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My head is weeping and I can barely get up but after a spill of cold water over my face and a strong coffee I'm ready to go underground again! My cheeky beak gave me an opportunity to join a Red Rose/TSG trip to a cave which nobody from YSS knows. The verbal description sounds good (I should be careful, after a while I understood that many nasty caves were a good trip...) and also I can meet some new people which is always good. The target of the day is Foul Pot, which is not far from Echo Pot (which is apparently also a good trip...), and its name stands for something not very nice about University of Leeds. I should be offended as well!

After 10 min drive we arrive to Neals Ing Farm where we meet quite a nice farmer which gives us a permission to park our car on his land. Dave awards him with two beers, which is very nice! Quick change to our yellow suits and we start walking towards the entrance. The access is quite bad, the fields are soaked by water so from time to time some of us disappear in the grass... The entrance is hidden under some obstacles in a big shakehole. Nothing very nice, it starts with a 3 meters free-clim down where one has to fit into a small entrance. Everyone has his own tackle bag, his own entartainment After the entrance, as a welcome, a wet flat crawl leads to a larger chamber. I'm asking myself why am I here today, the place looks very miserable but Dave's and Emma's enthusiasm keeps me crawling! The cave actually opens up and we come to a first small pitch, which is actually descended on an old ladder with a handline. After a short while we are at the second pitch, which is already a bit spectacular and the landscape is nicely decorated. Soon we reach the most famous bit in the cave probably. Bloody narrow side-crawl. I cannot believe that I can make it, when I see it. One by one goes through and we help each other with our tacklebags. I have to use my face from time to time. I feel the mood all around my face... The crawl is actually not too bad once you know how to do it (remember: right hand down!). Suddenly my mind gets a bit blocked since I know that any accident after this passage would make it very very serious. We pass some extra crawly bits, a small pitch and soon we reach a traverse leading to the head of the big 40m pitch. The rigging (as everywhere in the cave) is very tricky, so one has to traverse above a big drop to the pitch head. Dave does a really good job with the rigging as there are not many bolts, so he has a lot of freedom to use a natural bolts. The pitch soons opens up and is quite nice. This is followed by another crawling and another smaller pitch leading to the final one. Rigging is again quite tricky since it's difficult to put the rope in such way that one avoids the rope rub. The bottom is quite dry and nice and after a short while we reach the final canal which gets lower and lower and eventually sumps.

The way up is entertaining again, but turns to be a real pleasure. Caving is really a special sport. The tricky situations give you many excellent opportunities to 'experience' each other and even after a short while you can know each other. After 5 hours we are back on the surface, weather is quite nice, our faces are covered in mood but everyone is smiling. What a splendid day out! Thanks a lot guys for the opportunity! I deeply appreciate that.

Trip time: 5hrs
Party: Ales H, Emma & Dave (Red Rose//TSG)

sounds like you had a good trip Ales, sorry i missed it

No worries Keith, I'm happy to navigate through the cave on a Sunday trip It's definitely worth doing.

YSS snakes, get your skin ready!

Think i'll be washing my hair on that day

You and me both Gordon!

Nice write up as always Ales.

Ales wrote:

No worries Keith, I'm happy to navigate through the cave on a Sunday trip It's definitely worth doing.

That'll make a nice change Ales.

Sounds like a good trip; Worthy of number 52 on the secret list I was telling you about www.notforthefaint-hearted.co.uk/feedback.html

Sounds good, if a little moody - look forward to it.