Rigged down Adrians route - to the head of the large pitch discovered 2 years ago. The Wook - proudly bearing WOOK - on every gear item including Wembly helmet + ass - was belayed accross a really vegetable garden of a pitch head traverse. Percy Thrower really was needed as the rocks clattered down - I had the feeling that the entire ledge would follow the furrows down the shaft.
Two Wook bolts were rigged and several tension traverses fixed. The ferretting reflex took over and it dashed off after being belayed across the traverse (leaving me clutching a cold rope) whilst ferretting Wook popped out - A new entrance - and shouted "Where the fuck am I." to the nearest Bunda bush - Adam appeared. The alternative is only to be recommended to really 1st Pitch-O-Phobiacs - as it is crawly + shitty.
To give ourselves a 'Smarty' we faffed horrendously Calibrating Compasses + surveying.
7 hours
Last Adrian's trip (1988) / Next trip (pushing into France)
15/7/90 | 161 - Disaster Area + Fumble Fingers go shouting | Juliette + Del
In the most tedious way - with Boris -> Adrians to rerig the new pitch [French Connection II-Ed]. 3 hours for a bolt (7 goes !!!) Lost cones + jammed cones. Completely needless bolts drilled. Compasses dropped. Pitches descended with harness undone. Much flapjack eaten. At least 4 pisses per hour -> oh god!
6½ hrs
14/7/90 | 161 - Below Knossus | Julian & David H
Dave H <-Mr Sunburn
The intention was to go down and check out the ? part way down flapjack, but by the time we made it down to boulder alley today's team faff hadn't rigged Knossus yet. We sat there with all our rope, poked at the 9m diameter hole to the side of the passage that noone had ever descended and Jeremy ("Oh dear, I seam to have left my dangly bag above the squeeze, could you pass it down?") agreed that it had better be sorted out. 3 tapes, a small maillon, two natural belays & 2 rope protectors, one with knackered velco got us started. then there was a textbook Dave bolt taking us to the floor of a rift. walking up one of the false floors leads up to Knossus, 3m above a loose hole in its floor no-one has gone down either. Bolting from a false floor, through 4 inch crack, then squeezing down in a different place to next layer down to gain access to rope met upon a 30m pitch. We were by now using Ernie the Earthworm (the 9mm rope)... Ok, well he's easy to carry and tie knots in. Pile of rocks at the bottom 4m in diameter, cheap little crawl which I shuffled down. By shaking the floor I packed the cracked rocks in tighter to produce more room. Fell down a dust pit at the far end. There was a slot on the floor with fist sized rocks spilling through. I dug them out. Skull sized rocks began rolling through. Crawled through carefully when there was enough space, took one glance at boulder choke beyond it and retreated. Call it Rabbit Curry. I sent Dave 5m up the pitch to investigate large hole in wall. He climbed it quite a way. Then I had to cower as the sky began chucking down rocks and Dave followed them. Fortunately still attached. He didn't enjoy it. Call it The Pit and the Pendulum. We surveyed & derigged out, dumped ropes and beat it for the surface in a shower of sweat.
T/U 9½ hours
Previous trip / The trip that caused the delay / The trip that actually went to the Flapjack QM
15/7/90 | 161 - Deep question mark at bottom of flapjack | Julian and David H
Oh boy what a long way down, and that's before we start any pushing!
Made a good start by getting lost in star wars/tower blocks but finally
arrived at flapjack.
Rigged down to the ledge with sally, a little confused why I needed to use
a rope protector. I discovered why on the way out when I found the
other bolt so had to faff for ages rerigging and joining Sally to
Ernie (9mm)
When I saw Julian's way on I thought he was joking but the tight thrutchy
bit did open out to a couple of Small pitches and then entered an interesting
rift with multiple false floors, following a stream way. I hope it doesn't
head for the sump.
Went zig-zagging down until it was time to bottle - "its like a maze
down here" I did say! Taking some thread next time would be an idea.
Anyway, its still going - just!
