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Written by: Rob Eavis

Published: 12 April 2013

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Report by Jules Barrett
Cavers: Jules Barrett (EPC), Ann Soulsby (TSG), Wayne Sheldon (TSG)

I'm continuing my tour of bits of Derbyshire caves that I've not been in and had arranged to meet up with Ann Soulsby and Wayne Sheldon at short notice. We met at the TSG hut in the morning with no firm plans and a number of options were discussed. We settled on Nettle Pot since Ann likes it (you'll have to ask her!!) and Wayne hadn't been in there for a while. I've still got lots to do in Nettle Pot as I'd only been in there once before today and that was a solo trip along the Flats. I was keen to have a look at the very bottom (Fin Pot, Eyes Down, Red River Passage etc.) but we were hampered by the fact that I'd been unable to find my copy of Caves of the Peak District and we had to be out fairly early. I had arrived at the Chapel with about 300m of dirty rope so a busy half an hour was spent washing rope and then packing for the trip. After paying at Oxlow House Farm we walked up the hill to the Nettle entrance. I set off rigging down the entrance shaft and in the few years since I was last in here I'd forgotten just how awkward the Narrows are (especially when you're rigging I reckon!). Eventually I found myself standing at the double-bolt rebelay at the top of Bottle Pitch and things were a bit easier/more roomy from here. I'd not been any deeper than the Flats so the lower section was all new to me. An easy traverse leads to a pleasant pitch to land on a broad ledge at the top of Elizabeth Pitch. We traversed past the top of Elizabeth Pitch and continued to the head of Crumble Pot. This has a tight section just below the pitch head and then continues down a pleasant rift. A couple of rebelays mark the start of Beza Shaft which is tight in places and has a few deviations to stop the rope from rubbing. The bottom half of Beza doesn't have any rebelays or deviations and there's quite a lot of rubbing going on. Fortunately the rock around here is pretty smooth and the ropes didn't seem to suffer too much. We landed at the foot of Beza Shaft and then followed an in-situ handline down a slope to The Shakes - a chamber at the bottom. We spent a bit of time investigating what turned out to be a blind pot at the end of The Shakes. We then found a body-sized arch on the right-hand side (if you're facing down coming down the handline from the bottom of Beza) and crawled through that. This led to a short pitch with an in-situ rope on it. Abseiled down that to a small chamber. At this point I really didn't know whether I was on the way to Red River Passage or in someone's abandoned dig. We also needed to be out fairly sharpish so I came back to The Shakes and we set off back up the ropes. Wayne and Ann de-rigged (thanks for that!) and we exited the cave about 4:00 p.m. Back to the Chapel for another rope-washing session and home.

A very enjoyable trip. Will go back now that I've figured out what's what at the bottom and have a proper look around the lower stuff.

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Written by: Rob Eavis

Published: 12 April 2013

Hits: 4317

Report by Jules Barrett
Cavers: Jules Barrett (EPC), George Taylor (TSG)

