Bull Pot o’ t’ Witches

Maz, Millie, Paddy, Sam, Sophie (H), Sophie (OG), Tom

A novice onboarding trip from two long-waiting prospective new keen cavers-to-be, Millie and Sam. We’d originally planned for County but when a thunderstorm warning pinged through to our phones and ungodly rain popped onto the forecast, we diverted to BPOTW. 

Millie and Sam had arrived nice and early as requested, to find nobody there…special leader here had got to the foot of Bull Pot Lane and realised he’d forgotten a ladder from the store. They survived being eaten alive by midges however, oversuits and harnesses were dished out and sized up, and we were on the road to the pot.

Paddy’s something of an expert in taking novices safely down BPOTW now, and he was off ahead rigging the traverse line down the open pot, and into the chimney for a lower. After enjoying the bottom of the waterfall for a bit we dove into the first pitch and again Paddy’s magic spider web saw Sam and Millie getting their first experience of abseiling on a Stop. The rest of us followed and Sam lead us up into the boulder choke and into whatever that long muddy passage is called. 

A left turn first to work our way along to the different avens, a good chit chat in Burnett’s Great Aven and then back the other way for the round trip. I branched off at this point to go de-rig the first pitch, and back at the open pot I thought I was stood under the waterfall but it was intense rain – the dump had arrived. The others got busy with some squeezes and checking out the artifact pile before heading back up the scramble to join me. 

We managed to slip out during a bit of a gap in the heavy rain and soon enough, it was time for choccy Swiss Roll (thanks OG) back at the midge-infested cars.

TPST: 3h

Pics by Millie