Walking on Kinder Scout, Peak District

Even though the forecast was for rain, and when it wouldn't be raining, there would be heavy rain(!) and because Karen sensibly decided to stay indoors, I decided to go walking on Kinder Scout!.
Setting off around a quarter past nine after breakfast I drove to Upper Booth in Edale and parked at the car park where there were a group of walkers gathered around a large gas stove perched on a box cooking breakfast! I put on my waterproof overtrousers and boots and headed up the road until I reached a farm where the Pennine Way follows through the farm yard. Following this path I arrived at what most know as "Edale" but is actually Grindsbrook Booth.

I had already decided to follow up Ringing Roger to gain the Kinder Plateau and this is what I did. There weren't many others around, unsurprisingly given the weather forecast. Following around the Eastern edge of the plateau I reached the point where a stream drops down a ravine at near the top of Grindsbrook valley and found that the stream was so high you couldn't just cross at the usual point but by heading upstream a short way, I was able to step across a gap with the water passing below.
I continued around the plateau edge until reaching the head of Crowden Book where I sat beneath the rocks of Crowden Tower and had a sandwich and drink from my flask for lunch. Afterwards I decided to follow down the brook to eventually reach the road and then walked the short distance back to the car park. I changed out of my boots and headed just after three in the afternoon for home where Keith was having coffee after having come up for the weekend for the Orpheus Caving Club Christmas Dinner which was happening that evening.
After a shower and a short rest, Karen and I headed for the OCC cottage and met around thirty others for the annual Christmas Dinner which was excellent as usual.

Yordas Pot

The morning was lovely with clear, blue skies and snow-covered hills and fields and cold. We had some breakfast and headed for Bernies as usual. While having more breakfast(!), others arrived who had traveled up in the morning including Boyd, Nikki and Matt Adlam Styles and Dave Phillips. The plan was for Notts Pot on Leck Fell and Boyd handed over the permit saying that he was only up for the day and was going walking. We were waiting for Robert and Phil to arrive but there was no sign of them. Realising that they had probably headed for the car park on the way to Leck Fell we all headed off for the same place. The car park had quite a lot of ice and we were wondering if we would make it the few miles up the narrow lane to the fell with all the snow and ice. We left some of the cars in the bottom car park near the main road and headed up the lane.
We had got past the farms and houses and although the road was fairly clear and the snow around it wasn't very deep, Mark's car came to and icy stretch and he couldn't continue. we parked up behind and tried pushing but didn't get very far. In the meantime I ran a quarter of a mile or so up the road to see if it was getting worse and found that it was. I headed back and found that Mark had managed to turn around via a gate into a field and we all headed back to the lower car park to talk about Plan "B".
I suggested Kingsdale as it would probably prove more accessible in the icy conditions and there are plenty of caves to choose from - we had plenty of rope which would have been needed for Notts Pot as well. Pete suggested the Yordas Pot Roof Traverse which we had done a few weeks ago: others suggested Jingling Pot. Since we had plenty of rope and time we decided to do both. Mark, Phil, Robert, Dave, Matt and I headed for Yordas Pot, Pete, Jess and Jim headed for Jingling Pot while Karen and Nikki decided to have a short walk nearby.
We headed into one of the middle entrances to Yordas Pot finding the water levels fairly low. Mark headed in doing the rigging and I followed close behind then the others. At the start of the Roof Traverse, I swung about on the rope a bit and tried traversing around and realised that my shoulder was still fairly week and I would probably not be able to cope with the more strenuous bits towards the end so I let the others pass and then headed back out via the middle entrance and found Karen in the spacious Main Chamber of Yordas Cave which is large and fairly flat with a large walk-in entrance. She had been wandering about with the small LED light on her keyring. We walked across the chamber to the Chapter House Waterfall to watch the others making their away along the Roof Traverse thirty feet or so above. The last of them seemed to have a lot of trouble getting past the deviation right at the end.
Dave had been last and had unclipped the deviation and could re-clip it so just abseiled down without getting too wet, unlike Matt! Once they were all down, they headed out via the Main Chamber and I thought I might prusik up and try and re-clip the deviation but I realised I would have ended up mostly in the waterfall to begin with and would have got very wet, so I gave up and followed the others out.
Matt had got pretty wet and headed back to his car while I followed Mark towards Jingling Pot followed by the others. It was difficult to work out where the Turbary Road track was due to the snow and the sun shining directly at us, but after wandering along we found it. I found Mark when near the Pot and he had found it very quiet with no answer to his calls - it is basically a blind shaft with a smaller side continuation and they should have heard him calling. He thought that the others must have resurfaced and we missed each other as they headed for Yordas Pot. Karen had Jim's car keys so she headed back to the cars in case he was looking for them and soon afterwards we heard the others who were still below in the Pot. Jess arrived at the surface after Mark, Phil and Robert had abseiled down followed some time later by Jim. By now Dave and I were still at the surface and getting pretty cold, so I headed back to the car with Jim and Jess to get changed. Once changed we headed back to Bernies leaving Pete and Dave to do the Yordas traverse and de-rig while Mark, Phil and Robert de0rigged Jingling Pot. Later most of us met in Bernies but only Matt and Nikki had got their before the kitchen had closed and managed to get the last order for chip butties in!

