiccup in the middle of a flat field on top of the hill. A somewhat unlikely spot for a cave.
We'd only organised enough rope for the entrance and Far flats, although if we'd been clever we might have had enough for reaching the bottom. - But this was an exploratory trip to see whether it was worth coming back to. Ian rigged smoothly down the natural shaft - a surface back-up point would have been ideal - and as soon as he was a onto the 2nd bolt, Paul and I ducked into the entrance housing; the wind chill was perishingly bitter. The descent was smooth the Narrows proving no obstacle, although one re-belay involves being unable to see any of your kit so a degree of proficiency :read: is required. Emerging at the Grand Canyon I realised this was quite a fun cave with more volume than I'd appreciated. Stalagmite crawl is probably the nicest hands and knees crawl you're going to do - smooth comfortable stal floor and pretty formations, ending in a pleasant aven. Back at the junction we met the other party going on to do Elizabeth shaft. We noted the entrance to Crumble shaft for future trips - the hole looks like it might be entertaining!
Leaving an unpleasant odour behind at Grand Canyon (remarkably persistent as well - the source of the bad air reports? from one of the blind pots we thought) we crawled through the gloop to Far Flats wishing we could leave the SRT kit behind. Fortunately Ian reached the first pitch and found it rigged while I was faffing, and so we didn't have to drag bags through the particularly gloopy yellow mud. Having in-situ Up ropes was a huge bonus - thanks whoever left them in place, we didn't make them any more muddy than they were already! - a final crawl and pitch and we reached the "very tight" freeze Squeeze that leads to what sounds like pleasant walking passage and the final chamber.
They weren't joking :blink: was Ian's first attempt. No SRT. No Helmet without even trying it this looks very tight. Although I'm larger (but by no means a big caver) I had a look. That way won't work, maybe on my back, at that angle, no, try feet first is better, but on my front. Now my arse is jammed. Hmmm
Paul had a go. Wiggle your arse up a bit than back in a z shape. Now his ribs are at the crux. "I could do it" "I think" "But I'm not going to push that hard". Ian has a 2nd go and gets to the same point. Takes things out of his oversuit pocket a never before required strategy! Yes that's how thin he is. DCRA's goto small person. But it still won't go. I have a final attempt and manage to get my arse through the tight bit. But I'm not prepared to push my ribs that hard, although there's a little bit of flex left in them. Coming back out of it again is on all of our minds. Team thin failed to get through. :bow: to whoever does!
The return is relatively uneventful. Although we're thoroughly mud coated, possibly the muddiest I've ever been from lying in the squeeze jammed against mud coated rock on all sides including my face. The Narrows are notably trickier on the ascent, with only an inch or so of prussic space for a few metres, it's slow going. The bags causing
from above. As the lid is opened snow starts to drift gently down the pitch Not a common experience. But it quickly stops after settling only a few mm. Getting changed is cold! But the Wanted Inn warms so back up - after a careful drive to get there. We'll go back! It's not that bad, I want to get to the bottom of the lower pitches, but I'm prepared to admit defeat to the Squeeze, however Ian hasn't ever previously been defeated and plans a rematch!
Questions:
The guide describes the Flats as "washed out Lava bed". How do you know? Really volcanic activity in the Peak? Is there much else?
Is there a trick to passing Freeze Squeeze?
Thanks as ever: - Ian for driving and rigging, Paul for organising and company, the Landowner for access, an whoever's in-situ ropes are in Far Flats.
