The Assault Course and A Grand Day Out

[Mark R]

Just a quick note following a trip to A Grand Day Out in Peak this weekend.

It's a little visited place, and for good reason- it's extremely strenuous and it hurts! The result of this is that the permanently rigged pitched at the end are still rigged on a combination of what I think are the original exploration bolts (~25 years old?) and some 10 year old concrete screws (?). The ropes are mostly in the water and consequently are in a really awful state. We replaced the first 20m rope with a new 10.5mm rope and pulled it out of the water before we left. The old 9mm rope was crusty and white at the bottom and crusty and red/ orange near the top!

There are several climbs that would benefit from hand lines or short ropes and the whole lot does need re- bolting and re rigging with new rope.

Just a note then really to warn people that if you plan to visit, I'm stating the obvious by saying- please be extremely cautious!

Any casualty requiring evacuation would have no choice but to make their way out under their own steam through this particularly hard piece of cave. Not a nice thought.

Cheers
Mark

 

[T pot 2]

Mark
Tony and I did this trip about 15 years ago and as you state it is a very remote place at the end and to get there it is an arduos journey. I climbed the pitches at the end and accessed the passage at the top but could'nt make the 90 degree turn that stopped Moose. The view from the top of the pitches was superb looking down into the chamber but the feeling of remoteness was all encompassing. A very hard piece of caving to say the least. I also concur that rescue would be almost impossible.

T pot

 

[Scud]

Matt Ryan and Robbie Shone surveyed it about 12 years ago and I believe passed the bend that stopped Moose and T-pot but can't remember what was the outcome, maybe Robbie could post if he sees this. Not sure whether it was written up anywhere.

The peak keyholders have asked for the pitches to be p-hanged by DCA I believe. It's probably waiting on one of the DCA bolter's to volunteer to do it. Personally I have never been up there and probably never will.

Wayne

 

[Moose]

For the record, it was surveyed by myself, Dave Warriner, Tim Horne and Kev Hoy on 28/12/1996

 

[pwhole]

At the risk of sounding a philistine (!), couldn't some of those boulders in the passage just be capped and have done with it? I'm all for purity and such, but if it's that horrible, and rescue is impossible, couldn't we try and make it just possible? I'd love to see the pitches too, but I tried the passage once and gave up after 50m, though we had just done Colostomy Crawl to get there, and were going to be doing it on the return too. No biggie of course as there's plenty of other stuff to do, but it seems to me that in terms of the system and the location, the pitches are the most important part, and could do with more visits and accurate documentation, especially if there's an unworked vein in there.

 

[Scud]

For the record, it was surveyed by myself, Dave Warriner, Tim Horne and Kev Hoy on 28/12/1996

I'm sure Robbie and Matt did some surveying up there as well. I can remember them processing the data in survex but could be wrong.

 

[TomTom]

Would be interesting to see the comparison of surveys, I can imagine it was a right faff to survey in some of those contorted positions.

 

[MarkS]

At the risk of sounding a philistine (!), couldn't some of those boulders in the passage just be capped and have done with it?

I found it was just the relentless nature of the passage that made it hard going. I think there would have to be a lot of capping (not to mention dragging out the spoil) to make it much more accessible. There were no genuinely tight bits before the pitches.

 

[Rob]

For the record, it was surveyed by myself, Dave Warriner, Tim Horne and Kev Hoy on 28/12/1996

I'm sure Robbie and Matt did some surveying up there as well. I can remember them processing the data in survex but could be wrong.

My understanding is the Robbie and Matt started where the previous team gave up.... (before the bottom of the pitches)

 

[matt_ryan]

For the record, it was surveyed by myself, Dave Warriner, Tim Horne and Kev Hoy on 28/12/1996

I'm sure Robbie and Matt did some surveying up there as well. I can remember them processing the data in survex but could be wrong.

My understanding is the Robbie and Matt started where the previous team gave up.... (before the bottom of the pitches)

Apologies for the very delayed reply. I don't read ukcaving.com much these days and I've just come across a link pointing out this thread to me on Facebook (which I also don't read much these days). From recollection Robbie and I surveyed from about halfway along the passage (where a previous team gave up) to the bottom of the chamber where Moose and co. had surveyed up the pitches. In places a ruler would have been about as useful as the tape measure...

I remember a radio-location trip there as well, but have no recollection of passing the bend that stopped Moose and T-pot. I'm sure I'd have remembered (and hopefully written up) and new cave.

Relentless rather than anything particularly hard. Pity anyone who wants to drag a P-bolting kit in though, I suspect it may stay on the DCA list forever.