Interesting ceiling and in places, walls, of "pudding stones"
and mud.
Thankful at the chance to leave the gear there we made a quick exit to
catch Del + Juliette and a lift down to base camp to join the rest of the
family who'd arrived over the weekend - BUT WHERE'S ALL THE BEER!?
T.U. 8½ hrs
A new face shows up (well, an old old lag really...)
Carried caving gear up pm. My first time on a CUCC exped'n. On the col
just short of camp 1 looked across to the hillside opposite... a hole.
Decided to go there & ended up somewhere else, where there was a
really tight flat-out crawl. just fitted through in a T shirt. Leads
to a tightish (though passable) rift. Draughting quite strongly outwards.
Decided to turn back, to make sure I could get out. Did so with a little
difficulty. The entrance could be enlarged with a lumphammer & a crowbar.
Ten metres below, Mark found another hole, this time a newly-collapsed small
unstable hole, with a rock jammed across it. Tried to shift rock & got it
jammed further. Mark went down a 6m climb, which led to a longish ramp.
Dumped gear at camp 1, called Hugh at cave 161, had a brew & resolved to
return morgen fresh. Discovered my sunglasses were still at cave entrance.
I'd taken them off to go caving. Mark stayed at col, & I went to retrieve
them. With shouted directions also found the entrance we'd first thought of -
it goes all of 5 feet before stopping.
William
P.S: Built a cairn by entrances Bearing 285 Mag to Nose. 350 to
Gr.Schiebling-Kgl. T.U. 5 mins each 13/7/90 | Near 161 - return to '2 years Gestation' | Jeremy, Matt & Adam
Underground after 4.00pm (Not bad), quick trip to bottom, a quick dig
(extended cave by about 5m). Surveyed & derigged (derigging through
squeeze "interesting").
No major cock ups etc, out in light
T/U 3½ hours 14/7/90 | 161 - rig right hand route & push Yapate | Adam & Jeremy
Team div brain. Trip started well with Adam using Wookeys electric cos
he'd forgotten his generator.
Couldn't find drill at first. Found it, descended to squeeze. Rigged squeeze with dickhead catcher (a sort of donkeys dick for cavers). Ladder to
short, but who uses it anyway?
Spent ages trying to rig next short ladder pitch (how long since I went
caving!!). Got to Bungalow, waited for Adam cos didn't have rope. Tried to
put a bolt in with drill but didn't have hammer, where? in SRT bag, above
squeeze!!?#þþ. luckily so slow that Julian was at top of squeeze
when I went back.
Took 3 attempts to put in a bolt
Rigged Knossossss (Dave H & Julian gone down another pitch in
boredom), Rope to short by 10 foot!!
Rerigging adding short rope to traverse, still to short but doable.
Got to Yapate & Drill went flat.
Adam went for crawl down tube, & we were just about to go out in
disgust when he found a 30m pitch (joint effort by shouting - I found easier
way to pitch) - bloody cave is ridiculous!
Put in two bolts & Adam zoomed down (really good hang) & found
going vadoes rift - time to go out
I zoomed out & spent half hr at surface wondering where Adam was, he
appeared late moaning at me - his light had failed. GREAT TRIP!!
T/U 9 hours
Previous trip /
Dave H & Julian's trip same day (Rabbit Curry)
/ Del & DaveF's trip same day
(to end of Yapate) /
Next trip to Flat Battery series
14/7/90 | 161 - Final cut | Del and Damage
Team get nothing done. Urm trundle. Faff, faff. Trundle. Trundle. Urm did
anything happen. Might aff but I went brain dead last night. Del rigged some
of final cut. I put a bolt in. How boring. I took my time in squeeze out, fat
bastard ! We must have done something, surely ! Met Jeremy. Had a shit. Faff.
Faff. CRAP TRIP.
