Present: John R, James C, Alex D, Tom M (first trip)
The day began as a dreary rain fell on Durham’s cheerless Collingwood college, where JC and John convened to amass the gear. This done, they drove to DSU, arriving before the rendezvous time. Sauntering through the grey and dreary drizzle came Alex and Tom, who boarded the Volvo and settled into its snug leather interior. When the fifth member of the party failed to materialise, quick phone calls determined that other DUSA members were entrenched at home and not up for short notice speleological jaunts, so the quartet set off to fuel in GIlesgate before heading out into the murk. In Yorkshire the rain became sleet, then the sleet became snow and great tracts of the county were soon discovered to be covered in snow (from Richmond to Ingleton, more or less). The Volvo ploughed through the slush, occasionally losing traction but never faltering. Abandoning the original plan of Nettle Pot, we headed for BPoW via Ingleton, stopping off for a sandwich and Bovril in a very busy Inglesport. This done, we headed up to the farm, where a swift change got us underground by 12.30, the only group on the BPF sign out board.
Entering the cave, we paid a brief visit to Cavern 32 to get ourselves in the mood. Then across the main shaft toward the upstream passages. Passing some tightish holes and an even tighter climb were the pleasing Gour Chambers. This climb was nimbly managed by John and Tom, the first aided by his weasel stature, the second (presumably) by his climbing experience. JC and Alex had a bit more trouble, but dragged themselves through by brute strength and ingenuity. The chambers are followed by a rift passage opening into a hairy traverse along the crest of a steep mud slope. The sump pools below it were low and very clear, so we splashed through into the wet crawls and the canyon beyond, getting nicely damp and cold in the process. Some fine formations and a nice phreatic passage brought us to the menacing, mirror calm, sump. We gazed into its forbidding waters, decided not to borrow the dive gear that was lying around and returned by an alternative route (a small gallery with a fine gravel floor) to the mud slope, which was much easier to ascend than descend. Back via the squeezes and John popped back to the main shaft to collect SRT kits and tackle. Then on into Burnett’s passage, a detour to the Great Cavern, then we soldiered on to the downstream passages. A couple of climbs into the streamway revealed that the previous DUSA trip to BPoW had indeed been under flood conditions, as what were knee deep torrents then were now trickles more akin to the effluvium of an incontinent muskrat. A bit of walking to the first pitch/climb and a 22 metre rope took us down, along the floor and down the second pitch too. Some more crawling/walking and the deep (discovered by JC) downstream pools were reached. The route on into Long Gallery was filthy, crawly and a bit close to the sump when we knew it was raining outside, so a brief consultation was in favour of turning back, having had a fine and varied trip so far. The return was complicated by the minimalist rigging of the first pitch head but JC managed a fine job of derigging. Out of the cave in the light (at about 5.15), a rapid change and a trip to the pub, where the traditional pig and fermented hop products were consumed. Then a smooth ride back home, the snow having melted off while we were underground.
NOTE. The Northern caves description of this cave is not brilliant – an alternative guide from Braemoor Route Guides is clearer. Bear in mind that the guides were written by hard cavers and words like ‘passage’ could be anything from a mighty tunnel to a wriggly tube and that squeezes are not mentioned unless they actually crack your sternum.