Sunday, 28 August 2011

Marble Steps Pot


There had been quite a lot of heavy rain during the night so we decided to leave Diccan Pot for another day and changed plans to Marble Steps Pot. Again the forecast was for occasional light showers.
We met Mark Silo in the morning at breakfast at Bernies in Ingleton. Afterwards we drove to Masongill Lane where there was a very large amount of run-off gravel and small rocks on the road as you reach the water treatment building with a very obvious increase in erosion on the lane as it headed away uphill towards Turbary Road.
We met another group of cavers getting changed and although they were also planning on a trip in Marble Steps Pot, they were only intending to drop down the Sidewinder route and then return, while we were planning on the alternative Gully Route and further.
I clambered down the surface gully and waited for Keith and the others as Keith was doing the rigging. I was last in our group to start down the ropes and I had trouble getting past the rebelay just inside the cave! Typical – it's a little awkward as you have to swing a bit to reach it and then are quite off balance when getting past. I hadn't dropped down far enough initially and couldn't reach the rebelay so dropped sown a little more. I didn't want to injure my shoulder which is still a bit weak after an old injury so I gave up and left the others to continue.
They had what sounded like a great trip and reached the bottom of the cave.
Afterwards we returned to Bernies for a meal for some of us while the rest had food in the New Inn, Clapham.

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