whitelackington
New member
Les W said:
You do not need any extra equipment to ascend Drunken Horse Inlet, a three metre vertical free climb.
Beware, best to not enter Mountbatten Chamber, bits of the ceiling drop off
You do not need any extra equipment to ascend Drunken Horse Inlet, a three metre vertical free climb.
Beware, best to not enter Mountbatten Chamber, bits of the ceiling drop off
D
darkplaces
Guest
Your welcome to join Darkplaces and we can arrange trips to caves I know, and mines too if that does it for you.New Phil said:
Scub that, you dont even need to join DP just sort out a free evening and tick em off.
The Book - Mendip Underground - is what you want, ideally to visit with someone who has visited the cave before. Try Cuckoo Cleeves, needs a ladder for entry and a gas axe for the lid, sorry key.
G
grand-moff
Guest
Waterwheel is a great little cave if you can get hold of the key and a 10 meter ladder
cap n chris
Well-known member
+ 20m lifeline & 5m approach belay
G
grand-moff
Guest
Sorry cap'n forgot to mention that doh!
cap n chris
Well-known member
Also you'll probably want a wetsuit!
G
grand-moff
Guest
I went down in thermals, fleece top and bottoms(Don't have a furry yet) and warmbac oversuit and was plenty warm enough although I have plenty of my own insulation .So I would probably concur if your slight a wetsuit would be a top idea
.So I would probably concur if your slight a wetsuit would be a top idea
N
New Phil
Guest
cool, all that should keep me busy in the next couple of weeks...
anyone who has a trip on this week and has space for 1 more please let me know
anyone who has a trip on this week and has space for 1 more please let me know
D
Downer
Guest
Hmm...
Mendip has a lot of good caves that are quite do-able by relatively new cavers even if the guide book does say "VDC".
Goatchurch, IMO is now a difficult cave because all the climbs ars so slippery. I have never done the final series, the squeeze looks and sounds ghastly.
Rod's Pot. Good cave.
Swildon's - get through Sump One and visit Sump Two! Or look at the Black Hole. You can even tackle the Short Round Trip suitably attired as long as you have someone with you who knows it, but it does rather depend on whether the Mud Sump and Troubles are passable. Don't be put off by names like "Greasy Chimney", it's an easy climb.
GB needs a key but is another must-do. The climb down the rocks in Main Chamber is slightly awkward for beginners and I like to use a handline - more for going down than coming up. You are then in some BIG cave! The extension to Bat Passage is optional but worth the effort. It's not really hard, just needs standing on someone's back to get a short ladder onto the hanging chain and then some ingenuity to get to the top of the chain!
Eastwater. Another must. If you are short of tackle, the Thirteen Pots is a good trip. Take a short rope just in case. With tackle you can do the Twin Verts or the Dolphin Pot route and get into some serious bits of cave. Nothing pretty until you go deep down to Regent Street (which is a bit of a slog) but it's an awe-inspiring cave.
Charterhouse, Reservoir Hole and Upper Flood need leaders but are beautiful caves.
Likewise, get a leader from the BEC to take you round St Cuthbert's. It's a tough cave and has some amazing decorations, you will enjoy it. You may even get a sporty trip crawling under the Beehive and trecking down to Sump Two, depending on the weather.
Yup, there's plenty under Mendip, some places are better known than others. Hope my memory is Ok.
Mendip has a lot of good caves that are quite do-able by relatively new cavers even if the guide book does say "VDC".
Goatchurch, IMO is now a difficult cave because all the climbs ars so slippery. I have never done the final series, the squeeze looks and sounds ghastly.
Rod's Pot. Good cave.
Swildon's - get through Sump One and visit Sump Two! Or look at the Black Hole. You can even tackle the Short Round Trip suitably attired as long as you have someone with you who knows it, but it does rather depend on whether the Mud Sump and Troubles are passable. Don't be put off by names like "Greasy Chimney", it's an easy climb.
GB needs a key but is another must-do. The climb down the rocks in Main Chamber is slightly awkward for beginners and I like to use a handline - more for going down than coming up. You are then in some BIG cave! The extension to Bat Passage is optional but worth the effort. It's not really hard, just needs standing on someone's back to get a short ladder onto the hanging chain and then some ingenuity to get to the top of the chain!
Eastwater. Another must. If you are short of tackle, the Thirteen Pots is a good trip. Take a short rope just in case. With tackle you can do the Twin Verts or the Dolphin Pot route and get into some serious bits of cave. Nothing pretty until you go deep down to Regent Street (which is a bit of a slog) but it's an awe-inspiring cave.
Charterhouse, Reservoir Hole and Upper Flood need leaders but are beautiful caves.
Likewise, get a leader from the BEC to take you round St Cuthbert's. It's a tough cave and has some amazing decorations, you will enjoy it. You may even get a sporty trip crawling under the Beehive and trecking down to Sump Two, depending on the weather.
Yup, there's plenty under Mendip, some places are better known than others. Hope my memory is Ok.
Les W
Active member
You need a ladder to get to the 13 Pots. (You have to go down one of the pitches - Dolphin or Twin Verts (I believe you could also go via Mortens Pot, return up the West End series to Ifolds Series and then descend the 13 Pots from there but that is too contrived and very extreme - still needs tackle as wellDowner said:
))
D
Downer
Guest
OK, thanks for that correction. I knew my memory was dicey!
