| 204 | Steinbrückenhöhle | 4/S x |
|---|
Swings and Roundabouts area
Swings and Roundabouts is an area of rubble-strewn passages to the west of
Treeumphant Passage. Access is from Bonsai Crawl or the 204d entrance.
Playground
Swings and Roundabouts branches off from Bonsai Crawl, at what was QM2000-12B.
Initially, a walking sized passage Playground leads past some mud
formations and a drippy mini-aven to a view overlooking a mid-sized chamber,
Magic Roundabout, with several exits. The easiest way to the chamber
floor is via a climb down through a hole in the floor on the right at the end
of Playground.
Once in the chamber, climbing down over boulders to the left leads to a
small exit between rocks. A short rubble-strewn chute (which is free-climbable
but crumbly, and was rigged in 2002 with a Y-hang following Dave falling off it)
leads to a duck under a flake into a mud-floored ramp. After 15m or so a large
shaft is reached, Gaffer Tape, the start of the Gaffered
to the Walls series.
Back in the main chamber, a rubble slope to the north leads onwards. To the
north of the slope is an unpromising QM [C2001-204-95 C]; to the east leads back to the point
where Playground overlooks the chamber. To the west is the main passage
continuation. A passage on the left is Dutch Beauty,
which also has windows into the main chamber. Continuing over rocks, a phreatic
tube enters from Juicy Bits on the left ahead, and a
crawl enters from Dutch Beauty behind; the main way on is up a short slope over
boulders to the start of the main Swings trunk passage: 10m wide and 8m
high.
[C2003-204-01 B]
The initial pitch, Gaffer Tape (70m), is an imposing
oval shaft, which continues upwards [C2001-204-97 X]. A passage leads off from the bottom,
splitting in two going round a pillar and emerging in a chamber formed from a
slightly hading line of weakness. A ledge can be followed on the right hand
wall. Down a hole to the left, two uninspiring rifts [C2002-204-02 C, C2002-204-03 C] lead off
downwards, which probably rejoin a parallel shaft to LX Tape pitch. Up to the
right C2002-204-04 C], a
sloping aven is visible which may be climbable. Continuing on past a large
boulder, a rift is intersected at a chamber. Upstream (to the right) a trickle
of water emerges from a small slot in the ceiling. The main way on is down
through a small hole in the floor, which can be descended via a backup round
the large boulder, a flake in the floor and a rope protector. This is Tape Worm
pitch; this rebelays off a horizontal thread down to a ledge with large fossils
visible in the floor and walls, where the small rift of Tape Worm joins the
impressive shaft of LX Tape pitch. Looking out to the left a parallel shaft can
be seen which may be enterable from C2002-204-02 C and C2002-204-03 C. A traverse along the right-hand wall
reaches a natural from which the next pitch LX Tape may be rigged; this
descends to land on a rock bridge near another large boulder. On the far wall
near the bottom is a ledge [C2002-204-08 C]. On the near side of the rock bridge is
a tight and unpromising rift [C2002-204-06 C]. On the far side, a spit rebelay allows
one to descend to another chamber, where a large thread is the main hang for
Sellotape pitch, a fine 2m wide rift, which lands a slight puddle, and a
horizontal silt floor leads 5m to the next undescended pitch [C2002-204-05 A].
[C2003-204-52 C]
Pretty Bits branches off the Swings and Roundabouts
trunk passage, passing a pit on the right (which can be climbed over to a
crawl, emerging in the main passage). Down the pit is a tight rift pitch [C2001-204-98 C].
Continuing along the passage past the pit, a number of windows are visible
overlooking Magic Roundabout Chamber. A passage
goes off to the right which passes a number of stalactites, before intersecting
a rift. A grotto of stalactites is visible to the left, with possible
continuing passage beyond[C2001-204-49 C]. The rift has not been descended[C2001-204-47 B], although a
light connection has been made to Juicy Bits.