Caving Weekend Yorkshire Dales

I felt knackered when arriving home from work and Karen offered to drive. So we set off for the Yorkshire Dales at around 6:30pm and left a very cold Peak District to find an even colder Yorkshire Dales with quite a lot of snow lying on the ground from earlier in the week: luckily the roads were fine. We arrived at the YSS place in Helwith Bridge and found quite a lot of cars parked there with a large group from VMC (a mountaineering club?) busy cooking in the kitchen with torches as there was a power cut. They told us, from Alan Speight, that a group from Manchester University Speleological Club were likely to arrive later as they hadn't been able to get to Bull Pot Farm where they had intended to stay, so the Orpheus CC lot (us) could use the YSS Members' room.
We dropped our gear off and headed fro the pub: The Helwith Bridge, just a couple of hundred yards away. Here we found fellow OCC members Jim Alder and Jess Eades who were chatting to members of Bradford Pothole Club. There was a single emergency light in the bar with some candles, due to the power cut and despite having some cooked food, Jim was disappointed that he couldn't have any chips due to the power cut. After an hour or so the electricity came on and Colin the landlord turned the lights off as it was quite nice with just the single light and candles. Later on Mark Silo and Pete Wagstaff arrived along with Robert Protheroe-Jones and Phil Walker.

Knotlow Cavern

Karen and I drove to Monyash Cafe, again and found Keith and Pete Collins there waiting for breakfast. I had arranged to meet Dave Webb there for a trip down Knotlow cavern so that he could have a look at several locations where it had been suggested some repair work is carried out before recommending the mine for led caving trips. Dave was looking at the locations with a view to cave conservation. Alan Keen of Masson CG was with Dave and he joined us for the trip. Another group of cavers, including Dennis Jump was also in the cafe and knew Dave. They had a trip down the Engine Shaft and over towards the Fourways Shaft area.

Morrisons Bag Pack for DCRO

In the morning I went to Ashbourne to get my hair cut and then after a quick lunch at home I joined Karen and the others at Morrisons supermarket in Buxton to help out packing bags for customers in return for donations to DCRO. We knocked of at 2:00 pm and went to Monyash Cafe for something to eat.

Walk from Hartington along Biggin, Wolfescote and Beresford Dales, Peak District

Karen was tied up with writing up Minutes for various minutes and other tasks so I decided to go for a walk despite the weather forecast of rain - at least the temperature was supposed to be a few degrees warmer than yesterday! First I called at the Orpheus Caving Club hut to pick up some stuff I had left behind yesterday and found a visiting group trying to get their mini-bus out of the car park after last night's icy conditions with Keith and Pete Collins (who had arrived yesterday evening) waiting in Pete's car for them to get out of the way. They were heading for breakfast at Monyash cafe before a digging session at Water Icicle Close Cavern.
I picked up my stuff and followed Keith and Pete to join them for some food at the cafe, Afterwards they headed for the mine while I headed for Hartington. I parked in the village centre and got my boots on. I headed uphill on a minor road which led past Hartington Hall which is a Youth Hostel and then across the fields following a Public Footpath to a track which brought me to the start of Biggin Dale after a mile or two. Part way along this track the first of several showers started so I stopped to get my overtrousers on. There was a small flood on the very short section of minor road between the end of the track and the start of Biggin Dale so I stopped and waited for a van to pass in order to avoid a splashing.
I followed down Biggin Dale which was quiet - so far I only saw two people since leaving Hartington. I followed along the dale, which was quite wet underfoot after the overnight snow, which had since melted, and today's rain showers. Soon I reached the picturesque junction of Biggin and Wolfescote Dales where you meet the upstream end of the River Dove. Here the rain got heavier and the river was flowing well with the water fairly muddy. I followed along Wolfescote Dale until after passing over a lane with footbridge over the river I entered Beresford Dale. This started as a wide area of pasture which was very waterlogged but soon narrowed into a path. I followed this until I ended up in fields with the sun breaking though the clouds with the rain stopping. Soon I was back in the village of Hartington and after changing out of boots, I drove the short distance back to Winster and home.

Knotlow Cavern, Peak District

During the week Jess Eades had asked if there was any caving planned for today so we arranged to meet at the Orpheus hut in the morning. Keith also planned to come along so once he had arrived we decided on a trip to Knotlow Cavern because a) Jess wanted some SRT practice and b) Keith wanted to go to the cafe in Monyash...
So, it was off to the cafe and once we had finished, we drove up the lane and track to Knotlow Triangle. It was dry but cold so most of us had changed into furry suits before leaving the hut. Just as we were heading for the shafts, two more cars arrived with a group of students - there was a CHECC (Council of Higher Education Clubs) gathering in Castleton this weekend.
Keith attached our 80 metre rope to Knotlow Engine Shaft and lowered it down the 210 foot shaft while I headed for the nearby Climbing Shaft which I found already rigged (in fact one of the students had told Karen that this was so). I headed onwards down the mine rigging our own rope as well until Jess, Keith and Karen arrived in Pearl Chamber at the bottom of the second pitch. We continued on down the several short climbs and passageways until arriving at the top of the last pitch: Waterfall Pitch. I soon had this rigged and waited at the bottom until the others had descended. I managed to get hold of the 80 metre rope which was hanging down the Engine Shaft and pulled it to the side as the rope and tackle bag were floating in the deep pool at the foot of the shaft.
Karen set off up the 210 foot prusik to the surface and Jess and Keith were to follow while I returned the way we had come in order to de-rig our rope. At the top of the second pitch I found a group of three cavers on their way down. They were another 3 University club cavers. Once they had descended this pitch I de-rigged out and back up the Climbing Shaft to find Karen on the surface at the Engine Shaft in the cold air - it was hovering just above freezing on the surface whereas underground it was noticeably warmer.
After I had hauled the tackle bags and rope to the surface and tidied away the rope into a bag, Jess had arrived. We went back to our cars and while Jess and Karen started to change out of caving gear, I took off my SRT stuff and walked back to the Engine Shaft to meet Keith when he surfaced so that I could help haul up the 80 metre rope. We also got changed and then headed back to the nice warm cafe.