D
Downer
Guest
"All of the 'pitches' in GC are easy free-climbs suitable for children."
Last time I went to Goatchurch - 10ish years ago, I cheerfully slid down the coffin lid to show how it's done and nearly fell down an unexpected dig at the end. What was that about? Anyone?
Last time I went to Goatchurch - 10ish years ago, I cheerfully slid down the coffin lid to show how it's done and nearly fell down an unexpected dig at the end. What was that about? Anyone?
N
New Phil
Guest
bat passage was great. We did that on Sunday...
I don't know about standing on someones back at ladder dig though... there is a lower bolt that is just a slight stretch.
East Water didn't sound like a particulary interesting cave do people recommend it?
I'm working my way towards the round trip in Swildons... I went through to sump two about 3 or 4 weeks ago, and I went and found trapmans temple and the first mud sump at the end of last week. I will probably make a trip on thursday and work backwards until I reach the troubles; apparently it is easy to go down the wrong hole when you are trying to get back down to the landing.
I don't know about standing on someones back at ladder dig though... there is a lower bolt that is just a slight stretch.
East Water didn't sound like a particulary interesting cave do people recommend it?
I'm working my way towards the round trip in Swildons... I went through to sump two about 3 or 4 weeks ago, and I went and found trapmans temple and the first mud sump at the end of last week. I will probably make a trip on thursday and work backwards until I reach the troubles; apparently it is easy to go down the wrong hole when you are trying to get back down to the landing.
A
andymorgan
Guest
To me any cave is interesting! I would recommend it: it is like Goatchurch, just deeper, tighter, etc. If you like standing up straight in a cave then maybe give it a miss...New Phil said:
D
Downer
Guest
I think Eastwater is a really great cave. The reason people don't rate it is because of the lack of decorations and because it's rather tough going most of the time. But it is an exhilarating cave - especially if you try Dolphin Pot without tackle as, ahem, someone here suggested. (Joke!) An experienced friend of mine did something similar - he fell off the ladder there, twice. Once on the way down and once on the way up. Proper lifelining is essential IMO. You will definitely find some stuff tricky, especially if you push down to the lower series. There's a nice traverse en route (not the upper one) - more of a very steep slope really, but scary as hell to some people, we are all different. Good cave, honestly.
whitelackington
New member
Quiddler's Arch
try it,
it's a corker 8)
try it,
it's a corker 8)
ian.p
Active member
dolphin is free climbable its the 30 foot pitch after that that isnt
and yes eastwaters a lovely cave it has realy nice smooth shiney black limstone pasige and its an excelent wrigle however it is an arduos cave go with somone whos been there before and be fairly generos with youre call out as its common for people to underestimate the time it will take to do a trip in this cave
and yes eastwaters a lovely cave it has realy nice smooth shiney black limstone pasige and its an excelent wrigle however it is an arduos cave go with somone whos been there before and be fairly generos with youre call out as its common for people to underestimate the time it will take to do a trip in this cave
cap n chris
Well-known member
Considering the nature of the original post on this thread I'd be circumspect about stating that Dolphin Pot is free climbable.
D
Downer
Guest
Don't rely on people getting the names right - logically the (free) climb would be called Dolphin Chimney and the (ladder) pitch, Dolphin Pot or Pitch but the term Dolphin Pot seems to be applied indiscriminately to both. I've been told adamantly that the name actually belongs to the freeclimb chimney.
I thought I'd posted some more details for Phil or anyone else doing Dolphin, - I wonder where it ended up :/
As I recall, the free climb is easy, comfortably tucked into the chimney, until you get to the bottom where it bells out. Going down, gravity helps you at this point - rather too much - but returning is awkward. However, I did this route after about 18 months of sporadic caving and I was probably twice Phil's age and unfit - he should be OK from the sound of it, but a rope is a good idea especially for the return. Personally, I find a handline just makes me swing about at the bottom so I can't use my feet. After ten minutes of dangling and getting my arms tired, I just go for it, ignoring the rope or crudely self-lining with an IH for the first couple of meters. I do like to use an IH going down though: you can climb or hang as you please in the chimney for a pleasant ride and comfortably ab the last couple of meters on your belt. There are also belays lower down that you could use if you're short of rope though I haven't tried that.
Is that sort of stuff any help or should I shut up?
I thought I'd posted some more details for Phil or anyone else doing Dolphin, - I wonder where it ended up :/
As I recall, the free climb is easy, comfortably tucked into the chimney, until you get to the bottom where it bells out. Going down, gravity helps you at this point - rather too much - but returning is awkward. However, I did this route after about 18 months of sporadic caving and I was probably twice Phil's age and unfit - he should be OK from the sound of it, but a rope is a good idea especially for the return. Personally, I find a handline just makes me swing about at the bottom so I can't use my feet. After ten minutes of dangling and getting my arms tired, I just go for it, ignoring the rope or crudely self-lining with an IH for the first couple of meters. I do like to use an IH going down though: you can climb or hang as you please in the chimney for a pleasant ride and comfortably ab the last couple of meters on your belt. There are also belays lower down that you could use if you're short of rope though I haven't tried that.
Is that sort of stuff any help or should I shut up?
cap n chris
Well-known member
that's vewwy helpful, I reckon