Titan

27/12/12
Me, Olly, Henry - chief driver, thanks!

Firstly, thanks to Nigel Ball for arranging access.

Only three of us turned up, originally I think there should have been six. An early start led to breakfast at the Woodbine Cafe in Hope where we met Nigel who produced a hand drawn topo of the route from Titan to Speedwell. He was entering Speedwell to visit some water level data loggers and there was half a plan to meet up and exit via Speedwell. With only three of us and no possibility of an exchange this wasn't going to happen.

Personally I think the first pitch is the most impressive, purely because it shows the determination and resolve of the diggers who decided to excavate the 50 metre entrance pitch. At the bottom a short stoop leads to a window near the top of the Titan shaft. Rigging this is straight forward although a little daunting if you don't like big drops and don't trust your gear, Olly! Plus, if you're less than 5 foot 8 then you may struggle to reach the Y hang above the massive single bolt. Don't be tempted to go off the single bolt as the rope will rub. It's a massive drop here and an impressive place, pity my light wasn't really good enough to show it to me.

80 metres later you arrive at the Event Horizon where there is a hanging rebelay that isn't as bad to rig as had been made out. Another 60 metre drop sees you land at the boulder choked floor. The stream falling down the last pitch didn't appear to be in flood but most of the bottom half of this pitch was wet from it, plus there is some water dribbling down from the rebelay. 

Once we had regrouped at the bottom we climbed down through the choke and followed Nigel's survey for a while. When I say followed, I mean we remembered as much of it as we could as we'd left it in the car. When I say we, I mean Olly and Henry had left it and I couldn't remember any of it.

The prussik back up was hard work and wet on the first pitch; not a place to be if you are unfit, and I was definitely tired by the top.

It's a great trip but personally I'll only go again when I have a light that can do the place justice. I have a Petzl Duo with a Custom Duo insert and whilst it's very good for most of my caving it doesn't light up Titan. I'll have to get a Rude Nora for that. Don't go unless you are proficient in SRT on big pitches, are fit and know how to do mid rope rescues. This is not the place to get stuck or drop some kit!

There are some excellent Robbie Shone photos that show more of Titan than I saw herehttp://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/6851387861_2c630d4f49_b.jpg, here and here.

Photo by Robbie Shone

AlpDesign Compact caving harness

The tape on the waist buckle of my Petzl Fractio was wearing through so it was time for a new harness. I first started out with a Petzl SuperAvanti, a simple, no frills harness that lots of people swear by but I always thought that the waist belt sat a bit low at the back and sides. After that I tried a Petzl Fractio, the added waist belt provided more support and the metal attachment points made attaching your central maillon very easy. I occasionally bemoaned the lack of decent gear loops but the extra waist belt did actually make the harness feel more secure.

The problem I always had was with jugging. I'm a stocky build and top heavy so I always end up having tired arms as I pull my self into the rope. I'd started out with a strap with a buckle as a chest strap but quickly moved on to a Petzl Torse. This was much easier to adjust but I still got tired arms. The addition of a Petzl Pantin helped and when I saw a Beast Bra Chest Harness at Inglesport I tried that. This was much a better setup. Jugging felt much more efficient because I was kept closer to the rope. The Beast Bra wasn't the easiest item to adjust, although the new one has different buckles, and there was a certain amount of piss taking from friends when you put it on.

Dave at Inglesport mentioned that they were getting some AlpDesign kit in and I was very interested in their Compact harness. It has a built in chest strap, similar to the Torse, two gear loops and two leg loop holders or whatever you call them. I sat in one in the shop and bought it. Currently it's been used in an indoor wall practicing mid rope rescues, it's squeezed into Large and New Rift Pot and it's been on a vertical trip into Hurnell Moss Pot so this is only an initial review.

Firstly it feels more secure than either of my two Petzl harnesses. Whilst still having a low attachment point the waist strap seems to be cut to sit higher at the sides and back. The leg loop retainers don't snag like I thought they might and they are a bit of a bonus when crawling, no more leg loops dropping down to your knees. The gear loops also don't snag and because they are stiff they hold kit well. On my Petzl harnesses I had crabs clipped in to my harness and waist belt so I could hang stuff off it and it was always a bit fiddly, the system on the compact is much better. It's marginally heavier than a Fractio and Torse but only by 35grams and as I used two carabiners as gear loops with my Fractio it works out lighter. The waist belt buckle is a normal threadback type but the leg loop buckles are quick release. I was wary of these at first but have had no quick unrelease issues.

The main reason I bought it though was for the built in chest strap. It is brilliant. It's incredibly easy to crank it up and keeps me in really close to the rope. My recent trip into Hurnell Moss Pot resulted in no arm ache at all. In fact you can crank it up so tight that it starts to cut off the blood flow to your brain. It's a bit fiddly to thread through the buckle at first and the buckle works the opposite way to what you would expect but it works well. I'm not sure why as it's basically the same system as a Torse. It's also removeable, as are the leg loops holders.

Downsides? There is no wear protector webbing flap for the rear buckle on the waist belt. This is easily fixed though by either threading a bit of mountain bike inner tube over it or wrapping it in gaffer tape. 

The leg loops feel like they pull quite tight across the groin. I think this is a combination of waist belt length and leg loop tightness so a bit of experimentation is required. There is also no protective cover on the leg loops as with the Petzl harnesses but I've never had an issue with leg loop abrasion anyway, it's the rear buckle tape which goes first on my harness.

Conclusion

Pros:

1. As light as my previous setup, in reality lighter due to not using two carabiners as gear holders.
2. Gear loops work better than two tiny loops with crabs hanging off them.
3. Inbuilt chest strap works superbly, the best setup I've ever used.
4. Simple design.

Cons:

1. Leg loops are initially uncomfortable, probably just due to  not setting it up correctly.

Update: 27/12/12

A trip in and out of Titan proved how much better at jugging this setup is. Used with a Pantin, I had no arm ache at all. It's actually possible to crank the chest strap up so tight that it crunches you over, puts your nose almost next to the rope and restricts your breathing! I found it best to slacken it off slightly, I prefer breathing easily to jugging efficiency.

