Present: Ralph, Chris M, George
I havn’t been down Ireby Fell before. Chris and Ralph also purchased shiny new SRT kits recently so Ireby was chosen as a pleasent alternative to Bull Pot/Rowten etc. Shadow route looked quite jolly, and I also thought it was the dry route – mistake number one. Anyway after a bit of confusion about which lane to drive up we eventually got changed (grade III )
The walk across the bog is arther boring in the mist. A couple of days before however some f*ckwits (probably from the Mendip’s) had managed to walk all the way to Deepdale (5 miles in the wrong direction!). The entrance shakehole is quite big and impressive, and we clambered down the pipe – (Chris and myself were not sure that Rafe ‘chunky’ Leech would fit – but he did.) We rigged merrily along a traverse above the water, and then down a bit through some windows till we reached ‘Shadow Pitch’ – This could only be described as moist – too moist for me so we headed out. The rest of the trip could only be described as uneventfull.
It was only when we got back to the farm that I learnt that the water has changed course on the surface – and Shadow Route, previously dry, has now become rather wet. Anyway we’ll definitely be returning in drier weather because shadow route itself is rather jolly, and makes a good SRT practice trip.
George