Dudley Caving Club: December 2024

The second day of DCC Yorkshire weekend started in inglesport cafe where we had a bite to eat to ready ourselves. We decided on small mammal pot. Once we located the entrance covered with botched together bits of wood, a short crawl leads to the first pitch with a short belay down, the way on is a small hole off to the right then you come to a bedding plane where a climb up leads you to a flat out crawl and my srt kit got caught on every rock in there I’m sure.Then a slippery slide down greasey slab. Onto the top of the final pitch, which I must say loz did an excellent job of rigging.

Once back on solid rock we carried on for a short while, we were heading for gaping gill. So into sandy crawls we went a lot of crawling with some stooping passage and the odd place to stretch your back out. We were rewarded for all our efforts when we came to main passage in gaping gill - it was breathtaking. The roaring waterfalls, so loud we couldn’t hear each other.

Time to head home so we returned back up the ropes and come out to a very dark and windy. We started slogging back down towards Clapham.

Cavers: George Tolley, Loz Appleby, Jonny Bellman and Phoebe Godwin.
Trip Report: George Tolley
Photos: George Tolley

Saturday, 28 December 2024

Cow Pot, Lancaster Hole Exchange Trip

The Dudley’s last official trips this year were planned to take place in Yorkshire. On the first day we put right some unfinished business, when we completed an exchange trip between Cow Pot and Lancaster Hole. (We had attempted this earlier in the year, but due to the Cow Pot party not having a description and being unsure of the route, they didn't want to commit to the +++tight squeeze after the first pitch, and wisely turned back).

This time, we were sure of the way on, and the squeeze - whilst certainly squeezy - yielded to some determined pushing. Thereafter, Jas and Jonny showed remarkable patience as Dave bungled the rigging by failing to locate the correct y-hang for Direct Route. After dropping down the pitch and finding himself too far away from the final y-hang, Jonny managed to correct the problem on his descent. Phew!

Dodgy rigging aside, this pitch down into Fall Pot was spectacular: a huge open chasm, at the bottom of which the lights of the Lancaster Hole party could be seen. After we had all dropped down the pitch, they started the long climb out, while we continued towards our (much shorter!) exit pitch. On arriving at Lancaster Hole, we took a quick detour into Slug World. This was very muddy and led to a tight, even muddier squeeze, which really didn't look worth going through. However, keen to redeem himself Dave popped through to see some very beautiful stalagmites. The others quickly came through, and were followed - much to the surprise of everyone - by a fourth caver who proceeded to announce that she had followed the lovely smell of clean, freshly-scented cavers up the passage. I never knew the Dudley smelt so good!

Thereafter, we retraced our steps to the bottom of Lancaster Hole where our friend rejoined her party who were prussiking up and out. A few minutes of sociable chit chat ensued while we waited our turn to exit the cave. On reaching the car, Loz, George and Phoebe weren't back, so we wandered back over to Cow Pot, where we found them all at the top of the first pitch. Apparently George had enjoyed a good struggle up the tight tube!

We rounded off the day with a delicious Italian meal, good company (in the form of Roo and George’s mum Lorelle) and a couple of pints in Kirkby, as well as the satisfaction of having another great Yorkshire trip under the belt.

Cavers: George, Jonny, Phoebe, Jas, Loz and Dave
Trip Report: Dave
Photos: Lorelle & Jonny

Saturday, 14 December 2024

OFD3: "Nobody Died or Nuffink"

Apparently Aristotle once said: “those who overcome their fears will truly be free.” When he spoke those words, I doubt he was thinking of the fear that comes from finding yourself leaning at full stretch over a yawning abyss. Or having found yourself in that position, the fear that the sagging at your stomach might outstrip your slow, painful inching towards safety, with the inevitably unpleasant (albeit mercifully brief) result. No, I'm fairly sure he wasn’t thinking of that kind of fear. That's the sort of fear you don't want to be free from, because it stops you doing daft things.

