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Not sure who suggested it, but Grey Wife Hole ticked all the boxes for a Sunday trip. As no one had been before, we made sure not to fulfil Alex Ritchie’s prediction that we’d “never find it”.

After a rather chilly change, the walk up the hill in the sunshine offered a welcome opportunity to warm up. But no sooner was body temperature restored and we were at the rather uninspiring entrance. After dropping the entrance climb, a flat out crawl over cobbles was thankfully shortlived. Then it was just a case of following the water to the entertaining Paradox Pond. Ales made the usual fuss about nothing and we were soon up the rift to Jim’s Traverse. Keith freestyled it across and secured a traverse rope, however it turned out to be much easier than it looked from below (if it was in South Wales a rope would certainly be considered excessive).

From the top of the traverse a short crawl saw us to the final well decorated chamber. Well not technically the final chamber, but the “3m flat out duck” was looking distinctly uninviting with no more than a nose depth of air space to play with!

Party: Keith, Susan, Ales, Rich

Survey and interesting article here: www.yrc.org.uk/yrcweb/index.php/journal/series12/98-i3-1995/726-s12i3p10

Having read the article and studied the survey I'm going to have to stop saying I've been there! I only made it as far as a few minutes past the pond! Sadly I've been conning myself that I'd done a Black Book trip.

Was a good choice for our Sunday trip and very entertaining to say the least suppose we ought to go back at some point to nail the duck

richardrae wrote:

Not sure who suggested it, but Grey Wife Hole ticked all the boxes for a Sunday trip. As no one had been before, we made sure not to fulfil Alex Ritchie’s prediction that we’d “never find it”.

After a rather chilly change, the walk up the hill in the sunshine offered a welcome opportunity to warm up. But no sooner was body temperature restored and we were at the rather uninspiring entrance. After dropping the entrance climb, a flat out crawl over cobbles was thankfully shortlived. Then it was just a case of following the water to the entertaining Paradox Pond. Ales made the usual fuss about nothing and we were soon up the rift to Jim’s Traverse. Keith freestyled it across and secured a traverse rope, however it turned out to be much easier than it looked from below (if it was in South Wales a rope would certainly be considered excessive).

From the top of the traverse a short crawl saw us to the final well decorated chamber. Well not technically the final chamber, but the “3m flat out duck” was looking distinctly uninviting with no more than a nose depth of air space to play with!

Party: Keith, Susan, Ales, Rich

Survey and interesting article here: www.yrc.org.uk/yrcweb/index.php/journal/series12/98-i3-1995/726-s12i3p10

Nice article Rich, well worth a read

Now, being nice and warm, I can say that it was a great trip! What is that bypass route on the map? Did we miss anything?

Note to myself: bring goggles next time for the duck

Pioneering cave diver Olivia Statham.

suppose we ought to go back at some point to nail the duck

I have done the duck, there is not much beyond it except a few small climbs leading into a boulder choke. Its not worth it really.

alexr wrote:

suppose we ought to go back at some point to nail the duck

I have done the duck, there is not much beyond it except a few small climbs leading into a boulder choke. Its not worth it really.

Cheers Alex, that could be the deciding factor

alexr wrote:

suppose we ought to go back at some point to nail the duck

I have done the duck, there is not much beyond it except a few small climbs leading into a boulder choke. Its not worth it really.

Why not start digging? Can't be that far to the surface from there