2006 Club trip reports
|
This was going to be trip into OFD1, taking in the streamway, visiting The Waterfall series and then returning via the dry escape route, but due to the amount of rain that had fallen over the past couple of days the streamway would have been rather sporting, so we decided to leave this trip for another day. So with us already here at Penwylt we decided upon going back into OFD2 to descend the hole that we found on our previous trip in here, once we were all kitted up, we started our walk up to top entrance. Inside the cave we then headed straight for the end of Gnome Passage where we had found this hole just along a short bit of passage on the right. We then rigged up a ladder and life line before descending the hole which was about 20ft deep, once at the bottom we could see a couple of ways on, one of these was directly underneath the passage above, but soon got too tight but it did have a good draught blowing out. At the opposite side to this hole the passage dropped down about 6ft which was free climbable with some lovely helitite formations on the right-hand wall, at this point the passage got wider, we could then continue only a short while until it got too tight, but below us we could hear a stream flowing and it would be possible to dig down between the boulders, but a better look at the survey might be beneficial before continuing with this project. So we then returned back to the top, packed up the kit and then headed down into Salubrious and up to the Arete, from here we headed into the Labyrinth where as usual we did a few reversing manovers before picking up the stream and popping out by Cairn Chamber. From here we did quite a bit of exploring, including visiting the Columns gate for those who had forgotten where it was. We then returned to Cairn Chamber where we then climbed up the slope and along the top passage to the descent with the awkward step over a hole at the bottom. On this descent I set up a fixed line so that the team could descend safely and step over the hole whist being connected to a fixed line, we then continued along this passage with the traverses emerging at The Big Chamber near the entrance, it was then just a matter of heading back out into daylight where we certainly noticed the drop in air temperature. Again this was another little trip around the upper reaches of this cave which we all enjoyed.
Our November club trip should have been Llygad Llwchwr, but as quite a few of us were unable to make this particular Sunday for various reasons, the trip got cancelled. Then about a week later a phone call initiated the organisation of another trip for a couple of newcomers. It was decided that OFD2 was a good place on the 19th November. As we got closer to this date, the newcomers were unable to attend but the trip went ahead as a few of us were keen to get underground. We met up at SWCC on a lovely Sunday morning, wondering if we should be going underground or walking instead. Then as we were getting changed the sun disappeared and the dark clouds started to roll in which made us feel better. We decided to visiting the White Arch Series and Bedding Planes area as we always seem to go right past this area every time to head deeper into the cave system. So we managed to walk up to the top entrance before the rain started. We were soon inside where it certainly felt a lot warmer. After our brief stop to get our eyes working in the dark and for Barry to take a few photos we continued to the junction where the water falls from the roof. At this point we turned right up the boundary slope and up the calcited climb where we had to wait for another group who were coming down. From here we visited a couple of chambers before ending up at the Mini Columns. I for one was pleased to be reminded of this route as the last couple of times that I had been to the Mini Columns I had always taken the wet muddy route and had forgotten about this dry way in. From here we returned to the previous chambers and took the route off towards the Bedding Chambers, where we explored many side routes. We followed one that had a bit of a stream flowing. We followed it until it suddenly dropped down into a big deep open passage. We could manoeuvre into a position to see down into the passage with the use of about six slings connected together as a line but we could not work out what this big passage was (we could only think of either Gnome or Chasm). We then continued poking around the bedding chambers, crawling between large boulders with nice straws daggling from the roof. Eventually we felt that we exhausted this area and headed back until we came to the top of Speedy Caver. This descent was fun to complete with sound effects as we all descended in a line together hoping that the ones at the back were not going to lose control. Anyway we all survived and then headed back towards the entrance series. From here we then popped down to Gnome Passage as we were still curious as the where the little stream was falling that we had found earlier on. Then not far from the start of Edward’s Shortcut we found our waterfall. We recognised it from the wall on the other side. You would not have wanted to have slipped from up there. Having found this we then continued to the end of Gnome Passage and climbed the boulder slope to the top where we found a couple of digs. They did not look the easiest of digs. On our return we then noticed a passage on our left which only went a short while until it came to a large hole in the floor and a dodgy traverse to get to the other side. This all looked very interesting. We decided that this would be another trip in the future with a ladder to descend the hole and a rope to cross the traverse. From here we then headed back out to daylight, and after walking back down to the vehicles the skies opened and down came the rain.
