Wretched Rabbit Entrance Repairs

[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.

After reading the following comments I realise how silly my question was re the pipe, obviously it will be the new entrance pipe, however like others I thought it looked too small to crawl through so assumed it was for diverting water or something 😄🫠

 

[Babyhagrid]

The gate halfway will restrict it a little.

Is WR going to be gated then?

 

[hannahb]

The pipe in the photo is the entrance pipe before it was cut down to approx 4 metres length. It's plenty big enough to crawl through and pass a stretcher through. The folk who are leading the work have done a lot of thinking and planning.

No, it is not going to be gated!

 

[andywebman]

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

Yes, 600

 

[andywebman]

More progress made.Right hand side is now walled up and cemented to support the roof and left hand side is almost complete. Need more cement bags to carry over to the entrance. Drystone walling next then fit pipe and back fill to support the overhanging frost shattered cliff face

 

[andywebman]

Is WR going to be gated then?

Gated! Are you having a naff!

 

[Loki]

Gated! Are you having a naff!

Take control! 🤪

 

[andywebman]

Work is progressing well and we have now supported the entrance sides with cemented walling using local stones, the pipe has been fitted and back filling on top of the pipe has started. This will help to support the unstable cliff above when complete.The entrance is still not open but so please keep away for the time being. Thanks to all those passing cavers who have taken bags of cement to the entrance

 

[CNCC]

Thank you to everyone involved in this! Clearly a substantial engineering project, being done to a great standard. 👏

 

[Long Drop]

Good effort! (But am i the only one wondering what Orange and Grey were arguing about? )

 

[Cantclimbtom]

The pipe in the photo is the entrance pipe before it was cut down to approx 4 metres length. It's plenty big enough to crawl through and pass a stretcher through. The folk who are leading the work have done a lot of thinking and planning.

No, it is not going to be gated!

why not gated? stop kids/dogs etc falling down things.
Provided of course that something equivalent to the "Derbyshire key" system is adopted. Perhaps renamed "Dales key" to avoid politics, ,maybe even "clé anglaise" to be non regional (and sound posh/classy)

 

[Greybeard]

You are entitled to your opinion even if you are wrong.

 

[rm128]

why not gated? stop kids/dogs etc falling down

One does indeed have to be careful of slippery slopes that kids, dogs etc.. could fall down.

But sending an entire caving region down an even bigger slippery slope may not be the best answer.

 

[alastairgott]

Thank you for letting me look at the work you’ve been putting in here. It was great to hear Ray and Sam telling me and Mark Foster all about their work about 15years ago in spiral staircase in wretched and about Ray’s involvement with committee pot.

 

[Fulk]

why not gated? stop kids/dogs etc falling down things.

Given its location, I doubt very much that you'd get lots of kids and/or dogs swanning around the entrance and getting into trouble.

 

[RobinGriffiths]

I've come to the conslusion that the number of people you encounter on paths - even things like coastal paths falls rapidly and exponentially with distance from car park.

 

[Fulk]

Hi Robin, try climbing Snowdon!!

Here's a view a few metres below the summit on a rather grey, gloomy day last year (3rd March, as it happens):

 

[RobinGriffiths]

Yes. Point taken. However honeypots notwithstanding...

 

[TheBitterEnd]

Hi Robin, try climbing Snowdon!!

Here's a view a few metres below the summit on a rather grey, gloomy day last year (3rd March, as it happens):

That's the next project after the entrance repairs



A railway across the fell 😁

 

[andywebman]

The work on the entrance is now virtually complete. Some minor work needed to cement the inside end of the pipe plus a shockproof entrance lid to be made/aquired. Anyone got anything suitable with a hole to allow bats through?