Tom C – Kendal Caving Club

18 November 2024

By Tom C In Day Trips

Alum Pot – Northwest Route

Dave, John, Will (Report by Will)

Ami proposed a trip in Alum Pot to the sump and back as she’s yet to do it. I too haven’t been all the way to the bottom yet, so didn’t need much convincing! We settled on a Monday afternoon and then invited any other available club members to join us. We didn’t have a solid plan, but it was quickly evident that the majority vote was for the North West route, the largest possible abseil into Alum Pot. With that decided, we got a team together being Ami, Dave, John and myself.

The day before this trip, we also had a trip to Curtain Pot which was a rather long one at 8 ish hours. The weather for this was dramatically colder than the last few weeks and we exited the cave to solid covering of snow, needless to say by Monday morning there were a few sniffles and coughs about. Ami opted out, and I have to admit after only 2 and a half hours sleep I too was feeling like a day indoors would be nice! However, Dave and John were relying on me to bring the ropes and so I couldn’t let them down.

Off we went as a trio, spirits high and rope bags heavy. Our chirpiness soon quietened as we arrived and climbed over the stone wall to what would now be the start of our adventure. John was the only one to have previously done this route, and so he offered to rig for us, and neither Dave or I argued as we stood on the edge of some 65-70 metre straight drop. Whilst John made use of the trees to aid him to the first re-belay, I took the opportunity to get some pictures with the drone, with mixed results! Had I known then how good the GoPro and phone footage would come out, I wouldn’t have bothered with the drone, but it adds an extra perspective.

It wasn’t long before the first shout of “rope free” was heard from John, and Dave gave me the nod to say he was ready to take on this beast! Again, John worked his way competently through the second re-belay, this time onto the “big ab” 60-65m of pure open air descent surrounded by waterfalls and incredible scenery. Dave followed on and then that was it, my turn, I couldn’t tap out now because they were too far away to shout to let them know!

Once through the re-belays and onto the big ab, it’s hard not to get caught up in the moment, we also got to experience some other cavers watching on from ‘The Window’ viewpoint at the bottom of the Dolly Tubs pitch, which is probably about a third of the way down the big ab. With them as reference, you could really put into perspective the gargantuan hole your in and you certainly feel the exposure. The bottom half of the pitch was a little wet but didn’t deter spirits as we all shared a moment following what is probably one of the best abseils in the Yorkshire Dales. John lead on down the final pitch, opting for an alternative to the topo along the opposite wall which consisted of a short climb up to a ledge for a traverse to the pitch head.

This way certainly kept you dry and avoided the waterfall that was yet to plague us on the way back up the big pitch. A specific rigging stance was required for this last pitch as John couldn’t quite work out if he was happier in the awkward crouch or using the traverse line to stand up and out over the drop. In no time at all John had everything rigged and was at the bottom of the pitch, Dave swiftly followed, and I’d opted to pass and get stuck into the climb back up the main pitch.

The topo suggests an 80 metre rope for the North West Route but I don’t own one so brought a 100 metre instead, which meant standing on the flop for a good minute or two pulling in the stretch from the climb above. By the time I was finally off the ground, I was absolutely soaked from head to toe, and couldn’t seem to get out of the waterfall. Where was this on the way down?! I don’t remember getting this wet! Every step up felt like it had an equally distanced bounce back down and it felt as though I’d never get through the water. As I was coming up on the bridge probably just over half way, I was out of the wet section and back into the incredible free hanging open space. The rest of the climb was actually rather enjoyable at a steady pace taking everything in.

When I got to the first re-belay I could see the distant glow of Dave and John’s head torches below, indicating their return from the sump and readiness to resurface. John certainly put my efforts to shame and absolutely flew up the rope behind me. I noticed he’d also had time to don his hood and he too got absolutely soaked by the same waterfall. Lastly came Dave, also pretty hastily, soaked and complaining of the same waterfall! A quick stop to catch our breaths, remove SRT kits, bag ropes and we were on our way back to the car.

A fine afternoon by all accounts, and one that we will definitely be revisiting in the near future given Ami’s absence. Maybe next time Dave will remember to put the pitch GoPro in place also! If we get a few more takers, we could possibly rig a Dolly Tubs exchange too, and avoid the climb back up North West, although it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be at all!

