Eldon Pothole Club

The original plan for the Eldon Christmas - New Year trip was Lost Johns Pot and we were keen to include the Battleaxe traverse which leads to the streamway at the bottom. This, and the Lost Johns - Boxhead exchange seem like the routes to do in there. Unfortunately there had been over 20mm of rain during the previous 24 hours and the same was forecast for the day. The bottom of Lost Johns Pot probably wouldn't be possible so went for Notts II instead. A few of us had done it before but would be good to see the streamway in high water. Other parties on the day went for Long Kin West and Sell Gill Dry way. We left most of the cars at the car park at Cowan Bridge and set off for Leck Fell in Dan's Toyota Land Cruiser and Nige's van. Arriving at the usual parking for Leck Fell there was no sign of Dan or anyone else which was strange given that Dan's 4x4 definitely set off from Cowan Bridge first. Pete contacted them on the mobile and apparently the Land Cruiser was stuck off the road in mud. Given that clever men in Japan have spent years designing Land Cruisers such that they don't get stuck in mud we immediately decided that pilot-error must have been the cause and looked forward to seeing the outcome! The outcome greeted us just a couple of hundred metres up the road where Dan's Land Cruiser was leaning dramatically away from the road with two wheels almost up to the wheel-arches in mud and bog grass. Apparently Dan had missed the usual parking and decided to go off road to spin the vehicle around right here. Pretty much immediately the 3 tonne beast had sunk and salvage wasn't going to be easy. It was raining heavily and cold which meant that willing volunteers to help push it out were few and far between. A tow rope was fashioned from a towing strap and piece of static rope and Nige's van pulled until the rope snapped. There was a suggestion (which I tried to ignore) that a push was needed and various (relatively dry) cavers got changed into caving kit in the back of Nige's van. Having changed we started pushing as Nige's van pulled forwards again. The rope snapped again. Eventually it came out like a slingshot with a knackered wheel arch and a very relieved Dan behind the wheel tied to Nige's van as the Mercedes sped past. Since by now we were already wearing filthy caving kit we thought we might as well go underground. Notts II entrance (Committee Pot) was just over the wall so we climbed down the entrance shaft and down the short climbs that lead to the streamway. The streamway itself was really moving amd making progress upstream was hard work but possible. Decent progress was made until we had something of a Keystone Cops moment. The four of us behind heard a loud bang which sounded like a load of water hitting the roof of a passage; the same noise that you imagine a flood pulse would make. Without a word being said everyone turned around and moved as fast back down the streamway as we could manage. Reached the connecting passage and breathed a sigh of relief when a tidal wave of water didn't come flushing through the streamway. A few lads went back out of Committee Pot at this point whilst we waited for the others to come back (either walking or surfing up near the roof somewhere). Eventually the other four made their way back downstream. Apparently the 'flood pulse' was in fact Pete knocking a couple of good-sized unstable blocks into the streamway below and we were to be spared the 'flood pulse' today. Dave had heard about a dry bypass that connects with the streamway higher up so we had a look down that and eventually popped out in the streamway further upstream. A few of us sat around there whilst the others went exploring upstream and eventually we all exited back out of Committee Pot to predictably grim weather.

A good trip but not without complications!

Click on the images above to enlarge.
1. Dan and Land Cruiser stuck on Leck Fell. Photo: Pete Pollard.
2. The Land Cruiser is free! Photo: Pete Pollard.

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