E.P.C. Series Junction to Link Pot

E.P.C. Series Junction to Canuck Climb

From the junction above Stake Pot, the route starts as stooping passage, round a couple of bends, passing above various holes in the floor. Ahead, the passage closes down immediately; to the right, a 2m ascent up a mud bank leads to a crawl. The crawl slopes down into a small but complex chamber. [A muddy route descends a hole in the floor, towards the sound of the streamway.] The way on is to turn sharply left at the point of entry at the top of the chamber, and crawl upwards. Very soon a junction is reached: [a narrow passage continues straight ahead;] the way on is a walking passage to the left. A few metres ahead is a step down [with another passage doubling back underneath]. A few metres further ahead reaches a junction in a bouldery area, with a side passage to the right.

Straight ahead at the junction, a crawl over a polished boulder leads to a traverse at the top of a rift. The traverse soon reaches the streamway. Continuing upstream, a long, straight, narrow rift provides a mix of walking and crawl traverses just above the stream. A crawl under a boulder leads to mostly walking passage. After about three minutes, Thirsty Junction is reached. [To the left, with the stream, leads to Razor Aven.] Ahead, round a couple of bends, leads to a junction, just before some stal.

• The normal route is a crawl to the right at floor level, leading to Canuck Climb.

• Ahead leads into The Subway.

Canuck Climb to Long Gallery

Cannuck Climb is a 5m climb up with a fixed iron ladder. At the top of the ladder passages go in both directions. [To the left soon closes down.] The way on is to the right, up a small boulder pile to a crawl which leads up through boulders into a chamber.

A well-trodden route continues. A crawl past stal leads to a left turn into a larger passage with tall stal bosses. Ahead, a crawl soon leads into the next chamber. [A side passage leads to the right, and a small crawl leads ahead.] The way on is the largest passage, a walking passage to the left, which very soon enters the next chamber. [A rift drops down to the left, and there is a blind alcove to the right.]

Ahead, a crawl starts from a ledge 1m above the floor. The floor soon drops again. A mix of walking, stooping and crawling past stal leads, after a couple of minutes, to a junction. [A passage doubles back to the right, soon leading to a pit.] The way on is ahead to the left, where a short bouldery section opens up above a dribbly climb down.

Below the climb, walking passage, up slope, leads into Brew Chamber. [Ahead, a choice of crawls leads to Equinox Hall.] To the left is a hole under the wall, leading down under boulders to a chute and a crawl, emerging at the top of a short mud slope in a chamber. The sound of water comes from the left. Directly opposite the point of entry, behind a large boulder, a slope leads down to a further slope into a lower passage, Long Gallery. [An alternative descent route is behind stacked boulders to the right.]

• A route to the left leads to Mortuary Passage.

• Turning right leads towards the 88' Pitch, and the route towards Link Pot.

Long Gallery to 88' Pitch

To the right in Long Gallery, towards the sound of water, a short crawl forward leads down into a bouldery chamber. Ahead to the right, an unlikely-looking crawl over boulders enters the top of a rift, with the water visible 5m below. Traversing forward leads to a step right into a parallel rift with a 3m-deep pit. Traversing forward leads to a 5m climb down into a chamber containing a scaffold bar. Continuing past stal flow, a short traverse leads to a junction.

• To the left, a traverse leads to the top of the 88' Pitch and the route towards Echo Aven.

• To the right leads to Maple Leaf Junction, leading to Maple Leaf Passage and Ramsden's Crawl.

88' Pitch to Echo Aven

Note: the lower streamways flood to the roof in very wet weather, in particular backing up from the sump.

The 88' Pitch (P25) is currently permanently rigged (April 2016). At the bottom, a stream is met. [The stream enters from Cellar Passage, which leads to an aven.] Downstream, after a few minutes, another streamway, The Wormway, is met, entering from ahead. [The combined waters run to the right, and sump almost immediately.]

Continuing up the Wormway, after a couple of minutes, Sausage Junction is reached. A large inlet enters on the right; [ascending this leads to pitches, which need pre-rigging, up into Ramsden's Crawl.] Ahead, a mix of stooping and crawling passage leads, after about four minutes, to a short muddy oxbow. Shortly beyond, a junction is reached, where a large inlet enters from the left, The Grind.

Continuing up the right-hand branch, a boulder in the passage can be squeezed past or clambered over. Stooping/walking passage continues, passing two small inlets on the left. After a couple of minutes, Echo Aven is reached, a chamber with a large, very drippy aven.

The pitch (P26) is currently permanently rigged. The top of the pitch has a slightly awkward traverse. Above, a route leads towards Hylton Hall.

Echo Aven to Hylton Hall

Above the pitch, a meandering stream passage continues. Soon, the water enters via an inlet to the right, and the main passage continues ahead over boulders. A few steps ahead, the way on is to the right, upslope, into a boulder choke, opposite a survey tag. The route leads into a small chamber within the choke: care. From here, a low crawl continues at floor level, slightly to the left. The crawl ascends and breaks out into a small bouldery chamber. A T-shaped rift continues, best tackled at the top. At the end of the rift, continuing passage turns left then right, and enters the bottom of Hylton Hall.

Hylton Hall

Hylton Hall is a chamber at the base of the Link Pot entrance pitch. It is on the route between Lancaster Hole and the caves of Leck Fell. The chamber is a few metres wide, and quite long. Several stacks of rocks appear to be supporting the roof.

The following are described in an clockwise direction.

• The Link Pot Entrance Pitch (P15) is to the left when looking up slope. The pitch is climbable in extremis, but is best pre-rigged.

• [Upslope leads to an inlet.]

• [Opposite the entrance pitch is a side passage.]

• 8m downslope from the entrance pitch is a slit in the left-hand wall, Pybus Bypass; this is the start of the route towards Pippikin Pot and Serendipity.

• Continuing downslope is the route to Echo Aven, the start of the route to Lancaster Hole.