Length 5km Depth 128mLength 5km Depth 128m
Even so they
become very wet in flood !
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Located on Ireby Fell and best approached via Masongill
and Marble Steps Lane and stile over high wall. Stream sinks
in deep shakehole. Entrance is via concrete pipe. Climb down
into steeply descending passage to Ding Pitch (9m). Landing
is large ledge above Dong Pitch (11m) and the passage
spirals on down to Bell Pitch(11m) Climb above Dong Pitch,
or inlet passage below it, leads to shaft with window onto
alternative to Bell Pitch The streamway continues down climbable cascade (Pussy Pitch) to chamber where water sinks into shingle. Window in wall opens into twisting trench which soon rejoins stream in high passage lowering to shingle chokes upstream. Inlet almost immediately downstream leads to complex area of roof passages between large aven and the abandoned trunk route of the Glory Holes. Stream sinks into cobbles and crawl continues past oxbows into walking sized passage via pools. Massive formations cause two short sections of wet crawling but mostly easy going until cascades indicate the top of Well Pitch (8m) |
Beyond high avens the roof drops and a small tunnel with a shingle floor and the stream runs away under the left wall of the Main Stream Passage. A flat out crawl over cobbles leads to the Bolton Extensions
East Inlet Crawl Located on the right of the stream beyond the large aven chamber downstream of Rope Pitch. About 4 m of low crawling leads to a 12m section with minimal air space, best negotiated on one's back! Slightly easier going reaches a junction. Left chokes almost immediately and right gets too low beyond another dam. Left hand passage contains water from beyond the Temple of Doom choke in Rift Pot.
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The Main Stream Passage rapidly enlarges to a spacious walk through pools for 400m until water turns left into crawl and sinks. Deserted canyon rises to T junction with wide cavern. To the right the cavern is choked but sandy crawls lead off but become choked after about 90m. To the left the cavern enlarges and lowers again and descendes to the stream, which can be followed back via a duck to the sink. Downstream in Duke Street enlarges again through Whirlpool Chamber until the roof descends to Sump 1 |
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Another photo of Duke Street
Sump 1. After an initial low section, a comfortable bedding plane passage surfaces in Duke Street II after a dive of 18m. There is an airbell roughly halfway through the sump but free diving should not be attempted as frequent silting can cause problems, even for a fully equipped diver. Attempts have been made to lower and thus shorten the sump but any success has only been temporary.
Duke Street II Inlet Sump 18m downstream of the Duke Street Sump there is a small, normally static inlet sump on the left of the stream. The underwater passage descends at 45¯ to a low area formed by a mud choke after 2.4m. This low area has been passed and a further sump explored: it continues in an awkward manner.
Main Downstream Sump Beyond Duke Street Sump, the water can be followed passed the Inlet Sump and through Ireby II to a 152m long canal passage that eventually sumps. A 226m dive from here reaches the Ireby Inlet sump pool above the last pitch in Notts Pot.. Duke Street II "Upstream" Sump Beyond the canal leading to the Main Downstream Sump, the large Duke Street II passage can be followed for a further 186m to an impenetrable sump beyond a boulder choke.
The large chamber at the bottom of the Well Pitch leads to The Bolton Extensions and a sump. Crawl out of the East Inlet Passage leads to a continuation on the opposite wall.. A short crawl leads to a walking passage for 30 m and a 4m climb down into a roomy chamber. This ends with a rift across the passage which is flooded. It was dye tested by the CDG and found to link in with the main streamway beyond Sump One. It was also dived by Martin Holroyd but the initial tight descending rift was not passed at about 5m depth.