Hurnell Moss Pot

6th December 2012, Me and Olly

After yesterdays disaster I wanted an easy vertical trip.The forecast was for snow and sleet in the afternoon and our original choice of Aquamole had the possibility of us been stuck in Kingsdale, unable to drive back up the hill. We settled on Hurnell Moss Pot, mostly because it was vertical and partly because a bloke in Inglesport cafe assured us that it wouldn't be wet.

The walk up to Gaping Gill was as pleasant as ever. After meeting at 10 in Inglesport, driving to Clapham, kitting up, walking up, talking to passers by and finally finding the cave it was after 12. Good job it was basically straight down and back up.

The new way in is loose so we went in the original way. It's a bit of a short crawl to a restricted pitch head followed by a short drop to the second pitch. This drops a bit and then traverses one wall in a fantastic rift before dropping 27 metres down the Poseidon Pitch to the Poseidon Ledge. An easier traverse leads to the third 33 metre pitch which is a continuation of the Poseidon Pitch. It's an impressive place and well worth the visit.

At the bottom there is a climb down to a suddenly narrow rift which soon leads to a sump, blocked by rocks. The cave is a grade 4, probably because it can take a lot of water. On our trip it was relatively dry and very easy. It's a short trip, it took us about 2 hours down and an hour and a bit up. The walk up and down is almost as long, especially in the snow that greeted us on our exit.

There's a survey at cavemaps.org

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

Backup caving lights

My Petzl Tikka finally gave up the ghost, being hung around Mollys' neck and constantly splashed in caves was too much for it. I needed a new backup caving light, something small, light, waterproof and rugged. It needs to be powerful enough to carrying on caving with rather than being only just powerful enough of get out of a cave. I also need some lights for my groups, both for night hikes and caving, and the fewer the batteries required the better.

Inglesport has some Fenix lights in that at first glance looked cheaper and more powerful than the Tikka so I thought I'd give them a go. They've both been down various caves and also helped me find the perfectly black Bessie at night.

The first one I tried was a Fenix HL21. It's ugly. Especially in yellow. But it's cheap, very light (less than 50grams), waterproof to IPX 8 (immersion to 2 metres depth for 30 minutes apparently, there's an IPX standards explanation here) and only needs one AA battery. It gives out a wideish light with a pronounced central beam and is actually good enough underground to cave on. It only has one switch which means there's less to go wrong.

According to Fenix, power outputs are:

4 lumens - 56 hrs - Pretty useless to cave on but at least you won't go mad as you wait for Cave Rescue to arrive.

48 lumens - 5.5hrs - good enough to cave on although no use for looking up avens and good enough duration for most trips

105 lumens - 1.8 hrs - Easily bright enough for the average UK cave passage and enough duration to get you out of a cave.

SOS - 15 hrs - er, yes.

At £29.95 at Inglesport it's cheap when compared to a similar powered Petzl Tikka XP 2 at £45.00 which only produces 80 lumens and isn't waterproof. So far I've got nothing to complain about, it's a great little light. However, as ever I'm seduced by more power and Fenix also produce the HL30.

It looks more like a proper head light and has a headline grabbing 200 lumens for £35 quid at Inglesport. It's still lightweight, less than 90grams, waterproof to IPX6 (not immersion proof) and takes 2 AA batteries. It produces a wide, evenly spread beam, without the central beam of the HL21.

According to Fenix, power outputs are:

200 lumens - 1 hour 40 minute - in reality the output drops off after 5 minutes so it doesn't explode

100 lumens - 4 hour 30 minute runtime - significantly better duration than the HL21

45 lumens - 10hour runtime - longer than your average UK caving trip!

4 lumens - 140 hour runtime -  a long time

SOS morse signal mode - hmm, great

Red light mode - hmm, does anyone ever use this setting. Any cavers in Amsterdam?

I also like this torch although I actually prefer the beam of the HL21. I also prefer the fact that the HL21 is actually immersion proof and less noticeable when hung around your neck.

More testing is needed, specifically dropping them in streams and onto rocks. For me, the HL21 is perfect for what I need and if they stand up to some more abuse I'll be getting some for my groups.

Update
The battery compartment on the HL30 is easy to get to when at home but in a cave, when your fingers are cold and it's a bit muddy it's not so easy. It does feel significantly more bulky around the neck than the HL21.

Another day, another change to the bike

I've changed a variety of bits on my Blue Pig recently, some successful, some not.

Grips
My old grips were wearing out so I replaced them with some thin ribbed Lizard Skins lock on grips. Not entirely successful as I now get some hand pain. I fancied trying the Ergon grips, the one's with the added flange for the palm of your hand to sit on. Not successful. I'm not convinced they are any comfier and because your hand can't wrap round the grip as well they don't feel secure downhill.  Luckily I didn't buy these as Stuart had a pair I could borrow.

Next up is a pair of Charge Skillet sponge grips. They should be in the post by now.

Saddle

Back in the day, as teenagers say, I had a Selle Italia Flite and I remember it being light and comfy. Well, they've started making them again and they are as good as I remember, very comfortable despite what you may think when looking at them. Unfortunately they don't have any reinforcements on the edges and it's already displaying signs of wear.

Forks   

My Rock Shox Revelations went in for a service after they came back from our Alps trip rather the worse for wear. The cost of the service plus parts would have been well on the way to the cost of replacement forks. After much research and badgering Stuart for advice I ended up buying the same forks but in 150mm guise, with a remote lock out and Maxle axle, cheap because they were from an On One show bike.

The extra 10mm, whilst welcome on the descents did actually make it a bit too light at the front on climbs. Dropping the stem down the steerer fixed that. The Maxle has had a noticeable effect plus it inspires more confidence and normal QR skewers always seemed insufficient for a modern mountain bike. The remote lock out is a bit pointless really, it's not exactly hard to reach down to the top of the fork and I'll be converting it to a poploc soon following some instructions I found online.