I'd been in Far Sump Extension recently doing the Ride of the Valkyries pitch and had since heard about the impressive silt-filled tube of 'Western Highway'. I'd also got a bit of an errand to run up at the top of the Ride so thought it would be good to combine this with a nice dry wander down Western Highway. Since work means that spare weekend days are rare at the moment I thought I'd see if anyone fancied joining me for a trip one long evening. Most people sensibly declined but George Taylor replied to let me know he was keen. Unfortunately on the only night that we could both do he'd got a French lesson which finished at 8.30 p.m. in Sheffield. George is possibly the only person that I know who wouldn't necessarily see this as a barrier to getting out so it was arranged on the basis that we would have to get going tout suite. At some stage during the previous week I realised that I'd not got enough rope so Ann Soulsby kindly lent me some of hers. George had mislaid his wellies but I'd got some to lend him. I've no doubt he'd have been perfectly happy in his winter climbing boots - he's good like that George! Packed the rope for the Leviathan Normale during the day and picked George up from his house apres le French lesson. We drove straight to Rowter Farm and walked over to the entrance. The lid got opened and the entrance shaft rigged. I abseiled in at 9:30 p.m. and George followed. From there we headed along the Cartgate with a couple of bags to the top of Bitch Pitch. Water still very low in the holes along the Cartgate and you can see right down into them. I'd got the bag for the Bitch Pitch and upper Leviathan so set off rigging. Soon we were at the top of Leviathan so went straight across the Workshop and rigged the top part of Leviathan to land next to the eyehole. I'd run out of rope about here so waited for George to pass me and we handlined our way down through the eyehole and along the traverse to the head of the second part of Leviathan. George rigged the main hang from the alcove and we were stood at the bottom of Leviathan after an hour of caving. Down the short slope that leads to the old Stemple Highway Inlet sumps (which seemed particularly grim this evening) and through to the junction with Stemple Highway. Went left here to Calcite Aven and up the ropes to Fingernail Chamber. This was George's first time up here so we both had a good look around. I think I'm right in saying that it was during the initial upward (solo) exploration of Calcite Aven that John Cordingley's drill packed up and he free climbed the top bit. We both agreed that this was a 'good effort'. From Fingernail Chamber I went down Fingernail Chamber pitch to the top of the Ride whilst George prussiked up into Western Highway over some very poised-looking boulders. I joined George in Western Highway and we had a walk along. Quite unusual place this being a large, dry, phreatic passage filled with silt. SUSS have been digging it and looks like they've been making steady progress. On the way out George de-rigged the lower part of Leviathan and I did the rest. Back on the surface around 1:45 a.m. to drop the key through the farmer's letterbox. Missed the pub! Arrived home around 3.00 a.m. Tried not to wake her up, failing as usual when I fell over a rucksack in the dark.

An excellent trip in an outstanding cave/mine. J.H. is a great way in and the Far Sump Extension and Western Highway are impressive places. One of the most enjoyable evening trips that I've done recently.

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Written by: Rob Eavis

Published: 12 April 2013

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Report by Jules Barrett
Cavers: Jules Barrett (EPC), Dave Cowley (EPC), Dunka (EPC), Pete Pollard (EPC)

This trip was suggested by Pete as a bit of a recce before the Eldon Giants trip in October. I'd not been in the Filthy Five before so was looking forward to seeing another new bit of Derbyshire cave. Pete and Dave had arrived earlier in the evening and headed into the cave whilst me and Dunka arrived afterwards. After changing me and Dunka went down the ladder on Garlands and into the Crabwalk. I'd never seen that water in Giants so low and we were hardly getting wet. Through there to the Eating House and carry on past the Bad Step Traverse towards Geology Pot. Pete had a rope rigged on there so we abseiled down that, through The Curtain (usually an easy duck but plenty of airspace today) and down to the East Canal. Pete had mentioned that you can traverse around the right-hand wall of the East Canal to get to the rope at the bottom of the Filthy Five and since I wasn't wearing a wetsuit I went for that. I'd previously never explored around this right-hand wall of the East Canal and expected it to be a longish traverse over very deep water. In fact, it's about three nice climbing moves around the corner and you can wade if you'd rather. Soon we were at the bottom of a short handline climb that leads upwards. The first handline climb is easy and lands you at the bottom of a proper pitch. A short prussik (up an incredibly muddy fixed rope) leads to the pitch head and a short traverse off. From here a 45 degree slope of wet mud leads up through an easy squeeze to the base of another pleasant (though very muddy) pitch. Up the rope here leads to another couple of steps up with particularly manky rope (some of it hawser-laid!) and the base of the first pitch. This is a nice prussik up which leads to the top where we met Pete and Dave. After posing for a couple of photos and a quick look at this side of St Valentines sump we headed out down the ropes. On the way out a good wash in the East Canal allows you to get most of the mud off and we returned via the Giants Windpipe (which again was as low as I've seen it).

The Filthy Five is actually more muddy than I expected and is an interesting place to do SRT. From the moment you step onto the rope you're struggling to figure out which is your Stop and which is your hand jammer cos they both look the same, being metal and covered in mud. The bolts and rigging are as bad as I've seen anywhere in the Peak. Looks as though the bolts are the original ones that Ken Pearce and friends put in on the first exploratory trips and they certainly weren't installed with modern caving traffic in mind. Definitely a place to go carefully and be careful what you trust. It's a good trip and perfect for an evening.