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Charterhouse Cave 30-11-2013 04 Dec 2013 19:33 #11938
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Topic Author
- Ales Hrabec
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The mornings in Mendip are not easy, despite the fact that Hunters closes quite early...
The limits for Charterhouse are strictly 1+3 so the YSS band has to split into two groups and we try to set up a group of people who have never been in Charterhouse. Keith very kindly offers me his place and heads with the rest. The only thing we need for the trip is a ladder which is needed unfortunately nearly on the bottom of the cave. Since I take my camera and which keeps me quite busy in the constrictions, Stuart is the man who will struggle with the ladder.
The entrance series is quite narrow and requires a few side-crawling skills, sometimes in little pools, but nothing compares to Not For The Fain Hearted pain. The pain we love so much
Soon we can reassemble in a roomy chamber which was for a long time terminus of the cave. It is actually first time in UK I can drink water in the cave. Water is collected in drops in a bucket. Quite refreshing but not as fresh as Evian
The next bit is a descent in the dug breakthrough. Quite impressive bit since the direction of the cave is not obvious at all. After several squeezes we emerge in larger decorated passages which soon arrive to the top of the laddered pitch. In a few minutes we are at semi-final sump. This is the place where we stop today. But the very far end of the cave is still quite a way away. We try to pump water from the sump using very nice pump but after 10 minutes we give up and start our progress back to the daylight.
Still nice sunny weather outside, so very pleasant return back to the car and Wessex hut for a cup of tea. The only annoying thing is a hole in my PVC suit. Damn it
Party: Ales, Stuart W, Steve B & Mark (Wessex CC)
Trip time:4:30
The limits for Charterhouse are strictly 1+3 so the YSS band has to split into two groups and we try to set up a group of people who have never been in Charterhouse. Keith very kindly offers me his place and heads with the rest. The only thing we need for the trip is a ladder which is needed unfortunately nearly on the bottom of the cave. Since I take my camera and which keeps me quite busy in the constrictions, Stuart is the man who will struggle with the ladder.
The entrance series is quite narrow and requires a few side-crawling skills, sometimes in little pools, but nothing compares to Not For The Fain Hearted pain. The pain we love so much
Soon we can reassemble in a roomy chamber which was for a long time terminus of the cave. It is actually first time in UK I can drink water in the cave. Water is collected in drops in a bucket. Quite refreshing but not as fresh as Evian
The next bit is a descent in the dug breakthrough. Quite impressive bit since the direction of the cave is not obvious at all. After several squeezes we emerge in larger decorated passages which soon arrive to the top of the laddered pitch. In a few minutes we are at semi-final sump. This is the place where we stop today. But the very far end of the cave is still quite a way away. We try to pump water from the sump using very nice pump but after 10 minutes we give up and start our progress back to the daylight.
Still nice sunny weather outside, so very pleasant return back to the car and Wessex hut for a cup of tea. The only annoying thing is a hole in my PVC suit. Damn it
Party: Ales, Stuart W, Steve B & Mark (Wessex CC)
Trip time:4:30
