It was a bit messy in the kitchen with washing up of the previous evening's barbecue going on, so as we planned on going to Burrington Coombe, we though we could eat breakfast at the café there so just had a bowl of cereal at Upper Pitts.
We packed up, paid our hut fees (@ £2.50 each per night as OCC members have reciprocal rights with Wessex CC) and drove to Burrington Coombe.
The Burrington Inn café isn't set up for breakfasts but we had half a jumbo sausage in a French stick each and a Danish pastry each so were happy enough.
After changing into caving gear, we walked 150 metres down the road and then up the narrow lane leading up onto the common land above the Coombe.
We reached the old UBSS hut and made the mistake of leaving the track and heading across the bracken-filled open heath following a wide clear path until we met a lady riding a horse coming the other way. She saw we were dressed in caving gear and asked where we were heading. When we replied “Read's Cavern” she pointed out we were heading the wrong way!
We returned to the lane and track skirting along the wood. We bumped into a small group of mountain bikers who had found a depression with a cave opening and they were asking if we knew about it. We had a look and found it had the usual MRO name plate and notice and this easily identified it as Bos Swallet. Good - at least we should be able to find Rod's Pot, which we were planning to look at later.
We continued along the track until we reached a wooden gate. We saw a path going off to the left at right-angles and should have followed that, but went onwards through the gate. The rough stony track was now dropping down and didn't appear to be going the right way. I had been to Read's Cavern at least once before, when on my first caving trip over an Easter Week in 1975 so I wasn't that clear on where it was!
We left the track at a path and soon found a sign for Rowebarrow Wood, so were in the right general area. We followed a path along a wire fence and soon found the cave with a dry brook leading to an opening at the foot of a short limestone cliff easily confirmed by the usual MRO nameplate.
I had my Adventure Verticale oversuit on (I had been walking in just my furry suit as it was quite warm despite the cloud) which was the first time I had worn it since buying it from Tony Seddon's “Starless River” stand at last year's Hidden Earth.
We had a good poke around the large Main Chamber and found what was almost certainly one of the main ways on via a clamber down between boulders. Soon it had become quite small and grovelly so we left it for until next time.
We followed another route at the other end of the Main Chamber which again became grovelly so happy with what we had seen so far we headed out.
We walked back following the route we should have followed in the first place and arrived back at the wooden gate and the track. We went back along the track and after a few blind tree-filled small depressions, we found the one with Rod's Pot.
Karen headed inwards and I warned her about the rift just inside you have to step across. The bend and short bit of passage were a lot more awkward than I remembered – but as Karen pointed out, the last time I was only 17!
Anyway, Karen was soon through into the chamber beyond the small entrance passage and I decided to not bother and waited for a few minutes while she continued on to have a look at the rest of the cave. She got to the greasy ramp at the end and turned back.
We were soon back at the surface and walked back to the car park next to the Burrington Inn. After changing, we headed for home.
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