1st October - Cwmystwyth Mines
As it was not a very good weather forecasted for today we were happy to arrive here with the sun trying to shine and no rain. Once everyone had arrived we started our walk. The new fences that have been installed around a lot of the shafts and depressions stood out a mile against the background. Although this had its advantages as the fences now mark clearly where all the shafts and adits are, some of which we didn’t know existed before. The lower adits that are around the main cluster of building remains are now grilled so we then headed right over the stream and to Level Fawr. This is also grilled. Taylor's Shaft has a fence around the top and around the adit which enters the shaft. We walked further around towards Taylor's Adit which is also grilled. We could see more fences scattered around the hill side, marking more shafts and depressions. We then followed the stream up the valley passing various grills. Surprisingly we did come to one adit that had not been grilled or shown any sign that it had been in the past (so maybe they didn't find this one, or they have not finished here yet). For those of you who know this area, the void at the top of this valley where the water drops down into the mine forming a nice waterfall has been completely fenced off. From here we then walked over the top of the hill back towards the main buildings. It was at this point that the sky's opened up and the rain came down heavily for about ten minutes. From the top here, we could then see that the large open void (which would be above Level Fawr) is still open with only a sign saying danger. In my opinion this is probably the most dangerous area due to loose ground that slopes and funnels itself down into a very deep hole. You would not want to slip down into this. Anyway we then started our descent down the hill side. We found a couple more adits. Unusually these ones had the grills inside the entrances but they had not been fitted as yet. We then continued downwards, having a look around the remains of the crushing shed before returning back to our cars, which is when the rains came down again. This time it continued all the way home. Anyway we all had a very interesting day and hopefully access arrangements into the mines will be sorted out soon.
3rd September -Little Neath River Cave or Not???
With such a long period of dry weather we decided to organised this trip into Little Neath River cave, but with heavy rain over night the entrance had disappeared under the river somewhere. So we transferred over to Bridge Cave which is normally such a quiet little cave, but not today. As we entered the cave crawling through the entrance series, things seemed quiet. But as we got closer to the stream we could hear deep rumbling noises. Then we had to be careful as we stepped down into the stream-way itself as the current was strong. We then followed the water until we came to the main open passage. With the noise and so much moisture in the air, you felt that you should be somewhere miles underground rather than just five minutes from the surface. Anyway once we regrouped we tackled the challenge of turning right up West Passage and getting to the base of the waterfall. This was a challenge in itself. We had to fight the current and white-water, suddenly finding deep bits. We all made it to the bottom of the waterfall, which was really flowing and conversation was impossible with the noise. Back at the main passage we then followed the left hand wall. We could only get to just past the bridge, as the water was now backing up. We had no chance of seeing the divers line through the sump. From here we returned and then a couple of us managed to cross to the other side of the main passage which proved a bit exciting. On this side there was another inlet pouring water in forcefully, making more noise. After a few photos were taken we made our way back up the passage to try and find another place to cross the bubbling stream to rejoin the others. Once regrouped we made our way back out to the surface. From here we then walked down the valley/gorge where we could see just how water was disappearing down into the waterfall in Bridge Cave, (no wonder we were struggling to get up there). Continuing on down we then came to Pwll y Rhyd which as you would expect had water flowing in well. We had no chance of getting down to the ledge without being washed in (so we gave that one a miss). However, we managed to climb down from the other side through a large opening and explored a couple of passages which all ended in deep peaty coloured water. Next came White Lady’s Cave which we thought might had been to deep to enter, but as we were already fairly damp, we persisted only hesitating at one point. With a bit of effort we got through to the sump. As you could imagine, there was water flowing in through almost any crack and from the roof (washing clean all the formations). We then went up into the higher passage to try and return through the duck. I thought that you should have been able to see daylight through the airspace but when we got there we couldn’t, so we returned and came back out the same way that we went in. We then had a look at the duck from the outside and yes it was passable so I went through and back again. The reason that we probably could not see daylight is because the sky was dark and about to start raining again. Finally we had a look at Town Drain. This had a foam line almost to the roof and must have been flooded completely over night. The water levels in all the caves that we visited today had signs that water levels had been a lot higher. After returning to the vehicles and getting changed, we then drove down the road and parked at a picnic area. From here we walked back up this valley from the other end to the Little Neath River Cave resurgence. This was emitting a steady flow of peaty colour water which was certainly topping up the main river. So although we did not manage our intended trip for today, we all thoroughly enjoyed the day visiting these caves in such extreme conditions, knowing that we were always only about fifteen minutes from the surface at any time.
