Notts Pot – BUSS and Centre Route Exchange

Paddy, Ami, Damian, Tom, Jasmine, Steve, Scott

A top team of seven headed up to Notts Pot on Wednesday night, carting five unwieldy bags of gear. The weather had been dry all day, but a bit wet earlier in the week (note this detail, dear reader, for it is significant later in the narrative)! 

We were soon down the first two pitches and assembled in the 3 Ways Chamber (with four ways on).  I had been keen to investigate one of the lesser used routes in Notts, so had organised tackle for an exchange between BUSS and Centre routes.  From the description it sounded like it should be possible for the BUSS Routers to land behind the final duck in the bottom passage of BT Route, then climb out onto the last ledge of Centre Route if the Centre Routers were kind enough to drop a rope.

Paddy, Steve, Tom and Damian set off down Centre Route, while Ami, Jasmine and I turned left for BUSS Route.  I had often wondered where the red in situ guide rope led at the top of the Double Bucket shaft, and it didn’t disappoint. An airy diagonal abseil leads to a spacious ledge, and soon we were  moving off down a narrow tube. A step over a hole in the floor leads to a small second pitch (Mud Pot). From here we climbed down into another chamber, then rigged an oxbow on the left which led to a sizeable shaft.

Hanging around at the top, I could that the shaft was split by an arete after a few meters. The right hand shaft (Fossil Pot) looked wet, so I opted to descend the left shaft (Thread Pot). It took 4 deviations from small naturals to minimise the rub, but I reached the bottom. I could see through into the base of Fossil Pot, but would have to abseil blind through a heavy curtain of water to get there, and there was nowhere to rebelay the rope. I waited for a little while, having seen lights flashing somewhere above, but no one materialised. I realised that this might have been Jasmine and Ami’s torches, rather than the other team, so I reascended.

Back at the arete, I was ready to retreat, but Jasmine spotted lights at the base of Fossil Pot, so I headed down. I got to a point about twelve meters off the deck where the torrent of water entered the shaft. There seemed no way of deviating away from it without rubbing the rope on the overhanging roof higher up the shaft, so I reluctantly accepted that this exchange would have to wait for drier conditions.

‘ABORT, PADDY!’

‘COPY THAT!’

I jugged back up to rejoin the others, slightly guilty that I’d had all the dubious fun of exploring the big shafts.  Jasmine was keen on derigging the rest of the route, so I gratefully overtook her and followed Ami back up to the top of the Double Bucket.

Back in 3 Ways Chamber I had a chat with Paddy and Steve, who had had to do a clever bit of rigging and knot-passing only to get soaked at the bottom of Fossil Pot (much appreciated guys!)

We all headed out to a clear evening.

BUSS Route is definitely worth a look if you want to see a different part of Notts Pot, and nothing on it is too difficult. But it’s probably a trip for low water conditions, unless you really, really like water.

Thanks all for another good evening out!