Top Sink to Pool Sink

From Ease Gill

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

Note: the pitches are very wet, and become impassible in very wet conditions. The scaffolded shaft is 4m deep and drippy. It descends into a small drippy chamber. A descent through boulders leads into another small chamber. Ahead is stooping passage with a short crawl into a chamber. Walking passage soon leads to a junction. [Ahead is a dry passage.] To the right is a meandering passage, mostly sideways walking with one short crawl. After about four minutes, Walrus Pot (18m) is met. The pitch is rather wet. A short lined traverse round the corner to the right reaches an "eagle's nest" ledge, from where the rope can be hung; a deviation avoids the worst of the water.

  • 30m rope; bolt back-up; two bolts for traverse; two-bolt Y-hang; deviation at -4m (short sling).

Below Walrus Pot is the inappropriately named 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, Penknife Pitch (5m) is reached.

  • 10m rope; bolt back-up; two-bolt Y-hang.

Below the pitch, Wisdom Tooth Passage enters as an inlet on the left. An easier meander, Bradshaw's Passage, leads to an easy crawl. After about four minutes, Limerick Junction is reached.

  • To the left, the muddy bouldery slope is the start of Limerick Passage.
  • Straight ahead downstream is the route to Nagasaki Cavern and the Ease Gill streamway.

Limerick Junction to Nagasaki Cavern[edit | edit source]

From Limerick Junction, the route is complex: a series of oxbows that intersect and then traverse above the streamway, crossing the streamway several times.

In more detail, the route starts with stooping passage in the streamway. Soon a short muddy oxbow leads to the left. [Alternatively, the stream can be followed underneath.] The oxbow re-meets the stream, and then continues to the right, 1.5m above stream level. [Alternatively, the stream can be followed with a hands and knees crawl.] Walking oxbow passage leads to a junction, where a 2m descent to the left leads back to the stream; [alternatively, clambering over boulders ahead is a continuing harder oxbow, soon rejoining the main route.]

Stooping streamway leads to a mud bank-cum-oxbow. A short walk in the streamway then leads to where the stream falls 0.6m down a pot. Stepping across the pot enters an oxbow. The oxbow reduces to a crawl, and then enters a chamber, with the streamway 2m below. A clamber up to the right enters another oxbow, which soon reaches a junction. To the left reaches a chamber, with the stream 4m below, and an inlet entering. [Right from the junction provides a harder route into the same chamber.] A step down to a ledge leads to a step across the stream, then a traverse on the left to cross the inlet.

Round the corner leads to a careful step onto a ledge on the left, and then a step across the stream gulley. Round the corner is a bold step back across to the left side of the stream gulley at The Bridge of Sighs. Continuing round the next corner reaches a drop. The drop can be avoided by backtracking a couple of steps to a climb up to the right, leading to a traverse to the right to an oxbow. At the start of the oxbow, a climb up to the left leads into a wider passage.

The passage changes character here, losing the streamway. A muddy passage soon reaches a boulder choke. Immediately upon entering the choke, the way on is to double back, and climb up 2m onto a chockstone above the point of entry to the choke. Doubling back again, and climbing forward and up another 1.5m leads to a hole between boulders into a chamber.

Clambering over muddy boulders reaches a larger chamber. Following the right-hand wall leads to a sandy chute behind a very large boulder. Below, a climb down between boulders to the right drops into another sandy chute behind a very large boulder. [Alternatively, descending the steep slippery slope to the left —with care— reaches the same point.]

The two routes unite in a large chamber, Nagasaki.

  • A hole at the bottom of the chamber descends into Far East Passage, leading towards Boundary Pot.
  • Continuing ahead is the route towards The Assembly Hall and the Ease Gill 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.

Pool Sink Streamway, outwards[edit | edit source]

Note: all the pitches in this series need pre-rigging. Sections of this passage flood to the roof in wet conditions.

From the junction with Green and Smelly Passage, Lower T-Piece Passage starts with easy walking. This soon reaches a four-way junction on a pile of boulders above the streamway. [To the right, downstream, intersects Green and Smelly Passage.] [Straight on, is a narrow, unobvious bedding plane squeeze connecting into Eccles Bypass in the Borehole.] The normal route is to the left, upstream. Ahead, striking horizontal flakes of rock protrude from the walls. A clamber over boulders leaves the stream. A short rift passage leads to a shelf, from which the water is regained. More rocks are followed by a tall rift stream passage with short climbs. This leads to a waterfall, marking the fourth pitch (P10). The normal route for the pitch lands on a ledge to the left of the waterfall. At the top of the pitch, a short lined traverse leads back to the streamway.

Upstream, two minutes caving along the streamway, with a couple of deeper pools, reaches the third pitch (P8). Above, a couple of short climbs lead to the second pitch (P8). Ahead, a pleasant streamway leads, after about two minutes, to the first pitch (P17), which lands on a ledge on the right; this leads to the Pool Sink Exit Series. [Upstream leads to Magpie Grotto.]

Pool Sink Exit Series[edit | edit source]

From the top of the first pitch, a meandering stream passage passes an inlet entering on the left. The continuing passage reaches a small chamber where small inlets enter. The way on is up a 2.5m rift climb, where moving tackle can be awkward. The passage ahead becomes lower, turning into a crawl. This reaches an awkward left-then-right double bend, where moving tackle is again awkward (although easier than on the way in). A final right-hand bend leads to the exit.