Brake clamps

The XT shifters and Hope Race X2 Evo brakes (who came up with that name?) don't quite sit together the way I want them to. Cue the Hope Matchmaker clamp which allows you to attach your Shimano shifters to your Hope brakes, and indulge in a hell of a lot of faffing. The basic palaver was as follows:

• Order clamps from Wiggle for XT shifters, seeing how that's what I've got.
• Receive clamps and excitedly fit them. Hmm, they don't fit!
• Back to the internet to discover that there is more than one model of 10 speed Shimano XT shifters and mine aren't compatible! Bugger.
• Order new XT shifters.
• Receive shifters and excitedly fit them. Hmm, they don't fit! Turns out there are two compatible XT shifters with two different clamps.
• After lots of searching on the internet for the correct Hope model number (impossible to find on the Hope website) I return the clamp with a request for the other model number. Wiggle can't do it so I get my money back.
• Do what I should have done in the first place and ask an expert. Thanks to John at JD Tandems who got JD Cycles in Ilkley to order the correct part.
• Receive the clamps and excitedly fit them successfully! Shifters now in the correct place and my bars look tidier.

This is the elusive information that you'll need.

I am currently going through the same faff as above trying to convert my rear Hope Pro2 Evo hub to accept a 10mm through axle. I've got the correct axle from Superstar Components but the Hope conversion kit looks suspiciously like it's for a front hub. Hopefully a visit to another expert will fix this tomorrow. Hello Stuart.

Clothing

Gore hat, brilliant. Fits well, covers my ears and is thin. 

Pearl Izumi soft shell, awesome. It's a really good fit and has some nice features. The cuff has some internal thumb loops that provides extra warmth for your hands although if you don't take care when putting on your gloves then this bunches up and becomes annoying. For some reason they also work better on a road bike handlebars. The outer cuff is longer on the top than the bottom and nicely overlaps your gloves. 

It has one breast pocket big enough for money, a credit card and maybe a phone, no hood and popper at top of the zip which is difficult to close one handed.

The best thing about it, apart from the fit, is the lack of useless extra features. Lots of kit nowadays has stuff added that isn't needed but is there to make you think it's better than the competition. Hand pockets on a cycling jacket are a perfect example. Why does anyone need hand pockets on a bike jacket?

I've used it for a few winter road and mountain bike rides and it's great. Soft shells are perfect for inclement weather and cycling. Just warm and waterproof enough and very breathable. They aren't as warm as a similar thickness fleece when stationery though so don't expect to be able to hang around for long and stay warm. Sold to me by the countries best cycling clothes salesman at Biketreks in Ambleside.

OFD

South Wales - 6th to 8th November 2012

A last minute invitation from Dan to join him and some mates on a trip to South Wales saw me driving to the Peak on Monday and staying at Dan's. On Tuesday we all piled into one van and set off for the South Wales Caving Club hut at Penwyllt, Brecknockshire near Swansea. We didn't get there till 2ish due to multiple food stops and continuous road works. Leon had organised the trip and luckily for us he had read through the 13 page document required to stay in the hut. 13 pages!

OFD 1 round trip - 6th November 2012  Me, Dan, Leon, Sam, Simon

After another coffee stop in the hut we changed and headed off for OFD1 and hopefully the round trip. Simon had done it before and could remember most of it, he said, plus we had an old survey that was mostly readable. The forecast was dry although the weather didn't know this as it had rained during the drive.

Dan had had food poisoning all day Monday; his tales of vomiting and diarrhoea had made him seem heroic. He hadn't eaten anything Monday or Tuesday and was initially not going to cave until Wednesday. However, a few exploratory farts which didn't lead to violent discharges into his trousers (you should have seen the smile on his face) meant he decided to come caving. I was slightly concerned about him collapsing due to lack of food but more concerned about any explosions into his waterproof cave suit. The thought of being near him as his wellies filled up almost made me gag.

The entrance is a blasted climb down ladders and through a trapdoor. Straight away it feels impressive. There's passages going off all over the place, some really nice flow stone but also some curiously unimpressive formations which are taped off. You soon arrive at the main streamway and it's fantastic, not massively well decorated but very high in places. The water was low so following the river was easy.
Our route was roughly as follows: main streamway over pots 1, 2, 3 and 4 (they have a scaffold pole across to walk on, are they really that deep?) to the climb out of the streamway up a rope at Lowe's Passage. Up the massive boulder slope into the Rawl Series of sand filled passages. There are some fantastic gypsum formations on the wall here. I say gypsum, Dan told me, I didn't have a clue.

Bridge Passage was the most impressive part for me. Initially you think you are walking over boulders in a reasonably high passage until you encounter an enormous hole in the floor. Turning your light to it's most powerful setting reveals a long, long drop! Bridge Passage is basically a high level walk over jammed boulders high up in a very high passage. It's high.

At the end is a constricted route down through the boulders into a small, steep passage that has a fine quartz intrusion in the floor. Intruded as a gas according to Dan. Dan knows about gas. This leads to a bolt traverse above the main streamway permanently rigged with a wire cable. This eventually leads to a climb down a chain back into the streamway and back to the exit. Before exiting we had a look up the Toast Rack, an impressive flow stone ramp, round to Rocky Holes Chamber and eventually back to another bolted wire traverse above the streamway.
Altogether a great trip. Some big passages, a fine streamway, great situations in Bridge Passage and fantastic looking passages leading off everywhere to make you want to come back and explore further.

OFD1 to OFD2 - 7th November Me, Dan, Simon

Awesome trip, absolutely brilliant. Fantastic large passages, some nice formations, beautiful streamway, crawls, climbs, squeezes, awesome "rock architecture" (TM Dan Clarke), brilliant.

