After a steady first trip around a rather wet Giants Hole, Sam and I decided to one up this and take his lad (Lennon, 15) for a romp around Peak Cavern. We managed to sort access for a Saturday morning trip with ease and soon found ourselves at the TSG around 9:30am ready to leave at 9:45am prompt. We encountered a rather hungover Martyn Grayson! - Which was a delight as we'd not crossed path's in a long while, all alongside the full on domestic which was happening in the kitchen around us - very TSG like...
Alastair Gott was kind enough to lead us through the show cave on key holder duties, shortly after which we slid down the rather dry slide at the back end of Pluto's Dining Room and stomped our way along the Five Arches towards the main drag. It was here I told Lennon how after this trip he'd PEAKED for caving in the Peak District and literally it'd be all down hill from here... Buxton Water to our left, we swung a right for the delights of the Mucky Duck (nowt on a sodding wet Windpipe from last trip) and stomped onwards towards the ladder at Surprise View.
I gave Lennon the lowdown of it's naming and original exploration history and once at the bottom we stomped away further up Main Stream Passage passing Squaws Junction, the food dump at the start of Picnic Dig, Boulder Hall and alas the arse end of Far Sump. We stopped for a mo for further exploration explanations and returned to the base of Surprise View. From here we headed to the tube at the far end of Buxton Water and was met by a freezing cold cave diver (Tim Webber) who was solo digging Buxton Water Inlet Sump. We had a brief chat and agreed to wait and watch him make his second dive. I can imagine this being quite a sight for young Len's eyes, watching someone dive in the freezing cold, in zero visibility and a roof above your head! Once out of sight, we headed back to the tube for a quick photo before seeing Tim once again who raced off upstream to try and warm up once again before diving back out.
Running out of time for todays adventure, we made a quick detour for Treasury Sump before racing our way back out, noting Pickering's Passage and Victoria Aven on the way out. Back at Buxton Water we rejoined with Tim and offered to help carry a few things for him back to the TSG. It always makes me smirk when exiting through the show cave, what do the punter's think of us? Especially when joined alongside a cave diver with a young lad carrying his flippers!?
A quick brew at the TSG and the use of their spin dryer, we headed to Peveril stores for some post trip nourishment which was now rather bare at 1pm.
Lennon in the tube, Buxton Water (photo by JRP)