Today’s trip proved popular so we had to organise two groups. It all started with us meeting up in Crickhowell for 10.30am. After spending a bit of money in Crickhowell Adventure Gear we headed up to the cattle grid to park. Once there Jan produced a birthday cake and a bottle of champagne to celebrate Kingsley’s Birthday. When we had all got changed we started our walk up to the entrance, which took a while in the heat. Inside the cave the temperature was much more comfortable. The water level in the entrance series was very low. Even the two pools that you have to crawl through had very little water in them. This was certainly the lowest level that I have ever seen here. We took about a hour getting to Main Passage as a few photos were taken on route (this would be the pattern of the whole trip. At least there will be plenty of photographic evidence that we completed the Inner Circle trip). After a slight pause at the start of Main Passage we made our way towards the start of the Streamway. Both the main stream and Meander streams were running very low. In fact it was just a trickle. This made progress through the second boulder choke possible without any chance of getting wet. In Keyhole Chamber we noticed that someone had now attached a fixed rope to assist lowering yourself down the hole. After we had carried a rope down here just for that purpose. We were now back into the stream and heading for Northwest Junction. The orange water flowing from the formations on our right was really pronounced today. At Northwest Junction, we turned right and headed up Turkey Streamway, this stream seemed to running at its normal height and this water did feel a lot colder. Again more photos were taken on route to Turkey Pool. Once at the pool we all crossed ok with no-one testing the depth in the middle, although a few came close. Good fun! We then continued following Turkey Streamway until we came to Hawkins’ Horror on the right. Once through this we were heading towards the Sand Caverns but turned right into Selenite Needle Passage. This had a few nice formations and a eight fingered hand print. This passage was negotiated on hands and knees for a while before walking could be regained. We then entered big passage again (this was the Inner Circle proper). We did take a slight detour to visit the Swiss Village (no snow but plenty of very welly sucking mud). Back on the Inner Circle we climbed a few scree slopes and ended up at The Dome of St Paul's with its very impressive flat round roof. Continuing on past a big passage on our right (which will eventually lead to Ogof Frogoff ). From here we lost the big passage and had to continue crawling into chambers one after another until we appeared at the top of a large slope. We descended this and after a bit of discussion about where we were on the survey, we followed a stream right, then returned and followed it left! Eventually we came out to where we started the Inner Circle. So it was now back to Turkey Streamway over the Pool and back down to Northwest Junction. We were all starting to feel a bit tired by now and conversation seemed to dry up. We were all just concentrating on keeping a eye on our feet as we progressed along this slippery streamway. It was not long before we were back at Main Chamber and then back out into daylight. The heat of the early evening just hit us as we emerged through the gate. Although it took a bit longer than we thought for this trip (blame the photographers!) everyone thoroughly enjoyed it.
25th June - Ogof Dan-y-Lleuad Wen
This
cave must like us, as it is the third time over here in a year
and every time it has been nice warm weather for our long walk
over to the entrance. Once underground we were soon at the first
pitch, got it rigged and all down safely. We then explored this
level including poking around the St Paul's area, just to show
those who had not been down here before. We then rigged the route
down into the Lower Series where we turned right and headed towards
the choke that we had dug through on our previous trip down here. This had now collapsed and looked very unstable. So we took
the longer but tighter route to the other side following a tight
rift with a narrow section (Kingsley made a few sound effects
getting through here with help from Jan and Ann). Once through
we looked at a couple of digging locations and pulled a few rocks
out. This area was drafting but we would need more digging tools
if we decided that this is where we would like to dig. We returned
back along the tight rift and back into the main passage, still
in the Lower Series and had a look at the other end of the main
passage. Here there is a side passage on our left. This ended
in a mud/rock blockage so Liam made a start at digging. We all
took it in turns and made some progress. After a while we were
able to look up into an air space that went no-where. It now
looks as though we need to continue straight on. This would involve
reasonably easy digging if we had a pointed shovel. It was at
this point that we started to make our way out steadily. Back
on the surface, the sun was still shining for our pleasant walk
back to the car park via a few shake holes that had to have some
stones removed.
