Andy Sparrow, Lawrence Wilson, Peter Sanders, Rachel Sparrow, Seán Tidey, Will Puddy, Yvette Mayo

Euan

Meeting on the roadside between Priddy and Ebbor Gorge at 19:30, we got changed and walked to the entrance over a surprisingly soggy field, on the way it was pointed out that we needed three ladders but only had two! thankfully Andy had a plan.

We descended the tube and turned right into the roomy and well decorated Talus IV, after a few photos we retraced our steps to the junction and took the other passage down through a couple of squeezes to the top of The Forty Backs.

Sean rigged this with both of our ladders and all except Andy and Rachel descended the awkwardly tight rift. At the bottom we had a quick look in Master’s Hall then climbed up the calcite slope of Coffee Pot, helped and hindered in equal amounts by a knotted rope, once at the top a tight right angled bend was negotiated then through a puddle and some small passage to emerge at the entrance to Talus IV.

Andy and Rachel had kindly derigged The Forty Backs and had rerigged the entrance pitch most ingeniously. On the way in Andy had lowered the ladder then abseiled down on a doubled rope. On the way up he used the rope as a safety line, belayed from the bottom but he attached the ladder via a prusic to the other (dead) side of the rope thus being able to climb up the ladder whilst being lifelined, very clever.

Emerging into the field at 22:15 the fog had come down, sadly the Queen Vic was shut but the Hunters provided a warm welcome

— Lawrence Wilson 6/02/2024