Apart from the impressive large passages that are all over the system, the highlights were Marble Passage, a beautiful streamway with quartz intrusions everywhere. "Like a trendy bathroom" according to Dan. Dan doesn't have a trendy bathroom.

The Letter Box, a slab of limestone with a horizontal slot halfway up. You climb up the side of the slab, step left and grab a chain and then slot your legs in and squirm to a small phreatic crawl. Absolutely fantastic. Just after this is a convoluted crawl through small tubes to reach the base of the Divers pitch. Just big enough to get through easily ish, small enough to look intimidating.

The area before the letterbox was interesting but only because our old survey didn't exactly match the passages. We went back and forth quite a bit to confirm our position.

The Main Streamway is beautiful and has lots of hidden small pots in the floor that occasionally catch you unawares. There are also some larger ones, most can be traversed but occasionally a swim is required. The best bit here involved Dan and Simon watching me traverse a pot, hoping I would fall in. Instead Simon stepped backwards and fell in himself, only to proclaim he'd stayed dry. The look on your face said otherwise Simon! Plus the water lapping around your neck.

The climb up the rift in the Maypole inlet was interesting! It took us ages to find the right climb up as Simon couldn't quite remember which one it was. After numerous false climbs and traverses he found it and I needed a rope for the start which was a bit iffy. Other crucial points in the cave are marked, I'm not sure why this isn't.

The route OFD1 down to main streamway. Follow past Lowe's Passage and past The Waterfall to Boulder Chamber. Crawl on right, past impressively bent rusty scaffolding to The Connection.

Various passages lead to Collapse Chamber and Letter Box. Crawls leads to top of Divers Pitch. Climb down in situ hawser rope and head for Piccadilly. Flood Bypass leads to The Confluence and the main streamway. Still in streamway, past Marble Showers, bypass the sumps using the Great Oxbow.

Back in Mainstream Passage all the way to Maypole Inlet, marked by a bolted on step. Climb up wall, up in situ ladder and try to find the climb up the rift. Up through boulder choke into fossil passage and to The Crossroads. Gnome Passage leads to OFD2.

Pant Mawr - 8th November Me, Dan, Leon, Sam, Simon

Pant Mawr is an hours walk for an average cave with a few interesting features. Not worth the trip if you've already done OFD and it's the cave you feel you have to go to if you cave in Yorkshire or the Peak because it's got a pitch so it makes you feel at home. Don't bother.

It does have some impressively large breakdown and lots of precarious looking slabs of rock hanging from the ceiling. There are also slabs with flow stone and stal hanging over the edge which have also fallen off, cleanly breaking the formations.

The best thing though is under a small overhang at about waist high at the side of the passage. There's a row of stalagmites and small curtains along the lip and one of the curtains has snapped off. Instead of falling off though it is now attached to a nearby stalagmite with about a centimetre between the break. How it snapped and stayed attached to the stal is hard to fathom.

Wizard's Chasm

Wizard's Chasm - Thursday 25th October 2012

Jonathan Tompkins, Henry Exxon

Great name for a cave, not a great cave, but definitely worth a visit.

The cave has some wonderful formations in easily accessible positions and because of fear of damage due to clumsy cavers the exact location isn't published. Luckily a friend knew I wasn't a numpty so told me the grid ref for the entrance. A bit of research online mentioned iffy belay points, dodgy naturals, spits and talk of getting so muddy that jammers wouldn't jam.

Turns out none it was true, or we were happy with the belay points, didn't use naturals and took our srt kit off before crawling through the mud. The mud does deserve a special mention as it reminded me of caving in Derbyshire again; maybe it's actually the longest cave in the UK and ends up under Derbyshire? Luckily it's not particularly gloopy, it's actually quite sticky. It was with my cordura suit, not sure Henry would agree in his banana suit.

The entrance pitch is easily free climbable but a loop at the top to pull on and maybe stand in is useful. Had to use my spits for the entrance, glad I bought them now! A short, awkward crawl brings you out to the head of the second pitch which has two bolts of an unusual variety and a spit to provide a y hang that still rubs. Very strange setup and the perfect place to test Henry's second hand 8mm string. It's nice and light, and grips well in a Petzl Stop despite being outside the recommended diameter but it doesn't half go twang when it rubs on rock! For well bolted, p hangered caves only I think.

The base of this pitch is a large cavern with lots of break down and roof fall. And mud. And some more mud. In fact, most of the mud in Yorkshire is in this cave although some of it is now in my garage forming a rock hard crust on my suit. We had a quick look up Sandstone Pass where there is a unusually flat dry river (it's calcite on mud), before heading off to the main attraction. At the end of this chamber / passage there is a short crawl and a pitch to get to the Blue Room but you can avoid it by crawling down a hole in the floor. Through mud. And some more mud.

We decided to ditch the srt kit at the end of this passage, partly because the tales of jammers not jamming put me off and partly because we didn't have another rope although we did have a ladder. There are some very nice straws and stalagmites in this chamber but they actually turn out to be the least impressive stuff in the cave.  Lots of crawling through mud, squeezing through tight bits caked in mud and referring to the survey and covering it in mud later brought us to Red Stal Chamber. Unsurprisingly this had some red stalagmites in it, and very nice they are to. Still not the best thing in the cave though.

Next up was a look at Y.S.S. rift because it looked fantastic on the survey. Hmm, those surveys can be deceptive sometimes. It's a narrow rift, with mud all over it of course, and an electron ladder jammed in it. Judging by the survey no one has been to the top but I suspect it doesn't really go anywhere. Interestingly the ladder had some calcite on it, as did the big knot at the end of the insitu rope. Never seen that before.

We turned around and headed for the Blue Room. After more walking, crawling and squeezing through and over and under muddy constrictions we found it. And very impressive it was too. I'd never seen such a vivid blue calcite layer before, almost looked like it had been photoshopped. I'd come back for photos except I'm rubbish at photography and there's a lot of mud.

