County Pot to Wretched Rabbit, via Wretched Rabbit Traditional Route

County Pot Entrance Series

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

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

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.

• [The first passage soon closes down.]
• The second passage leads to Battle Of Britain Chamber, leading to Manchester Bypass and Trident Series.

Ahead leads towards Poetic Justice.

Battle of Britain Junction to Poetic Justice

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

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.

• Following the water downstream leads towards Eureka Junction.

• Following the water upstream leads into Trident Series.

Pierce's Passage, from Trident Junction to Eureka Junction

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.

Wretched Rabbit Passage, from Eureka Junction to Depot Junction

A muddy passage leads off to the left of the streamway at Eureka Junction. Very soon, a junction is reached: the route to Wretched Rabbit is to the left; [straight on leads to Poetic Justice and Trident Passage in County Pot.] A short roof traverse leads to a vadose passage. The walls here are covered with a thin layer of mud, caused by water backing up from Eureka Junction.

After about three minutes, the passage lowers to a crawl. The crawl passes calcited cobbles suspended from the ceiling; it is driest to the left at this point. The crawl passes stal flow and pillars; again, keeping left is the driest route. Ahead, the stream emerges from a low passage; the easiest route is to step up into a roof oxbow. Where the passage widens, holes connect down to stream level; a step across these holes reaches a traverse. A step up over the stream reaches a continuing roof oxbow, with various holes back down to the stream.

After a couple of minutes, the stream is regained at a junction; [ahead chokes after 3m.] To the left is a meandering streamway, narrow in places; this passes a large stalactite, and includes a short crawl. After about three minutes, an easy 4m climb is reached. Above the climb, the stream emerges from a low passage. The best route is a slightly awkward 2m climb up to the left, leading to a step across a pot in the floor above the stream. Soon, a junction is reached.

• To the right, a step across a pot regains the stream, leading towards Spiral Staircase Junction and Wretched Rabbit Exit.

• Ascending the inlet to the left leads toward Depot Passages.

Wretched Rabbit Passage, from Depot Junction to Spiral Staircase Junction

A series of easy climbs lead up into a meandering vadose passage. The stream is lost, and after about three minutes, a junction is reached; [the passage ahead is blind after 1m.] To the left leads to a climb up to the left and a step across a hole in the floor, into an abandoned vadose passage. After about two minutes, an inlet enters from the left, and a 3m-deep hole, lined with boulders, is met. Descending the hole leads into Spiral Staircase Passage. Skirting the hole and continuing ahead leads to Wretched Rabbit Exit.

Wretched Rabbit Exit

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.