Link Pot to E.P.C. Series Junction

Link Pot Entrance

The entrance pitch (P15) is narrow and rather awkward. It is free-climbable in extremis.

• 21m rope; back-up to drilled thread before wall; short sling on scaffold bar; one or two bolts.

At the bottom of the pitch, a couple of steps lead into 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.

Hylton Hall to Echo Aven

Descending Hylton Hall, and then continuing upslope meets an inlet sinking to the left, and then entering from the right and the roof. Turning left then right leads into a small chamber. A T-shaped rift continues, best tackled at the top. Following the rift leads to a slope to the right into a small bouldery chamber. At the bottom of the chamber, a way leads down through boulders —care!— into a downwards crawl. The crawl opens out into a small chamber within the boulder choke. Continuing downwards, towards the sound of water, breaks out into larger passage at a T-junction.

To the left, after a few steps, an inlet is met, entering from the left. Downstream, a meandering passage soon meets the start of the ropes for Echo Aven (P26). The pitches are currently permanently rigged (April 2016). An initial ascending traverse and awkward climb reaches the top of a short hang. This leads to the main hang, with a deviation part way down. The pitch can be somewhat wet. The pitch lands in a very drippy chamber. Downstream leads towards the 88' Pitch.

Echo Aven to the 88' Pitch

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

A streamway, The Wormway, leads off from the base of Echo Aven. A stooping/walking passage passes two small inlets on the right. A boulder in the passage can be squeezed past or clambered over. Soon, a larger inlet is met entering from the right, The Grind.

Shortly beyond, a short muddy oxbow soon regains the stream. A mix of stooping and crawling passage continues. After about four minutes, Sausage Junction is reached, where a large inlet enters on the left; [ascending this leads to pitches, which need pre-rigging, up into Ramsden's Crawl.]

Two minutes further downstream, another stream is met, entering from ahead. [The combined waters run to the left, and sump almost immediately.] Continuing upstream leads after a few minutes to the foot of the 88' Pitch. [Cellar Passage enters from the right.] The pitch is currently permanently rigged (April 2016).

At the top of the pitch, a junction is met.

• Turning right leads towards Long Gallery, and the route to Lancaster Hole.

• Turning left leads to Maple Leaf Junction, leading to Maple Leaf Passage and Ramsden's Crawl.

88' Pitch to Long Gallery

From the top of the 88' Pitch, a short traverse leads into a chamber containing a scaffold bar. A 5m climb up to the left leads to the top of a pit, where a step right enters a parallel rift. Traversing forward leads to a route over boulders into a bouldery chamber.

A route leads ahead to the left, and up a climb. A crawl forward enters Long Gallery.

• Ahead, a route leads to Mortuary Passage.

• The route towards Canuck Climb and Stake Pot is up the mud slope to the left.

Long Gallery to Canuck Climb

From Long Gallery, a mud slope leads up to the left; a turn to the left leads up into larger passage. Directly opposite the point of entry, 2.5m up a mud slope is an irregularly arched hole, 50cm by 50cm. This leads to a climb up a mud chute, then a climb up between boulders into Brew Chamber.

[To the left in Brew Chamber leads to Equinox Hall.] To the right, walking passage leads down a slope to the bottom of a dribbly climb on the right. Above the climb, a short traverse leads into a bouldery section. At a junction, the way on is a crawl down to the right past stal; [straight on soon leads to a pit.]

A mix of crawling, stooping and walking passage leads to a 1.5m climb up to a crawl. The floor soon drops again, and a chamber is entered. [A rift drops down to the right, and there is a blind alcove to the left.]

Ahead, a few steps lead into the next chamber. [A small crawl leads left, and a side passage leads straight ahead.] The way on is to the right, where a crawl leads into a chamber with tall stal bosses [or an alternative crawl to the left]. Turning left past the stal bosses, a crawl leads forward into a chamber. A continuing crawl between and over boulders leads to the top of Canuck Climb, a 5m descent with a fixed iron ladder. [Beyond the ladder, the passage soon chokes.]

Below the ladder, a short crawl leads to a junction.

• To the left leads towards Stake Pot

• To the right leads into The Subway.

Canuck Climb to E.P.C. Series Junction

Turning left below Canuck Climb leads round a couple of bends to Thirsty Junction, where a small stream is met. [To the right, upstream, leads to Razor Aven.] To the left, downstream, is a long, straight, narrow rift. Walking passage leads to a crawl under a boulder, followed by a mix of walking and crawl traverse just above the stream.

About three minutes from Thirsty Junction, an obvious traverse level is reached. This soon leads to a crawl over a polished boulder to a junction in a bouldery area, with a side passage to the left. Continuing ahead for a few metres leads to a step up into a higher passage [with another passage below.] A few metres ahead reaches another junction; [a narrow passage runs to the left;] the way on is to the right. This leads to a crawl 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 right at the point of entry, at the top of the chamber, and crawl upwards. This soon leads to a slope down into larger passage. [To the right closes down immediately.] To the left, a well-trodden twisting route can be followed, slightly upwards, ignoring various holes in the floor. Eventually this opens out into very large passage.

• To the left leads, after 30m, to the top of a 3m hand-line climb, which descends to Stake Pot.

• To the right leads towards Oxbow Corner.