Your favourite SRT trips in the dales?

[porgzilla]

Hi,
I'm curious to what people like about an srt trip but to also cultivate a list of ones to do:

Rowten was my first through the eyehole (Wow!)
but I also love the variety and exposure of Rat Hole

What do you all think and which ones should be on a hit list.

Disclaimer: I do like a muddy crawl too

 

[Ian P]

Down Dihedral and back up the winch is definitely in my top 3

 

[Babyhagrid]

Black shiver has some excellent SRT with the black rift being a real highlight for its atmosphere and scale

 

[Samouse1]

Personally I like a pitch that's fun to rig, I like swinging about a bit! Atmospheric places can be good too, with spray and such.

-Kendal Flyover in Boxhead, a very fun rig and route down.
-Little Hull, the big pitch is just a spectacular place to be
-Juniper Gulf, again, the final pitch is just spectacular, and imagining doing it on ladders certainly makes you thankful for SRT
-Meregill, Definitely a favourite of mine at the moment thanks to spending a lot of time in it. The canyon pitch may be my favourite in the country currently
-Hagrid beat me to Black Shiver, though I did pressgang him into derigging it for me, it's an incredible place to be, with the eagles nest some 73m above the deck at the bottom (according to last months data)
-Cow Pot, the direct route down Fall Pot, just descending out into open space is incredible
-Echo Rift in GG, this one I like because of the echo rather than the pitch itself, a very atmospheric place to sing

 

[Fulk]

Juniper Gulf, Monastery Pitch in Lost Johns, Long Kin East, Alum Pot Main Shaft, Dihedral

 

[Steve Clark]

For pure SRT - Boxhead Pot via Kendal Flyover

For a cardio walk-in, sporting cave, good fun work-out with SRT mixed-in - Tatham Wife

 

[langcliffe]

Rat Hole - very atmospheric with some interesting rigging.

 

[rm128]

All of the above (although I haven't personally done Rat Hole - must rectify that!), plus:

Notts Pot: Twilight Zone is always a fun rig. Nip down to the sump then, hopefully, an exchange with Adamson's Route from the Lower Streamway.

Yordas: The full Chapter House Traverse has to be one of the finest bits of SRT in the Dales. Easily accessible and a great training ground for SRTers and riggers alike. The trainer(s) can always be close to the trainee(s).

Long Kin East - Rift Pot exchange on the Allotment. This one is actually on our meets list for next Saturday and I'm really looking forward to it. Rift has the advantage that it can be bottomed in pretty much any weather. LKE not so much.

Diccan - always a good test for the rigger, particularly swinging to reach some of the deviations.

Goblin Shaft, Sell Gill. Just about the best use for 90m of rope that I can think of. A lot happens in that 90m. Advantage of a nice exchange with the dry route.

Aquamole - be sure to do a round trip for the final drop, taking in both the traditional final pitch AND the One-Armed Bandit alternative.

Stream Passage Pot - definitely my favourite entrance to the GG system. But rig it yourself for maximum enjoyment - don't wait until Winch Meet. Assemble a big enough party that you can do an exchange for added adventure. Marilyn to Wade's is another particular favourite GG trip of mine. Explore Hensler's Master Cave, then retrace your steps and take Mud Hensler's to Mud Hall & Main Chamber and SE passage.

Rumbling Hole - just for the hanging rebelay on the surface pitch if nothing else. Subsequent pitches all have a bit of interest too. And that's without even considering the Dead Bobbin Series, which I've never done.

Vesper Pot - a slightly awkward entrance series leads to a series of pitches that just get better the deeper you go. Do an exchange with Spectacle if you have the numbers, but Vesper is a great day out on it's own.

Large Pot, Red Herring Series. Just a bleeding good series of pitches

I definitely echo previous recommendations for the Kendal Flyover in Boxhead. BUT be sure to do an exchange with It's a Cracker, which also has some very nice pitches (and is technically easier). This makes a great evening exchange trip.

Just some of my favourites.

