After parking at Oxlow
Farm we were surprised to see that the corrugated iron and timber
roof of the barn was missing. The farmer was there to collect our
good will and parking fees and he confirmed that it had been blown
off by the wind recently!
There was another car
of cavers at the farm also paying their fees to the farmer but
luckily they were planning on a trip into Nettle Pot so we would have
Oxlow to ourselves.
We started down the
cave just before Noon and Keith rigged the pitches and we followed
him as far a the West Antechamber. Here, we arranged the “pull-down”
rope to gain entrance to the crawls of the New Oxlow Series via
Pilgrims Way.
We were soon all up
the pitch and the crawling began.
By the time we had
crawled several hundred metres, my knees were getting sore (I really
must get some decent knee pads!) and by the time we reached Mecca
Aven I decide to turn back as I could then crawl slowly and make it
less painful on my knees.
So I headed slowly
back towards the pitch from West Antechamber while Karen and Keith
continued onwards. They said a very short distance past Mecca Aven
was walking passage. Rats.
Anyway, as I neared
the top of the pitch I could hear voices and met a caver who had just
got off the top of the pitch as I arrived.
We chatted as I got
out of the way to let him past and he waited for the remaining two
cavers he was with.
I was surprised when
the third caver arrived at the top of the pitch: it was a girl, nut
she was a dwarf! So she would have no trouble with the crawls!
Anyway, once the other
cavers had passed, I abseiled down and had my Mars Bar and waited for
Karen and Keith's return which took only just over half an hour.
We then forgo a visit
to the West Chamber and started our journey to the surface.
This went without
incident and we were all back on the surface at about 16:20.
We walked back to
Oxlow Farm and changed then returned to the Orpheus CC cottage to
wash the ropes and have some tea.
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