Wretched Rabbit Entrance Repairs

[andywebman]

This weekend we have started the long awaited repairs to the entrance. This is a major undertaking and will take a few weeks. First we had to get all the materials to the entrance. This was done by Alan Middleton at Leck Fell House and completed on Saturday by RRCPC members. The cliff face has been shorted up with scaffolding and a substantial dam built around the entrance to WW and New Cave. Work continues. Please keep away for the time being. The entrance is still unsafe. We will post updates here as things progress

 

[Goydenman]

Important work....thanks to all involved. Looks like you are making a good job of it

 

[andywebman]

More work done Sunday and the plastic pipe is now on site

 

[Babyhagrid]

Exciting news as someone who started caving after wretched got closed. My dad keeps recommending it to me as a classic route for easegill 😂

 

[chunky]

Great news. Thanks to all involved. Look forward to having it re-opened 👍

 

[langcliffe]

Exciting news as someone who started caving after wretched got closed. My dad keeps recommending it to me as a classic route for easegill 😂

You mean you haven't yet found yourself sliding helplessly into the depths when attempting the traverse of despair?

You will!

 

[Babyhagrid]

You mean you haven't yet found yourself sliding helplessly into the depths when attempting the traverse of despair?

You will!

Sounds like a Yorkshire classic😂

I can't wait

 

[andywebman]

Work continues on the repairs. A rather wet day yesterday. We now have the pipe and all materials onsite and a trench is being dug to accommodate it. This will be back filled to support the cliff

 

[JasonC]

You mean you haven't yet found yourself sliding helplessly into the depths when attempting the traverse of despair?

You will!

I must say this confused me. I'm reasonably familiar with WR (pre-collapse), but haven't had this experience, and am now concerned I've missed out...

 

[Loki]

Maybe he’s Referring to any easegill thru-trip 😉

 

[Loki]

Although Pool sink pull through to (pre-rigged) Lancaster via the main drain is particularly fine.

 

[radddogg]

Thank you for undertaking this work. There will be queues when it's completed 🙂

May I ask what the cause of the collapse and plan for rectification is? I'm interested how the plastic pipe will be used.

 

[andywebman]

Thank you for undertaking this work. There will be queues when it's completed 🙂

May I ask what the cause of the collapse and plan for rectification is? I'm interested how the plastic pipe will be used.

The cliff above the entrance has weathered (frost shattered) and slid down. The roof of the entrance is in thinly bedded fossiliferous limestone and prone to collapse. This will be supported inside and anchors put in the roof. Four metres of pipe will be put into the entrance and the area around it back filled with gravel and then rubble to support the cliff and then turfed over.

 

[radddogg]

The cliff above the entrance has weathered (frost shattered) and slid down. The roof of the entrance is in thinly bedded fossiliferous limestone and prone to collapse. This will be supported inside and anchors put in the roof. Four metres of pipe will be put into the entrance and the area around it back filled with gravel and then rubble to support the cliff and then turfed over.

Thanks for the detail. I'd seen the entrance before the work started but it wasn't clear what was being done to rectify it.

 

[Steve Clark]

Without a proper sense of scale, is it just me that's optimistically assuming that's a 600dia pipe rather than a 450?

 

[Cantclimbtom]

Without a proper sense of scale, is it just me that's optimistically assuming that's a 600dia pipe rather than a 450?

I was wondering the same from that pic, but too scared to ask until you raised it

 

[andrewmcleod]

Without a proper sense of scale, is it just me that's optimistically assuming that's a 600dia pipe rather than a 450?

On the assumption that is a 4m pipe, which I measured as 712 pixels long and 86 wide, then that's 5.618mm/px giving me about a 480mm external diameter. So based on that extremely rough estimate, I may have some bad news for you...

 

[Steve Clark]

Well, it looks like a full length with collar & spigot and I reckon twin wall pipe generally only comes in 3 or 6m lengths so your maths is actually reassuring…..maybe.

The tube at Valley is 600mm I think. Boxhead is probably the same given that my femur is slightly too long to climb the steps cut in it.

450mm would be pretty snug!

 

[snebbit]

450mm would be pretty snug!

Steve I crawled through the pipe on our way up to Boundary last week, it was spacious enough for comfortable hands and knees crawling and I'm a big lad. I can't imagine you'd have to worry. I'd bet a pint on it being 600mm or more

 

[Loki]

The gate halfway will restrict it a little.