Post date: Feb 20, 2012 11:52:54 PM

Team: Petie Barry, "Fresher" Steve Bourke

Time: About 10 minutes. Maybe 11. Certainly not more than 12.

A few weeks back while rambling across the moor south of the Marlbank Loop I came across a small cave entrance about 150m south of Aghinrawn Cave, near an old ruined cottage. I squeezed in past a sceach and dropped down to a pool of water, a small wet passage continuing into the hill. I was alone and unwilling to get wet so I turned and went on back to the Hoo.

A month later and I find myself back at the entrance with Fresher Steve of DIT. This time clad in a wetsuit I slithered forward a metre or two to see that it was still going, though getting smaller. I wriggled back to get the end of the tape. Now, lying prostrate with tape firmly clamped between my teeth and with my arms outstretched in front of me I sallied forth again. The passage was about half a metre square and one third to half full of icy water. Spluttering and grunting I eventually reached the end, with Steve yelling from base that I had reeled out 9m of tape. The end was a sump of sorts, the passage continuing through a very tight duck with about 3cm of airspace though to the far side. I reached through and felt about but it didn't get much bigger, though I could hear water dripping off in the distance beyond. It might be dived, with a diver pushing a bottle ahead of themselves, along with their helmet, shoulders, torso and anything else that mightn't otherwise fit through the duck.

So, another new cave entrance found, and another piddling section of passage beyond it. Why don't my caves ever go properly?