T/U 8 hrs
Previous trip /
Dave H & Julian's trip same day (Rabbit Curry)
/ Adam & Jeremy's trip same day (also in Yapate) /
Next trip to end of Yapate 15/7/90 | 161 - Go to climb at end of Yapate | Damage & Wook
(overnight to 16)
On the way popped into side passage before 'over the rainbow'. Found crap
bolt & rigged rope from Wook & Dam the year before. Rope too short so
tied on another & lobbed off 10m pitch into long rift - 'The Vestibule'
choked at one end - pitch at other - left for another day.
Got to Yapate climb ('staircase 36') put on rock boots & went for it -
one decent bolt runner 10 ft off floor - 1 crap chock & a dodgy sling -
climb wasn't too bad but traverse was slimy & awful - well shitted up !
Anyway - I survived so tied rope to a boulder & Damage came up in
wellies - dangly bag unclipped & fell down - traverse was dire -
especially as he had to go back to get T.Sack - this then unclipped itself
from tow line & so we were both at the top of climb with no gear - Grrr.
IRT used (climbing rope) to retrieve danglys & climb repeated to take
off traverse line & retrieve tackle sack. Faff Faff - dire, whinge.
Eventually sorted & still alive so bolted pitch then looked along lots
of nice stomping passage 'chicken flied nice'. 150m of this takes you up
& then down to 25m pitch 'strange downfall' into large collapse chamber.
Slot in rubble to left of pitch goes down 200m along steeply descending
loose rift to climb requiring handline.
Out in 3 hours - well fucked - just in time for dawn. Crashed at 6.00 am.
T/U 16 hrs
Previous trip /
Next trip to 'Endless'
16/7/90 | 161 - Dreamtime | Leif, Jan, Hugh
Dreamtime, ha, ha.
Trip to the above thwarted slightly upon meeting Matt et al - who
had said that a bolt had pulled out on the 3rd pitch.... as indeed it has.
Went down to look, put in a hand-driven bolt, realised the bolt was probably
unnecessary anyway and buggered off out.
Very quiet trip. Lots of sunburn makes prussicking painful.
T U/G - 4hrs
Matt et al's bolt-pulling trip (same day) /
Main pushing trip (same day) 16/7/90| 161 - Dreamtime proper | Mike R, Tina, Jared
Late underground. Went over the new route traverse across to start of
Dreamtime. It's in a better place this year. Trogged down to the pitch we
rigged on naturals last year rerigged it with a bolt. Followed the passage
down through and beyond the eyehole. Rigged the most likely looking of the
possible pitches at the end. hurray passage way. Minor epic as the flake
which we rigged the rope from disintegrated as Jared was on it. So we decided
to be sensible and put bolts in. Trogged down more passage. Found a carbide
water pool which lucky 'cos we were low. Then "ooh says Jared an obvious
stream passage going upward" then "oh well er no its another pitch
actually" or something like that.
Descended pitch. At moment rebelay on dubious looking tape on a big flake.
May be ok for abseiling if you don't jiggle the rope off. But iffy for
prussiking. Found footprints. Found we'd come out below the chunnel. Thought
ooh good connection well shall we survey out or make it a round trip and go
out the other way. Felt knackered so the latter won. Wish I was fitter.