11th June -
Ogof Rhyd Sych
With the weather being very dry over the last couple of weeks,
a few of us decided to have a go at Ogof Rhyd Sych and see if
we could get to the pretty's at the far end of this cave. So
we got kited up complete with wetsuits and started our walk
over to the entrance in lovely warm sunshine. It was then time
to enter this rather nice entrance with the stream flowing out,
at the duck we could see the hand line and yes there was a air
space but the water was very cold. Once all through to the other
side we crawled along a bit further before dropping down a hole
fill with water, it was not until you had lowered yourself down
into the water that you could see the way on, which involved
more crawling until we popped out into a chamber with a few nice
formations, we then entered the first bedding chamber which was
not too tight and had some nice formations and gour pools. We
then emerged into a passage, where if we turned right took
us to a sump, and left up to some nice gour pools, but unfortunately
the way on appeared to be to continue into the bedding
chamber on the other side of this passage where we could here
the stream flowing. Both Jan and Pete took on this challenge
while Wolf and myself stayed put to take photos and look around,
with the noise of the stream it was not possible to make voice
contact with the others now, but as it happened they could not
find the way on after exploring many possibilities so they made
there way back to rejoin us. From here we then took a steady
return trip back to the duck, once all through safely we made
our way back to the entrance where the sun was shining on all the green moses on the river back which made a nice picture.
4th June - Chartist’s Cave
Meeting
up at the digging car park on Llangynidr on this lovely warm day, we soon started
our walk over Llangynidr. On route we stopped off at Ogof Frogoff
where we re-positioned the corrugated sheets that had been disturbed. We then
continued at a nice steady pace just taking in the weather and nice views.
It was not long until we arrived at Chartist Cave where we all stopped to have
something to eat. Then five of us went into the cave while the others took
in the sun on the surface. The way in was a steady descent in stages with a
couple of crawls. Then we emerged out into a large chamber known as Breakdown
Chamber. From here it was possible to explore in all directions,
which we did. Some of the passages were quite large, and you
got the feeling that this cave has got a lot more to offer if
only the way on could be found. After about an hour of exploring
we returned back out into the warm sunshine. From here we took
the short walk over to Crescent Cave. Again some of our group
continued to top up their sun-tan while the rest of us used cave
mud instead. We dropped down through the entrance into a biggish
chamber, then we dropped down again down a very well engineered
scaffold-type supported hole of approx 10ft. From the bottom
we crawled through into another chamber. Again from here we continued
down a 45° slope for about 6ft and then found
that we were at the top of the first pitch. As we had no
equipment with us it was now time to turn around and get back
out into the sun. From here we started our walk back towards
the quarries by the car park. This turned it into a nice circular
walk. Then once back at the vehicles, everyone had enjoyed the
day with something for the cavers and the walkers.
20th May - Parys Mountain Mines
With us all arriving in North Wales on the Friday evening in the rain, most of us went down to the local pub before sorting out sleeping arrangements. Saturday morning saw a improvement in the weather (it was not raining), so by 10am we were on our way to Anglesey to met up with our guides for 11am. Once we were all in the mine and down to a lower level, the group was split into two. Our group visited an area that we did not go to on our trip here last year. This included climbing down through a very loose choke which could do with some serious support. In the lower level we came to shaft which would have been open at the top, as it had been used as a tip. We could see evidence of household rubbish stuck on some of the edges. Even from this level when we chucked a stone down the shaft it took quite a long time before you heard it hit the water which made it sound quite scary. Further on we came to a large open chamber which will in time yield more tunnels as more exploration is done in this area. We then visited a shaft that had been filled in but they had left a rope that must have descended this shaft and in turn this rope had become almost fossilised. Later on we meet up with the other group who had been visiting what we saw last year. At this point the group changed again as we were offered a trip to a area that had only been visited by a few people so far, due to the difficulties in getting there up a steep and unstable slope. After traveling along quite a few different tunnels with very limited standing up room we eventually came to an end. Looking upwards there was a length of rope. We had to pull ourselves up this almost vertical bit until we could reach a very loose slope which we had to climb very carefully one at a time as whoever was climbing dislodged debris all the time. Then we reached a landing where we were able to traverse for about 30ft and then we had to continue up this loose and steep slope just using a rope as a hand-line (you would not want to slip down as you could not see where the bottom of this slope was as we joined it midway). Once at the top, we were able to see one of best artifacts found so far in this mine. This being a complete wooded wheelbarrow with a besom broom. This had been just left at the top of this slope at the end of a tunnel as if someone was coming back tomorrow to continue using it. There was also the remains of a wooded bucket close by (pictures on website). From here we started our descent which was easier, remembering to get back onto the landing and not to slip off the end of the rope hand line. Outside we all met up again, said our thanks to the two guides and then returned back to Denise’s to make use of her showers. After all this entertainment, more fun was had by trying to organise all the vehicles in convoy to a Tesco’s about 20 miles away where we were joined by more vehicles making a convoy of eight. We then drove through a small town and then country lanes following the only person who knew where we were going. The evening was completed with a ceilidh and a few drinks. It was then back to Nick’s house for a few more drinks before finding our sleeping bags. Sunday morning was a relaxed affair, cooking breakfast and chatting. Then a few of us made our way home while the others had a nice walk to a local pub for something to eat before heading home. This proved to be another excellent North Wales weekend (although it could have been better weather).