We were at the far point of the cave now and to get back involved retracing our steps, and mud. We hoped we could take a shortcut and so went to have a look at the base of the third pitch. It looked short and free climbable, if chimneying up smooth walls plastered in mud in a muddy suit and pulling on half detached blocks is your idea of free climbable. I had a quick look and thought better of it and I also tried to put Henry off but he obviously thought I was soft and decided to give it a go. After a bit of indecision he made it, only to find that just out of site was the rest of the pitch, a vertical, smoothed walled phreatic tube. That was the least of his worries though as he had to get back down. I was also worried, he had the car keys. Then I realised that most likely he'd fall off trying it and then I'd be able to easily retrieve the keys. Henry was so worried that he used our belts as a makeshift sling but luckily for me he made it safely meaning I didn't have to deliver his car to Jill without Henry in it.

Wizard's Mud

Back at our kit we briefly thought about climbing back up the second pitch and using a jammer as protection, mostly because we didn't want to get our srt kit muddy when putting it back on. We soon abandoned this idea and a good job we did as it would have been a hard climb. I've never hung by one jammer on a belt and attempted to put a harness on and I don't want to.

Angry Wizard

All in all a good trip and well worth the mud. I think sections of the cave need taping off to avoid damage and I might do it when Henry goes back for photos.

Don't go if you're a clumsy idiot.

Glorious riding in Scotland

I was working in Scotland for half of May and managed to get out on the bike a few times. Our first job was near Glasgow and the Campsie Fells were on our doorstep. I've never heard of them before and the riding isn't fantastic but on a dry, clear day the views of the Trossachs are absolutely stunning. Unfortunately I only had my phone with me so you'll have to go there yourself to see them. 

We were staying near Balfron and I rode up onto the fells via a good track from Kilearn that passed near Dumgoyne. It was rideable almost all the way onto the plateau. After the track petered out I followed a grass footpath, sometimes barely noticeable to the summit of  Earl's Seat. From here I rode east, basically following the edge of the escarpment and my nose, mostly not on any type of path at all, before I found a farm track that dropped back down to civilisation. As a mountain bike ride it was average but as a day in the hills it was one of the most enjoyable I've ever had. 

Don't bother going on a wet, claggy day, it would be a complete waste of time.

On a day off Stuart, who I was working with, and I headed off for an ascent of Ben Lomond. He ran it and I biked it and he absolutely thrashed me. It is the best Alpine style descent I've ever done in the UK and if it was in France it would have a ski lift to the top. Absolutely brilliant but not one for a weekend or busy bank holiday. I can not recommend it enough.

The start of the summit descent.

It's rocky and hardpack and perfectly doable on a hardtail. A lot of it is rideable up but there's also a lot of carrying. It's virtually all rideable down and there were some sections that I walked up that I thought I would have to push down but in the end I seemed to bypass by going off the path. I got up it in less than 2 hours and down it in half an hour. Doable on a summers evening!

Do it before you're too old.

Ben Lomond

Beautiful day, sunny and hot in May. The trail starts off through a small visitors centre and then climbs through native woodland.

Bit steep this to start with, I haven't warmed up yet. Don't want to push too hard, it's nearly a 1000m climb. Good, it's levelled out.

Good fun this, technical uphill but ridable.
Doh! Spoke too soon, can't ride up that boulder fest!
Pushing. First bit is steep and most of the rest is ridable, or so I read on the web.

Carrying now, pushing is too hard. Too many boulders to negotiate.

Riding now, hopefully that's the last of the steep bit. Through a few gates. Bloody hell, more unrideable bits.

Urgh.
Phew.
Drip, drip, drip. Time to unleash the torrent of sweat from my helmet.
Slurp, thirsty work.

Hard work this, it was my idea as well! Anderson is running up and has already overtaken me.

Oomph. Argh. Drip, drip, drip.

Walkers! Ha! I'm going to catch them up!

Just got to shift the bike on my back a bit, the top tube is compressing a vein on the back of my neck and making me feel light headed. Could it be heat exhaustion? Surely not in May in Scotland?

Drip, drip, drip. Plod, plod, plod. Slurp.

Good, a short ridable section gets me past some walkers. There's no way I'll let them catch up again!

Plod, plod, plod. Drip, drip, drip. Release the sweat Niagra again.

Umph. Plod, plod, plod.

At last, it's levelled out. Ridable, but still needs granny gear. Can't push too hard as it's a big hill and I've got to pace myself. Must remember to rest and disguise it as admiring the view.

Getting funny looks from walkers and the usual comments.
"Well done."
"Is that a good idea?"
"Rather you than me."

I can see a large group of walkers up ahead, I'd love to catch them up. Argh! More pushing.

Anderson! He's on his way down already!

Riding again, I might just catch then before the final steep bit. It's a group of Swedish ladies and they are all watching me ride up to them. Strange. They don't take up my offer of carrying my bike for me.

These rain bars are a pain. They'll be awkward on the way down.

Oomph! Bike on shoulder.
Plod, plod, plod. Drip, drip, drip. Slurp, slurp.
God this is steep, I won't be able to even ride down this. Wish there was a breeze.

Argh. Umph. Plod, plod, plod, plod, drip, plod, drip, drip, plod.
Admire view. Breathe!

Plod, plod, plod. Oomph, argh, breathe, plod, plod, plod. Drip, drip, drip.

It's levelling out! I'm close to the summit ridge. I'm riding again.

Made it!

Fantastic views. It's a bit hazy but I can see a long way. Loch Lomond looks beautiful.

Took 1hr 45mins to get up, only rode or pushed for 54mins. Actual distance is 6.5km, bike computer says 5km which means I carried it for 1.5km! Think I pushed it quite a bit as well.

The Swedish ladies have arrived. They're taking my photo! It's not everyday I get a hug and photo from middle aged Swedish women!

Time to ride back. Pump up tyres, I don't want a puncture on all those rocks. Don't know how I'll get down the first steep bit.