17 November 2024

By Tom C In Day Trips

Curtain Pot

Ami, Jason, Scott, Tom, Will

We’d been looking forward to this relatively new one, which the CNCC claimed as a ‘splendid adventure’, and we accepted their challenge of ‘8-10 hours for an efficient team’. Jason had his doubts about a pre-midnight exit, but the rest of us were confident we’d get our 10-hour certificate.

After Scott and Tom fueled up with a Bernies breakfast we all assembled at Dale Head and grabbed the five tackle sacks (220m of rope) for the 4km hike to the remote shakehole high on Fountains Fell, with a brief pause while Tom jogged back to get essential anti-grumpiness medication.

Once we were in the general area that Jason’s GPS had led us to, we began searching the shakeholes, with nothing quite matching the description. Eventually after about 15 minutes we found the planks boarding the entrance slot up and began our ‘splendid adventure’.

The first 2 pitches led quickly down the splash-shield ‘curtain’ that gives the pot its name (thanks for the thoughtfulness, diggers), through a short narrow crawl and onto the third pitch, a pretty ab down a shaft that pops out in the roof of a chamber.

Onwards down the short 4th pitch and we were into the biggest ballache of the trip, 100m of horrible thrutchy T-shaped passage, which would have been a breeze if it weren’t for the beefy bags we were lugging, which just kept sliding into the narrow grabby bottom bit of the ‘T’. Once this was behind us, we were into much bigger passage.

This had some great formations, and no real difficulties. The cave let us know we shouldn’t get too cocky when a slab of the wall detached on touch, Tom leapt out of the way just in time but it continued chasing him down-slope, with a glancing blow to the arse. On we pushed down a couple of easy handline climbs and past lots more formations and a nice straw grotto up in the roof, before the character of the cave changed again.

From here to the bottom were a series of pitches one after the other, never more than about 20 metres and all with totally different character. We slipped quickly down them but we were all starting to feel the chill by this point, the air is damp and you feel a long way from home.

At the bottom of the twelfth pitch (the tallest in the cave), a narrow awkward slot wound down towards the sump, and Scott claimed a toe dip before the sump started gurgling and booming. We knew that rain/sleet was forecast while we were in, and everyone jumped out of their skin at the sounds and started clamouring to get back out of the tight bottom passage.

And now it was time for the journey out. At the top of the 12th pitch, Jason (second to last up the pitch) sat away to one side for a moments’ peace to eat his sandwich, and it was only out of sheer luck that Scott happened to spot him before powering out with his derigging, leaving poor Jason stranded in one of the lonelier spots in Dales caving.

We made small work of the journey out as far as the more horizontal bits in the middle, but the chills were definitely setting in as we waited for the derigging duo to catch up to take their bags off them, and as soon as we had hold of them set off at top speed to warm back up. The thrutchy T-passage was nightmarish on the way back out with bags full of soggy rope, and we were glad to back at the 3 entrance pitches.

With the chorus of ‘FUCK OFF, FUCKING BAGS HONESTLY’ echoing down the 3rd pitch from Will, we waited our turn in the spray – the water levels were definitely up a little from when we’d headed in. Ami startled us a bit when the end of the rope started following her up the pitch, another near-stranding. Before long we were back up at the surface, to the surprise of a blanket of snow on the ground. We stood around in the biting wind as Scott brought out the last of the bags and we realised we were still an hour’s snowy march from a car heater still.

On getting back to Dale Head we discovered we’d taken 8h14 from car to car – so not only are we an efficient team, but we’re at the efficient end of an efficient team! Great trip, great cave, horrible weather. RIP Eski, and respect to the original explorers – what made you look up here?

Photos by Will

30 October 2024

By Tom C In Day Trips

Short Drop – Gavel Exchange

Ami, Darren, Gareth, James, Jason, Louie, Maz, Pete, Scott, Sophie, Steve, Tom (Report by Maz)

In what might be classed as festival sized numbers for KCC, 12, yes 12, members made an appearance on Leck Fell for a mid week jaunt down one of my favourite caves.

