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Notts Pot on Sat 3rd Jan 2026
With a large contingent signed up for the Five Ways trip on the whatsapp group it was decided to split the trip numbers up. I had fancied Five Ways as Ive not done it, but seeing Dave and Fran with two large plus one enormous bag betwixt the pair of them I opted rather gallantly (perhaps foolishly) to be a sherpa. Their plan was rigging School for Fran in Notts Pot via the Adamsons route.
Although dry and bright there was a chill wind which cut through rather than blew around you despite wearing a big shell jacket over my caving attire for the walk across the fell. 
In the shakehole it was more sheltered but still very icy with the pitch head being sheet ice over rock. We expected to see some folk down there as a young Mr Curry had it rigged, presumably for a diving project?
Fran progressed well with the rigging having learnt the knots from books and practised rigging around the house as I'm sure we have all done in the past. I went off up above the birthday pitch in a rift exploring for a bit - must have been virtually back on the surface in loose cobbles, would love to see a 3d survey of the place - it truly is a vertical maze.
With some traverses being a bit technical Dave rigged those and Fran did the pitches. It was still a bit damp in the lower reaches to the 2 sumps. Having had a wee, we were soon heading out with me derigging and cursing the enormous tackle bag which had an amazing ability to get the wrong side of the in situ rigging somehow. It only took a couple hours out from the sumps and a brisk walk back across the frozen moor with the Wolf moon rising above the Men of Gragareth.
Back to the hut to sort freezing rope and for mugs of tea and lots of  them...
Dave C, Fran, StuW.
About 5 1/2 hours underground.