The route starts from the stone bridge and takes about 20 minutes. +It is cairned all the way. Head to the +204e entrance and continue up the gully. The route rises over the broken +area known as the Quarries and then heads over the brow of the hill. +It then crosses the top of the large broken gully mentioned in the old route +below to reach a traverse across a steeply-sloping incised slab. A climb +up a gully then reaches a small col where a small path can be followed through +the bunde to the left, via a small vegetated bowl, to emerge at the 258b +entrance. This entrance is a shaft surrounded by bunde on three sides. +The 258a entrance is in the obvious adjacent shakehole. + +
From the stone bridge, follow the cairns towards 204e entrance. Upon reaching the final gully, where the path turns up to the right towards that entrance, continue straight across and then work to the right, @@ -34,93 +47,115 @@ overlooking a large broken gully running from right to left. Descend into the gully (passing the shaft of 2004-18) and cross to the other side where an obvious level ascends upwards and to the right. Having reached the top, follow the cairns to the right to arrive quickly at an area with -a hole to each side. The shakehole to the left, containing a cairn some -two feet high, contains the A entrance; the B entrance is the other hole. +a hole to each side. The shakehole to the left, containing a cairn +originally some +two feet high, contains the 258a entrance; the 258b entrance is the other hole.
Warning: There are a fair number of loose rocks on the entrance -pitch, particularly in the top section. Rocks that have been dislodged -could fall almost all the way down the shaft. -It is advisable for one person to -descend at a time and for the others to cower in the places marked below, or -wait at the very bottom by the ice stals. -
+Warning: Beware of loose rocks.
-The entrance, of moderate proportions, gives onto a -steeply-sloping shaft that descends for a total of 70m depth. The -shaft is imposing, and the view up from mid-descent is impressive. -A thread in -the bottom of the shakehole is succeeded by a bolt on the left wall under -the dripline, enabling a descent for several metres to a small ledge. -Working around to the right here gains a rebelay, succeeded by another under -a small nose of rock just where the shaft becomes vertical. -
+The shaft of the 258b entrance, rigged with an initial belay, deviation and +Y-hang just below the lip, +gives onto the main entrance shaft just above a single bolt rebelay also +accessible from the 258a entrance. A hang of around 10 metres from this +single bolt lands on a flat +floor where there is sometimes a snow plug. (The 258a entrance, no longer +used, was rigged with a thread in the bottom of the shakehole and a bolt +on the left wall under the dripline. This enabled a descent of several +metres to a small ledge, where working around to the right gained a rebelay, +succeeded by the single bolt rebelay mentioned above.) +A bolt on the left +wall (looking down the pitch) may be used to reanchor the rope here. +Upslope leads to an alcove. The rear of this alcove opens onto the +top of a pitch that appears to be of quite some depth [2006-258-1-B] which +may connect with Stone Monkey below. -
[Description needed 2006-258-2-B is missing from the paragraph below - Dave Loeffler or Aaron Curtis or Mark Shinwell]
+Following the left wall, a traverse +leads to a low bolt, which is succeeded by a scruffy descent of only +two metres to another rebelay on a flat wall. The descent continues down +the side, or on top of, a large snow plug to a lip where two bolts in the +ceiling (ring hangers essential) provide a high Y-belay for the next stage +of the pitch. (The original route used in 2006 did not use this Y-belay, +and instead descended via an undercut rift to the left known as The Col.) +A deviation helps slightly to alleviate rope rub on the lip +and is succeeded by a further ledge. There is sometimes a snow plug here, +and upslope, a rift leads off (under The Col) which could maybe lead to +further passage [2006-258-3-B]. -
The landing after the rebelay is on a large ledge, partially occupied by -a large area of snow. There is a bolt here to anchor the rope, and above -is visible the shaft of the B entrance. -Upslope leads to an alcove, where it is possible -to shelter whilst people are on the upper part of the pitch. The rear of -this alcove opens onto the top of a pitch that appears to be of quite -some depth [2006-258-1-B]. Downslope from the landing a traverse is followed on -the left wall; a bolt low on the wall just before the end provides the -belay for a scruffy descent of only two metres to another rebelay on a flat -wall. From here, the descent continues either on top of or alongside a -large snow plug to a rebelay on the left wall. After this, one continues -over a section of loose boulders and then drops in an awkward crack to -a crows' nest known as the Col, where there is a further rebelay. (The -rigging just above the Col is sub-optimal, and could do with further -work.) Care should be taken at the Col not to bang one's head on the -boulders above, as their undersides look loose. The Col provides a further -place where shelter can be taken from falling debris.
