Shuttleworth Pot

A first trip to this beautifully decorated cave for most of us, which was found by divers after diving from Witches Cave on Leck Fell.
Although the weather was forecast as a bit wet with heavy showers, this is one cave where the weather isn't as important as many others in the Dales.
Karen and I drove up to the Dales last night to join Pete Wagstaff, Alan Hatton and Mick Hogg at the Railway Inn at Ribblehead, a short way out of Ingleton. We were staying in adjoining bunk house accommodation with Keith joining us this morning. Meanwhile, because we only had the bunkhouse booked for the 6 of us, Boyd and Jenny Potts plus Phil Walker were staying at a 4 bed bunkhouse at the Dalesbridge centre near Austwick by the A65.
The pub was not very busy and there was plenty of room in the car park but we knew that the 11 space bunkhouse had been booked by bikers so it may be a bit busier today.
As usual, the morning gathering point was Bernies in Ingleton for breakfast. Ingleton seemed busier than usual in terms of parked cars. Keith and Dave Phillips met us there, with Dave just up for the day to go caving.
Breakfast accomplished and an after breakfast faff with more mugs of tea and a bit of gear buying (as today would be a relatively short trip), we all set off to park some cars at the village car park at the Cowan Bridge and then drive the three cars allowed by the required permit for caving on Leck Fell up onto the fell.
We ended up behind a convoy of several other vehicles with a couple more coming up behind, which turned out not to be cavers as they all drove past the cavers' car park and parked further up towards the farmhouse. Interestingly, a cattle grid had been installed next to the gate across the road near the route to Lost Johns Cave, so we no longer needed to open and close a gate on our way.
There were a couple of other cars already parked with their occupants getting changed into caving gear. I forget which cave they were heading for , but there are quite a few on the fell. As we were getting changed, another couple of cars also arrived out of which emptied three more cavers.
Once everyone had changed, we started the old Yorkshire Dales game called “Spot the Cave Entrance”! We followed the drystone wall for a bit and then spread out and after a relatively short time we found the entrance, which is a raised concrete platform with a rectangular manhole cover and an anchored short length of scaffold pole serving as a belay.
Keith and Pete set off down the hole with the two tackle bags of rope, followed by Karen and then myself with Dave and the others following.
The first bit at the surface is only around 3 metres of large diameter tubing buried in the ground with a flat base and a cut-out window opening on one side onto the first pitch-head. There was a short length of aluminium builders ladder and I was able to lower myself down and get onto the ladder and clamber down a few rungs to reach the floor of the tube. Unfortunately there was a lip between the floor and the cut-out window allowing a puddle of water to collect and as it was easier to sit on the floor with legs out over the pitch in order to get on the rope, this meant a wet bum!
The first pitch was short with a simple deviation using a drilled hole and the lower section was easily free-climbable on the way out. As I was already abseiling, it was just as easy to continue abseiling down the remaining few metres.
Then there was a short clamber down another solid ladder which was held in place with some scaffold tubes, placed in an angled drop over loose rubble and then a scoot along a low passage to the next pitch-head, ignoring the small muddy chamber on the left.
From the top of the next pitch, there was a sequence of short pitches with a short tightish section at one rebelay, to arrive at the top of the biggest bit, which is a called the Divers Pitch.
This pitch started with a short abseil to a small ledge next to a Y hang with a good view down into the large chamber below with Karen dealing with the next rebelay on a nose of rock sticking out below and Keith at the bottom of the pitch in the chamber and a few metres above me, dave waiting for his turn to descend.
Karen has passed the final rebelay and shouted “Rope free” from the bottom and I soon joined Keith who was sitting on a block which overlooks the large hole dropping down to the short length of stream leading to the sump below.
He had somehow managed to hurt a middle finger and Pete was busy rigging the traverse across to the pitch leading down to the stream and then the sump.
On the opposite side of the chamber from the drop down to the stream was a mud slope with a taped route leading up the slope. Keith said Karen had headed up the slope so that she could take photos before the rest of us arrived and created a steamy atmosphere. I soon followed and at the top of the slope there was a short crawling section.
The end of the crawl broke into a wide and high passage partially blocked by a large stal formation and curtain.
What an amazing cave! Lots of lovely straws and helectites and other formations! We made our way along the taped route largely following the path of a small, narrow and shallow stream which had worn its way down through several metres of sediment. We were both pausing frequently to take photos, and Phil soon caught is up and the three of us wandered along the taped route with frequent exclamations of “Wow!” and “Amazing!”.
We passed a boulder to one side of the path with taped off cups of thin stal which had formed by water dripping and splashing only to be left behind when the surrounding sediment had been washed away.
One section of passage wall was heavily coated with helectites and was right next to the path so it was very easy to have a goof look at them.
Sadly, even though there was a taped off route, here and there the tape was being trampled by previous visitor and there were even a set of large boot prints right through a section of sediment on the “wrong” side of the tape.
We reached a split in the route and followed the lower route to the right to begin with through more towering banks of sediment which again had been cut through by the small narrow stream and after quite a bit of well decorated passage I squeezed through a short narrow section, and reached a dead-end blocked by rock and/or flowstone.
Karen heard me coming back and as there was a only a short section of passage with sand and mud, she decided to turn around where she was.
Returning back to the junction, we then followed the left-hand section or taped-off path which started steeply up dried mud and passed a small hollow with the disturbed skeleton of a small dog. Again there more decorations and then again, a blockage and the and of the passage.
Making our way back the way we came, we met some of the others making their way through on their way in. We continued back to the chamber at the foot of the Divers Pitch. I decided to not bother descending the short drop down to the stream and sump as there was quite a lot of loose rock at the beginning of the traverse and I didn't want to risk having any stuff dropping down while I descended or while I was down there by others following afterwards.
Phil started to make his way across the traverse and I heard from Boyd that Mick had decided to call it a day on the way down at the deviation and was back on the surface.
I started making my way back to the surface followed by Boyd as we made our way up the rope passing each rebelay in turn. It was a bit awkward getting back up through the short tightish section while on the rope, but not too bad and soon I was clambering up the short section of ladder at the low passage leading back to the low crawl.
From here I heard Mick shouting down something about the karabiner on the deviation above me and I started clambering up the pitch as it was an easy climb, at least to start with. I then heard Mick say he had dropped the karabiner after detaching it from the deviation loop and let it slide down the rope. I asked Boyd to grab the karabiner as he was standing next to the remainder of the rope below me and he was able to pass it up to me. I then replaced the karabiner on the loop for the deviation.
From here the climbing was a bit trickier and there was some loose material which could be knocked down onto Boyd, so I attached my jammers onto the rope and then prusiked the last few metres to the Y hand by the window in the entrance tubing.
I got into the tubing, detached my jammers and shouted down “rope free” to Boyd and clambered back up the short ladder and hoiked myself out back onto the surface. I checked my watch and saw it was 14:30. I had been I and two and a quarter hours underground, having started in at 12:15.
What a very enjoyable and excellent trip!
All that remained was the walk back through the heather for around a kilometre uphill back to the cars. This was more tiring then the underground bit!

