Topic

The YSS was supposed to be conquered by the AGM and the dinner. It wasn't. The endurance of the YSS member is a boast of the Dales. Apart from one member practising with the CRO, two playing around Ribblehead caves and a group walking around Malham cove, 3 YSS members strengthened by fresh Shezi made the trip to Hurnell Moss real. Many thanks to our Meat list officer (congratulation) for delegating us to such a task after the AGM night...

The day started rather slowly and our departure at 11 o'clock didn't promise any short leisure day. After getting changed in the frosty shadows of Clapham and cheering up by Alan & Mavis and their hiking group along with Ian B. and Barry who challenged the OBJ hole, we set off for a long walk up to Gaping Gill. Once we are outside the valley, the mist breaks into a wonderful day with a spectacular views on Ingleborough. Thanks to Ian's GPS we had no issues with the entrance location. By this time everyone is frozen to the last bone. My toes are falling apart and I have no better solution than to take my wellies off under the first pitch and warm them up with my hands. Other people are having lovely Sunday in a cafe shops and we do this? I will never understand it.

Stuart rigs the big shaft and I have plenty of time to admire the vastness of the pitch. It's a shame I didn't bring my camera. The technicalities of the descent don't stop anyone. Soon we meet at the bottom and abseil/freeclimb the last two pitches to the very bottom of the cave. Here we find a very very old rope which is replaced by the YSS old rope. Thanks Stuart for making my tackle sack slightly lighter

After 3 hours underground we emerge in a new world. Misty, windy and even colder. What a misery. We are all releived upon our coming to the car and Stuart's suggestion that we don't have to get changed Arriving at 6pm to the school is the answer whether this is a Sunday trip. Despite being late, there is always time for a bit of chippies...this time from Settle. All in all good trip to a fine vertical pothole.

Party: Shezi, Steffi, Ales & Stuart
Trip time: 3hrs

Nice trip report Ales, how vast was the shaft and are the 2 pitches and Poseidon ledge in the same chamber?
many thanks

Nice one Ales, and if it hadn't been that I had already done it I may have been tempted to give the CRO a miss and join you guys

The pitch is quite nice, one has to admit. Shame I didn't bring a camera to take some bad photograph of it. But it's a bloody long walk...especially in the cold weather.

Are you signing up with the CRO Keith?

Our trip was delayed because I was travelling on the train Sunday to arrive around 10.30am and I could not on travel the Saturday. Thank you for waiting for me so that I could enjoy this really magnificent cave.

An absolutely cracking cave, great traverse middle of big shaft

alexr wrote:

Are you signing up with the CRO Keith?

Already have dude

Nice one, will see you next joint practice I guess.

While waiting in the station car cark at Horton the train pulled away and just one man appeared carrying an ice axe! No rucksack, just a lethal looking ice axe. He walked away as I tentatively wished him good morning from the oposite side of the car to him and just as I was about to try to telephone Shezi she appeared from behind a wall - muttering about a nutter with an ice axe on the train........... As Ales reports we then had a chilly walk up and a cracking caving trip, thanks to Ian Ball for the loan of his GPS which took us straight to the entrance, saving that embarrassing walk around the fell spotholing. I actually enjoyed rigging the shaft, oh and de rigging it and driving them all home - package tours for cavers! But what an international team and we went right down to the sump which was non existant the water just flowing away into the sediments and cobbles. Thanks guys for twisting my arm and into doing my first decent trip this year, Nigel's Saturday trip - the previous day is another story.................. The Lost Caverns of Ingleton.