We clearly weren’t the only ones feeling it, as a small group of other cavers were setting off for AKA pot, and another 3 were heading down to Short Drop.
All assembled, a counsel of war was held in the car park and it was agreed to rig both entrances to Gavel. This led to guest caver Louis being sent back to his car for karabiners and rope. That is how we welcome new members!

The main challenge began with the task of finding the entrances in the descending fog. Soon we reached Short Drop and the group split into a pair of sixes.
Our group consisting of myself, Steve, Scott, James, Tom and Jason began our descent. I like Short Drop. Its winding passages are easily navigable. There’s lots of little side bits to explore, some interesting features and a bit of a slither early on.

There was a bit more water than we expected and the wet crawl was exactly as it said on the tin. It wasn’t long into the twisting meanders where we met other cavers; the group of three including a 7 year old were on the return. A bit of negotiation, rather akin to meeting another vehicle on a single track road ensued. By weight of numbers, they backed up a bit until we were able to pass.

Soon we reached the fixed rope and slid down avoiding the bulk of the water, any moment expecting the other party. Still no sign, and it was mooted perhaps they’d missed Gavel entrance and were drifting around somewhere on Leck Fell.

Rounding a corner, I noticed lights above which signalled the B team about to descend the pitch. After a bit more shuffling and abseiling, a well organised and slick change over, and the exchange had occurred.

Next, we were on the rope and up the pitch. Tom and Scott de-rigging. The fog had switched to rain and we headed home, narrowly beating the others back by a few minutes.

Thanks to Ami for rigging Gavel and hopefully writing up the other half of this report. Thanks to everyone for a fine turnout

2 October 2024

By Tom C In Day Trips

Illusion Pot

Ami, Maz, Rubee, Scott, Steve, Tom (Report by Steve)

Armed with sump pumping equipment we set off up the track to Illusion Pot. Most of us having been before some years ago and most managing to have blanked out the memory of the steep climb up the hill side when leaving the track. We caught a bit of the sunset as we climbed into the posh concrete pipe entrance for the ladder climb down.

With hardly any water in the streamway we plodded on through the stoops and muddy crawls and soon found ourselves at the sump.

Despite there being sufficient air space in the sump we commenced pumping operations immediately.

With considerable teamwork the Amazon special pump and hose was soon rigged to Tom’s battery drill and set to work. Various modifications were made to hose lengths, pump prime, height of suction hose, height of the delivery hose etc..etc…… Maz even provided manual assistance by giving the delivery end a good old suck….
The level in the sump remained unchanged throughout all our efforts until we gave up and Ami just went for it. She gave an encouraging running commentary along the way and was soon followed by Maz, Scott, Rubee and Tom.

I remained on the dry side of the sump to recover from my Man Flu earlier in the week and tidy the pumping equipment away.
When boredom overcame me I started bailing the sump with a bucket and decided it was far easier than carting all the other stuff down. Approximately 10 minutes with One bucket seemed to lower it about 3″ to 4″. By the time the rest returned it was noticeably lower.

The wet team had a good explore of the other side, with some crossing the traverse at the Dale head end. I think a consensus on equipment was cows tails and maybe a hand jammer for the climb back up, but I’m sure someone will correct me.

We made our way out with around 30m of old hose from other sump pumping attempts and left an original pump and hose down there. A garden hose/screwed tap connector would be all that’s required to connect the old pump up, but after our experience I would suggest it’s not worth lugging a battery drill down and just use the buckets!

We were soon out to a star filled sky after 2 1/2 hours underground. A bit of grass sledging down the hillside back to the track resulted in some success but mostly just bruises!

Whilst cleaning my kit off the day after I tried the pump under laboratory conditions and found it to be totally useless and not worth anywhere near the £5.99 investment. The hose was cleaned off to be re-used in future garden pond features at Rubee and Tom’s new house.

18 September 2024

By Tom C In Day Trips

Smeltmill Beck Cave

Jasmine, Maz, Scott, Tom

This had been on the meets list but rained off so many times, but this time we weren’t going to let it go. After calling the farmer for permission, we met up at Light Trees below the A66 for a slippery scramble up the beck. Maz had been before and expertly found the entrance, a grim little arch with a chilly stream emerging.

Thankfully, we were all wetsuit/drysuited up and the entrance wallows, while not pleasant, didn’t particularly disturb us. The deep water and low roof soon ended, and lifted into a lovely mile-long walking-height streamway.