To top off an excellent caving trip, we had our obligatory chip butties back at Bernies.

Bernies

Everyone (except me as I took the photo) at the entrance

Dave

Karen at the top of the Divers' Pitch

Karen at the first rebelay, the Divers' Pitch

Keith in the chamber below

Phil

Calcite cup

The dog skeleton

Back on the surface

P8

Karen, Keith and I again stopped at the Orpheus hut to sort out and clean the ropes from yesterday and to get the ropes for a trip in P8. It turned out that Boyd, Waggy and Ashleigh were also heading for P8 with a couple of new prospective members called Roy and Jason.
The three of us left the others sorting themselves out and had breakfast ta Monyash café first. We drove to the usual layby to park to find a couple of cars there and Waggy waiting in his car with Ashleigh. It seemed that Roy and Jason had forgotten their wellies and had to return to get them!
We left Waggy waiting in his car and set off for the cave. We found the cavers from the pair of cars in the layby making their way out at the top of the first pitch and also found that the pitch was still rigged. The same thing was apparent at the second pitch: the traverse from the hole in the calcite was also left rigged.
Then at the quite high downstream sump (their had been quite a lot of rain last night) there was a new diving line tied off well away from the old line. It looked like someone was leaving the pitches rigged as they were making many trips diving the sump(s).
After returning to the second pitch we met the other Orpheus members descending using an electron ladder, for the benefit of the two novices.
We arranged that they would de-rig the ropes we had left (as they were using them as lifelines on the ladders) so we had an easier return to the surface without having to cart out the ropes.

