Mendips
Mendip Day Trip 18/02/2011
07/03/11 20:15
While I was in Southampton to see some friends I was invited on a daytrip to the mendips. After a chat in the car passing a copy of the underground back and forth we settled on Little Crapnell Swallet.
It’s worth noting that the farm can be very hard to find (read the wheelie-bins), luckily all the people on this trip had been here previously so location wasn’t a problem.
After a quick chat to the farmer we were off, popping the lid reveals a rather rusty ladder, rusted so much I wouldn’t trust it however it is easily bypassed by climbing around. next it is down though a narrow slot sliding down a big slab( “speedway”) with a rope for guidance. Tom shows how its done:
Photo © Tarn Stroud 2011. Tom on the “speedway” slab Little Crapnell Swallet
It is however not wise to run the rough grit infused rope over the soft part of you neck as I found out to my cost.
Photo © Tarn Stroud 2011. Dan on the “speedway” with a rope burn to the neck, Little crapnell swallet.
Next follows some larger cave section before a series of tight awkward stone filled squeezes in a small stream. After an initial try at the first one “Uriah Creep” a narrow flat slot affair I managed to get though it by “swimming breast stroke” thought the stones. If you think the bolder filled crawl in OFD II cwm dwr is difficult then this is a whole new level of awkward. This gives rise to small chamber and the main event if you will. An awkward squeeze and right turn in a vertical slot, down dip, with a calcite roof above again floored with stones. As I entered with one arm out for locomotion and one back to keep my shoulders down I began bulldozing up pebbles in front of me soon creating a pile and stopping my progress so I tried to reverse. No luck there tho, I had come down a slope making back crawling not quite the easy prospect it could be. Luckily Tarn had already easily slotted though and had managed to turn round and come back to dig me out. After a lengthy wrestling session with sense of humour failure. I was in to a small crawl with the promise of a large-ish chamber beyond. I watched as Tarn easily slid herself out the end to freedom. Now my turn, arg! Anougher squeeze! After a heftey, Angry push with associated squishing I emerged in to “Ebeneezers Elevator” freedom at last. It should be noted that for slimbo-jimbo’s like Tarn and tom the squeezes pose no real obsitcal, for me however they were rather tight.
Ebeneezers Escalator is quite pretty at one end and leads down to yet another low crawl and possible squeeze. I had had enough rib crushing for one day (and was quietly fretting about getting out) so I let Tarn and tom go on ahead. While I was waiting I built this magnificent creation at Tarns request:
Photo © Tarn Stroud 2011. Dan’s Cantilever pebble bridge, Little Crapnell Swallet.
Soon the others emerged, suitably impressed by my handiwork we headed out. Tarn first doing some enlarging work on the squeezes moving stream pebbels out of the way and dry stonewalling them up in suitable voids in the rock. Thanks to this and some effort on my part I managed to fit back though and we made for the surface. Myself, choosing not to leap from the entrance with style but to demonstrate the old “reverse beached whale technique” to make for the surface.
Photo © Tarn Stroud 2011. Dan exiting in the most flattering manner. Little Crapnell Swallet.
All in all an enjoyable if somewhat snug trip.
My thanks to Tarn for the photos and to Tarn (again) and Tom for inviting me on their day trip. Thanks for putting up with my bulk and sense of humour failures!
It’s worth noting that the farm can be very hard to find (read the wheelie-bins), luckily all the people on this trip had been here previously so location wasn’t a problem.
After a quick chat to the farmer we were off, popping the lid reveals a rather rusty ladder, rusted so much I wouldn’t trust it however it is easily bypassed by climbing around. next it is down though a narrow slot sliding down a big slab( “speedway”) with a rope for guidance. Tom shows how its done:
Photo © Tarn Stroud 2011. Tom on the “speedway” slab Little Crapnell Swallet
It is however not wise to run the rough grit infused rope over the soft part of you neck as I found out to my cost.
Photo © Tarn Stroud 2011. Dan on the “speedway” with a rope burn to the neck, Little crapnell swallet.
Next follows some larger cave section before a series of tight awkward stone filled squeezes in a small stream. After an initial try at the first one “Uriah Creep” a narrow flat slot affair I managed to get though it by “swimming breast stroke” thought the stones. If you think the bolder filled crawl in OFD II cwm dwr is difficult then this is a whole new level of awkward. This gives rise to small chamber and the main event if you will. An awkward squeeze and right turn in a vertical slot, down dip, with a calcite roof above again floored with stones. As I entered with one arm out for locomotion and one back to keep my shoulders down I began bulldozing up pebbles in front of me soon creating a pile and stopping my progress so I tried to reverse. No luck there tho, I had come down a slope making back crawling not quite the easy prospect it could be. Luckily Tarn had already easily slotted though and had managed to turn round and come back to dig me out. After a lengthy wrestling session with sense of humour failure. I was in to a small crawl with the promise of a large-ish chamber beyond. I watched as Tarn easily slid herself out the end to freedom. Now my turn, arg! Anougher squeeze! After a heftey, Angry push with associated squishing I emerged in to “Ebeneezers Elevator” freedom at last. It should be noted that for slimbo-jimbo’s like Tarn and tom the squeezes pose no real obsitcal, for me however they were rather tight.
Ebeneezers Escalator is quite pretty at one end and leads down to yet another low crawl and possible squeeze. I had had enough rib crushing for one day (and was quietly fretting about getting out) so I let Tarn and tom go on ahead. While I was waiting I built this magnificent creation at Tarns request:
Photo © Tarn Stroud 2011. Dan’s Cantilever pebble bridge, Little Crapnell Swallet.
Soon the others emerged, suitably impressed by my handiwork we headed out. Tarn first doing some enlarging work on the squeezes moving stream pebbels out of the way and dry stonewalling them up in suitable voids in the rock. Thanks to this and some effort on my part I managed to fit back though and we made for the surface. Myself, choosing not to leap from the entrance with style but to demonstrate the old “reverse beached whale technique” to make for the surface.
Photo © Tarn Stroud 2011. Dan exiting in the most flattering manner. Little Crapnell Swallet.
All in all an enjoyable if somewhat snug trip.
My thanks to Tarn for the photos and to Tarn (again) and Tom for inviting me on their day trip. Thanks for putting up with my bulk and sense of humour failures!