Caving & Exploration (1954-2020)
Wednesday 26th February 2020 Lancaster Hole – Earby Series Jack, Fay, Bob Reilly Contrary to all the gloom and doom from the Inglesport pundits, the road up to Bull Pot Farm was clear – well, tarmac strips, at any rate – and the view of snow-covered Casterton Fell was tremendous. No wind, so the change …
Thursday 23rd January 2020 Christmas Pot Jack, Fay, Bob Reilly, Adele, Chris Curry (Moldywarps) Gentle, though long, walk up in mist and fog straight to the entrance. Chris and I went in rigging. With 5 re-belays on the first pitch, we were able to keep everyone moving to the next obstacle – an awkward slot …
Wednesday 7th August 2019 County Pot – Wretched Rabbit via Manchester By-pass Jack, Gen, Bob Reilly, Martyn Soliman It must be the Mendip Caver in me, but I do like this trip. Laddered County Pot, then the climb into Broadway giving entertainment in inverse proportion to a caver’s height, on to show Gen the …
Rather quiet on the MWC front – just a couple of trips to report: Thursday 25th April 2019 Pillar Holes No 1 Jack, Fay, Bob Reilly, Martyn Soliman A forecast of thunderstorms ruled out our first choice, so instead a gentle trip down the less falling-apart of the 3 entrances to Pillar Holes. Long but …
Wednesday 27th February 2019 County Pot – Wretched Rabbit Jack, Fay, Phil Stunning weather for February on Leck Fell. Followed another party down past Confusion Corner to “Spout Hall” – except it wasn’t, merely a 30cm drop. We led on, to the real SH and went right, up to Battle of Britain Hall. …
Thursday 10th January 2019 Marble Steps Pot Jack, Fay, Bob Reilly (Earby), Martyn Soliman (Bradford, ex WRPC) We’d expected the pot to have been de-rigged since our trip in November so it was a bonus to find a rope still on the Gulley, making it a quick journey down to the Lower Main Chamber. …
Lancaster Hole: Jack, Fay, Bob Reilly, Alf Latham (both Earby) (12th December 2018). A chance to look at a less-frequented bit of Lancs (actually, totally un-frequented by me, at least – 10 trips down Lancs and I’d never been into the Master Cave). First stop, The Chasm - left off the trade route to Fall …
Continue reading "Mid-Week (Christmas) Caving by Jack Upsall"
Marble Steps Pot: Jack, Fay (22nd November 2018). There seemed to be quite a lot of water in the Ireby entrance, so I wimped out in favour of a look into Marble Steps – which we had been told was partially rigged. So a few minutes after exiting Ireby, we were following rope down the …
Roaring Hole: Jack, Fay, Gen, Bob Reilly (Earby) (25th October 2018). Cool, overcast and windy, so it was a pleasure to drop down the diminutive entrance. The CNCC website now included a warning about the scaffolded chokes, but enquires suggested that just the usual care was needed to pass them safely. And so it proved, though …
Wednesday 12th September 2018 Gingling Hole I’d gone along with Phil, to join the others on a trip to Stalactite Chamber. Unfortunately he wasn’t feeling too good when we got to the entrance, so he went off looking at shakeholes, while I joined the others. All went ok until we got to the canals. …
Wednesday 12th September 2018 Gingling Hole (Stalactite Chamber) Jack, Fay, Bob Reilly (Earby) What a lovely cave! (Even if it did have teeth…) A beautiful Autumn day, and a level walk to the cave. Down the entrance pitch. Dropped down into the canal – only percolation water, so quite low despite the heavy rain …
Thursday 9th August 2018 Lancaster Hole – Wretched Rabbit Jack, Bob Cockeram, Bob Catteral (both Earby PC) There should have been a brace of WRPC cavers, but orthodontic necessities intervened, so it was just me and a couple of Earby cavers (one ex-WRPC). Abbed down Lancs and into the High Level Series. Bone dry, nothing …
Wednesday 11th July 2018 Bull Pot of the Witches Jack, Phil, Fraser (Jack’s grandson) With just Phil and me available for this Wednesday, and Fraser starting his summer holidays, it was a perfect opportunity to continue his caving career… Brilliantly hot and sunny. Rigged a handline for the path down to the small opening …
Wednesday 22nd March Lost John's: Dome / Sink Chamber Jack, Denis, Phil A trip to a less-often visited corner of Lost John’s. A rather more conventional approach to filling tackle bags this time – rope 1 then 2 then 3 then 4 then 5 then 6 (see 15th November 2017 for the results of a …