Again we returned to the café in Monyash on our way back to the hut for some food and a brew.

Oxlow Cavern, New Oxlow Series

Meeting up at the café in Monyash as usual with Keith, we headed for the Orpheus hut to collect the ropes for a trip to Pilgrim's Way and New Oxlow Series in Oxlow Cavern.
I went as far as a short, low and wet section which I would have had to drag some gravel out in order to fit through so rather than lay in the cold water and dig the gravel out I decided to hang around while Keith and Karen continued the remaining short distance to the sump and the end of the passage.
On the way out Karen picked up quite a lot of old tins, batteries and other rubbish which Keith and I were calling “artefacts”!

Anyway, it was sunset as we reached the surface nearly six hours later and we saw a small rainbow as the sun was setting.

Cwmorthin Slate Quarry (Mine)

Karen and I drove to North Wales last night and stayed at Idwal Youth Hoste. In the morning after some cereal and tea, we drove to Tanygrisau near Blaenau Ffestiniog to meet up with the others.
By 11:00 all were present and after relocating to the small car park at the start of a vehicle track leading to Llyn Cwmorthin and beyond. Near the lake, the entrance to the mine (really a quarry as it was the rock, slate, which was being removed as opposed to the rick being a waste product such as in a mineral mine) soon appeared.
We unlocked the gate using the appropriate combination and set off underground. Luckily most the the passages we visited were high enough for even me to walk upright! After a short wander around the first large chamber we came to, we set off down a long incline which has a set of rails used for moving the slate in tubs. Slate is a smooth rock and as it was damp, it was quite a slippery descent.
Pete, who had been here before, led us around various passages and chambers and in one passage we found a tiny water wheel spinning as a channel of water passed underneath it. There was a bicycle chain sprocket attached to it but nothing attached to the sprocket. However, there was also a small cylinder attached next to the side of the wheel, but not touching it and the cylinder had some thin wires attached. It didn't appear that the wires were also attached to anything.
In a large chamber not far from here were the remains of some old mine plant with two large steel riveted cylinders, some old heavy electric cable and a large electrical switch box. Karen moved the switch handle and two old electric lights hanging above us lit up! They seemed to be LED based and weren't very bright and also had a regular flicker, but we were pretty sure they were being powered by that small waterwheel!
Anyway after re-ascending the long incline, which was much easier on the way up but of course more tiring, we waited for the rest of our group to re-appear from another route they had taken. Then, once we were re-united we headed for the entrance after an interesting and enjoyable trip.
We had been 3 and a half hours underground and as we got changed we talked about re-visiting the café for a brew but Boyd mentioned he had noticed the closing time was 16:00 and it was nearly that time now.
Oh well – we had a look in Blaenau Ffestiniog which had a couple of cafes, but they were also closed.

Never mind, we just headed for Bala to find the hostel Bala Backpackers, which was our overnight accommodation. There was much mirth in the various hand-written signs scattered around with various instructions!

