Post date: Jul 31, 2012 7:09:13 PM

Cavers: Éabha, Al

Trip time: 3 hours including hike up and down

After brunch in Carnlough we made a quick check on the Black Burn river and since it was flowing down the gorge decided to pass on to plan B, Ardclinis Pot. Tony had been intending to join us but was put off by the weather and so didn't leave Belfast. I hadn't had any real plan for doing anything in Ardclinis Pot other than a fun trip to introduce Éabha to the best of Antrim vertical caving, hoping that Black Burn would have been dry to go digging there. So we changed at the car park, left digging tools behind and walked up to the gorge with a couple of hikers and their dog. The gorge was dry so without having to detour we reached the cave and after a short rest to cool off after the climb and put on SRT kit we dropped down the already rigged pitches. The rigging had been left in place for a year, and the krabs were in poor state. I added one from my cowstails to the second rebelay as the aluminium was flaking off that one, Éabha likewise doubled up the first one. Then dekitted and into the horizontal passage. It was quite drippy from the ceiling all along the passage. Éabha went first so she could get to the end, and went wallowing through the final tight squeeze. The right-hand passage was still flooded, and Éabha thought she could see it widening out. She then went digging at the choke under/behind the drippy aven, which wasn't so drippy today but still made for a thoroughly unpleasant dig. After 30 minutes or so of digging she reckoned she could see the passage widening beyond the boulders and perhaps entering a chamber or cross-rift; this seems likely to be the space espied down the right-hand passage too, both passages running in parallel. Since we still haven't met the true entry point of the burn there is still every chance of a breakthrough here into large passage. Éabha stopped digging and after attempting the squeeze but being put off by a large unsupported rock at the beginning, we both turned around and crawled out. Éabha derigged the pitches, but we left the digging bucket and rope already there. A lot more digging rope is required, as there's very limited space at the end and en-route to the end to stack deads, and haulers on each of the 2 corners to get the bucket around. If anyone is feeling the need for some Antrim caving and seeing as it's still too wet to dig at the end of Black Burn this would be a good site to go back to...

Some photos of Éabha at the top of the pot