Steinbrückenhöhle

Swings and Roundabouts area

Playground

Swings and Roundabouts branches off Treeumphant Passage at what was QM12B, in Bonsai Crawl. Initialy, 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 on the right at the end of Playground.

Magic Roundabout Chamber and surrounding passage

Once in the chamber, climbing down over boulders to the left leads to a small exit between rocks. A short rubble-strewn chute follows arriving after a few metres at a large shaft. Neither roof nor floor are visible; rocks fall for some 2-3 seconds.

Back in the main chamber, a rubble slope to the north leads onwards. To the north of the slope is an unpromising QM; 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 Pretty Bits, which also has windows into the main chamber. Continuing over rocks, a phreatic tube enters from Juicy Bits on the left; 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.

Swings Passage

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. A pitch on the left is surrounded by a lot of very loose boulders; rocks fall for a considerable distance, but no attempt was made to desecend due to the loose debris. Across the top of the pitch are two slots looking into Chicago Chicanes. Continuing along Swings passage, the entrance to Chicago Chicanes is on the left and a short unpromising QM on the right.

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.

A series of small holes in the right hand wall interconnect, with a possible, uninviting, way on through tight, sharp vadose passage.

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. Alternatively, traversing futher to the right from the base of the climb leads to a steeply sloping, cleanwashed phreatic tube. This heads both up and down and may be the connection to Helter Skelter.

The Slide

A large passage to the right quickly narrows up a rubble slope to a drafting, but otherwise unprommising QM. 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 brings one to a window onto a very large shaft; neither floor nor roof are visible.

Chicago Chicanes

Suspended Solution

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 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 has been climbed for some distance. There is an unpromising hole on the left. Straight ahead leads to a climb down (20' ladder useful) into Living Daylight Cavern.

Living Daylight Cavern and 204d

This large chamber (11m diameter) has a boulder floor and what looked like a dried stream floor. A possible QM 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. 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.

Survey

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