Time u/g ~9hrs
Previous Dreamtime trip /
Next Dreamtime trip 16/7/90 | 161 - Novice Pottering trip | Matt, Peter S, Mark S, Francis
Took us a ridiculous length of time to get down the entrance pitch by
which time yours truly was no longer warm. Tried to do Damage & Del's
extension to/near the Dungeon but totally failed to find it. So we pottered
about at the back of Automatic Doors Lots of leads going nowhere (usu back to
Big S or each other) also one picth with 2½+ second drop but it was
disgusting to rig so we didn't. Then I took Adrian back up to surface &
the rest went to remove a bolt (see hugh's bit)
T u/g ~6hrs (Francis) Hugh's trip
(replacing the pulled bolt - same day)
14/7/90 | 161 - Adrians Route | Juliette, Wookey, Matt
I spent most of this trip sitting on a edge over Adrain's Route waiting
for Juliette & Wookey to rig a traverse. We descended about 12 via 161B
and headed for the top of Adrain's Route. A short traverse lead to a small
rock bridge over the large pitch. J & W then climbed and rigged another
20m (approx) traverse. while W rigged another pitch J & I surveyed a
small side passage after the first traverse from the entrance pitch. We
returned to find the entire pitch rigged. The 45m pitch which descended into
some foreign cave
T U/g ~7 hrs
Previous trip (161b discovery) /
Next trip Yes, another novice trip, down into Dreamtime, there was a pitch within
20m of the start of Dreamtime. Me & Mark bolted the pitch, and I
descended, rigging an emensely tight deviation which later became a rebelay
so that I could get passed it. The pitch descended for ~30m, follow by a ~10m
pitch a further ~10m on. This lead to a tight rift, which I failed to descend
as we were pushing time and it would have required several new bolts. At the
base of the rift was an as yet un-identified rope.
T U/g ~6 hrs
Next Dreamtime trip /
Previous Dreamtime trip
18/7/90 | 161 - Second Dreamtime Pitch | Jeremy, Francis, Peter S
(extended to 19th, Pete in brackets)
2nd Dreamtime pitch - The Exposé. also J & F get totally
knackered.
With our surveying gear, bolting kit etc, mostly found in other people's
SRT bags, we trotted off to survey Matt's Mega New Conexion. Now for the
facts. Pitch is ~13(not 30)m. Matt's rigging also caused comment. It ends in
a disgusting rift which ends at a stream not a rope (but now probably has the
added attraction of a bolting hammer) There was also a bit going backwards
which was descended by Pete & ends up in a similar sort of rift. Having
thus punctured Matts ego Pete popped out & Jeremy & Francis went on
to Chicken Fried Lice & the other bits of the Damage & Wookey Yapate
pitch discovery. We found their endless rift & it was truly so. Must go
down to at least - 400m. Ended on a very steep (80°) boulder run above a
pitch where rocks bounced for a loooong time (7 secs) so a good 30&plusm;m
pitch is possible. After Jeremy nearly killed himself by thinking the pitch
was nothing like that (ain't carbides crap really) & Francis went
tumbling down a pitch that wookey had decided not to go down we sat around
for hours slowly putting bolts into cheese while sitting on a very unstable
set of boulders. J eventually descended to a much more solid rock wall which
split the pitch. On one side it was quite small because J could see the floor
with his laser, on the other he couldn't. We then came up. Thought about
surveying but decided were too knacked & proved it by taking a good 4
hours (damn near 5 for Francis) to get to the surface.
Conclusions: 1) Matt earned his alternative dinner award T U/g Pete 4hrs Jeremy 12½ Francis 13½
Previous Dreamtime trip /
Previous 'Endless' trip /
Next Dreamtime trip (survey/rerig) /
Next 'Endless' trip
17/7/90 | 161 - Flat Battery | Mark F, Adam
Continued exploring the pitches I (Adam) discovered with Jeremy a few days
previously :
16/7/90| Surface - Walk to Camp 1 via some interesting holes | William & Mark D
Caves are by col 50m above path on opposite side where path
by tree meets fault running up mountain.
7hrs (Matt, Pete, Mark S.)
17/7/90 | 161 - 2nd Dreamtime Pitch | Mark S, Leif, Tony, Matt
2) This is yet another lead going at ~400m
3) Its a bugger to rig on the top bit so
bypasses (eg. pitch francis fell down) are required
4) Jeremy & Francis aren't very hard at all.
![[extended elevation sketch of
electrolytic level]](elvl.png)
![[piccy of hole]](sokb.png)
![[elevation showing Foulness, Candlestick, and Afwatt's - since
shown that big pitch is not Candlestick, it is Dinorwig]](pstne.png)
![[elevation and plan showing dungeness coming from below afwat
and connection back to afwatit - later shown to be a visual connection only
(wook & damage)]](pstnp.png)