[Description needed to Crushed Plumbs area].
- -On leaving a Room With A View enter walking passage. The first R leads to Chasm Passage and a pitch head at PT01. (Next, just beyond an obvious blind 10m hole in the floor, a small crawl on the L enters Hiltiaplenty. This leads to an extensive series of horizontal passages and pitches and a huge chamber, Galactica; see separate section below]).
-Hiltiaplenty area and Galactica chamber
- -
Keep walking upwards to soon reach the unobvious 2nd R which is a short-cut (continuing along up the main passage leads over boulders to a modest chamber, Liar's Bakery, with water splashing down from an aven in the far corner. The obvious continuation is through a low wide archway on the R which then loops round right to eventually meet the end of the short-cut, at PT02); Lemon Snout is a passage that leads N from the L wall of Liar's Bakery up a short free climb. A bolt and a thread on either side of the opening can be used to rig a hand line).
The 2nd R is a small passage which immediately lowers to a short crawl then regains walking passage and immediately reaches a junction at PT02. Turn R here (L leads to Liar's Bakery) and descend a rift made super-slippery by the passage of many cavers.
At the bottom a c2 down soon leads to the Natural Highs traverse (RIG03 - 30m?, 4 slings?, 2 hangers?; named as it was originally rigged solely using naturals). This traverses along the R wall over a series of pits. At a bridge before the final pit ascend a c4 on the R, either as a straightforward free climb with good holds or a rope can be rigged from anchors high on the R (these anchors are in the sandy Chasm Passage on the R. This stomps uphill for a short distance to reach a ledge to a big pitch the far side of which is PT01; [the pitch has probably been descended but this needs checking]. Continuing along the traverse beyond the end of the Natural Highs traverse leads to Bipedal traverse and Bipedal passage, see separate section below.
- -- -Lemon Snout
Goes North off Liar's Bakery. Appears as a tall, narrow rift passage with a rocky floor. A short way in the passage turns sharply left then right, with an awkward boulder to scramble around on the second corner. The rift continues sloping gently upward, after a short while the floor drops about a meter and it is advisable to continue by traversing on the obvious footholds. The rift traverse turns right above a hole in the lower level which is large enough to crawl into, but only connects back to the main rift in two other places. Meanwhile, the main traverse curves back left and lowers to meet the floor. After this a pair of smoothed rock bridges cut the passage in two vertically, they can be climbed from between the two but not from the outside. After the bridges the passage forks, with the larger route heading left, and the right-hand route dead-ending after about 50m. A hole on the left route floor shortly after leads steeply down, but doesn't continue. Avoiding this you come to a slightly wider chamber with a cracked black mud floor, and then the rift closes up.
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Bipedal traverse and Bipedal passage
[Description needed to Bipedal Passage area].
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The c4 enters the roomy Leeds Bypass passage (named as the team exploring it heard a team of ULSA cavers who they had overtaken and who were rigging in from P01 coming towards them). Leeds Bypass is a mud-floored phreatic passage which soon divides. (R is taped off to protect mud formations). Go L and after a few metres at the next junction turn R. (L here soon reaches a p40 and ????; a small passage on the far side of the top of the p40 loops back round to the end of the Natural Highs traverse). A third junction follows almost immediately, here go L (R here is the other end of the taped off passage). Descend steeply on slippy, smooth rock. (Two modest holes on the L wall of this slippy section lead to the Dark Arts, see separate section below). At the bottom go past a hole on the R (QM35 and QM36, have these been checked?), taking the L passage.
-Dark Arts and Tight Yorkshireman
[Description needed to Dark Arts area]. From the web: The main stretch of the darks arts in tall and narrow. It includes an up pitch and is a combination of stooping, crawling climbing. This section has been thoroughly tidied up. Probably do not return. From Fleur: Leads still remain here including a large, drippy pitch at the far, SE end and a p15 at the S end of Tight Yorkshireman. Becka: there's also a dodgy bit of survey in this section.
- -
Continue to descend a c2, go through a short rift section to soon reach the Water Source traverse [I'm not sure if this is right - anyone remember between Leeds Bypass and the 2nd traverse?]. (The waterfall on the L at the start of this 2nd traverse is a good place to drink and to check water levels - high if the spout below the pool is a single wide sheet, progressively lower if 3, 2 or just 1 spouts. [This water and the traverse isn't marked on the survey, it should be]. Water Source traverse (RIG04 - 30m?, 7 hangers?, 2 slings?) follows a large ledge on the R wall past 2 long holes to reach a phreatic tube requiring a brief stoop or crawl to a junction (I don't remember this junction - anyone?). (A major passage leads off on the R here leading to the Far Side and Flapjack Regained area, see separate section).
