Molluscan Hall to Ease Gill Aven
From Ease Gill
Molluscan Hall to Ease Gill Aven[edit | edit source]
Following the right-hand wall leads, after a couple of minutes, to an obvious open route down through a boulder choke to regain the stream.
A few minutes upstream, the passage starts to become low. An obvious clamber up to the left leads into a crawl over gravel. The crawl gradually becomes smaller before reaching a small, low chamber. A route between boulders leads into another chamber, from where a short climb leads up to a muddy ledge with stal bosses. A further short slippery climb to the right leads up into a breakdown passage.
Ahead soon leads to a junction with a bedding plane continuing ahead, and a descending rift. Following the rift leads into a 6m long, 2m wide chamber, with large boulders in the floor. [The sound of the streamway comes from ahead.] The way on is to turn left, into a rift passage.
The rift passage soon leads to a climb up into a higher level, with a sandy/bouldery passage. Ahead soon leads to a step across a hole into a clean-washed passage. Immediately ahead is the foot of Ease Gill Aven. The Aven can be scaled, but pre-rigging is advised (rope in situ, December 2016).
- 10m rope; P-bolt and thread Y-hang.
At the top of the Aven, passages lead in both directions.
- To the north-east, a low crawl over gravel is the start of the Mancunian Way, leading to Cornes' Cavern;
- To the south-west, over clean-washed rock, with an occasional inlet, is the Mancunian Way Extension, leading to The Surprise and Nice Way.