Top Sink to Wretched Rabbit, via Spiral Staircase Passage

Top Sink Entrance to Limerick Junction

Note: the pitches are very wet, and become impassible in very wet conditions. The scaffolded shaft is 4m deep and drippy. It descends into a small drippy chamber. A descent through boulders leads into another small chamber. Ahead is stooping passage with a short crawl into a chamber. Walking passage soon leads to a junction. [Ahead is a dry passage.] To the right is a meandering passage, mostly sideways walking with one short crawl. After about four minutes, Walrus Pot (18m) is met. The pitch is rather wet. A short lined traverse round the corner to the right reaches an "eagle's nest" ledge, from where the rope can be hung; a deviation avoids the worst of the water.

• 30m rope; bolt back-up; two bolts for traverse; two-bolt Y-hang; deviation at -4m (short sling).

Below Walrus Pot is the inappropriately named πr² Passage. The passage is a meandering streamway, which can mostly be tackled upright, with the occasional crawl. Larger cavers will have to crawl for longer, and will find the passage considerably harder. After five to ten minutes, Penknife Pitch (5m) is reached.

• 10m rope; bolt back-up; two-bolt Y-hang.

Below the pitch, Wisdom Tooth Passage enters as an inlet on the left. An easier meander, Bradshaw's Passage, leads to an easy crawl. After about four minutes, Limerick Junction is reached.

• To the left, the muddy bouldery slope is the start of Limerick Passage.
• Straight ahead downstream is the route to Nagasaki Cavern and the Ease Gill streamway.

Limerick Junction to Nagasaki Cavern

From Limerick Junction, the route is complex: a series of oxbows that intersect and then traverse above the streamway, crossing the streamway several times.

In more detail, the route starts with stooping passage in the streamway. Soon a short muddy oxbow leads to the left. [Alternatively, the stream can be followed underneath.] The oxbow re-meets the stream, and then continues to the right, 1.5m above stream level. [Alternatively, the stream can be followed with a hands and knees crawl.] Walking oxbow passage leads to a junction, where a 2m descent to the left leads back to the stream; [alternatively, clambering over boulders ahead is a continuing harder oxbow, soon rejoining the main route.]

Stooping streamway leads to a mud bank-cum-oxbow. A short walk in the streamway then leads to where the stream falls 0.6m down a pot. Stepping across the pot enters an oxbow. The oxbow reduces to a crawl, and then enters a chamber, with the streamway 2m below. A clamber up to the right enters another oxbow, which soon reaches a junction. To the left reaches a chamber, with the stream 4m below, and an inlet entering. [Right from the junction provides a harder route into the same chamber.] A step down to a ledge leads to a step across the stream, then a traverse on the left to cross the inlet.

Round the corner leads to a careful step onto a ledge on the left, and then a step across the stream gulley. Round the corner is a bold step back across to the left side of the stream gulley at The Bridge of Sighs. Continuing round the next corner reaches a drop. The drop can be avoided by backtracking a couple of steps to a climb up to the right, leading to a traverse to the right to an oxbow. At the start of the oxbow, a climb up to the left leads into a wider passage.

The passage changes character here, losing the streamway. A muddy passage soon reaches a boulder choke. Immediately upon entering the choke, the way on is to double back, and climb up 2m onto a chockstone above the point of entry to the choke. Doubling back again, and climbing forward and up another 1.5m leads to a hole between boulders into a chamber.

Clambering over muddy boulders reaches a larger chamber. Following the right-hand wall leads to a sandy chute behind a very large boulder. Below, a climb down between boulders to the right drops into another sandy chute behind a very large boulder. [Alternatively, descending the steep slippery slope to the left —with care— reaches the same point.]

The two routes unite in a large chamber, Nagasaki.

• A hole at the bottom of the chamber descends into Far East Passage, leading towards Boundary Pot.
• Continuing ahead is the route towards The Assembly Hall and the Ease Gill streamway.

Nagasaki Cavern to The Assembly Hall

From the base of Nagasaki Cavern, a large bouldery passage passes an inlet and a rope up an aven to the left. Soon Fairy Steps is reached, an awkward muddy polished climb on the right, which ascends 2m to an ascending traverse leading to an easier climb. The passage descends over muddy boulders, and then narrows to enter a rift.

