Wretched Rabbit to Pool Sink, via Spiral Staircase Passage

From Ease Gill

This route turns around at Holbeck Junction. It can be shortened slightly by heading out directly from the junction of T-Piece Passage and Green and Smelly Passage.

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.

Spiral Staircase Passage[edit | edit source]

Spiral Staircase Passage is reached by descending the obvious large hole at the end of Big Rift in Wretched Rabbit. This descent is sometimes wet, and becomes impassible in very wet weather.

Ahead is a crawling passage, which gradually enlarges to stooping then walking. After about five minutes, a junction is reached, just after some formations. [To the left soon leads to a pitch, re-joining the normal route below.] The normal way on is to the right. Soon, a stream joins from the right. A short climb followed by a crawl soon leads to a climb down onto a pile of stacked rocks in a larger passage.

[To the left leads to the bottom of the pitch noted above.] [Turning right then right again leads into a rift with a climb down into Eccles Bypass, leading to the Borehole, Slit Sinks and New Slit Sinks.] Turning right from the stacked rocks leads to a balcony looking down into Green and Smelly Passage, which leads to the connection with Pool Sink and to Holbeck Junction.

Green and Smelly Passage[edit | edit source]

From the confluence of Spiral Staircase and Eccles Bypass, a balcony looks down onto a chamber, split by a ridge. The way on is a short traverse to the right, followed by a climb down between boulders. This drops into Green and Smelly Passage. [Doubling back leads into the split chamber noted above; an obscure crawl at floor level leads under the ridge into the other half of the chamber.]

A few metres ahead, a streamway enters from the right [which leads into Lower T-Piece Passage in Pool Sink]. Walking passage (with the water flowing in an oxbow to the left) leads to a small chamber. A crawl leads to another chamber. [To the right is a dry route into Lower T-Piece Passage.] Ahead leads towards Holbeck Junction.

Green and Smelly Passage to Holbeck Junction[edit | edit source]

From the confluence of the Pool Sink and Spiral Staircase/Borehole routes, the passage continues as walking passage, with the water flowing in an oxbow to the left. After two minutes, a pool is reached at the junction of two joints: turning left then immediately right, a stoop leads into a 6m high chamber with the stream flowing from the right. A few steps downstream, a dry passage to the right provides the easiest way to Holbeck. [Continuing ahead, a wet crawl leads to where the stream disappears ahead. A dry crawl to the right leads to the main streamway, where it hits a choke.] Taking the dry passage leads to a step over boulders, followed by a gentle descent to 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.