Even though we had a survey and the cave is essentially just one long passage, it was difficult to figure out where we were up to, with endless sharp switchbacks and grabby passage walls. We were all surprised by how decent the formations were throughout, especially the Hanging Gardens. Each new section of passage brought a different character – nothing particularly difficult but all quite interesting, and something different from the usual Dales caves.

A low wallow at stream level took us into Red Deer Rift, the narrowest and grabbiest bit of the trip. But all too soon this was behind us and the passages were wider but lower, with a more sinister nature. At Main Junction we headed left towards the Handwrecker Series, and after posting ourselves into a watery slot we started to feel rapidly ready for hometime and called it a day.

Most trip reports mentioned it feeling quicker on the way out, but we didn’t feel that way – a mile is a long way to go in these snarly little passages, but it’s a good feeling of progress passing through the different sections. All in all, 7.5/10, would revisit as far as Red Deer Rift 🙂

7 September 2024

By Tom C In Day Trips

KCC Summer BBQ

4 September 2024

By Tom C In Day Trips

Sunset Hole

Chris, James, Maz, Scott, Steve, Tom

26 August 2024

By Tom C In Day Trips

Hell Gill

Janice, Maz, Scott, Tom – Report by Maz

There’s a Brown Girl in the Rain tra la la la la. Hell Gill to be precise

It had been raining all week. I was praying for a break. As the Bank Holiday loomed it didn’t bode well for the trip down my favourite gorge in the Eden Valley.

A slight let up on Sunday raised hopes of a trip from a definite no to maybe, just maybe.

On Monday morning , I checked the river levels. It had dropped. Just. That seemed to satisfy Tom and Scott who made the journey north into Eden. As for me and Janice, well Hell Gill is just down the road.

We met at the lay by and proceeded to check the level at the waterfall. We could hear the noise before we saw the fall and the size of the ford told us all we needed to know. It was big, brown and running very quickly indeed.

Not to be put off by the evidence in front of us, it was felt, unconvincingly that by going a kilometre upstream to the access point, we might, somehow, avoid the worst of the flow. A basic study of hydrology would show this as a flawed assumption. Still, within our party of 4 there existed degrees in Geography and Geology. And 2 more in optimism.

Rain had started falling again by the time we got to the access at the top of the gorge. It looked big, it sounded big and it felt a bit iffy.

I’m not a risk taker, so I surprised not only myself, but everyone else by announcing I’d give it a go. The shock of my statement stunned everyone into silence and after a short moment of contemplation it was Scott who wisely decided to voice the fact that indeed, the gorge looked really quite horrible.

And so we decided to turn round, the gorge having beaten us today.

Only as far as the egress point.

A greasy walk upstream into the gorge indicated the correct decision had been taken. The water was brown and surging. Peaty odours from the vegetation mingling with the roar of the white water.

This lower section of the gill is wider, lower and less intimidating. Still, on a day with a much higher than usual discharge, the infant River Eden showed she could push us about. We had to be careful on the meanders and within the sculpted gullies.

Soon the gorge became tighter, darker. The walls rearing up higher and the river became angrier, hemmed in by the limestone and violently crashing against the underwater obstacles.

After the bridge we came to our potential trip stopper. The double drop waterfall. Here in the lower plunge pool the water meandered lazily round in the undercut. Eddying against the walls, while the main flow pushed left through the arch in an impressive set of standing waves.

A discussion ensued as to the possibility of using the Tyrolean traverse in situ to bypass the falls. Tom didn’t like the anchors, Janice didn’t like the rope. Scott didn’t like either.

And that was why Tom decided to give it a go. What looked from below to be a fairly taut rope was in fact very loose indeed. To his credit, our intrepid volunteer gamely attempted a traverse only to find himself all but dunked into the main plunge pool; a turbulent frothing cauldron of horribleness.

That decided it. No going further. The return journey was completed much quicker for two reasons. Firstly we were starting to get cold and put a wriggle on. And secondly because the gorge had had enough of us and wanted us out. The fast flow meant we could lie back and enjoy the bumpy, noisy white water ride home.

We finished our trip with a nice little abseil down the side of Hell Gill Force courtesy of Scott’s rigging.