Juicy Bits is a large passage to the left from the south end of the Swings and Roundabouts trunk passage. After 10m in, a
large passage descends at a 30 degree slope down, which can be traversed
around. At the bottom there is a climb down over boulders[C2001-204-45 C]. This
passage can be traversed around, and a passage to the right decreases in size
to a body sized tube that needs removing [C2001-204-48 C]. The main passage then splits in two,
the right turn going to the rift that connects to Dutch
Beauty [C2001-204-47 B]. To the left a
smaller passage doubles back on itself, past a small window to the rift. Now
going uphill the passage turns a sharp right and flattens out and passes a
tube going into the ceiling[C2001-204-46 C], before emerging in to the passage near
Magic Roundabout Chamber.
The trunk passage, a large phreatic with much breakdown and generally a
boulder strewn floor, continues for over 100m in a northerly direction. Rubble
slopes up and down keep the passage at roughly the same level. Along its
length, a number of passages branch off to the left and right.
The first two passages leading off are Juicy Bits
on the left and the way towards The Slide on the right.
Further along, the small connection with The Slide enters from the right. QMs
[C2001-204-84 C] and [C2001-204-85 C] may be
found on the right wall. A pitch on the left [C2001-204-92] is surrounded by a lot of very loose
boulders; rocks fall for a considerable distance, but no attempt was made to
descend due to the loose debris. Across the top of the pitch are two slots
looking into Chicago Chicanes. Continuing along
Swings passage, the main entrance to Chicago Chicanes is on the left and a
short unpromising QM on the right [C2001-204-83 C].
A little further along, a phreatic tube slopes down to the left. This passes
through a small chamber and develops a stream in a deep, narrow slot in the
floor before choking in earth. This passage may in fact be [C2001-204-82 C] or this QM
may in fact exist as a separate lead on the left wall of the main swings
passage; the survey notes are somewhat unclear.
A series of small holes in the right hand wall interconnect, with a
possible, uninviting, way on through tight, sharp vadose passage. [C2001-204-80 C] [C2001-204-81 C]
At the end of Swings passage, a very loose rubble slope leads up to
Suspended Solution, and so on towards the 204d
entrance. Mid-way up the slope, a traverse (rope advised) round a nose of rock
is possible. This leads one to the base of a climb (not yet done) up to where
water can be heard and a large passage continues [C20010-204-79 C].
Alternatively, traversing further to the right from the base of the climb leads
to a steeply sloping, clean-washed phreatic tube. This heads both up and down
and may be the connection to Helter
Skelter [C2001-204-78
B].
The climb mentioned above was bolted in 2004 and has been left permanently rigged.
From the head of the pitch, a short climb up leads to a ledge overlooking Swings on
one side and a (blind?) pit to the other. Straight ahead is a steep descending tube
(best rigged); after a few metres the floor disappears, revealing a pitch down into
Helter Skelter.
Traversing over this pitch leads to a passage sloping down to the left. This
continues downwards past a number of dog-legs to reach a loose boulder-filled
chamber; various attempts to dig in the floor and walls of this met with no success.
The way on is a downward-sloping tube, leading to a further chamber; an oxbow part-
way down the slope leads back into this lower chamber, and a hole in the floor of the
slope also doesn't go . In the chamber there are two ways
on; one horizontal meandering slot closes down, while a prominent ramp leads to the
head of a large pitch (est. 40m), which is undescended. Several passages on the same
level appear to continue beyond the pitch head.
The only one of these accessible without gear is reached by a clamber to the left
over a greasy slab, leading to a high rift passage. After a few metres the lower
level becomes too narrow, but a tube in the ceiling continues to a chamber, Pile
Driver, floored with a loose choss slope. Here a hole in the floor leads to a
tight-looking crawl (QM C); there is an aven in the ceiling, while straight on there
may be a continuing crawl underneath a magical levitating boulder (QM C).
A large passage to the right quickly narrows up a rubble slope to a
drafting, but otherwise unpromising QM [C2001-204-94 B]. Before the slope, a passage entering
from the left leads to The Slide passages.