Umph, argh, arse over back wheel, umph, pull up front wheel, unweight back, umph.

Walker! Off the track and on the grass. Umph, god it's bumpy. Where's the track? Don't look at the hole, I'll just ride into it. Oomph, argh.
Found the track and it's levelled out. I've some how missed all of the first steep bit and ended up at the bottom of it. Result.

On the shoulder now, much easier riding then before. Unweighting the wheels for the rain gutters, rear 2.4 Ardent absorbing most of the shock.

Multiple line choices through the rocks, chicken run down the side on the grass. Argh, messed that bit up.

Steeper now.

Argh! Oops. Bloody hell!!!ARRGH! UUMPH!!! AARRRGHH!

In the woods at last, easy riding and soon in the car park. 

Best descent in the UK I've ever done.

Project new bike - finished! Nearly.

I'd fitted some new parts before my Pennine Bridleway ride and as 290km seems a reasonable test period, I thought I'd write them up.

My brand new saddle (Selle Italia Flite, they are remaking the original) was actually really comfortable. I only got saddle sores because I was sat on it for so long each day and because I didn't wash my chamois. I had one when they first came out and remember them being really comfortable and they don't snag your shorts when you are hanging off the back. Stuart swears by them and puts one on all his bikes.

My Hope inline seatpost put my saddle in the wrong position on the Blue Pig so I needed a post with layback. I got a Thomson Elite Setback, mostly because everyone says they are great. It's not broke or bent and I can adjust the saddle position perfectly. There's not much else a seatpost can do.

Thomson seatpost, Selle Italia Flite saddle and RePack saddlebag

My new 710mm Easton Haven carbon bars worked fine, but then again when bars don't work fine it's because they've snapped. They also don't feel massively wide like I thought they would. Just right. The fact that at 170 grams they were lighter than the cardboard box they came in was nice!

I also had on some new Hope Evo Race X2 disc brakes, or whatever their silly name is. Stuart at RCC had fitted them for me a few weeks ago and he'd had to adjust the rear brake as it arrived from Hope a bit spongy. I'd already bedded them in on some day rides and the rear still didn't feel as good as the front. 290km later and I hadn't really noticed though, one finger braking and utterly reliable. I might get Stuart to fiddle with the rear brake a bit but they are far, far better than my old Mono Minis.

My Ragley Blue Pig X worked brilliantly everywhere, not just Hebden Bridge (this is a sad, geeky joke. Sorry). I can't see myself every wanting another bike with different geometry to this. Ace.

My plan to fit a Rohloff hub has hit a few snags. The first is that the DMR Swopout horizontal dropouts are not really long enough although this is not insurmountable as I could have some suitable dropouts made. What is a problem is that I don't have sliding brake mounts so to fit a Rohloff I'd have to have new brake mounts made and welded on. No impossible, especially as it's a steel frame, but not something I don't really want to do right now. My current drivetrain is probably near the end of it's life so when it finally packs up I think I'll swap to a 2x10 with Gripshift. 

Geeky bike packing bit

A bivvy bag makes your sleeping bag that bit warmer and a tarp gives you somewhere to shelter and get changed when it's raining. Having just one or the other isn't quite as flexible or comfortable. Much better than a hooped bivvy Dan!

My self made handlebar bag / wrap that goes on the front of my bike and holds my bedding and tarp suffered a slight mishap. One of the second hand plastic buckles that I used failed but I managed to bodge a repair. Other than that it worked well although I did spend at least an hour of the ride thinking of a redesign. I might make it while my bum recovers. I can put my sleeping bag in my bivvy bag and roll it up with my thermarest and tarp and it still easily fits on my handlebars using the handlebar bag. My down sleeping bag, a really lightweight PHD Minimus, stayed bone dry and didn't need a dry bag. One other problem I had was that the gear cables rubbed on the head tube and wore off the paint. Now patched up.

After faffing around designing and making my own saddle bag, I decided it was rubbish and bought a large RePack saddle bag. It worked great, looks bombproof, didn't leak and didn't break. And it's far cheaper than a Revelate from the US. It does move from side to side occasionally, unlike some reviews I read, but this is always going to happen with this type of fabric saddle bag. I never really noticed it being a problem, even on little jumps.

The Pennine Bridleway made me smell.

For those of you who only end up reading the first paragraph of blogs, here's a summary. The Pennine Bridleway is about 290km of nearly all offroad riding which I did in three days. It's mostly great but gets a bit tedious through Lancashire and is utterly boring in the White Peak, except for Chee Dale. Washing your bum in a puddle is an odd experience and applying vaseline to your saddle sores really helps. Three days without washing makes you smell. A lot.

The plan was to miss the start at Middleton Top because it's on old railways lines and therefore boring and instead ride between Buxton and Kirby Stephen, bivvying along the way so that I wasn't tied into set distances each day.

Plan A -Pack Sunday, get a lift south with my parents to Hollingworth who were visiting for dinner and then beg them for a lift on Monday to Buxton.

Actual - Get up late on Sunday, clean house, do a bit of work, don't pack.

Plan B -Pack Sunday evening, get up early and get the 9:30am train to Kirby Stephen.

Actual -Watch England vs Italy in the Euros, don't pack, read my book till late, get up at 8.

Plan C -Throw stuff in bag, rush for 9.30 train, pack properly on train.

Actual -Miss train due to wanting to pack properly.

Plan D -Get 11.37 train which allows leisurely ride to station.

Actual -Get 11.37 train but rush like mad man, having answered important email & then got stuck behind a caravan which was stuck behind escaped sheep.

Day one, Monday 25th June, 2012.

At least I'm on the train which is due in to Kirby Stephen at 12.30 ish. It's dark at 10pm which leaves plenty of time to make progress. Hopefully.