Although we hadn’t done what we’d planned this was a fun, noisy, wet and in places a little scary trip. It also taught me to recalibrate what constitutes BIG on the river level gauge.

Same again next year? Weather permitting.

21 August 2024

By Tom C In Day Trips

Shuttleworth Pot / Witches II

Dave, James, Maz, Steve, Tom

Simpsons rained off yet again 🙁 Instead we decided to head to Shuttleworth as a few haven’t been down yet, and it’s good to go in pretty much any conditions.

It was definitely a case of 5 people who really didn’t want to be out in the heavy driving rain, but not wanting to let the others down. Maz hid further up Leck Fell Lane in the fog texting and hoping (as we all were) that we’d mutually cancel, but sure enough we all congregated in the typical Lecktember weather for an uncomfortable change and a hoods-up march across the moors to the entrance.

Dave was on the rigging tonight, and quickly had the entrance pitch roped and we shimmied down. Round the corner and it was time for the 60 metre. This is awkward in places to rig over the top of the in situ rope, which has been hanging around for a couple of years now waiting to be retired from its misery, but Dave did a cracking job in getting us down the Diver’s Pitch in comfort and style.

We discarded our SRT kits and headed up the mud bank and into the pretties. It’s always a nice wander up here, with formations like volcanoes and cupcake cases and piles of green sheep shit. Upon reaching the entrance funnel into My Newt Passage, James found it impossible to resist the warnings of its difficult escape, and slithered down to claim his newty trophy. Steve and Dave were also chomping at the bit and after some token hesitation they joined him. Maz and I enjoyed watching the cardio challenge that followed, with all three choosing different but equally exhausting techniques to make their escape from the muddy funnel.

After a look at the now-powdered dog bones and the cloud of straws at Dogger Bank, we made our way back through it all to the base of the pitch. The roaring waterfall of the House of the Rising Sump had become an eerily silent sump pool in the time we’d been looking around, and we began heading out. With the exception of a toxic chemical spill in the entrance shaft all went well, and we slogged back across the moor knackered, with some getting home past midnight.

Photos by Dave

11 August 2024

By Tom C In Day Trips

Mystery mine in North Wales

Chris, John, Maz, Miranda, Nic, Sophie, Tim K, Tom and the UCET team

We’d been in touch with UCET about being chaperoned round one of their systems of expertise, a massive system of mines in North Wales.

We headed down on the Saturday afternoon to our campsite at Llyn Rhys, ate, pubbed and headed back to camp for a fire with toasted marshmallows and a responsibly early night.

The next morning at the crack of dawn we de-camped ready for our painfully early 9am meet at the designated secret spot. We met up with the UCET bunch and headed off into the forest to the entrance lid.

Shortly inside the entrance we passed a teetering stack of deads and debris held up where a rockfall had happened last year. Onward through a cramped old level, passing over deep pits and collapsed false floors until we reached the first set of ladders. These were great fun, with some airy heights as you threaded back and forward through the workings, deeper into the mountain.

There was plenty to see along the way, and finally we popped out in the side of a tall stope, with solid modern ladders heading one after another into the depths. With these behind us, a short walk led into muddy passage and we popped out into the main adit.

After a quick break for drinks and snacks, we stomped on downstream in the main passage, with its railway running beside a deep and fast-flowing river. The extent of this place was huge, and we walked for miles along the ‘floating railway’, stopping off at various engineering workshops, pump houses and sidings along the way.

Eventually we headed up a branch tunnel bringing in a heck of lot of water, past chambers used for storing the UK’s TNT arsenal during WW2, and up to a vast natural cavern. A deep lake filled one side of this, and when the depth of the chamber below water is added to the soaring ceiling, this makes it a contender for the UK’s largest underground cavern.

A quick bit of lunch then we split up, with John, Miranda and Chris starting the treck back out, and the rest of us continuing to some more modern and seriously big workings, complete with mechanical shovels and carts scattered around the huge tunnels.

On our way out we stopped at another couple of lodes along the way for more scratting around, before the trudge back up the tunnel to the junction where our entrance joined, and the start of the long ladder climb back out. nearly 9 hours underground, covering over 10 miles, and a pint at the local with our hosts went down a real treat. Thanks UCET!

Author: Tom C