- -Far Side and Flapjack Regained area
[AT WHAT POINT DOES THE MAJOR PASSAGE TO THE FAR SIDE LEAD OFF AND HOW?] This leaves the main route at PT03.
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Go L to a c2 down into a short rift that soon reaches a p6 (RIG05 - 18m?, 5 hangers? Awkwardly rigged, this should be improved). This drops to a large ledge (the pitch continues with no survey data, is this still a QM?). Turn R to follow the rift down to a c2. Descend this and follow varied passage to a chamber with a water inlet - IS THIS HERE OR IS IT BEFORE PITCH, PERHAPS WHERE FAR SIDE GOES OFF? - then to a small chamber with a pit on the L (this is still a QM and is undescended I believe). Take the c3 up through a window on the R of the central pillar and climb over boulders (care - the boulders may be loose, use the worn route; do not climb direct, to the L of the pillar). At the top turn L (R leads steeply up to the base of a climb, Backslash. This ascends a steeply sloping aven. The climb was started in 2019 by Radost and Crossley and is still going; QM83x). From here follow easy, ascending walking passage to reach a distinctive three way junction, the Trident, with a prominent survey station 34 painted on it.
@@ -139,13 +122,10 @@ code used in the Austrian kataster e.g '1/S +' - https://expo/.survex.com/katastTake a fairly well hidden R turn in this small chamber to immediately reach a short traverse on the L wall to the head of Honeycomb Pitch (RIG06 - see rigging guide; named after the abundance of golden dogtooth crystals). A short descent with a long deviation to a bridge leads to the main hang with several rebelays to a final wide Y-hang rebelay then a swing into a prominent ledge around 10m above the blind base of the pitch.
Take the tube off from the ledge then go up an easy c3 to a p6 (RIG07 - natural and 1 hanger, 12m?; this rigging could be improved with another bolt). Stay on the R wall (descending to the base of the chamber below the pitch leads to a narrow crawl. This soon opens up to a large, undescended pitch with the sound of water, QM 2017 01???) and ascend a c4 (RIG08 - 2 hangers at top and 10m?). Descend along the R wall (with a QM to an undescended pitch on L side) then continue to follow the R wall in a rift as holes appear in the floor to soon reach the start of Hangman's pitch (RIG09 - see rigging guide; Hangman's pitch is named after the monstrous boulder perched above the main hang. Climbing onto this boulder leads to Myopia, described in a separate section below). This begins as a fairly narrow, catchy descent down the final hole in the rift (this was free climbed in 2017 when it was surveyed) to land on a roomy ledge with a stream cutting below. From this roomy ledge the main drop of Hangman's descends via a rebelay and a deviation to reach a bouldery floor (the pitch down continues below the boulders here but it sounds unenticingly wet; still a QM).
- -Myopia
Climbing on top of the monstrous boulder above the main hang of Hangman's pitch lets you reach the far wall. From here, a short drop down (RIG09-01, see rigging guide) lets you descend a few metres and then swing into a window in the main pitch that leads to large, horizontal passage. This is called Myopia (named as one of the original explorers repeatedly failed to notice it). This passage slopes up and is generally large with many loose boulders and huge amounts of dogstooth coating some rocks as well as some dead bats. It soon reaches the 1st Myopia traverse (RIG09-02, see rigging guide). This airy traverse follows the R wall past a large, undescended pitch (QM 2018 XX). The large passage continues to quickly reach the 2nd Myopia traverse (RIG09-03, see rigging guide). This was started but not finished in 2019 leaving QM 2019 XX for the wet pitch below and QM 2019 XX as the obvious passage continuing on the far side of the pitch that the traverse needs to access.
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Keep on rope to protect the walk along the ledge then up a muddy slope to reach the ledge at the top of Mongol Rally (approx p200, RIG12 - see rigging guide; named after George and Luke saw cars on their ferry out to Expo that were heading out to do the Mongol Rally). The upper part feels surprisingly friendly as it descends via numerous rebelays and 3 large ledges then 2 hanging rebelays to a rebelay at PT07. This is at an obvious, large window that leads to an extensive, largely horizontal level called Pitstop (PT07 is around 130m below the Mongol Rally pitch head and Pitstop is described in a separate section).
From Pitstop continue to descend around 50m further past 2 rebelays to a large ledge. (From this ledge R leads W to a c3 down. At the base of the c3, R goes N to a wet pitch (with no QMs???) whilst L continues W into Floodland over fine mud banks in wide passage to a steeply descending mud slope down that needs protection (RIG12-01 - see rigging guide). Rigging from the R wall leads to an ongoing ???A QMA???). A final short drop to the L (to the E) from the large ledge leads down to a huge, bouldery chamber at the base of Mongol Rally and the start of Grand Prix.
