Eldon Hole, Peak District

An "Alternate Tuesday" event. Karen and I arrived at the usual parking place followed closely by Jules B.. Jules was there coincidentally was there to take two new Eldon PC cavers on a training trip in the North Gully. A while later Jim A. arrived as arranged together with Lyn and Andy. Later Martin and John W. also arrived.
Jim planned to rig the East Wall while I planned on the South Gully. Karen and I headed for the Gully and I took both bags, the second on a Donkey's Dick, and began rigging. Things were very overgrown and damp with recent rain and at first I couldn't spot the old rusty piton which is the first deviation right at the top of the route. I lowered myself nervously down the first few feet, it being damp and slippy and spotted the piton. Stopping at an easy perch, I couldn't get the sling I was using to reach the rope. Karen offered me a sling but that was just as short. Karen suggested using both slings and that worked. Really, I should have dropped down a bit lower to avoid the trouble.
I dropped down the short distance to the first rebelay which is free-hanging. Clipping in my short cowstail I soon had the rope tied on. I clipped my footloop jammer tot he rope to stand up and remove my cowstail but that didn't give me enough height. I clipped the krab from the jammer to the rebelay krab and after a bit of a struggle got the cowstail off. Jim was asking how it was going as he arranged the first rebelay on his route not far away. Lowering myself onto the descender, I found the safety-link came tight! Bollocks! Exactly the same thing happened on a previous trip down this route!
I clipped my chest jammer to the rope above and after more struggling managed to get my safety-link slack so I could unclip. Jim in the meantine had done the same thing with his long cowstail which amused me a bit! He soon had it sorted out.
Of course, now that I was hanging from my chest jammer, I couldn't release it so had to go up a few feet to get off the pitch. By now I was getting knackered and very pissed off, so decided to throw in the towel - Karen could follow down on the East Wall route so all was not lost.
Andy and Lyn decided to forgo the exposed East Wall and follow down on Jules's ropes on the North Gully and I followed Lyn down to help with instructions while Andy helped from below. By now Jules's party was on their way out, not having gone right to the bottom so I headed straight back up followed by the others. Karen arrived from below and as it was 21:30, we headed for home it being a Tuesday night and worl would be waiting in the morning.