SATURDAY 17thDECEMBER – PARTY MEET! Preceded by ELBOLTON REVISITED!?

The first ever MPC pissup will be held on the above date at Jill’s (address above). If you want to congregate at the same pub beforehand, call in at Jill’s anytime after 8.00pm to agree a venue (2/3rds majority required) but if you are not back at the house by 10.00pm there can be no guarantee that there will be any CHILLIE left (by the way, Jill has promised to put some meat in it!) Bring your own booze and bring a sleeping bag if you suspect that driving home after will be inadvisable (or if you simply get comfortable). Some people are threatening to bring guitars and serenade us into the night, so if you have something musical that doesn’t need plugging in, why not bring it along? – Admission 50p, surplus to club.

ELBOLTON POT, THORPE, NEAR GRASSINGTON – SATURDAY 17th DECEMBER

See meets report below before deciding to come on this trip! Elbolton hill has a variety of potholes in close vicinity of each other and they are quite easy to find just as long as you can find the hill. The problem is that the hill is bewitched with spirits who live in the old mine workings and sometimes the entire hill seems to mysteriously disappear from view. Of course the hill hasn’t really disappeared at all, it’s just the effect of the spell that is put on people as they approach the hill and find that they can no longer see it. Don’t worry though, we’ve bought a book on exorcism and I reckon we’ll have them there spirits licked when we go.

Elbolton Pot is entered via old mine workings but has a number of natural chambers down below. There are three pitches (55, 20, 25ft), although the second one is optional, and the trip should be just sufficient to build up an appetite for the chillie but will not take too long.

For information about meeting place etc. tel: Meets Secretary, Andy, on 534501, or Dave on 539007. For equipment phone Tackle Secretary, Wayne on 523767.

MEETS REPORTS

YORDAS POT/CAVE

On the Sunday 20th November 1988 a group of experienced and beginner cavers set out to meet at Bernie’s Café Ingleton. After waiting for our numbers to come up with the grub we set off to Kingsdale, to our horror finding some beginner school cavers. As a large group of our party plundered into the cold waters of Yordas cave, and Matthew and Martin showed us how to keep clean.

After about 2 hours waiting for the other group to disappear down Yordas pot, I set out to rig the rope for it. My hands were hardly working as the sharp winter wind felt as if it were about –5 Celsius. I was about to descend the shaft when the leader of the school party wanted our assistance to rescue some of their party off a waterfall. The others went down a small shaft in the small gorge where the river runs. I said I would meet the others underground to help rescue the school kids.

As I started to descend the shaft I noticed a waterfall coming nearer my feet. I looked for bolts to do a rebelay out of the water, to my amazement all the bolts were in the water, so the only thing to do was to go down the next 50ft in ice cold water. Once at the bottom of the shaft I saw the way on through a 12” crawl with nice ice cold water in it. I saw a light and then shouted and Steve Richardson came through the crawl desperate to light up a cig. He then told me that members of our party had managed successfully to rescue the school kids. So I thought I might as well go back up the pitch. The first 10ft was alright; I kept out of the water by ascending up a flake in the shaft just missing the water. I then came to the top of the flake and swung into the water, and the only thing to do was prussik up very fast to keep warm, as my furry suit soaked up the water like a sponge.

After getting off the rope I derigged it and ran down the hill passing some of our party still down Yordas cave, and continued down to the car to get changed before I caught Hyperthermia. I really enjoyed having a go on the sledge and I think the kids did, thanks to Steve and Mal.

Thanks to all who participated this Sunday.

Andy: meets secretary.

The party: Dave, Philippa, Mathew, Martin, Damion, Jill, Wayne, Chris, Rob, Neil, Steve B, Mal, Steve R, Michaela plus the NHS lot.


ELBOLTON POT,

walk meet – Sunday 4th December. Leader!? Dave (ha! ha!)

A final look at the map to check the exact location of the pot and away we went up the hill by a cart track. The track turned into a path over old overgrown mining deposits and through a depression with derelict miners shelters and old drystone sidewalling. Up onto the moor and an obvious cairn came into view (the book described the pot as being about 15m west of the cairn). This was going to be easy and considering there was a gale force, freezing wind blowing it was good to think that we would get tackled and down quickly.

The party split up and wandered around the westward side of the cairn, then in case west had moved, all directions were searched but to no avail (perhaps the book meant 150m). So the search was extended out – but still no hole in the ground (perhaps there was another cairn higher up the moor). At this point random search techniques took over.

Wayne headed up over the moor in one direction and was not seen again for 2 hours. Andy, Russ and Steve had another search of the vicinity before heading over the moor in another direction and Jill and Philippa decided to check out the mining archaeology in the depression (and out of the wind). I set off over the top of the moor in a third direction and half an hour later, after passing three silted up natural shafts about 10ft deep (future dig perhaps), came across an old building (it was at this point that the hailstone started). In the distance at the end of a ridge were two cairns! Eureka! With more determined stride it didn’t take long to find out that the pot was not there either. OK I quit!

Walking back across the moor various bewildered (and knackered) cavers (?) were met and everyone made their way down to the cars in the village where Philippa and Jill had been studying the map. “Guess what” they said. “We’ve all just spent two and a half hours wandering over Thorpe Fell. Elbolton Hill is that one there”, pointing to a nearby hill which could be spat on from where the cars were parked!! Someone remarked that it was just 20mins to closing time, so the fastest change ever saw us in the pub just on the bell (good thing we didn’t find the pot, we would have missed the pub!!!!!)

Anyone wishing to practice SRT, ladder work, knots, pitch rigging etc phone Dave on 539007 (map reading a speciality!?!)