County Pot to Top Sink

From Ease Gill

County Pot Entrance Series[edit | edit source]

An easy 4m climb down leads into a pleasant winding passage. [An inlet on the left leads to a pitch down.] Five minutes pleasant caving in a well-sculpted passage with short climbs leads to the first pitch.

  • Ladder descent: 8m ladder rigged to two P-bolts; 20m lifeline.
  • SRT descent: 12m rope; back-up to P-bolt; Y-hang off two P-bolts.

There are two ways on from the bottom of the pitch.

  • The normal route is a 3m climb down, just round the corner from the pitch. This lands in The Broadway.
  • Ascending a boulder slope to the right reaches a crawl to The Snake.

The Broadway[edit | edit source]

The Broadway is a large passage in the County Pot entrance series. There are four routes from the Broadway.

  • Upstream, the stream can be followed for a few minutes until the roof lowers; eventually an aven is reached.
  • Downstream to the left, following the stream, is Razor Passage, leading to Molluscan Hall.
  • Downstream to the right, over a rock slope, is Showerbath Passage, leading to Trident Series, the Manchester Bypass, and Eureka Junction.
  • Part way along the largest part, on the left (looking upstream), is a 3m climb up into the County Pot Exit Series.

Showerbath Passage, from Broadway to Battle of Britain Junction[edit | edit source]

Showerbath Passage is easy walking passage. The Showerbath itself is on the first bend, bringing in a sizeable streamway.

Downstream, an inlet on the right leads to a climb, [and then becomes small.] After a few minutes, Confusion Corner is reached. [To the right is The Snake, the original route from Oxford Pot]. [On a ledge on the left is the start of a crawl, which rejoins the main route in Spout Hall; this provides a useful bypass to The Spout in bad weather.]

Shortly after, are two side passages on a ledge on the right.

Ahead leads towards Poetic Justice.

Battle of Britain Junction to Poetic Justice[edit | edit source]

The stream passage soon reaches The Spout, a short waterfall into Spout Hall; the waterfall can be passed by climbing down on the left onto a ledge. Spout Hall is about 10m by 8m, and slopes down, ahead and to the right. [The bypass to The Spout enters on the left at the start of the chamber.] At the bottom of the chamber is the choice of two routes. The normal route is a short crawl following the water. [Alternatively, a longer, dry, well-decorated route is to the left.]

The two routes join. Immediately, at the first point where it is possible to stand up, is a narrow, 3m-high calcited chimney tucked under the right-hand wall, by a stal boss. This is Poetic Justice, leading to Eureka Junction. The streamway ahead leads to Platypus Junction, passing Ignorance is Bliss.

Poetic Justice to Pierce's Passage[edit | edit source]

The climb up Poetic Justice is awkward, the site of many a struggle. It can be climbed by jamming a foot into the left-hand crack, and pushing up from the obvious nobble. A sling or handline rigged from the top can help.

At the top is a bedding plane with stal bosses. Crawling forward leads to a short drop into a stream rift passage. [Upstream is a route to Battle of Britain Chamber.] Downstream leads immediately to a 6m pitch.

  • 15m rope; backup to drilled thread; Y-hang off two P-bolts.

The pitch drops into Pierce's Passage. Two minutes of easy walking leads to the junction with Trident Passage, where a sizeable streamway enters.

Pierce's Passage, from Trident Junction to Eureka Junction[edit | edit source]

The route descends through boulders, and follows the stream along a tall sculpted passage. Soon, just after a left-then-right meander, two prominent calcite bands mark the climb up to Ignorance is Bliss. Continuing downstream, after a few minutes, the water disappears; a step up enters a roof oxbow. Very soon, the Wretched Rabbit passage is passed on the right. Ahead, the passage soon meets the main streamway at Eureka Junction.

Eureka Junction[edit | edit source]

Eureka Junction is in the Easegill streamway, where the route from County Pot and the Wretched Rabbit traditional route hit the streamway. Note: this area floods to the roof in wet weather.

  • Downstream, a stooping passage leads after a couple of minutes to a choke.

