HI, any one able to tell me what length rope is required to rig the lower pitch ( the one near the bridge ) not been down there before, save me carrying to much rope. Its been a few years since I have been there, are the anchors reasonable ?

Thanks

You don't need to, there is another way down further on.

As you enter the large chamber where you first encounter the underground stream way; there are some boulders on the left on the descent from the silt bank to the water. Those boulders have some obvious calcite fossils.

If you inspect them, you will see that you can easily slip through (head first is easiest) and you enter a short "helter skelter" that then joins the lower stream and will take you to the bottom of the pitch you want to rig.



Ian

Grand that, thanks for the post. I am aware of that section and headed down there some time ago when the water levels were v high, so never made it to lower series. I asked ref the rope as a mate of mine wished to try out some ladders and SRT.

So I am after some more info. Once at the bridge, and looking into the cave, we took the L/H pot. This dropped us on a slope of loose rock and we used the blue ploy prop / in situ hand line to get down to the base of this slope. . We then went up a few meters and into a small squeeze/ the passage went narrow, then we pooped out and then used another in situ line to get lower. Once at the the bottom of here a quick crouch down and into a small space and in my mind that was it, all to tight to carry on down.

So 2 ?

No 1 ) In the lower section there was a piece of orange poly prop rope going up into a small passage . Any idea where that goes ?

No 2 ) In the section we travelled down, from the base of the pot we abseiled down, is there a connection to the lower series ? and does it connect to the part of the cave if you go down the right hand drop ( if standing on the bridge and looking into the cave ?

Complicated.

The floor where you would land (if you SRT) gave way last year (or before) and was a chamber in it's own right. Hidden behind a boulder was a "tube" that took you to an internal waterfall which is dry in summer (like now) and you can climb up into more cave (heading to dead duck cave). That is now almost invisible and you would need to know where it is to know where it is (if you see what I mean).

However, the poly rope was put in after the collapse (not by us) and takes you the wrong way to the waterfall. You could drop down the blue poly rope and then work yourself back to the right up a rift and return to the waterfall.

I can't discern from your post if are in the same place....



Ian

HI Ian
Thanks again for the info, much appreciated. Yes that all helps. I did not have any more time for a more in depth look, so next time I know what to try and look for. What is dead duck cave ?

Dead duck is more of a sinkhole in the river bed than a cave,if I remember right Cris ebbs dye tested it and it is the waterfall in the lower series

Slightly more to it

It is actually a chamber at the side of the river accessed by a 40 gallon drum. It hasn't been visited for an eon and the tub will need clearing out. Possibly the tub has disintegrated and the entire entrance may need to be stabilised.

The water (when it reaches) does drop in but you can get in there with it.

Once inside you can't go very far - you are stopped by a narrow gap. The original finders could see a duck(s) on the other side of the narrow gap but they could not reach them top rescue them. Knowing their fate was sealed, they named it "dead duck" cave.



Ian

Might be of use to some.

To clarify. As of today, if you drop down either side of the bridge, it lands you on the same boulder slope, which many of you will know. This as stated above is loose in places, but not an issue. Head up the slop following the Blue Poly prop rope and where the rope is fixed to an anchor, follow that passage and the obvious ways ahead and you will find the way up to the main stream way.

Heading down the slope and exploring all ways ahead they all came to a end, except one. There was a narrow slit going down, just down from the base of the slope, just the other side of an in situ scaffold bar. If you were to tie to the bar and ab down is it worth the effort ?

No it is a flat out sqeeeeze that has some promise but a bugger to get in never mind trying to dig.
I

HI Mike, you sold it to me !

also thanks for the reply.

When you go over the scaffold bar turn sharp left and down. Make sure you've got someone with you cos it's a bigger to get out. Don't try and come out backwards, turn yourself in the slot and come out face first.
A better place to have a go at is underneath the waterfall in the small avenue there is a tight rift where all the water goes . Only achievable in summer as to wet in winter