 

[Cavematt]

Some of my personal favourites:

Black Shiver Pot
The Black Rift is a stunning atmospheric pitch. I just love Black Shiver, it strikes a good balance of excellent caving, SRT and some (but not too much) difficulty. Lots of people turn around at the bottom of Black Rift but the journey on to the sump is excellent. Needs dry conditions though (and ideally a nice summer evening to emerge to).

Little Hull Pot
I love this cave, the first pitch is a really fun hanging traverse out, and then the main pitch is a magnificent water fluted shaft with a superb and exposed reach-over takeoff. The duck beyond can be easily bypassed and the journey on to the sump is so varied and fun.

Rowten Pot
Eyehole route - Stunning with daylight streaming in from above. One of my favourite underground spots in The Dales is perched/hanging at a tiny ledge just before you swing into the fissure in the roof for the traverse to the big pitch. I usually like to hang around there for a few minutes to admire the view.

Stream Passage Pot
Non-stop excellent pitches all the way down. In particular the second and third pitches are stunning views from above with the thundering waterfall nearby. My favourite GG entrance.

Cow Pot
Abseiling through the roof of Fall Pot is awesome!

Heron Pot
The pitch at the end of High Traverse route is stunning – only about 20m but perfectly formed and doable in fairly wet conditions too (obviously not pulling through). A great Sunday trip.

Diccan Pot/Alum Pot
Diccan offers the best complete package of thundering pitches in The Dales and combined with an Alum exchange on a sunny day, nothing could be much better.

Vesper Pot
The final two pitches are really enjoyable. Vesper Pot is a very special cave to me as it was the first I ever rigged about 20 years ago and I’ve been back several times since. A bit of a challenge, it’s a cave that just gets better and better the further down you get, and you really feel like you’ve had a thorough and rewarding trip afterwards.

Long Kin East
The final pitch is a splendid technical pitch alongside a thundering waterfall. If you have a team to make this an exchange with Rift Pot you have one of the best SRT exchanges in The Dales, in my opinion.

 

[rm128]

Vesper Pot
... was the first I ever rigged ...

An impressive first rig!

 

[David Rose]

I agree with Matt. Diccan is sensational.

 

[Ian Ball]

You say Diccan is spectacular and I say it is boring, one is a winter opinion and one is a summer opinon

 

[Badlad]

Nick Pot is said to have a ghost. That might be an appropriate entry given the date

I do also like the Canyon in Meregill and Long Kin West of course.

 

[Lankyman]

Nick Pot is said to have a ghost. That might be an appropriate entry given the date

I've not heard of this, please give us the story. I never saw anything worrying down there other than a big, black hole.

 

[rm128]

Nick Pot is said to have a ghost.

It must have been the ghost who opened the dam while I was on the pitch many years ago. At least, no-one else admitted responsibility

 

[dougle89]

It must have been the ghost who opened the dam while I was on the pitch many years ago. At least, no-one else admitted responsibility

Our club secretary wasn’t upstream of you at the time were they?

 

[Lankyman]

It must have been the ghost who opened the dam while I was on the pitch many years ago. At least, no-one else admitted responsibility

I used to like sitting in a strategic place in underground streams to dam the water while someone was on the pitch beyond. Hardrawkin was a good one IIRC. For some reason they often didn't see the humorous side of it when I had to release the water.

 

[dougle89]

I used to like sitting in a strategic place in underground streams to dam the water while someone was on the pitch beyond. Hardrawkin was a good one IIRC. For some reason they often didn't see the humorous side of it when I had to release the water.

We have another @snebbit !!

 

[Loki]

Notts pot BT - BUSS exchange via the bottom.
Ireby to rift or large
I thought juniper was a far superior trip on ladders and not much difference in time with a strong team.
Lost johns boxhead exchange if no one has said it
Ireby is always a great easy social trip by itself
Depends what you’re looking for. Lots of rope work or a great trip in general.

 

[Samouse1]

How could I forget Ireby! Shadow route in particular is an excellent bit of SRT