The rift passes stal bosses, and continues as easy walking. After a couple of minutes, it reaches a step across a pot in the floor. Immediately beyond is a choice of routes. [To the right, a crawl leads to a descent into The Assembly Hall, which needs tackle.] [Ahead, a traverse along the top of a rift provides an alternative route into Easter Grotto.] The normal route is to descend the hole in the floor, ahead to the right: a constricted slot drops 1.5m into a mini-chamber, which opens out into the wall of the passage below. A further 3.5m climb follows: good footholds 1.5m down give a decent but precarious-feeling stance, from where a straddle across the passage allows the final descent.

To the right, a very short passage opens into The Assembly Hall.

• To the left, a handline marks the climb up into Easter Grotto.
• Ahead is the route to Thackray's Passage leading to Holbeck Junction.

The Assembly Hall to Holbeck Junction

From The Assembly Hall, a route leads ahead over boulders. To the left [with an alternative route to the right] leads to a descent into another chamber. Ahead opens out above a drop, with the sound of the main streamway coming from below. A crawl to the right leads to an in-situ rope (March 2016). A 2.5m climb down, with hidden footholds halfway down, drops into a 10m diameter sloping chamber.

At the bottom of the chamber, a rift runs to the left. The rift becomes a calcited oxbow, the White Way, above the stream, and very soon a short drop into the stream is reached. [Upstream soon reaches a very dangerous boulder choke.] Downstream, Thackray's Passage is a pleasant well-decorated streamway. The streamway is knee-deep in places in normal conditions, but is sometimes deeper, and floods to the roof in very wet conditions.

After about four minutes, the roof lowers. Just before it becomes very low, the way on is through a small window to the left, by a stal "grille". This opens out into an oxbow, with easy walking and stooping, passing several gour pools. Soon the passage slopes down to regain the stream. Downstream is easy walking passage, passing nice stal formations. The stream is lost in an oxbow, except in wet conditions. Soon afterwards, the passage reaches Holbeck Junction.

Holbeck Junction

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.

• Ascending a boulder slope to the right of the stream provides routes towards Stop Pot and Gypsum Caverns.

• 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

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.

• To the left, a dry passage is the start of Lower T-Piece Passage in Pool Sink.

Green and Smelly Passage to Spiral Staircase

From the junction with the Pool Sink passage, a crawl leads to a small chamber. Walking passage (with the water flowing in an oxbow to the left) leads to another chamber with a junction. [The streamway comes from the passage to the left; this provides an alternative route into Lower T-Piece Passage in Pool Sink.] Ahead, after a few metres, is a 4m climb up the rift between boulders, via a chock stone after 2m. The climb leads to a traverse ahead on the left, above a blind chamber split by a ridge. [If the climb up is missed, the blind chamber is reached after 5m; an obscure crawl at floor level leads under the ridge into the other half of the chamber.]

Across the traverse reaches a chamber overlooking the blind chamber.

• Going straight on leads into a rift with a climb down into Eccles Bypass; this leads to the Borehole, Slit Sinks and New Slit Sinks.

• Turning right leads to a pile of stacked rocks; a climb via the rocks enters Spiral Staircase.

• Continuing past the stacked rocks leads to a pitch up at the end of a rift, which needs pre-rigging; this gives an alternative route into Spiral Staircase.

Spiral Staircase, outwards

Spiral Staircase is reached from the ledge at the end of Green and Smelly Passage, by climbing up via the pile of stacked boulders. A crawl soon leads to a short climb. Ahead, the way on is round a sharp bend to the right, with the water entering from a too-tight passage ahead. Soon a junction is reached. [Ahead soon leads to a pitch, back down to the ledge at the end of Green and Smelly Passage.] The way on is to the left, past formations.

The passage reduces from walking to stooping then crawling. After about five minutes, a hole leading up is reached, which is often quite splashy, and becomes impassible in very wet weather. This opens out into a funnel-shaped hole, lined with boulders, at the end of Big Rift in the Wretched Rabbit entrance series.

• To the left is Big Rift, which leads to Wretched Rabbit exit.

• To the right is Wretched Rabbit Traditional Route.

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.