Yorkshire Weekend, 10-11 Aug - Louise McMahon

Saturday 10th

Present: Grace, Luke Brock, Andy, Caiti, Phill (YSS), Louise

We left Green Close quite early, in an effort to get up to GG before the rain hit us, unfortunately missing JNC who had come to see us. When we arived the river was 1/2 way up the dam that CPC had built and they were still winching. After signing in with CPC we headed back to small mammal Andy went first and me Phill and Caiti were soon at the bottom of pitch one with no Andy to be found shouting is useless so we each picked a hole and scrambled down Phill found him and off we went down and then through the squeeze and crawl which is quite short really max 20m. After that is was quick slide down the greasy slab and down the next pitch. The water was pouring down Flood which had been our planned exit so we decided to abandon that and let the CPC know we would exit via Bar. Andy showed us a different route to Main chamber rather than turning right at Flood going across then down a hole it's much easier to navigate with fewer junctions and probably shorter.

Main chamber was a sight to behold - the amount of water was immense spray was hitting us by the entrance and the poor tourists were described as looking like shipwreck victims in a maelstrom. Walking to the far side was like walking through a storm in Scotland there was no way across without getting soaked at one point I nearly walking into someone coming the other way as neither of us could see each other. By this point, CPC had stopped letting more people down and were trying to get the last group out as it had started raining heavily and the risk of the dam overflowing was too high.

We left Main chamber and headed up to mud hall the passage leading up to it is well decorated and the hall itself is very impressive. The traverses are great first out across a small ledge then down a iron chain as a hand line then across some well cut traverses 20m+ off the deck in this huge chamber. We had a quick break at the bottom then started the walk out. Main chamber was even more wet when we got there and there was one CPC member left who informed us there was rescue underway in Flood and we should go out Bar which was already the plan but that set it in stone off we went into the crawl, left at portcullis and onto T Junction where Andy suggested a look at Sand Cavern. A few of us headed off up to the end and poked our head into what turned out to be Stream passage. Back at T junction we continued the journey to Flood keeping right into the crawl up a little slope and we could hear the water it was thundering down now and so we continued to Bar. Both routes were rigged in the second pitch of Bar I managed to pick the wet one so did Phill. The greasy slab and the bottom of the first pitch were both a waterfall by now as well but we were soon out and everyone navigated the tight pitch head.

The cloud had lifted and the rain had stopped by the time we surfaced fortunately and we headed back to the tents to sign in, the dam had completely overflowed when we got up there. We ran into a small group of MUSC leaving who it turns out were the party that need help one of their freshers got stuck on a deviation CPC got him off and CRO warmed him up and set him on his way.

Sunday 11th

Present: Grace, Luke Brock, Andy, Caiti, Phill (YSS), Alistair, Louise

It was decided that Juniper Gulf would be too wet and so we settled on Shuttleworth Pot. Andy brought his GPS and with three people that had been before we found the entrance quite easily. The bolting was Interesting in places and after several short pitches and one long one we made it down to the bottom. We had been warned the Divers pitch and subsequent collapse was really dangerous and loose in reality its a scree slope with a few larger blocks and not something to worry about. Andy gave us a potted history of the cave and then lead us off up the slope along the tape to see the formations.

We all got quite excited at the first curtain which would be major feature in Derbyshire but nothing like what was to come. Through a short flat out crawl we emerged into a walking passage full of straw stalls and helictites, it just goes on and on. About half way Phill pointed us to newt passage and warned us its not easy to get out, its a 45 degree down sloping muddy tube, Grace, Al and me slid down. The chamber at the bottom is small but has some perfectly preserved mud formations and two newt skeletons just sat on the mud. Now came the fun bit getting out, Grace went first and thrutched her way up, Al helped me into the tube then i followed to give her a hand with Al following me, Phill threw a sling down and we all slid out.

We continued on to the Main chamber where there are more larger formations and some perfectly preserved sediments as well, then on past a huge wall of straw stals the passage got smaller and muddier here and we were reaching the end. We explored a few more bits but they all just ended in mud, I thought the Dales were supposed to be clean!

Time to go back out going carefully to avoid breaking anything we were soon back at the pitches Al, and Andy derigged and by the time we reached the surface it was dry and the cloud had lifted on the fell.