- -Pitstop and Turnback Time
@@ -181,15 +159,12 @@ code used in the Austrian kataster e.g '1/S +' - https://expo/.survex.com/katastThe p6 lands in Northern Powerhouse, a further section of horizontal passage. It begins with two parallel passages, both tight but the R is easier (the L passage has a QMA climb off on the L). These two passages re-join and, shortly after, you arrive at a balcony looking out onto a large, wet pitch (the small L descending passage immediately before the balcony soon ends whilst an easy-to-miss c4 on the R a few metres before the balcony leads to a second balcony which overlooks the same big pitch). This deep pitch is as yet undescended, QM2018-A.
A traverse (care, loose rocks) along the L wall from the first balcony is followed by an ascent of a short pitch (RIG12-06, see rigging guide) to reach the upper part of the chamber above the big pitch and the start of Medusa's Maze. (This upper chamber was originally accessed by a climb on the R wall then a squeeze through loose boulders - not recommended). From this upper chamber a QMB passage leads off the L wall. The main passage continues W out of the chamber via a c5 down. This is easiest to descend by climbing past boulders on the R wall with a possible QMB at this point. The main passage soon reaches a 4 way junction. Ahead quickly leads to a pitch, QM2019-B. L enters a low, wide room and is an enticing QM2019-A. R immediately goes to a T-junction. I won't continue to describe the route here until at least some of the QMs are cleared up and the main way on is clear.
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The massive chamber at the base of Mongol Rally seems only to have one way on, Grand Prix. This is reached by initially descending past huge boulders then traversing up R as the roof lowers and the walls close in. This passage soon reaches the p15 into Little Boy chamber (RIG13, see rigging guide). This pitch starts with a protected c2 down to a loose, muddy slope and then a vertical drop with a rebelay into a large, attractive round chamber. (Little Boy chamber was used as a camp later on the 2018 Expo by moving the camping gear from Camp Kraken in Tunnockschacht which had been used in 2016, 2017 and early 2018; the Little Boy camp was not used in 2019 and was completely removed that year).
The main passage, Grand Prix, leaves Little Boy chamber as a low arch to the SE, roughly opposite the pitch. It starts wide but is low and bouldery. Take care to try to follow the footpath. (A second passage to the R of this main passage, leaves Little Boy chamber at the lower, S part, to get to PT09. From PT09 there is a network of passages including Scoopy Loop and One Direction as well as to the Rubberman pitch series, see separate section).
- -Little Boy chamber to Rubberman pitch series and associated passages
@@ -202,7 +177,6 @@ code used in the Austrian kataster e.g '1/S +' - https://expo/.survex.com/katastThe upper section of the Rubberman pitch series (RIG14 - see rigging guide) is an awkward, sloping and loose rift descent via a series of ledges to where the pitch opens out (rigging down here needs significant improvement and more bolts to avoid rubs and loose rock). Here, swing over to the obvious ledge into ongoing passage on the R - care, stones here drop onto the remainder of the pitch that corkscrews below you. The rope can be tied off here. Descend off rope past boulders and mud, to the continuation of the pitch after around 30m?? (The obvious L passage shortly before the lower continuation of the Rubberman pitch series leads S to a p10 QM2018 A on the R and a p5 QM2018 B straight ahead. This area is not far below You Don't Know You're Beautiful near Crab Louse - this may even be a better route in to this area).
The lower section of the Rubberman pitch (RIG15, see rigging guide) descends to a loose slope. Traverse to the R wall and continue down to a ledge on the L where a waterfall fills a pool on the L. Traverse along the ledge, past the waterfall, following the L wall then scramble up a steep mud slope to the top of the L wall (a 2018 traverse rope up here and beyond was left in situ in the 2019 derig trip). At the top of this slope descend the slope and cross to the R wall to continue the descent (QM2018 A).
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Grand Prix continues as 20-30m wide passage then it narrows before opening out again into more huge passage. At the start of this section you need to move a cheval (shuffling along with one leg each side of a triangular ridge) to cross from the R to the L wall.
At the far side of this a cheval ridge a p40 (RIG13-01 - see rigging guide) descends to Suction Cup, a complex area beneath the main, huge Grand Prix passage. (Below the p40, a further p20 may be a QM2018 A. The main route in Suction Cup scrambles S then E through boulders then climbs up steeply sloping ramps to reach an aven with QM2018-B's off it. Near the base of the ramps a passage on the R leads to QM2018 A).