Rumbling Hole, Leck Fell

November 
Me and Olly

If you fancy a SRT trip with fine situations and some interesting rigging then Rumbling Hole is perfect. There's nothing difficult but it makes you think and isn't straight forward. You don't need the guide book, just pack the appropriate ropes and follow your nose.

The entrance shaft is fantastic, especially when the waterfall is flowing at the other end. The initial fence post that is the first belay looks far better than the tree that is the second belay. Two Y hangs later and you're on the way down the rift. There was enough spray at the bottom to look intimidating but it turned out to be quite tame. This is the end of the easy bit, luckily it was Olly's turn to rig the rest!

Dash past the waterfall spray and into the rift, a combination of walking and crawling. Rumbling Hole takes a lot of water apparently and from here on I never quite stopped thinking about what it would be like in high water. Luckily it was a fantastic sunny day with a good forecast.

Eventually you have to crawl in the stream which then drops away leaving you above the drop with a knee on either side of the rift. Duck into the opening on the right, climb down and you soon arrive at the third pitch, a slot in the floor. From the base the stream soon reaches the head of the fourth pitch but it's the fifth pitch which is the most interesting. This involves using some naturals, unavoidable rope rub (unless you craftily place a knee pad in the right place) and a swing / squeeze abseil through a rift halfway down. Don't go too low, especially on the way back.

At the bottom the sump is just round the corner whilst the other inlet is the end of the Dead Bobbin Series, a bit of a nightmare from Dave Ramsey's description.

A good trip requiring some thoughtful rigging.  

There's a report from the 1930's about the exploration of Rumbling Hole at
http://www.yrc.org.uk/yrcweb/index.php/journal/vols6-11/volume6/75-no21/332-v6n21p229

There's a survey at cavemaps.org