Wretched Rabbit to Pool Sink, via Wretched Rabbit Traditional Route

Wretched Rabbit Entrance Series

A short crawl soon leads to a series of climbs, rigged with handlines (February 2016). The initial steep 3.5m climb is rigged from a scaffold bar. Below is an easy 2m step down onto a ledge. [An inlet and a bedding plane crawl enter on the right here.] A further 4.5m climb, steep for the bottom half, lands on another ledge. The final 5m climb is less steep, with good footholds.

At the bottom of the climbs is Big Rift. 30m ahead is a side passage to the right [which soon leads to a rope climb]. Just ahead is a 3m-deep hole, lined with boulders, with an inlet entering from the right. Ahead is the traditional route. Descending the hole leads into Spiral Staircase Passage.

Wretched Rabbit Traditional Route, from Spiral Staircase Junction to Depot Junction

From the junction with Spiral Staircase Passage, the Wretched Rabbit traditional route continues as an abandoned vadose passage. After about two minutes, the way is to step across a hole in the floor, and then descend to a wider passage. [The passage to the left is blind after 1m.]

Ahead, a meandering vadose passage meets the stream. After three minutes, a series of easy climbs down is reached. The stream falls down a 1m-deep pot in the floor; the way on is to step across the pot into an oxbow. Immediately, a junction is reached.

• Continuing down to the left, a step across another pot leads to a 2m climb down to the stream, and the continuation towards Eureka Junction.

• Ascending the inlet to the right leads towards Depot Passages.

Wretched Rabbit Traditional Route, from Depot Junction to Eureka Junction

An easy 4m climb leads to a meandering streamway, narrow in places; this passes a large stalactite, and includes a short crawl. After about three minutes, a junction is reached; [to the left chokes after 3m.] A dry passage continues to the right, in a roof oxbow, passing a hole connecting to the stream about 1m below. After about two minutes, the passage passes another hole down to the stream. Ahead, the easiest route is to step up to a traverse level. When the passage widens, the route is to step across another hole down to the stream, into continuing roof oxbow. Round the corner, is a descent back to stream level.

Ahead is a crawl in the stream, or a dry oxbow and crawl to the right. The crawl passes stal flow and pillars, and calcited cobbles suspended from the ceiling. After another short crawl, the passage becomes more vadose. The walls here are covered with a thin layer of mud, caused by water backing up from Eureka Junction. After about three minutes, a step up reaches a roof oxbow. A few metres ahead is the junction with County Pot. To the right soon reaches Eureka Junction; to the left leads to Poetic Justice and Trident Passage.

Eureka Junction

Eureka Junction is in the Easegill streamway, where the route from County Pot and the Wretched Rabbit traditional route hit the streamway. Note: this area floods to the roof in wet weather.

• Downstream, a stooping passage leads after a couple of minutes to a choke.

• Upstream leads to Stop Pot.

• To the left of the streamway is an obvious muddy passage. Very soon, this reaches a junction: to the left is Wretched Rabbit; to the right leads to Poetic Justice in County Pot.

Eureka Junction to Stop Pot

From Eureka Junction, two minutes of easy walking upstream in a large stream passage leads to the Stop Pot Boulder Choke.

In reasonably dry conditions, the easiest route through the choke is to follow the streamway, near the left-hand wall. The route is in the stream for most of the way through the choke, climbing up to a traverse just above the stream part way through. After a couple of minutes, the route emerges at Stop Pot.

[Alternatively, ascending the slope-come-side-passage to the right for about 6m leads to a dry route into the choke, by a small knobbly stal boss. The crawl starts low, with an orange floor in places. After a couple of minutes, the route opens out in a more bouldery area. Shortly ahead, the route rejoins the wet route.]

Stop Pot

Stop Pot is a major junction in the Easegill streamway. It is in a very bouldery area, with a boulder choke downstream.

Several routes lead from Stop Pot. The following are described from a position in the streamway, surrounded by boulders, at the base of the boulder slope leading up to the fixed ladder, where the streamway splits. In a clockwise direction:

• Upstream, following the left-hand wall, leads to Holbeck Junction.

• A few metres upstream, on the right-hand wall, a climb onto a ledge leads to Depot Passages.

• Following the stream downstream to the left, and clambering ahead over boulders leads to a dry route through the choke, towards Eureka Junction.

• Between the two branches of the stream is a large ascending boulder slope; part way up the boulder slope, on the left, is the route to Four Ways, a flood-escape route into Wretched Rabbit.

• At the top of the boulder slope is the Stop Pot ladder, up to Mainline Terminus at the start of the high-level route leading towards Lancaster Hole and Cow Pot, with a connection to Link Pot, Pippikin Pot, Bye George, Peterson Pot, and Mistral.

• Following the stream downstream to the right leads to the wet route through the choke, towards Eureka Junction.

Stop Pot to Holbeck Junction

The route upstream from Stop Pot towards Holbeck Junction is quite complex, in a bouldery area. The general tactic is to follow the left-hand wall. In more detail, clambering over boulders to the left reaches a short mud-floored section of passage. A short climb to the right reaches a ledge with small stall bosses, ascending gently. Ahead, a boulder-strewn ledge is reached, ascending to the right of the stream, a few metres from the left-hand wall. At the top, climbing over a boulder to the left, and descending 1.5m leads to a "doorway" between boulders. The way descends gently over boulders, following the left-hand wall. The route rejoins the stream, and soon opens out into a chamber.

The chamber contains a large pool, deep in places; [an alternative route to the right, over large boulders, avoids most of the water.] Ahead, the stream is lost. Parallel routes split and then recombine in a chamber, with the left-hand route providing the easier route. An easy bouldery passage continues, with the stream audible below. The route splits again into parallel passages, with the left-hand route providing the easier route. The way soon opens out in a larger area. [The route towards Gypsum Caverns leads off ahead.] Descending the boulder slope to the right reaches Holbeck Junction after a few metres.

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.

Pool Sink Streamway, outwards

Note: all the pitches in this series need pre-rigging. Sections of this passage flood to the roof in wet conditions.

From the junction with Green and Smelly Passage, Lower T-Piece Passage starts with easy walking. This soon reaches a four-way junction on a pile of boulders above the streamway. [To the right, downstream, intersects Green and Smelly Passage.] [Straight on, is a narrow, unobvious bedding plane squeeze connecting into Eccles Bypass in the Borehole.] The normal route is to the left, upstream. Ahead, striking horizontal flakes of rock protrude from the walls. A clamber over boulders leaves the stream. A short rift passage leads to a shelf, from which the water is regained. More rocks are followed by a tall rift stream passage with short climbs. This leads to a waterfall, marking the fourth pitch (P10). The normal route for the pitch lands on a ledge to the left of the waterfall. At the top of the pitch, a short lined traverse leads back to the streamway.

Upstream, two minutes caving along the streamway, with a couple of deeper pools, reaches the third pitch (P8). Above, a couple of short climbs lead to the second pitch (P8). Ahead, a pleasant streamway leads, after about two minutes, to the first pitch (P17), which lands on a ledge on the right; this leads to the Pool Sink Exit Series. [Upstream leads to Magpie Grotto.]

Pool Sink Exit Series

From the top of the first pitch, a meandering stream passage passes an inlet entering on the left. The continuing passage reaches a small chamber where small inlets enter. The way on is up a 2.5m rift climb, where moving tackle can be awkward. The passage ahead becomes lower, turning into a crawl. This reaches an awkward left-then-right double bend, where moving tackle is again awkward (although easier than on the way in). A final right-hand bend leads to the exit.