Eureka Junction to Stop Pot[edit | edit source]

From Eureka Junction, two minutes of easy walking upstream in a large stream passage leads to the Stop Pot Boulder Choke.

In reasonably dry conditions, the easiest route through the choke is to follow the streamway, near the left-hand wall. The route is in the stream for most of the way through the choke, climbing up to a traverse just above the stream part way through. After a couple of minutes, the route emerges at Stop Pot.

[Alternatively, ascending the slope-come-side-passage to the right for about 6m leads to a dry route into the choke, by a small knobbly stal boss. The crawl starts low, with an orange floor in places. After a couple of minutes, the route opens out in a more bouldery area. Shortly ahead, the route rejoins the wet route.]

Stop Pot[edit | edit source]

Stop Pot is a major junction in the Easegill streamway. It is in a very bouldery area, with a boulder choke downstream.

Several routes lead from Stop Pot. The following are described from a position in the streamway, surrounded by boulders, at the base of the boulder slope leading up to the fixed ladder, where the streamway splits. In a clockwise direction:

  • A few metres upstream, on the right-hand wall, a climb onto a ledge leads to Depot Passages.
  • Following the stream downstream to the left, and clambering ahead over boulders leads to a dry route through the choke, towards Eureka Junction.
  • Between the two branches of the stream is a large ascending boulder slope; part way up the boulder slope, on the left, is the route to Four Ways, a flood-escape route into Wretched Rabbit.
  • At the top of the boulder slope is the Stop Pot ladder, up to Mainline Terminus at the start of the high-level route leading towards Lancaster Hole and Cow Pot, with a connection to Link Pot, Pippikin Pot, Bye George, Peterson Pot, and Mistral.
  • Following the stream downstream to the right leads to the wet route through the choke, towards Eureka Junction.

Stop Pot to Holbeck Junction[edit | edit source]

The route upstream from Stop Pot towards Holbeck Junction is quite complex, in a bouldery area. The general tactic is to follow the left-hand wall. In more detail, clambering over boulders to the left reaches a short mud-floored section of passage. A short climb to the right reaches a ledge with small stall bosses, ascending gently. Ahead, a boulder-strewn ledge is reached, ascending to the right of the stream, a few metres from the left-hand wall. At the top, climbing over a boulder to the left, and descending 1.5m leads to a "doorway" between boulders. The way descends gently over boulders, following the left-hand wall. The route rejoins the stream, and soon opens out into a chamber.

The chamber contains a large pool, deep in places; [an alternative route to the right, over large boulders, avoids most of the water.] Ahead, the stream is lost. Parallel routes split and then recombine in a chamber, with the left-hand route providing the easier route. An easy bouldery passage continues, with the stream audible below. The route splits again into parallel passages, with the left-hand route providing the easier route. The way soon opens out in a larger area. [The route towards Gypsum Caverns leads off ahead.] Descending the boulder slope to the right reaches Holbeck Junction after a few metres.

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.

Thackray's Passage, from Holbeck Junction to The Assembly Hall[edit | edit source]

Upstream from Holbeck Junction is Thackray's Passage. The passage is normally dry at first, but soon meets the stream. Easy walking passage passes nice stal formations. Soon the stream is lost, and the passage enters an oxbow. Easy walking and stooping passes several gour pools. Soon the passage becomes smaller. A crawl through a window, past a stal "grille", regains the streamway.

[Downstream becomes very low.] Upstream 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, it is possible to step up into a calcited oxbow above the stream, the White Way. [Continuing upstream soon reaches a very dangerous boulder choke.]

The oxbow soon opens out at the bottom of a 10m diameter chamber. At the top of the chamber is a 2.5m climb up, with an in-situ handline (March 2015). At the top of the climb, crawling to the right leads to an ascent up boulders to a window at roof level [or an alternative route to the left.] The window opens into a chamber, The Assembly Hall.

