Wretched Rabbit to County Pot, via Wretched Rabbit Traditional Route

From Ease Gill

Wretched Rabbit Entrance Series[edit | edit source]

A short crawl soon leads to a series of climbs, rigged with handlines (February 2016). The initial steep 3.5m climb is rigged from a scaffold bar. Below is an easy 2m step down onto a ledge. [An inlet and a bedding plane crawl enter on the right here.] A further 4.5m climb, steep for the bottom half, lands on another ledge. The final 5m climb is less steep, with good footholds.

At the bottom of the climbs is Big Rift. 30m ahead is a side passage to the right [which soon leads to a rope climb]. Just ahead is a 3m-deep hole, lined with boulders, with an inlet entering from the right. Ahead is the traditional route. Descending the hole leads into Spiral Staircase Passage.

Wretched Rabbit Traditional Route, from Spiral Staircase Junction to Depot Junction[edit | edit source]

From the junction with Spiral Staircase Passage, the Wretched Rabbit traditional route continues as an abandoned vadose passage. After about two minutes, the way is to step across a hole in the floor, and then descend to a wider passage. [The passage to the left is blind after 1m.]

Ahead, a meandering vadose passage meets the stream. After three minutes, a series of easy climbs down is reached. The stream falls down a 1m-deep pot in the floor; the way on is to step across the pot into an oxbow. Immediately, a junction is reached.

  • Continuing down to the left, a step across another pot leads to a 2m climb down to the stream, and the continuation towards Eureka Junction.

Wretched Rabbit Traditional Route, from Depot Junction to Eureka Junction[edit | edit source]

An easy 4m climb leads to a meandering streamway, narrow in places; this passes a large stalactite, and includes a short crawl. After about three minutes, a junction is reached; [to the left chokes after 3m.] A dry passage continues to the right, in a roof oxbow, passing a hole connecting to the stream about 1m below. After about two minutes, the passage passes another hole down to the stream. Ahead, the easiest route is to step up to a traverse level. When the passage widens, the route is to step across another hole down to the stream, into continuing roof oxbow. Round the corner, is a descent back to stream level.

Ahead is a crawl in the stream, or a dry oxbow and crawl to the right. The crawl passes stal flow and pillars, and calcited cobbles suspended from the ceiling. After another short crawl, the passage becomes more vadose. The walls here are covered with a thin layer of mud, caused by water backing up from Eureka Junction. After about three minutes, a step up reaches a roof oxbow. A few metres ahead is the junction with County Pot. To the right soon reaches Eureka Junction; to the left leads to Poetic Justice and Trident Passage.

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 Pierce's Passage[edit | edit source]

A muddy passage leads off to the left of the streamway at Eureka Junction. This very soon reaches a junction: [to the left is Wretched Rabbit.] Ahead, the passage continues as a roof oxbow, which soon steps down into a tall stream passage, Pierce's Passage. A few minutes upstream, the floor changes from boulders to bed rock, and two prominent calcite bands mark the climb up to Ignorance is Bliss. Continuing upstream, soon a climb up through boulders reaches another junction, with the streamway entering from the left.

  • Following the dry passage, slightly right, leads towards Poetic Justice.

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

Ahead, two minutes of easy walking leads to the Poetic Junction pitch (P6), which needs pre-rigging. Ascending this leads to a streamway rift passage (often dry). [Ahead, upstream, is a route to Battle of Britain Chamber.] The normal route is a step up to the right into a bedding plane with stal bosses. A few metres ahead reaches a window looking out over the County Pot streamway. In front of the window is a narrow, 3m calcited chimney, Poetic Justice. Sliding down this drops into the stream.

  • Upstream to the left leads towards The Broadway, giving the quickest route to the County Pot Exit.

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

From Poetic Justice, the normal route to Broadway is a short crawl in the streamway. [Alternatively, a longer, dry, well-decorated route is to the right.] The two routes unite in Spout Hall, a large chamber, about 10m by 8m, sloping up ahead and to the right.

The normal route is to ascend The Spout, by stepping up from a ledge on the right. [Alternatively, ascending to the right leads to a bypass.] Ahead soon reaches a junction, at two side passages from a ledge on the left.

Battle of Britain Junction to The Broadway[edit | edit source]

From Battle of Britain Junction, the streamway soon splits at Confusion Corner. [To the left is The Snake.] [The Spout bypass enters on a ledge on the right.] After a few minutes, the Showerbath is reached. Round the corner to the right leads to a slope down into The Broadway.

Broadway to County Pot Exit[edit | edit source]

From the Broadway, the route towards County Pot entrance is a 3m climb on the left-hand side of the passage (when looking upstream), part way along the largest part of the passage. Some cavers find the climb difficult: there is a foothold for the left foot near the top which makes it easier.

At the top of the climb [to the left, a boulder slope ascends to The Snake.] Round the corner to the right, is the first pitch (which needs pre-rigging; see County Pot Entrance Series).

Above the pitch is a pleasant well-sculpted passage, with a few short narrow climbs. [An inlet on the right leads to a pitch down.] After about 10 minutes caving, the entrance is reached: a 4m climb, starting on a ledge on the left.