+The rope is rebelayed at the ledge, and +after a further rebelay from a nose, drops for a few metres to the head of +a large snow slope. The descent is continued from the same belay all the +way to the bottom of the slope. There is a possible way on to the +side of the snow plug on the left wall [2006-258-4-C]. Passing under +an arch the slope terminates with ice stalactites in alcoves to either side and +(depending on the year) an ice lake or pile of snow. The ice stal in +the alcove to the left could be ascended with ice and/or climbing equipment +to reach a passage [2006-258-5-C]. -
Continuing the descent in the main shaft from the Col gains another -snow plug and the base of the rift holding the Col. It is possible that -this rift could lead to further passage [2006-258-3-B], either accessed from this -point or by descending the pitch on the other side at the Col. -Abseiling over the snow plug towards the right wall, a high bolt provides -the belay for the final section of the pitch. The rope rubs on a boulder -here and a deviation should be installed. The final section drops -near-vertical for a short distance and then becomes steeply-sloping -over snow. Gradually, the snow flattens out (passing a possible way on -to the side of the snow plug on the left wall [2006-258-4-C]), -and the bottom is reached -at a pool of ice. There is an ice stal on the right and another in an -alcove to the left. The one in the alcove could be ascended with ice and/or -climbing equipment to reach a passage [2006-258-5C]. -On the existing rigging, reaching this point requires -approximately 100 metres of rope, a long sling, and nine hangers.
+[Description needed 2006-258-2-B is missing - Dave Loeffler or Aaron Curtis or Mark Shinwell]
-[Description needed 2006-258-6-X, 2006-258-7-X, 2006-258-8-X, 2006-258-9-X, 2006-258-10-D, 2006-258-11-C is missing from below - Dave Loeffler or Aaron Curtis or Mark Shinwell]
- -The main way on from the ice pool is a hole at floor level that leads -into a chamber. Another small hole to the right gives access to -Bauernkrapfen Passage, a well-formed crawl debouching into a large rift -chamber, Three Fried Mice. Following the chamber around to the left +
The main way on from the bottom of the snow slope +is a hole at floor level that leads +into a chamber. This chamber is on occasion occupied by a large ice +stalactite and accompanying ice floor. +A small hole to the right gives access to +Bauernkrapfen Passage, a well-formed sloping crawl debouching +into a large rift +chamber, Three Fried Mice. +Following the chamber around to the left leads to a choke at the bottom of a slope, although before this it is possible to climb up the wall and through a hole under boulders to gain a higher level, with a view over the chamber before Bauernkrapfen Passage but no other ways on.
-[Description needed The name Strudel crawl needs mentioning - Tom Handford or Dave Loeffler or Aaron Curtis or Mark Shinwell]
+Following the rift around to the right from the end of +Bauernkrapfen Passage, passing some small +faulted phreatic tubes in the left wall, +leads to an opening in the right wall. The succeeding phreatic passage, +Strudel Crawl, sucks strongly and +continues sloping down past a delicate traverse over a hole [2006-258-12-C] +to eventually arrive at a further hole in the floor [2006-258-13-B]. A +traverse line is required to cross this. Shortly after the traverse, +there is an eyehole in the right-hand wall (facing downslope), which leads +to the large passage of Ribs with Knödel. Strudel Crawl may also be +followed down without going through the eyehole to reach the same point, +although this route is not recommended for descent, due to a drop underneath. + +
[Description needed 2006-258-6-X, 2006-258-7-X, 2006-258-8-X, 2006-258-9-X, 2006-258-10-D, 2006-258-11-C is missing from below - Dave Loeffler or Aaron Curtis or Mark Shinwell]
+[Description needed Flapjack choke does this mean that 2006-258-13B has been completed? If so tunnel and qm list need ammending - Steve Jones or Serena Povia or Becka Lawson]
-Following the rift around to the right from the end of -Bauernkrapfen Passage, passing some faulted phreatic tubes in the left wall, -leads to an opening in the right wall. This sucks strongly and -continues as a phreatic passage past a delicate traverse over a hole [2006-258-12-C] -to eventually arrive at a further hole in the floor [2006-258-13-B]. This will -require rigging to traverse or descend. This then leads to Ribs with Knoedel.
+One exits Strudel Crawl to find the large passage of Ribs with Knödel +sloping down to the right. In this direction, a hole in the floor is +passed, before a much larger hole right across the passage is reached. +A rope belayed to bolts on the left side of the passage enables a descent to be +made to a point where it is possible to climb down, behind and around a +rock pillar to complete the crossing of the hole. A further passage leads +off from behind this pillar [QM ?]. + +
After the hole, a sloping traverse is crossed; water enters from the +roof here. This is followed by a long ramp downwards. A rope belayed to +a large thread over towards the left, well back from the lip, enables a +descent towards the right wall to reach the traverse of +Caramel Catharsis. This follows the right wall, still sloping +down and passing a hole into Stone Monkey, +to a pitch of a few metres landing on a sandy floor in an +impressive chamber. +Continuing northwards past the taped floor leads +to the Littoral North and the main part of +the cave. +The other obvious exit leads to Secret Squirrel. + +
[more needed] + +
[Description needed - Tom Handford or Dave Loeffler] [2006-258-14-C] [2006-258-15-C] @@ -128,110 +163,8 @@ require rigging to traverse or descend. This then leads to Ribs with Knoedel.Alphabet soup -[Description needed - Becka or Wookey or Andrew A] -[2006-258-37-B] -[2006-258-38-C] -[2006-258-39-C] -[2006-258-41-C] -[2006-258-42-C] -[2006-258-43-C] -[2006-258-44-C] -
More to deal with: misc
| 258 - a b | Tunnockschacht | 2 ?? |
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