Top Sink - Pippikin Pot - 15th May 2010

Saturday May 15th 2010

Members present: Andy Tricklebank,  Richard Gover,  Steve Gilbert

It only took us over a decade to get this one done!

NFTFH reckons 8-10 hours, 12-14 if you don't know the route. I'll echo what Richard said in that if you don't know where you're going then this would be quite a serious undertaking, and as such quite a lot of homework is required.

It initially seemed like the amount of food we were taking was more than a little over-the-top but with hindsight it was most definitely a very good thing; plenty of pepperamis, nutrigrain bars, energy tablets, sausage rolls and water kept morale high and fatigue at bay. I think we were all still feeling pretty strong right the way through to the Hall of the Ten and into the bottom of Pip.

Pippikin was tighter than I remember it, but then I am a good 8 years older than the last time I was down there and no doubt a bit more portly. It's a nasty sting in the tail to an excellent trip and certainly gives you something to look forward to as you meander through Top, ruin your knees in the Link Crawl and swallow a gob full of mud in the Muddy Wallows.

It would be interesting to know how long the reverse trip could be made in, assuming the relevant pre-rigging is already done. In terms of shaving off time from doing it the 'proper' way round, one less team member would save an hour and zero kit would make a big difference.