The Slide passages are upwardly sloping phreatics, mainly clean washed. Soon
after entering the slide, a small passage on the left connects back to the main
Swings trunk passage. Heading on up the slope past a couple of small loops and
a small aven [C2001-204-86
X] brings one to a window onto a very large shaft whose roof [C2001-204-89 X] is not
visible, down the pitch leads to Merry Go Round. At the corner before
the pitch, a small passage leads of but quickly chokes. The holes on the right,
[C2001-204-91 B] and [C2001-204-87 B], probably
connect back into Merry Go Round.
The first pitch of Merry Go Round is rigged with a backup and Y hang, and the
rope lies against the wall for 13m till a rebelay, which allows a clear hang to
the floor. The floor is a a slope of loose boulders, heading towards a hole in
the floor. It is advisable to stay on the rope whilst traversing this; going
over a large wedged boulder leads to the second pitch, a Y hang, giving a free
hang to the floor. At this point the passage becomes more of a rift, and the
ceiling is still not visible, which starts slightly further upstream than where
the ropes hangs down to. In the rain, water comes down the top end of the
rift, from the hole in the floor of the chamber above, and disappears down a
very small rift.
5m from the bottom of the second pitch, the third pitch starts, with a
traverse line and a short drop down to the main Y hang. A couple of deviations
pull the rope away from the wall; below these, it was too wet to continue
rigging in the wet. The pitch continues down past a couple of deviations, just
above obvious places where the wall is undercut. The floor of this pitch is
jagged boulders, which form a slight slope. The walls have large (10-20cm)
fossil bivalves protruding from them. Up slope a small rift twists round to a
chamber, linked by a window to the main shaft. Down slope leads to a narrow
rift, which has a very small slot in the floor. At the end of this, a natural
thread in the roof (all the rock is like cottage cheese), which allows a
vertical squeeze to be rigged. The squeeze is not too bad, and has a convenient
ledge below to stand on. Just below the squeeze, a rope protector is useful
for the remaining few meters of descent into a rift type chamber. The way on
continues via the fifth pitch, from a Y-hang, descending down more rift, before
the chamber becomes more shaft-like and a deviation, allows descent to the
floor. Going downstream, the passage becomes keyhole shaped, with puddles on
the ground; the passage turns left, and a crumbly looking rift continues
onwards [C2002-204-07
A].
Chicago Chicanes doubles back on the main passage. A series of rubble
filled pot-holes leads to a chamber with a high aven [C2001-204-93 X] and slits up
on the right wall back into the main passage. Beyond the chamber, a hole in the
floor leads to two small rift passages, left an unpromising QM [C2001-204-99 B] , and right
probably linking into the pitch head at the start of Juicy
Bits. Climbing up and over the hole leads to more pot-holes and a boulder
choke. Carefully negotiating the boulders and through a narrow slot brings one
back to Juicy Bits.
Suspended Solution is a solution tube at the top of the rubble slope
at the end of Swings Passage. When scaling this slope, care is needed as if too
much rubble is kicked down it will be difficult to climb up into the tube.
Also, the (much larger) boulders at the top of the slope may be dislodged.
Climbing up through the tube brings one to the base of another scree slope. A
sloping passage to the right [C2001-204-76 B] has been climbed for some distance but
appears to go nowhere.
At the top of the scree slope, under a low arch, is a small chamber. A
hading rift on the right [C2001-204-75 A] has been climbed for some distance.
There is an unpromising hole on the left. [C2001-204-77 A] Straight ahead leads to a climb down
(20' ladder useful) into Living Daylight Cavern.
This large chamber (11m diameter) has a boulder floor and what looked like a
dried-up streambed. A possible QM [C2001-204-74 B] in the left hand corner goes over
boulders into a small chamber. The way on is under a low arch across the
chamber from the ladder. A climb up reaches more space and becomes more serious
[C2001-204-100 C].
From the arch, go left to within sight of the 204d entrance. The 7m climb up is
bolted at the top, or may be climbed from the bottom in the recess in the right
hand wall. Traversing over the top of the climb emerges in the base of a shake
hole.
