Cow Pot to the end of Montague West - 06 Jan 2008

Sunday January 6th 2008

Members present: Gary Douthwaite,  Matt Ewles

Great trip! My third attempt due to first time going the wrong way from the bottom of the entrance, and second time a member of my team developing an injury on the way down the slot at the bottom of the entrance. So I was hoping for third time lucky!

The slot down at the bottom of the entrance pitch has a fixed rope in place. It's quite easy to get down, but more challenging to get back up again so for less experienced teams having your own rope that reaches all the way to the bottom might be useful.

The top of Fall Pot is soon reached. One route on is downwards with the water, however the reported route is to traverse high up, past a garden of mud-mushrooms to a traverse with peahangers in the roof. This took us a little while to rig due to having spent so long in the Moors last year, however, after a short exposed traverse the Y-hang was rigged for the descent. The descent into Fall Pot takes a deviation and then a completely free hanging Y-hang rebelay to allow a spectacular free-hang right down the centre of Fall Pot. This is a really spectacular and inspiring hang, and makes for a much more exciting, if more technically difficult, route down into Easegill.

We took a wander along Montague Passage to the pretty straw passage until we got tired and then turned around for the long climb out. I think Cow Pot is a much underrated trip.