This trip proved to be very popular with a good turn out, although not many young people as originally intended. We met up just above the farm and got kited up in the lovely sunshine. We then made our way down to the cave entrance which was only a little walk away. The entrance is a small opening between large boulders where we drop down into a chamber just above the stream-way. Then we entered this stream and headed upstream in a nice walking sized passage. However this did not last long and we were soon on our hands and knees in the water. A few little side passages were explored by Aylish before continuing upstream. Then at one of the many pools a white cave fish was spotted. It was about 6ins long. After this much exploring was done in different directions before regrouping at this main junction. Then we headed up a crawl running parallel with the stream this took us through a smooth round tube known as the Gun Barrel after which we rejoined the stream. This time the stream was running in a narrower passage where the water levels were deeper with a few little cascades. This was then followed by another dry crawl until we came to a chamber where most of us could stand. From this point apparently it was possible to continue further but the crawling would get tighter and more uncomfortable so we decided that this would be our turnaround point. We worked our way back to the end of the narrow section of stream where the group split. Some of us crawled down the stream with sound effects while the rest took the dry route back to the main junction. From here Richard, Pauline and Aylish went exploring some more narrow passages to see if they joined up while the rest of us started to make our way back to the entrance at a steady pace. A few of us looked at the lower end of the cave, but with little enthusiasm so we waited for the rest of our team to catch us up and then we all exited the cave together. Outside it was still a very pleasant day, Although not a terribly long trip we all enjoyed it. Afterwards a few members went for a walk in search of Ogof Rhyd Sych.
This should have been our Dan yr Ogof trip, but due to almost non-stop rain all week we considered that the lakes would have only limited air space, if any at all. So we gave Dan yr Ogof a miss and decided to meet up at SWCC instead. We wandered up to top entrance without getting too wet then, once inside, we headed into The big chamber near the entrance and took the side passage which brought us out by Gnome Passage. From here we went down into Salubrious over The Crossroads and on to Shatter Pillar. Next came Cross Rift which we followed all the down to Moonlight Chamber and then followed Midnight Passage as far as the top of the pitch where we could hear the stream bubbling away down below us. On our return along Cross Rift we took a left turn which was a interesting route to Edwards Shortcut. We then headed back down to Shatter Pillar and rejoined Cross Rift further up, turning left to look at the nice formations on the wall and roof. We visited the top of Maypole Inlet and then continued on to the Cross Roads via the step over the deep rift. Once back into Salubrious, Rupert took the lead as he has now been down this way a couple of times and managed to lead us out with only a couple of hesitations. As we got closer to the entrance we took a slight detour so that we could visit the mini columns.
5th March -
Pant Mawr Pot
Meeting up at SWCC, we acquired our permit and started the long
walk over to Pant Mawr Pot in the snow with brief sunny spells.
Once there, I set about the task of rigging with a line from the
stake down to the top of the pitch. From here some people abseiled
in while others went down on the ladder with lifeline. For Rui
and Rupert this was their first time down here and seeing the entrance
from the bottom which always looks impressive. We left most of
our kit in a bundle here before continuing onwards downstream,
passing all the nice formations in the roof. Next came the two
boulder chokes and Straw chamber where we took a few photos. From
here we descended down the Oxbow. A small split in our group happened
here. I stopped to take photos of more formations while the rest
of the group continued onwards so that Rui could take more pictures
including cavers. After a little while we regrouped and as time
was getting on we decided that we had better start working our
way back to the entrance pitch. I ascended the ladder first using
my chest jammer for protection, then I was able to lifeline everyone
else up the ladder. A small snow flurry came over whilst we were
ascending but this soon passed by and we enjoyed a lovely walk
back to SWCC whilst watching the sun setting behind the snowy mountains.
