Boundary Pot to Wretched Rabbit, via Spiral Staircase Passage

From Ease Gill

Boundary Pot to Wretched Rabbit, via Spiral Staircase Passage[edit | edit source]

Boundary Pot Entrance Series[edit | edit source]

A low crawl leads to a 2m climb down into a chamber, with daylight entering from a shaft to the left. A continuing crawl leads to a 2m climb down into another chamber, where a trickle of water enters from the left. An outlet runs to the right, as a hands and knees crawl. After a few metres, a junction is reached with the way on being to the right; [straight ahead eventually chokes.]

The continuing crawl passes a small side passage on the left, to reach a small chamber with a hole in the floor and dribbly inlets. A 4m broken climb descends the hole, with a dribble of water. Below, a continuing crawl, on bedrock, enlarges to walking in a rift. A pool is reached; warning: the water here can back up in wet conditions.

The passage lowers again to a crawl. A pool marks a junction.

  • To the left is Bar Steward's Passage, which takes the stream in wet conditions.

Savage's Bypass[edit | edit source]

Savage's Bypass follows a small inlet, leading to a crawl over cobbles. The passage soon meets a larger inlet entering from boulders. Following the water downstream leads round a double bend to a 2m climb onto a ledge overlooking a large chamber. Another, larger, inlet enters from the right, and drops down a chasm. The way down is to step across the chasm, round a prow (away from the water), and then climb down about 5m to the floor.

A few metres downstream, another inlet enters from the right; [the combined waters flow down the chamber.] The way on is opposite the inlet, a 1.5m step up into Crossover Passage. This descends steeply, and soon meets the impressive Fusion Cavern, where the route via Bar Steward's Passage enters via a 17m pitch. Downstream, to the right, leads towards Hiroshima.

Fusion Cavern to Hiroshima[edit | edit source]

Downstream in Fusion cavern, the passage splits; the two branches soon rejoin, and choke. Taking the left-hand branch, and carrying straight on where it swings right, enters a bedding plane crawl, which bypasses the choke.

Beyond the choke, the stream is regained. Easier walking passage passes Boxing Day Aven, and soon reaches Hiroshima. Warning: some of the boulders in Hiroshima are rather unstable. A route to the right leads to Nagasaki.

Hiroshima to Nagasaki[edit | edit source]

From the middle of Hiroshima, heading slightly right leads to a scramble and step up into a large bedding plane. Going slightly left leads to a descent into an antechamber. In the corner, a dig with scaffolding and meshing descends into the roof of Far East Passage. The easiest descent route is to traverse upstream, staying high at first, until the floor rises to meet the traverse.

Continuing upstream leads, after a couple of minutes, to an area of breakdown. A well trodden route leads up to the left, between boulders, into Nagasaki Cavern.

  • Doubling back (south-west) leads towards The Assembly Hall and the Easegill streamway.

Nagasaki Cavern to The Assembly Hall[edit | edit source]

From the base of Nagasaki Cavern, a large bouldery passage passes an inlet and a rope up an aven to the left. Soon Fairy Steps is reached, an awkward muddy polished climb on the right, which ascends 2m to an ascending traverse leading to an easier climb. The passage descends over muddy boulders, and then narrows to enter a rift.

The rift passes stal bosses, and continues as easy walking. After a couple of minutes, it reaches a step across a pot in the floor. Immediately beyond is a choice of routes. [To the right, a crawl leads to a descent into The Assembly Hall, which needs tackle.] [Ahead, a traverse along the top of a rift provides an alternative route into Easter Grotto.] The normal route is to descend the hole in the floor, ahead to the right: a constricted slot drops 1.5m into a mini-chamber, which opens out into the wall of the passage below. A further 3.5m climb follows: good footholds 1.5m down give a decent but precarious-feeling stance, from where a straddle across the passage allows the final descent.

To the right, a very short passage opens into The Assembly Hall.

The Assembly Hall to Holbeck Junction[edit | edit source]

From The Assembly Hall, a route leads ahead over boulders. To the left [with an alternative route to the right] leads to a descent into another chamber. Ahead opens out above a drop, with the sound of the main streamway coming from below. A crawl to the right leads to an in-situ rope (March 2016). A 2.5m climb down, with hidden footholds halfway down, drops into a 10m diameter sloping chamber.

At the bottom of the chamber, a rift runs to the left. The rift becomes a calcited oxbow, the White Way, above the stream, and very soon a short drop into the stream is reached. [Upstream soon reaches a very dangerous boulder choke.] Downstream, Thackray's Passage is a pleasant well-decorated streamway. The streamway is knee-deep in places in normal conditions, but is sometimes deeper, and floods to the roof in very wet conditions.

