cap n chris
Well-known member
Cavers: Robin Gray, Barry Hulatt, Danny Burnett, Steve Windsor, Andy Pollard, Dani Gorman, Chris Binding
It was a wild and windy Wednesday evening and not remotely in keeping with the month of June as we met in the windswept desolate carpark at the Charterhouse Centre where all was quiet and the birds had long since been swept to their deaths by tumultuous hurricanes. Many a goosebump was on view as the bare-ass-naked cavers jumped promptly into their wet cave gear, ready for the warmth and gorgeousness ahead. En route, we popped up to visit the handy work done by MCG who have taken over the abandoned dig on John Small's land as one approaches the reserve - a very tidy job they've made of it too - well done all round!
We then arrive at Waterwheel and I spend a fiddly five minutes faffing around with the effing padlock (I really must learn to take off my rubber gloves... it would save so much time) and then we all climb down the fixed rungs and descend into the pleasant cosy cave. Andy Pollard had never been here before so at least we had one newbie along for the fun as we make our way to the head of the boulder ruckly clambers down which we make good fast progress to the drop slot and then the stoop under the stal straws into the rift and down into the first "pond" where the levels could have been higher if the previous visitors had managed to slot the bung back in nice and snug (which they hadn't); OH WELL. Never mind. We left that bung in (and got it seated properly so it would fill up) and then made our way down Black Gour Chamber to the main event.... the long wet tube swim/crawl. It didn't look too high to me but I donned my neoprene balaclava anyway (just in case) and quickly found it was only about half full... DAMN AND BLAST... this meant that our newbie wouldn't be experiencing the full effect of this feature of the cave on his first trip (Never mind, Andy, you'll just have to come back again sometime and check out the horror for yourself on another occasion). We had brought a new mechanical bung to fit here later so that in future it will always be NICE AND BRIM FULL for everyone to enjoy el maximus.
Pulling out the plug means we at least have some white water to accompany our continuing journey past the next dam (where the plug usually gets left in anyway) and down the cascade to the head of the pitches. We rig the main one and all apart from myself and Mr. Robin of Loxley descend and head off down Pattay-Hann aven for a pointless explore to the bitter end. The final dam is still leaking majorly and is probably going to have to be a big effort if it is ever to be restored to its former glory. Ho hum.
All clamber back up without major mishap (apart from Barry getting off the wrong side of the ladder and then having to untwirl the lifeline involving a little pirouette manoeuvre).
All that remains is the simple return journey. Made slightly less simple by the group taking not one, but two, wrong turns on the way out (I managed to overtake them and make my own way out, ahead of Mr. Farty-bum who was in front of me at precisely the wrong time on several occasions, "Jesus wept!" cough, splutter, "Boiled Cabbage for luncheon, perchance?").
Finally gasped my way to the surface to be greeted by a grey, dull, windy and unwelcoming crappy English summer's evening; however, it was a fun little trip and a good turn out for our club on a mid-week. Everyone now knows where NOT to go when climbing out so perhaps a few more exciting wet trips are in the offing for those members who may be cajoled into joining future trips here.
What a fine little moist hole you are. Water-wheelie-nice-cave.
We all popped in to the Galleries afterwards for a refreshing drinky-pints .... and more pints too ... and wrote a few comments in the club log book as well.
It was a wild and windy Wednesday evening and not remotely in keeping with the month of June as we met in the windswept desolate carpark at the Charterhouse Centre where all was quiet and the birds had long since been swept to their deaths by tumultuous hurricanes. Many a goosebump was on view as the bare-ass-naked cavers jumped promptly into their wet cave gear, ready for the warmth and gorgeousness ahead. En route, we popped up to visit the handy work done by MCG who have taken over the abandoned dig on John Small's land as one approaches the reserve - a very tidy job they've made of it too - well done all round!
We then arrive at Waterwheel and I spend a fiddly five minutes faffing around with the effing padlock (I really must learn to take off my rubber gloves... it would save so much time) and then we all climb down the fixed rungs and descend into the pleasant cosy cave. Andy Pollard had never been here before so at least we had one newbie along for the fun as we make our way to the head of the boulder ruckly clambers down which we make good fast progress to the drop slot and then the stoop under the stal straws into the rift and down into the first "pond" where the levels could have been higher if the previous visitors had managed to slot the bung back in nice and snug (which they hadn't); OH WELL. Never mind. We left that bung in (and got it seated properly so it would fill up) and then made our way down Black Gour Chamber to the main event.... the long wet tube swim/crawl. It didn't look too high to me but I donned my neoprene balaclava anyway (just in case) and quickly found it was only about half full... DAMN AND BLAST... this meant that our newbie wouldn't be experiencing the full effect of this feature of the cave on his first trip (Never mind, Andy, you'll just have to come back again sometime and check out the horror for yourself on another occasion). We had brought a new mechanical bung to fit here later so that in future it will always be NICE AND BRIM FULL for everyone to enjoy el maximus.
Pulling out the plug means we at least have some white water to accompany our continuing journey past the next dam (where the plug usually gets left in anyway) and down the cascade to the head of the pitches. We rig the main one and all apart from myself and Mr. Robin of Loxley descend and head off down Pattay-Hann aven for a pointless explore to the bitter end. The final dam is still leaking majorly and is probably going to have to be a big effort if it is ever to be restored to its former glory. Ho hum.
All clamber back up without major mishap (apart from Barry getting off the wrong side of the ladder and then having to untwirl the lifeline involving a little pirouette manoeuvre).
All that remains is the simple return journey. Made slightly less simple by the group taking not one, but two, wrong turns on the way out (I managed to overtake them and make my own way out, ahead of Mr. Farty-bum who was in front of me at precisely the wrong time on several occasions, "Jesus wept!" cough, splutter, "Boiled Cabbage for luncheon, perchance?").
Finally gasped my way to the surface to be greeted by a grey, dull, windy and unwelcoming crappy English summer's evening; however, it was a fun little trip and a good turn out for our club on a mid-week. Everyone now knows where NOT to go when climbing out so perhaps a few more exciting wet trips are in the offing for those members who may be cajoled into joining future trips here.
What a fine little moist hole you are. Water-wheelie-nice-cave.
We all popped in to the Galleries afterwards for a refreshing drinky-pints .... and more pints too ... and wrote a few comments in the club log book as well.