Then the temperature suddenly dropped to below freezing. Although
quite a longish day with the hour walk to the cave and time spent
rigging, climbing the ladder both ways and de-rigging, we only
seemed to have a short caving trip. However we all enjoyed the
adventure.
5th February -
Ogof Draenen
Six of us turned up this morning, Kingsley and Ann went for a walk
while Pauline, Rupert, Jan and myself went underground. Once the
log book was filled in we headed down to the entrance and through
the gate. We continued down through the entrance series where we
found water levels very low. As normal we set up the ladder at
the first pitch to assist our return. At Cairn Junction we turned
left following large open passage, passing the entrance to ladder
passage. A little further on we started climbing up into narrow
rifts which is the start of the waterfall series. The next couple
of hours were spent in these rifts. A couple of climbs involved
rope work and we had to clamber over awkward boulders. Some crawls
required some interesting manoeuvres before we could get back into
the rifts to find the final chamber in this series. From this chamber
I took what looked like a rather committing move along the top
of a narrow rift as this looked like the only possible way on.
Round a slight corner there was black space ahead. This was Knees
Up Mother Brown. We got everybody else through, although they found
it easier to drop down to the bottom of this rift knowing that
you could get out the other side. The character of the cave had
totally changed here. We were now in a phreatic passage with sand
floor which had been well taped. We then entered Lost River Passage
with a beautiful chamber on our left called 6th Heaven Chamber.
We spent a while here just looking at all the different formations
(I must return here with camera). We then turned around and started
our return trip, stopping briefly in the Waterfall Series for something
to drink and eat. Well we all enjoyed this 6½ hour trip
especially as it was to somewhere were none of us had been before.
With only a few of us turning up for this trip we decided to head for the Promised Land which is the furthest you can possibly go in this cave. Once we were all kited up complete with two tackle bags one for each pitch, we headed up to the entrance. The draught was blowing well as we opened the gate, and for a while we felt chilled, but this did not last for long, even after crawling through the wet ducks. As we passed the entrance to North West Inlet I looked through and the water level was low enough if we had intended going that way, but we weren't today. So onwards we continued and soon arrived at the first pitch, this is where we set up the first ladder and lifeline. Once we were all safely up to the top, we was able to now lose one of the tackle bags before continuing up through the Second Boulder Choke. The next section, up to Hall of the Mountain King, was completed fairly quickly. We then just had a quick breather before crawling our way towards the Severn Tunnel, where we found it a pleasure to be able to stand upright again. We took turns in carrying the one tackle bag as well as our own smaller personal bags. Continuing onwards we came to the main crossroads where we turned right, passing the hole that led down into the Lower Series. A bit further on we passed the entrance down into Blaen Elin, then came the Fourth Boulder Choke where luckily enough none of our group was oversized otherwise they may struggle a bit. Once on the other side it was only a short distance to the top of the pitch. Here we set up the ladder and lifeline, and were then able to travel more lightly. As soon as we were all at the bottom of the pitch, we followed a short bit of passage which then entered the Main Passage of The Promised Land. At this point we turned left first to see the fine formations including one called The Pagoda. From here we about turned and followed the stream upwards. This passage was quite big in places with one house sized boulder in the stream with plenty of room to walk by. Continuing on we just kept following the stream until it came to tight. Here we turned right and entered a smaller passage which was a lot more shattered. As we crawled through, over and under large slabs of rock we followed a length of bang wire, which eventually brought us back to the streamway. We continued to follow this again. We then came to a wonderful frozen waterfall on our right and a little further on we came to some very nice formations on our left. On route we had to overcome quite a few obstacles with awkward climbs and descents but working as a team we managed to overcome all of these. Towards the end we entered a large chamber with a tight crawl straight ahead which we pushed for a while before reversing and then we decided that we must have made it to the end of The Promised Land. So from here we about turned and started our way back. Once we had all climbed up the second pitch and packed the ladder and lifeline away, we stopped for a break. We then just continued out at a nice steady pace. Once back out, it was dark and sleeting. Anyway we all enjoyed this 7 hour trip even if we were all feeling rather tired. It must have been something to do with all that Christmas food and wine.