Jon and Joe
Just me and Jon again for another bolt climb in Victory Level. We still had another potential lead in the chamber after the breakthrough squeeze that we had estimated was going to be around 5m, and Jon had also eyed up another passage, currently blocked by a boulder.
We got changed into our wetsuits in the sun, much to the bemusement of some of the residents of Eyam, and began the sweaty trudge over to Clifftsile once again. Relieved to be in the water and returning to a more pleasant temperature, we made our way along the level and were soon at the base of the climb where I began to get kitted up.
The climb was initially quite awkward, with solid rock being in something of short supply, and what rock was available was coated in a thick layer of mud and choss. Making delicate moves upwards, I placed around 6 bolts and was eventually able to step rightwards onto a boulder and a short slope heading back over the top of the passage we had just come from, with a constriction at the end. I tied the rope off and had a quick scout around. The slope led to a small breakdown chamber around 3m x 2m and another small squeeze at the bottom. Heading between boulders this eventually led to a small level heading for around 2m before ending in a collapse. This did not appear to have much of a draft and felt like it might be quite close to the surface, with some large roots present.
Next, we decided to have a look at another lead Jon had previously looked at which was above the climb up towards the wheelbarrow chamber. It was accessed by climbing up, but instead of traversing over to where the rope is belayed, we instead headed further up to the left and into a rift which eventually leads back over to the roof of the chamber we were just in. To the right is a small ledge, just big enough for one person, where a boulder in the floor blocked the way into the passage beyond. This had clearly been attacked with a rock on a previous trip to try and break it up and gain access. This time we had returned with capping gear, but fortunately with a little effort I managed to wriggle over the top instead. A crawling sized passage headed approximately NW for a few metres before ending in muddy fill with no way on. It seems as if Victory may be dead for now…
We quickly packed everything away and hastily made our way back out the shaft and into the sunshine. Pleased to have made such efficient progress, we rewarded ourselves with a trip to the Mechanics.
