David Cooke, Euan Goodland, Lawrence Wilson

Arrived in high spirits, got changed and walked across a couple of fields in gorgeous sunshine with deer and rabbits frolicking, full of the joys of spring. Oh my how things can change.

We identified an overgrown depression and beat our way through brambles and nettles to find a tiny stream that we followed to the very heavy gate that to our surprise didn’t need digging open.

The vast majority of this cave has been dug through loose boulders with lots of shoring evident throughout, metal still looks in good condition, the same can’t be said for the timbers.

We climbed down the natural entrance shaft on a fixed ladder then negotiated an awkward feet first crawl to descend a tight rift. At this point the small stream reappeared which was more of a minor annoyance than a problem. The cave is reminiscent of the nearby Hobnail Hole, clean washed through boulders.

Steeply descending through shored up boulders and numerous small grottoes we finally arrived at Inside Out Passage, the book describes this as a 10m hands and knees crawl leading to the top is Persistence Pot.

Sadly the stream has clearly been diverted or blocked so it now carries its silt into this horizontal passage that has filled to become a flat out crawl in stinking sludge. Half way along a slight enlargement enables you to nearly sit up whilst legs and bum disappear into the ooze. This is where the somewhat dodgey bolts are.

Much phaffing then ensued with Cookie unrolling two ladders, discovering one didn’t have C-links, dropping a mallion in the ooze, setting up a lifeline, feeding it all down the restricted pitch then finally turning around and crawling backwards to the pitch head.

As soon as Cookie disappeared over the lip much swearing was heard as the now stinking stream flowed straight into his face and continued to drench him for the entire 13m drop.

More phaffing as Euan moved past me and turned around to back over the lip, more colourful language as he also got drenched. Finally it was my turn, extracted myself from the ooze, turned around and over the lip……..oh yes a face full of gritty, smelly water. I couldn’t look up, around or barely down. Got to the bottom cold, wet, spluttering and only able to see out of one eye!

The other two investigated a wet crawl whilst I had had enough so self lifelined back up the ladder to resume my position sat in the ooze to lifeline them back up.

A comparatively swift derig as we pulled everything back to a small chamber where we could sit up and pack everything away.

We then rocketed out, dashed across the fields, changed and strictly adhered to the speed limits to arrive at the Hunters with minutes to spare.

If anyone fancies doing this cave again it would be much easier to set up everything in the “sitting up” chamber then pull the ladders and lifeline in behind you and feed it down the pitch whilst the second clips them into the bolts at the small enlargement. Probably best only done in a drought as well

Unless anyone else has a nomination this cave wins the much coveted “worst pitch head award” 2024 (and hopefully in perpetuity)

— Lawrence Wilson 26/05/2024