Top 10 UK Caving Trips

[danthecavingman]

One of my best trips ever was Main Rising via Treasury and the Speedwell Stremaway. Treasury was straightforward when I went through though.

Dan.

 

[cavermark]

I always think the mixture of mining history and stonking natural cavity found in JH is worth seeing.

 

[cavermark]

And if you wanted to make it truly a British Isles tour then Claonite in Scotland is a cool cave in an awesome place.

 

[dunc]

Obviously the Grand Traverse should be on the list - Pipikin to Top Sink, an absolute classic and (currently) the longest through trip in the UK  

Bye George has already been mentioned but how about doing it via Peterson for something different?

Talking of different, how about some of the classic mine trips to be had in this country, I'd put Milwr Tunnel taking in the Limestone Workings and Powels Lode high up in a worthy list..

 

[Langthwaite Pot]

A Dales only selection for the connoiseur:

Penyghent Pot (obviously)
King Pot
Juniper Gulf
Top Sink to Pippikin
Peterson Pot - Bye George (character building)
Marble Sink
Simpson's Pot - Valley Entrance (wet weather)
Gingling Hole
Crescent Pot (obviously)
Knock Fell Caverns (I'd like to replace this with Birks Fell, but I haven't done it yet.)

George.

 

[MSD]

Hmmm Crescent Pot wouldn't be on my list. Don't get me wrong, it's a good trip and pretty hard, but it doesn't have much reward at the bottom, nor does it exactly invite you back for a second go!

My list for the Dales (again, in no particular order)

Hammer Pot
Gingling Hole
Pen y Ghent Pot
Ireby Fell Cavern
free choice of a through trip in Easegill (take your pick!)
Lost John's
Meregill Hole
Black Shiver Pot
Simpsons-Swinsto exchange
Juniper Gulf

For some reason I'm prejudiced against GG.....don't know why, the place just doesn't turn me on. Notts and King both almost made it, but if there is only room for 10, some tough choices have to be made. Ireby is easy, but Duke Street is a very fine piece of passage and every foreign visiter I've taken there has loved the place. I think a lot of people avoid the place because it seems to attract idiots, not because the cave is crap in itself (I performed one rescue of a hung-up caver, returned a lost rack to its rightful owner and caught a tackle sack being thrown back down the first pitch by yet another hapless caver on my last visit there!).

I've not included diving trips, but obviously if I did then Kingsdale - Keld Head would be there!

Mark

 

[Langthwaite Pot]

Hmmm Crescent Pot wouldn't be on my list. Don't get me wrong, it's a good trip and pretty hard, but it doesn't have much reward at the bottom, nor does it exactly invite you back for a second go!

What! Is not such a fine duck reward enough??

Black Shiver almost made my list instead of CP, but I only did it a month ago and I think that great trips need to mature in the brain for a bit first before a proper judgement can be reached!

GN.

 

[damian]

(I performed one rescue of a hung-up caver, returned a lost rack to its rightful owner and caught a tackle sack being thrown back down the first pitch by yet another hapless caver on my last visit there!).

A pretty impressive effort! I didn't know there were enough people still caving in the Dales these days to actually meet another party underground.  :-\

Damian.

 

[gus horsley]

Talking of different, how about some of the classic mine trips to be had in this country, I'd put Milwr Tunnel taking in the Limestone Workings and Powels Lode high up in a worthy list..

I'd agree with Milwr Tunnel.  Also:

Coniston Copper Mines
Nenthead Mines (Smallcleugh)
Lunehead Mine
Minera Mines (Cabin Shaft)
Cwmystwyth Mine (Level Fawr, Taylor's Level)
Cystannog Mine
Devon great Consols
County Adit
Wheal Bellan (No 1 Shaft)

 

[wildsurf]

My Top 10 based on personal experience only:-

Aggy round trip
Swildons short round trip
Giants round trip (plus visit to canals)
OFD through trip Cwm Dwr to OFD1
Easegyll grand traverse
Dow -> Providence
GG direct (or Dihedral) -> Stream Passage with a visit to Mud Hall and Avalanche Inlet
Black Shiver Pot
Simpsons Pot
White Scar