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

From The Assembly Hall, a rift passage appears to be blind after a few metres. However, there is a way on via a climb up to a window 3.5m above the floor: an initial straddle across the rift reaches some good footholds, 2m up, which give a decent but precarious-feeling stance; from there, a final climb through the window reaches a mini-chamber. From the mini-chamber, a constricted upwards-sloping slot opens into wider passage. [Turning right, a traverse along the top of a rift provides an alternative route into Easter Grotto.] [Turning left then left again, a crawl leads to a descent back into The Assembly Hall, which needs tackle.]

From the top of the slot, turning left leads to a step across a pot in the floor at the start of a rift. The rift continues as easy walking. After a couple of minutes, the rift passes stal bosses, and then opens out at the start of a chamber. The chamber ascends over muddy boulders, to the top of Fairy Steps: an initial easy climb leads to a muddy polished traverse to the left followed by a short awkward climb down to the floor. Ahead is Nagasaki Cavern. A large bouldery passage passes a rope up an aven and an inlet to the right, and reaches the base of the cavern.

Nagasaki Cavern to Limerick Junction[edit | edit source]

From the base of Nagasaki Cavern, a sandy chute leads up behind a very large boulder to the left; this leads to a climb up through boulders. [Alternatively, the steep slippery slope to the right reaches the same point.] Another sandy chute behind a very large boulder to the left leads to the top of the chamber. Clambering ahead over boulders reaches a hole between boulders. The way on is a descent of 1.5m onto the first of two boulders jammed in the rift. Doubling back leads to a climb down 2m into a boulder choke, from where doubling back again exits the choke.

Easy muddy bouldery passage reaches the lip of a drop. This can be avoided by stepping left to a 1.5m climb down into a rift. A traverse to the left crosses the stream and leads to a 1.5m climb down into a walking oxbow. Immediately ahead, a bold step, The Bridge of Sighs, leads back across to the left side of the stream chasm. Round the corner, a step back to the right-hand side of the stream and a traverse to the right leads into an oxbow passage.

Round the next corner is a chamber with the stream about 4m below, and an inlet entering as a waterfall. A traverse on the right crosses the inlet; a step to the left then crosses the main stream as it descends a small waterfall. A 1.5m climb up onto a ledge leads to a junction in an oxbow. [To the left leads back to the chamber.] To the right from the junction leads to a slope down into a chamber. From the chamber, the climb up ahead should be avoided. Instead, the way on is a low crawl at floor level by a pointy rock, under a large chockstone. The crawl soon leads into a chamber. Ahead reaches the stream, which falls 0.6m down a pot.

Easy streamway crosses a mud bank and reaches a right-hand bend. The climb ahead here is best avoided; instead, a short section of stooping streamway leads to a left-hand bend. [A crawl in the stream leads on, but can be bypassed.] Ascending the side passage to the left leads to a junction: [to the left leads back to the climb avoided earlier;] clambering up to the right over muddy boulders leads to a muddy oxbow. The oxbow descends to the steam, and then continues on the other side. [An alternative route follows the streamway below the oxbow.] When the stream is regained, the continuing oxbow should be avoided [since it leads to a foolhardy descent.] Instead, stooping stream passage soon widens at Limerick Junction.

Limerick Junction to Top Sink Exit[edit | edit source]

Note: the pitches are wet, and become impassible in very wet conditions.

Bradshaw's Passage is an easy crawl, which rises to an easy meander. After about four minutes, a junction is reached. [To the right is Wisdom Tooth Passage.] Ahead is Penknife Pitch (5m), which needs pre-rigging.

Above Penknife Passage is πr2 Passage. The passage is a meandering streamway, which can mostly be tackled upright, with the occasional crawl. Larger cavers will have to crawl for longer, and will find the passage considerably harder. After five to ten minutes, Walrus Pot (18m) is reached, which also needs pre-rigging.

The top of Walrus Pitch is an "eagle's nest" ledge, from where a lined traverse leads into the stream passage. The passage is meandering, mostly sideways walking with one short crawl. After about four minutes, a junction is reached. [To the right is a dry passage.] The way on is to the left, where walking passage soon leads to a chamber. A short crawl and stooping passage leads into a small drippy chamber. An ascent through boulders leads to the bottom of the entrance shaft. The shaft is 4m deep, scaffolded and drippy.