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Taking in the Three Peaks

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Purpose built SRT wall

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Illusion Pot 4th June 27 Jun 2017 09:26 #17836

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The weather was looking a little doubtful so we decided to do a quick pull through down Swinsto, when we got to kingsdale the river had quite a heavy flow and the clouds looked a little unstable so we decided to err on the side of caution and give the pull through a miss. We decided on Illusion this was based upon two reasons, firstly, Martin had not been down this fine example of natural underground architecture and secondly there was an ice cream van close to the entrance which is always useful for après grotte indulgences (a cheeky bit of French language included for Ales).

A tidy walk up the southern aspect of east Kingsdale soon found us at the entrance shaft which we soon negotiated. For those who have never been there, no rope needed, it is about 30 meters and cleverly constructed using concrete and fixed iron ladders. At the bottom it gets rather uncomfortable but not unduly unpleasant. We made steady progress, Stu leading the way. The sump was a duck and so we crawled through dipping heads into the water towards the end of the passage. I always think this is a nice introduction into the art of passing through ducks for although it will seem quite intimidating for a first timer, it is really quite a pleasant duck. We then walked into Vandals Passage or the Expressway, you have a choice of two names here, it is a very impressive passage that cuts through Scales Moor from Chapel le Dale (more French for you, Ales) to Kingdale, the article that I have hopefully attached will give those interested parties some fascinating insight into the formation and a sedimentary history.

We had a look at the amazing formations and continued walking through this vast karst conduit, Martin pointed out the scalloping on the passage walls, indicating the flow from Chapel le Dale towards Kingsdale, he also noted that some of the scalloping had reversed, we all found the conglomerates that are stuck to the walls very interesting, it ranged in size from pebbles to cobbles that kind of defying gravity, anyone having an interest in geomorphology should certainly visit this passage. We made our way past 'The Missile Silo' gazing up at the rope hanging from the darkness above and reflecting upon the impossible looking climb that somebody must have done in order to rig the rope and marched up and down the banks of sediments towards Rushtons Chamber admiring the orange stalactites on the way. Rushtons is another pleasant surprise not a colossal chamber but impressive all the same, it leads down to the sump from Dale Barn Cave, we did not have cows tails on this occasion so did not attempt the traverse down to the sump, Martin started to explore Perfidia a small hands and knees passage that extends from Rushtons chamber into the unknown. We turned back and made our way out of the cave for a well deserved ice cream, from the 'van on the track'.

Time taken 2 hours or so

Present: Stu Weston, Martin Jackson and Nige Steel


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Illusion Pot 4th June 17 Jul 2017 11:00 #17860

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Magnifique, monsieur Nigel!

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About

There are many club organised caving weekends, with a mixture of easy and difficult caving.  Over the past few years we have given lots of people the opportunity to experience caving with our "Try Caving" events.  These are quite popular and quite a few people have subsequently joined the club. We have YSS members caving most weekends so it is easy for new cavers to tag onto the easier caving trips and find people to help with more training.

Location

Old School House
Austwick Road
Helwith Bridge
North Yorkshire
BD24 0EH

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