P - 8

Taking advantage of a mid week day off, Jess and I decided we’d have a jaunt in the peaks. We’d done P8 a couple of times, but had never rigged the high level bits and thought we’d go have a play in anticipation of a possible novice SRT trip in the future.

Rolling out of bed in to a -3 start to the day I have to admit the thought of staying in a nice warm house with an endless supply of tea & coffee did seem rather appealing to us…….then the children got up and we couldn’t wait to get out!

After paying our trespass fee and changing, Jess and I romped over the snow covered fields toward P8. Arriving there we found the entrance completely frozen. Water was still pouring in but under the flowing water was a thick sheet of ice, so we decided to rig a hand line in to the entrance. After a swift ice cold dunking we set off down the passage toward Idiots Leap. Jess spotted a couple of potential climbs up and upon exploring, we found Flats and Boney pitch heads. Rigging Flats we quickly made our way down and carried on toward the first pitch. Here I climbed up to take a look at the high level pitches before sliding back down to carry on with our objective, the traverse around the first pitch. With this done we went across the high level route to Mud hall and down for a quick look at the sump before coming back via Gour passage and reversing the route to exited in to a very chilly -6 night sky. Great fun, an entirely different cave when SRT’d.

Pressent: Mark Burkey & Jessica Harding

p8 Again!

After Andy and Mel had kindly taken us into p8 to practise rigging, we thought it would be a good idea to go again while everything was still fresh in our minds. Having left a call-out with Andy we had a great time mooching around p8 and exploring 'Pete's dig', which we had ignored the previous trip. All went well with the rigging and we were out in plenty of time.
Present: Jess and Mark

P8 (JACKPOT)

Well this was a hastely aranged trip for Jessica, after she had emailed me asking for a trip for her and her friend Mark, so I arranged a novice trip into P8 providing that she led, and did all the rigging, and that Mell and myself only went along to observe.
So we met up in the usual place (Morrisons) at Buxton and headed off to P8, now the weather was poor, it was raining, and I was a little concerned over the water levels, but the entrance wasn't taking much more water than it usualy does for this time of year, so we continued with the trip.
Now the rigging by Jess took a little longer than I had anticipated, due to the fact that even though Jess had been caving for a good few years now, she had never had to do any rigging, so she was having to learn on the job so to say, with me yelling at her as usual, but she managed to lifeline every one down and back up saftely, even though some of us (Me for one) where getting absolutly froze from standing around while she went through every stage of what she had to do in her head before doing it.
Not to worry we all have to learn, and doing it on the mill is totaly different to being in a cave with water spraying all over you and a force 10 gale blowing in your face while stood waiting at the bottom of the pitches, and poor Mark came down the second pitch with the water pouring straight down his neck, much to Jess and my amusement.


Present: Mark, JH, MW, AG (report)

P8, Sparrowpit, Derbyshire

To Sump One in very dry conditions.  The first time I had done the second stream pitch.  Left the ammo box at the bottom and had to go back down.  Seb showed Brendan and me up on the climbs - not a wise thing for novices to do!

Present:  SBa, BMa & KEd + Ambar, Bill, Mark, Paul & Jenny from WMCEG