 

[aquamole jim]

DCA are going to look at it, the Pilkingtons series was the same till a TSG/ Eldon team replaced the spits and original rope with resin anchors, stainless maillions and new 10mm rope.
It cost a lot of money till DCA stepped in! DCA have a long list of jobs but they are aware I believe ?

 

[Pete K]

Yep, DCA are aware and it's on list I believe.
Pete
DCA Projects

 

[Logismos]

Myself and a SUSS team went in yesterday and re-bolted the pitches with new Stainless fittings, along with a brand new 10mm Petzl Club. We decided that P-bolts weren't going to happen, and that stainless thru-bolts would be much better than the 90's bolts.
I'm sure there'll be an announcement of some sort, on some channels, but I thought best to add the information to this thread for ease of access.

Astonishingly, 4/5 of the team are actually willing to go bac. Whilst I have mostly spent the day today making sad noises and sleeping, it's going to take some real self-control not to return ASAP and push some of the leads there. If anyone has more information than what's in this thread (an old write-up for example) please do get in touch!

 

[Logismos]

I'd love an answer to the "shrine" question, for example: https://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?threads/assault-course.24985/
Or any information on the survey, such as original sketches. I have the Therion data used for the current Peak-Speedwell model, but it's just walls (not that I'd blame the original surveyors if that's all they drew )

 

[Logismos]

I would also be very interested if anyone knows about the bolt climb and passage opposite the first pitch of A Grand Day Out. I nipped up and saw that the mud is little-disturbed, and there's a crawling passage going on from the top. No survey of this section seems to exist anywhere.
FYI. It's currently rigged very sketchily, so nobody should really go up until it's been rebolted, which I plan to do at some point.

 

[Logismos]

I've written up the trip here, if anyone wants a read: https://www.shefcavers.org.uk/2025/09/21/assault-course-re-rigging-and-re-bolting/

I should note too that the funding for the new rigging came from the Peak Cavern keyholder funds, and that we did the work as part of my being a Peak Keyholder. That's where your yearly pound goes

 

[Scud]

I'd love an answer to the "shrine" question, for example: https://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?threads/assault-course.24985/
Or any information on the survey, such as original sketches. I have the Therion data used for the current Peak-Speedwell model, but it's just walls (not that I'd blame the original surveyors if that's all they drew )

If the survey data / original sketches exist, I will have them on my computer at home so will look this evening and email them to you.

I would also be very interested if anyone knows about the bolt climb and passage opposite the first pitch of A Grand Day Out. I nipped up and saw that the mud is little-disturbed, and there's a crawling passage going on from the top. No survey of this section seems to exist anywhere.
FYI. It's currently rigged very sketchily, so nobody should really go up until it's been rebolted, which I plan to do at some point.

I am sure this was climbed by Tim Horne and another, maybe Robbie Shone I remember the trip occurring and i am sure there is a reference to it in Descent or maybe DCA newsletter as back then, I used to publish a summary of happenings in the system in the newsletter. As a last resort, I may have made a note of the trip in my own diaries. I will check these later. I can't imagine it has been surveyed but please do survey it and we can add it to the survey.

 

[Dave O]

I ascended the rope in around 2012 and had a brief look at the crawls above, mainly to attempt to find a new belay as I was too scared to do a changeover due to the state of the pitch head spit and hanger. Looked promising and I'm surprised it hasn't been made safe and seen more traffic. Very good news to hear that Grand Day Out has been re-bolted as it is a beautiful pitch section. Having read this thread, while I absolutely agree that it is at the end of an arduous section of caving and any form of rescue would be desperate / unthinkable, the assault course is also a highly enjoyable section of cave and a classic of its kind. I am not small, I am of a relatively claustrophobic nature and I don't do many tight caves (certainly not any more), neither do I sandbag people. However, I was very happy being at the sharp end and getting to Grand Day Out with no prior knowledge. I agree with MarkS, relentless yes, tight no. Unless absolutely required (rescue), it would be a shame if this classic test-piece were altered, to the detriment of future cavers.

 

[Scud]

If the survey data / original sketches exist, I will have them on my computer at home so will look this evening and email them to you.



I am sure this was climbed by Tim Horne and another, maybe Robbie Shone I remember the trip occurring and i am sure there is a reference to it in Descent or maybe DCA newsletter as back then, I used to publish a summary of happenings in the system in the newsletter. As a last resort, I may have made a note of the trip in my own diaries. I will check these later. I can't imagine it has been surveyed but please do survey it and we can add it to the survey.

The aven was climbed on 4th August 2001 by Kev Hoy, to discover 40ft of new passage. It was published in DCA Newsletter No 112.