Yorkshire Dales

29th and 30th October

We headed up to Bull Pot Farm to meet up with CUCC this weekend. Becka and Julian were also threre so I volunteered to help them, and Andy, in a dig down Ireby on Saturday. After dropping me off at Masongill, Becka and Julian immediately set off back to the farm to pick up two helmets and two lamps that had been left behind (I'm sure they could have fitted them in the back with me rather than doing a shuttle run, but never mind...). So Andy and I headed into Ireby together. Or rather, Andy headed into Ireby at lightening quick speed and I toiled hard trying to keep up! We did a bit of housekeeping at a couple of digs near Duke Street, until Becka and Julian arrived and we headed up into Skylight Passage towards another dig near Duke Street II.

It was fairly civilised as digs go, enough room to just about wield a small shovel and easy digging in dryish sand. After 60 odd drag trays full, the air was getting a bit stale and we headed out to a drizzley evening.

T/U 7 hrs

Feeling fairly broken the next day, I'd already been up for a couple of hours by the time the CUCC breakfast machine was swinging into action, so I went to help Becka and Julian survey Witches Cave, which is about 40 odd metres long, unless you're a cave diver. Other than various sumps, the main notable feature was a squalid, muddy 4m climb up on a hand line too greasy to hold. After floundering around like a beached whale, 1m off the ground for a few minutes, I gave up and watched in disgust as Becka levitated up the climb as if she was on a chair lift, with placating remarks about "having a grippier oversuit or something like that...". Suitably chastened, I had another go, and was rewarded at the top by another 2m of cave and a pitch down.

T/U 1hr

The weekend ended, like all good weekends should, with tea and a bacon and egg bap in Inglesport.