| 204 (CUCC 1999/03) |
Steinbrückenhöhle |
4/S x |
|---|---|---|
Thread Pitch and Stitch This from The Near End land at the top of a large 6-8m diameter phreatic passage, Wolpertinger Way. This heads downhill past some ice formations on the left hand side, for 35m to a junction. Straight ahead is a steep gully leading to a 6.5m diameter circular shaft with aven above - You're So Veined. There is a traverse round the right hand side of the gully on an increasingly narrow ledge.
You're So Veined is rigged at its southern end, and this is reached via a sandy crawl off to the right from the top of the steep gully, which passes over a hole in the floor through dangerous boulders [C1999-204-09 C] to reach a junction. Right is a passage, which quickly chokes, straight ahead leads into 110 A Day, whilst left is the main route.
More sandy crawling leads to a crossroads, where left leads to the ledge overlooking the pitch, and right is a short crawl leading to the main passage part of the way down Pendulum Pitch, the easiest route to the White Elephant Series. Straight ahead leads to a further junction. Right is a short passage to a traverse round a blind pit, an alternative route to Pendulum Pitch. Left is the head of You're So Veined, the start of the Ariston Series.
110 A Day is a long, dusty passage which varies between stooping and crawling for 110m. Immediately after the start is a sharp right hand bend with a crawl straight ahead to 110 Bidet. About halfway along is a crossroads, where low passages lead off to the left to 110 Bidet and to the right [C1999-204-13 C]. At the terminus reached in 1999, the passage splits into two. Each branch immediately becomes tight, but could be pushed further with a little determination and effort [C1999-204-14 C and C1999-204-15 C]. In the left hand branch, just before the passage becomes tighter, is an undescended pitch [C1999-204-16 A] of perhaps 20m.
110 Bidet is a stooping size passage which runs parallel to 110 A Day. It can be accessed via a crawl about 1m up that carries straight on from where 110 A Day starts with a sharp right hand turn. The crawl emerges into larger passage; to the left after 5m is Pendulum Pitch. Going right leads to a hole in the floor among boulders, Marble Run. To the left here is a low passage leading to No Pain No Gain, whilst 110 Bidet carries straight on. Continuing on, the passage turns right, followed shortly by a crossroads with a crawly passage. To the right is a dead end; to the left is [C2000-204-54 B]. Straight on emerges into 110 A Day about half way along its length.
Marble Run runs along a fault line that created a small passable phreatic tube, which has subsequently been intersected by a tight rifty stream way. 20m along the rift bears to the right and is too tight to pass, whilst the phreatic passage continues on to a small chamber. Here the passage doubles back over itself to continue above the original passage. The passage does this once more to end in an earth blockage.
Pendulum Pitch is in a large rift. The first section is a loose boulder slope (care required) to a rebelay, then a descent of 23m via a deviation off the far wall below a large wedged boulder. There may be a passage on the far side of the rift accessible with difficulty from this boulder [C1999-204-17 C]. From the base of the pitch, two rift passages lead off which very quickly become too tight.
The main route on is reached by swinging off after 16m into a 6m wide passage. Two passages in the left hand wall are quickly encountered. The first quickly becomes too tight, the second is a short crawl leading into the network of sandy crawls at the bottom of Wolpertinger Way, and is the best route from here to the Ariston Series. Continuing down the main passage, passing either side of a huge boulder, reaches a blind pit in the floor, with two ways on.
A loose and slightly precarious traverse round the blind pit leads to a short passage on the left, emerging at the head of You're So Veined at the start of the Ariston Series. A rift visible at the opposite side of the pit has an audible connection to You're so Veined.
To the right at the blind pit is a draughting phreatic tube which heads downhill at a comfortable walking size past a tight passage on the left [C1999-204-18 C]. After 20m, a 3m climb up into a roof tube on the right hand side is the way into the White Elephant Series. The phreatic passage continues for a further 15m past a too tight inlet on the right and a traverse over a blind pit to a 3m deep hole in the floor, which is blind. Traversing over the hole and up a loose climb with a too tight rift in the right hand wall leads into an uphill passage, which is choked with mud after 5m. A sandy crawl on the right just before the choke leads via a left hand bend with a too tight rift on the right (probably connecting to that at the loose climb) ending at a 2m climb down. There is a possible way on at the bottom of this, but it is very small and tall people at least would have to enter feet first [C1999-204-19 C]. There is a noticeable draught here blowing downhill (into the cave).