Seat Sandal

Today was supposed to be a trip to Helvellyn via Striding and Swirral Edges but the cloud base was quite low and the forecast wasn't brilliant so we opted for a lower altitude option. A quick consultation of the “Lakeland Fellranger – The Near Eastern Fells” decided us on Seat Sandal which is opposite Dunmail Raise and Helm Crag. The attraction of this hill was the walk up along Raise Beck, which we thought would be interesting after all the heavy overnight rain, and a chance to see Grisedale Tarn.
So, we set off along the A491 as far as the layby by the Achille Ratti Hut and the old AA box, which is actually Grade 2 listed.
The ground was very wet and as we started up the small valley through which the Raise Beck was flowing in flood. It was quite and impressive sight and the small swollen waterfalls were interesting.
We reached a high point by the end of an old fence with the fence post still standing and took the opportunity to drop down a little to avoid the wind and sit on a boulder to have lunch as we overlooked Grisedale Tarn, a short distance below.
The clouds alternately lifted and settled again so we saw a varying amount of the surrounding hills.
After we were finished, we returned a short distance to the metal fence post and then started up the steep slope to the summit of Seat Sandal. As soon as we began, a rain shower started to join the strong wind!
So when we reached the summit, we paused behind the drystone wall to shelter from the wind and check the map for the bearing to drop back down the other side.
We then set off back down the other side of Seat Sandal and after a pleasant grassy section which wasn't too steep and good for views across to Helm Crag and along the valley below we arrived at much steeper ground with very slippery lichen-covered rocks.
We continued on down back towards the Achille Ratti Hut and the layby below.

Thankfully we eventually reached the much less steep ground at the bottom and then we were back at our starting point.

The Grade II listed AA Box with the Achille Ratti Hut behind

Helm Crag across the valley

Small Waterfall in Raise Beck

A LOT of water in the Beck

Grisedale Tarn

Looking towards Grasmere on the descent

Keswick

After another mostly wet night with spells of heavy rain, it was still wet in the morning and the cloud base in Borrowdale was quite low. So we decided to have a rest day wandering around the shops in Keswick. After all, we were on holiday!

Styhead Tarn

It had started raining yesterday evening while we were reading while sat in the car and overnight it turned much heavier so that at times it sounded like someone was practising with a fire hose pointing at our tent! In the quieter periods when the rain was lighter, we could hear the owls hooting and also quite a bit of stags roaring as it was rutting season. So not a peaceful night although this was down to nature rather than human annoyance.
In the morning it was still a bit wet so we had a leisurely breakfast after being woken up to pay our camping fees at around 07:30 and the getting up about an hour later. So by the time we set off on the short drive to Seathwaite, it was getting on towards noon.
We had been planning on ascending Scafell Pike via the Corridor Route as that was very near to where we were camping, but because of the claggy conditions, we decided to just go as far as Styhead Tarn via Ruddy Ghyll.
So we left the car in the parking are near the farm at Seathwaite where a slate plaque reminded everyone that Seathwaite has the highest rainfall in England, and started on the wide stony bridleway leading along the stream towards Stockley Bridge.
Almost immediately after crossing the bridge, there is a gate in the drystone-wall which we passed through and then chose the path heading south to follow the wall above Grains Gill until we reached Ruddy Gill higher up and after reaching cloud level continued in the mist.
After some time of increasingly gaining height we reached a more level section and Karen wanted to stop for a quick rest. Here we net some other walkers who were making their way down Ruddy Gill in the opposite direction and as we knew we hadn't that far to go to reach Sprinkling Tarn, we asked them how far it was to the tarn. They replied that they hadn't been able to find their way in the mist (despite using a GPS) and had given up and were heading down.
We dropped off the oath a few paces to sit out of the wind and I had a look at the map to see where we had reached and realised we weren't too far from a junction with the path from Angle Tarn to Sprinkling Tarn.
Just then a section of mist in front of us cleared and we could see the rocky ridge of The Band in front and high above us and also the path leading to Sprinkling Tarn about 10 metres away!
So we had a quick rest and then continued on our path from Ruddy Gill for a few tens of metres to cross a small ford and then turn right on the other path which led us in about 300 metres to Sprinkling Tarn which only loomed out of the mist slightly below and to the right of us when we were almost at the tarn edge.
Continuing on the path right by the western point of the tarn we dropped down the rocky path leading to the wide col of Styhead pass where there is a mountain rescue stretcher box, passing the start of the Corridor Route on the way. The views of the huge rocky crags and large and deep ravines of Great End and Lingmell.
We turned here and followed the path passing Styhead Tarn and then along the route of Styhead Gill with the odd spot of light rain which was just enough to make the rocky path slippery, until we passed the top of Taylor Gill Force and then arrived back at Stockley Bridge.

After crossing this fine old packhorse bridge,we retraced our route back to the small hamlet of Seathwaite.

The reason for all the rain!