I hadn't bothered to take a cooker or proper food, mostly cos I couldn't be arsed carrying the cooker and extra food. Plus I hadn't actually gone to the supermarket to buy suitable food. My plan was to carry enough dark chocolate digestives for snacks and visit pubs and cafes for a decent meal. I was also not carrying maps except for an A4 sheet of the start; I'd feel a bit stupid if I got out of the train station but couldn't find the start of the route. I decided there would be enough signposts and I knew a lot of the areas it passed through. At least I had a toothbrush, toothpaste and a tiny bit of soap. Another potential hiccup was a brand new saddle which I hadn't even tested. I was also keen to see what my Ragley Blue Pig X was like on a long, multiday trip. In theory it was designed for freeride type stuff, which this ride was nothing like.

The climb onto the Mary Ann Clifford Highway

My only bit of real planning turned out to be fortuitous, the route isn't sign posted from the station. The weather was good, cloudy and dry but a bit chilly. It was easy going to the first real climb of the route, the hardpack ascent onto the Mary Ann Clifford highway, at the top of which there's a large monument which is supposed to look like a winding river or a giant vagina, I'm not sure which. The Mary Ann Clifford highway is the what the Dales does best, a big climb then a high level cruise on good tracks with great views. Unfortunately it isn't followed to it's end near Hardraw which was a pity as the best pub in the Dales, The Green Dragon, is there. Instead it follows a new grass track, marked by unpainted posts, down to the Moorcock Inn. This would be a pain to push up if coming from the south. There's two more of these high level tracks to follow, the bridleway off the Coal road to Newby Head and the Cam high road, both preceded by tough climbs.

It's won 2 awards, don't you know.

I'd soon traversed the flanks of Ingleborough and the sun had come out. It had been well signposted so far although one or two junctions were not obvious but I knew where I was going. The route passes close to The Gamecock in Austwick so I stopped of for a pizza and a pint of Thwaites Nutty Black, it would have been rude not to. It was 6:30 in the evening and I spent a leisurely hour and a half eating, drinking and chatting. Because it was so nice I decided to carry on till sunset and I ended up above Long Preston, via Helwith Bridge, Stainforth and Settle, not far from home. It was a beautiful sunset and as it got colder the midges froze and buggered off. Perfect. This had been the furthest I'd ever ridden offroad in a day but it felt quite easy. There were only really four proper hills on it and all of it was good riding.

No tarp required tonight.

Set off at 12.30, camped at 21.50. Spent at least an hour and a half in the pub, stuffing my face.

Ride time 6.06 hrs

Distance 77.64 km

Average 12.7 km/hr

Max 54.6 km/hr

Smell factor - medium, but manageable.

Day two.

Ah, the joys of bivvying; meant I was awake at bloody 5am, having only dozed since 4am!The first sight to greet me was a fantastic sunrise but somehow the sun rose to my left and it had set directly behind me! I soon decided that the earth hadn't shifted and I was just a bit tired. There was a temperature inversion down in the valley, with Pendle hill poking out from the mist - typical of Lancashire that it should be covered in cloud. I wanted to get to Buxton today but this was based on not knowing how far it actually was!

From here the route crosses lots of fields as it avoids Gisburn, Barnoldswick, Earby and Colne. It was slow, there's lots of gates and wet grass and it was mostly well signposted but occasionally not signposted at all. I ran out of water at 10am and gave myself till 11am to find some. By midday, thoroughly dehydrated and a bit fed up with the route, I arrived at Wycoller cafe and ate a lot. A milkshake, diet coke, coffee and bacon butty. Then another diet coke and a cheese ham toasty.

It was 50km to here, a typical long day ride for me, and my legs were a bit tired. Too much stopping at gates and looking for signs and too many boggy, wet fields. The weather had been great so far but Lancashire produced some rain. Luckily it was like being spat on by a nun, wet but pleasant.

From Wycoller the riding improved, it became higher, wilder and less boggy poo. At the Mary Townley loop I forgot which was the shortest way round and had to faff around downloading pdfs to my phone. It's east, if you're wondering. At Widdop I met a paraglider who had cycled up from Hebden Bridge on a folding bicycle, in full paraglider suit, towing a 70kg trailer with five days camping kit in it! I think he was a bit mad. Especially when he told me the forecast for his stay was rubbish and not flyable conditions.

I lost the track near Jack Bridge and found myself on the main road to Hebden Bridge. Rain and hunger and the fact that it was dinner time (tea time if you're odd) forced me first into a Co-op for food supplies and then into a chippy. I was quite happy sitting under a tree, sheltering from the rain and eating my fish butty until a jackdaw crapped on my sleeve. At least it missed my food. I actually think it was aiming for my food as when I saw it on the ground it kept picking up bits of stale bread, then looking at me and my food and then dropping the stale bread. I'm convinced it aimed to poo on my food as a way of making me drop it so it could steal it. Clever birds corvids. Good job it was a crap shot.

It was raining hard enough to need waterproofs now and I rejoined the route at Callis Bridge, climbed out of Calderdale on a bridleway only to drop back into it 12km later at Bottomley, the second best place name on the route. The Pennine Bridleway is aimed at bicycles and horses but it's designed around the needs of horse riders. This means that roads are avoided as much as possible and there's a part of the route here that climbs a big hill, traverses a bit and then drops back down two kilometres later. If it was just a cycling route it would have stuck to the road.

Full sus country?

The route climbs out of Calderdale again and follows some fantastic pack horse trails. Following these lumpy gritstone paths was the only place where I wished I had a full suspension bike again, but only because I was tired and wanted to stay in the saddle. There are soon signs for Hollingworth Lake, which always seemed to say 2 miles! It was above Hollingworth Lake that I hit the 100km mark, the first time I'd done this distance off road. It was late, I was tired and sweaty and saddle sore and I wanted to set up camp. Unfortunately I was also really close to the M62 and it was noisy. Two local bikers out for an evening ride confirmed that the route dropped down towards the motorway and civilisation, not somewhere I wanted to camp.