Maybe the Dudley are just a bit soft in the head. After all, the reputation of OFD3 is well known in the club. The “head-banging” traverses are documented in the club blog, as are photos of cavers stretched over seemingly impossibly-wide traverses. Yet I still found myself suggesting a trip there, and Bartek and Jas found themselves readily agreeing that it was a good idea.

Of course, it’s all Jas’ fault really. Recently he confessed - with great embarrassment - that he is daunted by my physical prowess. (At least, that's what I told him, and after he finished laughing so hard that he choked, he admitted that this is indeed the case). Maintaining my reputation for great physical ability is no mean feat. This must explain why I suppressed a perfectly sensible fear, and clicked “send” on that daft email invite. And that is how - of all the places we could be - Jas, Bartek and I found ourselves on the infamous OFD3 traverses, along with a couple of non-Dudley colleagues.

The first traverse set the tone well for what was to come. Here leaning across the chasm with feet on the ledges on one side and hands on the opposite wall was the way to proceed. A cheeky little foot-swap halfway along added a bit of spice. There was nothing too bad here.

The second traverse was much longer, and was negotiated by bridging with hands and feet on opposite sides of the rift. The ledges were of decent size, however, and offered good foot placements; or at least they did until they became too steep, forcing a drop down the rift for a few feet onto larger ledges. It’s interesting how a manoeuvre that you'd do without a second thought becomes ten times harder over a deep drop. Nevertheless, all members of the party executed it without undue fuss. Again, there was nothing too bad here. In fact, there may even have been a hint of exhilaration creeping in!

Arriving at the third traverse, it was clear that we’d reached a fairly major crux: a wide rift requiring a full body bridge. Martin (our leader and OFD aficionado) showed us how this was best done, before inviting us to follow. At this point, Bartek uttered the words: “oh wow, this is a bit committing.” Hearing this from the mouth of someone who chews up and spits out the nastiest cave trips for breakfast did not make me feel good about what was to come. For a moment, I seriously doubted that I would make it across, and I had visions of me plunging head-first towards the ground at break-neck speed. (Incidentally, I also had visions of Jas making a similar plunge, but for some reason these were far less disturbing.)

One by one we nervously placed our hands on one wall while lifting a foot to brace against the other. Balancing on one leg on a pile of rocks above a huge drop isn’t the most soothing of experiences. Fortunately, to quote the wily cave wizard: “nobody died or nuffink.”

After negotiating this fear-inducing move, we reached the safety of some jammed boulders. From there on, things were easy: a slither down a rift, a very tight squeeze up through boulders, a balancing act on a scaffold pole above the streamway and the eventual climb down into the stream itself. Half an hour or so of wading up the stream ensued before we arrived in Smith’s Armoury. We didn't stop here as we were worried we'd be pushing our call-out time; instead we commenced the return trip by heading rapidly back down the streamway.

On completing the traverses for the second time, we agreed that they were much easier in reverse. (Actually, they weren't that bad at any point, really, with the exception of the heart-in-mouth committal to starting the third one). Nonetheless, there was still occasion for nerves to be tested, as having crossed the big traverses, Bartek managed to slip on a much shorter one (though still above a big drop). Fortunately, his feet only slipped a couple of inches before he found his grip again. After another couple of hours we found ourselves at Top Entrance and started the trudge down to Penwyllt.

So, having conquered our fears, did we find freedom? I can't speak for Jas or Bartek (in fact I doubt either of them were afraid because they're not wimps like me), but I don’t think I'm free. I hoped I could lay to rest the nagging thought of having to conquer all those exposed free-climbs, but now someone (Mr Burkey!) has suggested the Midnight Traverses 😡. I've always said there's no way I’d do those, although I think a trip just to take a look might be in order…

Anyway, now we've done battle with the traverses, I prefer the words of the wily cave wizard over Aristotle’s: “remember, we do these caves so you don't have to.” If only he'd said that about OFD3!