After about four minutes, the roof lowers. Just before it becomes very low, the way on is through a small window to the left, by a stal "grille". This opens out into an oxbow, with easy walking and stooping, passing several gour pools. Soon the passage slopes down to regain the stream. Downstream is easy walking passage, passing nice stal formations. The stream is lost in an oxbow, except in wet conditions. Soon afterwards, the passage reaches Holbeck Junction.

Holbeck Junction[edit | edit source]

Holbeck Junction is a major junction in the upper Easegill main streamway. The junction itself is often dry, as the stream runs in an oxbow.

Several routes lead from Holbeck; in clockwise direction:

  • Downstream soon leads to a choke; a crawl to the left provides an alternative route to Green and Smelly Passage.
  • Upstream is Thackray's Passage leading towards Top Sink with a connection to Boundary Pot.
  • To the left of the stream, behind a 2m high boulder, is a dry passage leading to Green and Smelly Passage, with routes to Pool Sink, Spiral Staircase in Wretched Rabbit, Slit Sinks and New Slit Sinks.

Green and Smelly Passage, from Holbeck Junction to junction of Spiral Staircase and Pool Sink routes[edit | edit source]

From Holbeck Junction, the way towards Spiral Staircase and Pool Sink starts behind a 2m-high boulder on the left of the stream passage. Walking passage ascends gently to a step over boulders, followed by a gently descending passage; [ascending from the boulders leads into a high-level passage.] The route soon meets the Pool Sink streamway. [To the right, downstream, a wet crawl leads to where the stream disappears ahead. A dry crawl to the right leads back to the main streamway, where it hits a choke.]

Following the stream upstream for a few steps, and veering right, enters a 6m high chamber. A stoop under an arch above a pool, is followed by a left turn and an immediate right turn, through the pool, at the junction of two joints. Ahead is a dry walking passage. After two minutes, a small chamber is reached.

  • Ahead, Green and Smelly Passage leads towards Spiral Staircase leading to Wretched Rabbit, and a connection to the Borehole, Slit Sinks and New Slit Sinks.

Green and Smelly Passage to Spiral Staircase[edit | edit source]

From the junction with the Pool Sink passage, a crawl leads to a small chamber. Walking passage (with the water flowing in an oxbow to the left) leads to another chamber with a junction. [The streamway comes from the passage to the left; this provides an alternative route into Lower T-Piece Passage in Pool Sink.] Ahead, after a few metres, is a 4m climb up the rift between boulders, via a chock stone after 2m. The climb leads to a traverse ahead on the left, above a blind chamber split by a ridge. [If the climb up is missed, the blind chamber is reached after 5m; an obscure crawl at floor level leads under the ridge into the other half of the chamber.]

Across the traverse reaches a chamber overlooking the blind chamber.

  • Going straight on leads into a rift with a climb down into Eccles Bypass; this leads to the Borehole, Slit Sinks and New Slit Sinks.
  • Turning right leads to a pile of stacked rocks; a climb via the rocks enters Spiral Staircase.
  • Continuing past the stacked rocks leads to a pitch up at the end of a rift, which needs pre-rigging; this gives an alternative route into Spiral Staircase.

Spiral Staircase, outwards[edit | edit source]

Spiral Staircase is reached from the ledge at the end of Green and Smelly Passage, by climbing up via the pile of stacked boulders. A crawl soon leads to a short climb. Ahead, the way on is round a sharp bend to the right, with the water entering from a too-tight passage ahead. Soon a junction is reached. [Ahead soon leads to a pitch, back down to the ledge at the end of Green and Smelly Passage.] The way on is to the left, past formations.

The passage reduces from walking to stooping then crawling. After about five minutes, a hole leading up is reached, which is often quite splashy, and becomes impassible in very wet weather. This opens out into a funnel-shaped hole, lined with boulders, at the end of Big Rift in the Wretched Rabbit entrance series.

  • To the left is Big Rift, which leads to Wretched Rabbit exit.

Wretched Rabbit Exit[edit | edit source]

Big Rift leads past a side passage to the left [which soon leads to a rope climb]. 30m ahead is the start of a series of climbs, rigged with handlines (February 2016). The first climb is 5m, and fairly easy, with good footholds. From the ledge at the top, the next climb, of 4.5m, follows immediately; the bottom 2.5m is steep and awkward with small footholds. [An inlet and a bedding plane crawl enter on the left at the top.] An easy 2m step up leads to the next ledge. The final 3.5m climb is steep with small footholds: there is a useful toehold about 1.7m up. From the top, a short crawl leads round a corner to the exit.