I decided to ride back a bit to where it was quieter but not before I'd had a wash, there was a bit too much chafing going on! I'd seen no streams nearby and could only find a puddle fed by a trickle, it would have to do. I got my soap out, stripped to my lycra shorts and started to wash, always keeping a beady eye out for passers by. Especially as any passers by up here at this time of night might not be the most salubrious characters around. I then hit my first snag; rinsing your privates from a puddle whilst still wearing cycling shorts is easy enough but trying to spoon water over your bum whilst wearing lyrca shorts is not easy. There was nothing I could do except drop my shorts, squat in the puddle and frantically splash around, desperately hoping no one came round the corner.

With the threat of prosecution for indecent exposure over, I started to look for a campsite. What had initially seemed like a nice breeze to keep the midges down turned out to be a mini gale designed to blow my tarp away. I was reluctant to leave the Pennine Bridleway and found myself riding along the trail down towards civilisation, despite telling myself I wouldn't. Luckily I found a sheltered but breezy spot near some remote houses and started to set up camp in the fading light. Half way through the midges found me, as well as the dogs from the nearby houses and I hastily repacked and buggered off.

I was getting slightly concerned now. It was late, getting dark, there was no where to camp and I was near the M62 and Rochdale. All I could do was carry on riding along the route until I came to a suitable location. 10kms later I found it above Piethornes reservoir. It was breezy, there was a wall for my tarp and just enough of a flat area at the base of the wall to be comfortable. The M62 was a distant hum, blending in with the wind. On the downside I was muddy and sweaty again and I was slightly concerned that slugs would crawl over my face at night.

For the second day in a row, this was the furthest I had ridden in a day off road.

Start 6 am, finish 10.15pm. At least 2.30 hours for diner and lunch, 30 minutes faffing about at the Mary Townley loop deciding on which direction to go and 30 minutes washing and faffing on my first attempt at setting up camp.

Ride 9.30 hrs

Distance 108.85 km

Av 11.4 km/hr

Max 57.7 km/hr

Smell factor - medium. It had reached high but a few showers and the generally damp, misty evening knocked the edge off it. The only people I came in close contact with were too polite to say anything.

It's amazing how much time you spend on a ride looking at views, taking pictures and opening gates. There's at least 3 hours "missing" from the above figures.

Day three.

Castleshaw Reservoirs

After a decent nights sleep, I awoke to intermittent rain and permanent clag. I could see at least 20 metres. The riding over Castleshaw Moor was technically easy but it felt very wild and remote, even though it wasn't really. The signage was good, which was handy considering I had no map or compass and visibility was close to the end of my bike.

At Diggle, the best place name on the route, I could actually see things. It became quite urban here, especially through Uppermill where you're in the valley bottom riding past leisure centres. I didn't stop in case any one passed out due to the stench I was emitting. I was starting to tire now and at Greenfield I made a navigation error. There is a signpost that points straight across the road but I missed it and followed the one that sends you down the road towards Dove Stones reservoir, which is not actually on the route but is a staging post for horse riders. Half an hour later I was back on route climbing up the valley side, seriously beginning to tire after only doing about 30kms and struggling with saddle sores. It turned briefly wild again before dropping into Longdendale.

I wasn't exactly sure of the route around Tintwistle and Glossop but I knew where it came out of the other side. My parents live nearby and as it was lunch time I decided to stop off to eat all their food but try and disguise it as a visit to see them. I failed. I had two egg butties and coffee. Then I fell asleep, woke up and had two bacon butties and another coffee. I then had to explain to my mum that I wanted some Vaseline to apply to my bum! I applied it myself though.

The route to South Head on Roych Clough

At Charlesworth I left where I thought the route went, it wasn't well sign posted, and decided to climb up Monk's Road instead of what I remember as a horrible bridleway. I say climb but in actual fact I pushed it a lot of the way. I was knackered, full of food and still wishing I was asleep. I had a long stop below Lantern Pike, ostensibly to delete photos from my camera because I had run out of memory but really so I could have another rest. The blast down to Hayfield was through some of the biggest rain drops I'd ever seen and then I began the slow ascent up to South Head on Roych Clough. I was properly tired now. I was in granny gear almost everywhere, I was pushing up all of the serious hills and I still had quite a way to go. At least the sun had come out, in fact it was turning into a gorgeous day. As it turned out Rushop Edge was the end of the interesting riding, except the descent and view into Cheedale. From Rushop Edge onwards the countryside was beautiful, especially in the sun, but the riding was boring. I left the Pennine Bridleway at the A515, opting not to follow the converted railway line that is the High Peak Trail for 25km of mind numbingly boring riding and instead ride on the road for 20 km to a friends house, a shower and a descent bed. Thanks Dan and Cath and thanks for the lift to the station.

Start 07.20am, finish 8.44pm. Lots of stopping everywhere, including at least an hour and a half at my parents house. The dining room floor was very comfortable to sleep on.

Ride 8.10 hrs

Distance 103 km

Av 12.6 km/hr My average would have been a lot slower if I'd stopped at Rushop Edge. All the roads afterwards really increased my average from what I'm sure was the slowest of the three days.

Max 68.6 km/hr

Smell factor - off the scale. The worst smell came from my socks which had now been wet for three days but because of the heat from my feet there had been an accelerated growth rate of whatever was living in there. Luckily Cath has no sense of smell so when I turned up at her house she didn't have to feign politeness and pretend I smelled nice. I think she's also a bit deaf because I knocked twice and she claimed not to have heard. Maybe she does have a sense of smell and she was delaying the inevitable. Anyway, she gave me toast and boiled eggs and a clean towel, so I can't complain. I bet Dan would have answered the door first time though. Having said that, he does have a very keen sense of smell and would probably have refused me entry.

PS. Maxxis 2.4 Ardent tyres don't fit in the V slot of bike racks on trains and 710mm bars don't fit in the bike compartments on trains either. They do make a steel hardtail really comfortable though.

PPS. Take chamois cream!