 

[Frog2]

My top 10, in no particular order:

Lost John's
GG (main chamber is simply awe inspriing)
Giants Round Trip
Cwmdwr to OFDII
Craig y Ffynnon
Draenen Short Round (eventually)
Daren (Antlers)
Fisher Steet Pot - St Katherines (OK I know its in Ireland)
Swinsto - Valley
Swildons - short round

 

[whitelackington]

Slaughter streamway, in extreme flood,
started while we were in there,
bloody scary.

 

[spikey]

On the subject of classic mine trips, it's nice to see that Cwmystwyth gets a mention, but I would have suggested the trip into Pugh's - in through Rosa Level (about 400ft up the hillside from the old dressing plant, and down to the sough level (Mitchell's?? ). Lots of SRT in big stopes, and no easy way out, apart from back up the same way  :yucky:

I cut my caving teeth in Cwmystwyth in the 80's, and spent many happy (???) hours surveying at the back of the mine. It's a pity that it seems access is now dodgy as there are some great trips, and loads of artifacts that are well worth seeing.

On another note, is it still possible to get to the waterwheel in Cwm  Einion (?)

 

[rich]

On the subject of classic mine trips, it's nice to see that Cwmystwyth gets a mention, but I would have suggested the trip into Pugh's - in through Rosa Level (about 400ft up the hillside from the old dressing plant, and down to the sough level (Mitchell's?? ). Lots of SRT in big stopes, and no easy way out, apart from back up the same way  :yucky:

I think Rosa is still accessible, though it was getting very dodgy when I went in. The big collapse in Lefel Fawr has rather put me off mining in Cwmystwyth.

 

[spikey]

On the subject of classic mine trips, it's nice to see that Cwmystwyth gets a mention, but I would have suggested the trip into Pugh's - in through Rosa Level (about 400ft up the hillside from the old dressing plant, and down to the sough level (Mitchell's?? ). Lots of SRT in big stopes, and no easy way out, apart from back up the same way  :yucky:

I think Rosa is still accessible, though it was getting very dodgy when I went in. The big collapse in Lefel Fawr has rather put me off mining in Cwmystwyth.

Thanks Rich, although I was more referring to the posts on the "Wales" section of the forum which suggested that many (all?) of the entrances had now been grilled.

 

[gus horsley]

On the subject of classic mine trips, it's nice to see that Cwmystwyth gets a mention, but I would have suggested the trip into Pugh's - in through Rosa Level (about 400ft up the hillside from the old dressing plant, and down to the sough level (Mitchell's?? ). Lots of SRT in big stopes, and no easy way out, apart from back up the same way  :yucky:

I cut my caving teeth in Cwmystwyth in the 80's, and spent many happy (???) hours surveying at the back of the mine. It's a pity that it seems access is now dodgy as there are some great trips, and loads of artifacts that are well worth seeing.

On another note, is it still possible to get to the waterwheel in Cwm  Einion (?)

I did plenty of trips into Cwmystwyth decades ago.  Never did Rosa but I did manage to once find a way through from Graig Fawr into Level Fawr which was quite hairy and which also disappeared the following month.  Griag fawr had several red kites nesting in it at the time.

 

[spikey]

Was Graig Fawr the huge open stope above the incline in Lefel Fawr? - if this is the case I'm not surprised you found it hairy!!!. I used to get jelly legs abseiling down Herbert's Stope further up the valley, and that was not particularly loose, although that may have been down to watching the belay sling slide slowly up the rock it was wrapped round, as various people descended.

I've got quite a few photos of various trips in Cwmystwyth - If I can find them, I'll attempt to post some of them.

 

[spikey]

After much faffing around, managed to upload this picture of Herbert's Stope at Cwmystwyth. 120ft to the floor, and the mobile belay tape clearly visible on the left!!

Definitely a not-to-be-recommended type of belay, but it was backed up to some extremely large stakes.