Stockley Bridge

Sprinkling Tarn

Great End and Lingmell

The Mountain Rescue stretcher box near at Styhead Pass

Styhead Tarn

Pavey Ark via Jack's Rake

Leaving the car at the car park near the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel in Great Langdale, we followed the route on the west bank of Stickle Ghyll which was paved most of the way with flat stones forming steps.
We passed a group of kids “gorge walking” in the stream who seemed to be enjoying themselves.
It was quite warm as we made our way up towards Pavey Ark, whose summit we could see peeking out above us as it appeared over the top of Pike How.
Soon we arrived at the small dam at Stickle Tarn with the impressive craggy south-east face of Pavey Ark towering over the tarn where we could easily make out the diagonal route of Jack's Rake as it slanted up from the lower right to the upper left.
We stopped for a brew of tea sitting in the lee of the small dam and chatted to another walker who had passed us earlier and who was also making his way to do Jack's Rake. Luckily the weather was good and there were very few others about.
After we finished our drink, we started on the oath around the west shore of the tarn as we headed for the beginning o the Grade 1 scramble up Jack's Rake.
On the way I noticed a small pile of greyish-white material with a small cross formed by rocks and some flowers by the side of the tarn. I soon realised this was someone's ashes which had been left there recently.
Anyway, we reached the foot of the scrambling and saw the man we had talked to earlier further up the route and he soon disappeared out of site. Karen led off following the rocky groove which led easily up to a small ash tree above. After this there were short sections of horizontal path and more slanting groove. The climbing was very easy and the views across the tarn and into the distance gradually became more open as the height was gained but as you were mainly in a groove, there wasn't a great deal of a sense of exposure. As an added bonus, we had the whole route now to ourselves with dry rock except for the odd slimy section on the right-hand wall.
I took over a stint at the front where a very short horizontal section slanted downwards slightly to reach a steeper section. There was a sloping section of grass leading down to the left to a large drop and I could see this was on part of the scramble you wouldn't want to fall off the rock as you would probably slide down the grassy shoot and continue for a long way. However, the holds were very good and it was only a very short climb to a platform above.
After much easier short sections of scrambling we reached a platform at around chest height which had a slightly awkward step on its outer edge to allow you to gain the top. There was a reasonably good pair of hand holds so we were soon past that bit.
I could see the end of the scramble not far above now with an obvious small conical section of rock. To reach this we had to cross a short section of slab with good hand holds and reasonable foot holds (with good friction) even though there was a good sense of exposure from the slabs to the tarn far below.
After this there was more very easy scrambling on short rock steps and all too soon we reached the end of the excellent scramble at a short section of drystone-wall near Pavey Ark's summit.
We found a sheltered spot by a rocky outcrop and ate lunch.
Afterwards, we followed a vague path heading mostly south-east towards the nearby peak of Harrison Stickle. Along this section either the wind increased quite a lot or it was just funnelling through a saddle, but it was much stronger than it had been up to that point and quite a bit colder.
We claimed a path towards the top of Harrison Stickle but didn't bother with the small spur of a path to reach the summit and continued on a path leading down towards Pike 0'Stickle.
At a junction with another path leading towards Loft Crag, we headed in the direction of Loft Crag and then veered off onto a second path which followed above the impressive gash if Dungeon Ghyll and onwards towards Thorn Crag.

Soon we were heading back down beside Dungeon Ghyll passing Dungeon Ghyll Force waterfall on the way until we arrived back at our starting point.

Pavey Ark sticking out beyond Pike How

A slightly deceptive offer, if you read closely...

"Gorge Walking"

The path up to Stickle Tarn

Pavey Ark beyond Stickle Tarn.
Jack's Rake crosses the face diagonally from lower right to upper left

Scattered (or dumped?) ashes by the tarn

Karen at the start of the rake

Setting off on the first section leading to the ash tree above

A pause at the ash tree to take photos of the tarn
and surrounding hills

Looking back down the rake

Karen at the top of the trickiest bit.
A fall from here would probably mean a long drop below

Higher up the rake

Nearly at the top

Dungeon Ghyll

The descent path passes Dungeon Ghyll