Otter Hole - 24 May 2008
Saturday May 24th 2008
Members present: Andy Tricklebank, Imogen Shepherd, Kevin Francis, Nicola Gover, Richard Gover
Report by Andy Tricklebank
Anyway, with plenty of time on our hands we arrived at the car park where we were to meet Pete the Warden (from hereon know as PTW) and promptly scoffed ice creams which were being flogged by a suspect looking Italian guy in a less than convincing ice cream van.
That done, faff ensued. PTW was late, Richard discovered used bog-roll in the bushes, Imogen nearly failed to catch a Gala Rose and Nicki took over 25mins to put on undersuit and wellies. PTW finally arrived so whilst he got changed we had time to look at the survey. This was a bit misleading as the large scale suggested that the cave wasn't that big. In fact, for some reason my own preconceptions about Otter Hole (sold to me complete with horrendous tales of mud, slop and monsters by Dr Camplin) had me thinking that the cave was pretty short. Not so!
As it turned out the Tidal Sump (a very strange thing which I still don't entirely understand) was not due to 'open' until 1350ish. This gave us plenty of time to amble down to the cave which was a 20 min trot through trees and bushes.
The cave is guarded by a big gate and sturdy bolt. So sturdy in fact that the trip nearly ended before it had begun, and it wasn't until Gover put is size 15s into action that we eventually managed to get in.
First things first. The entrance series is horrible. It's not tight per se, however, the constrictions are almost always awkward, flat out and absolutely drowned in mud. Don't take my word for it, look at Nikki's pictures on facebook if you don't believe me. I've been on some sh1tty trips before but the sheer amount of grot in this place is quite unbelievable. Fancy flat out in gloopy mud? If so, apply here.
Anyway, about 20mins of crappyness led to the tidal sump. This was making some markedly unpleasant sounds as we approached, much like the deep rumbling and moaning of that monster in Cloverfield. The sump opened on time and after about 20mins there was enough airspace to go through. Popular vote determined that Gover was to be first. Good lad.
Beyond the tidal sump it gets a little less muddy. Don't be deceived however, as a 'little less muddy' for Otter hole is still far muddier than most other caves. The next section was quite complicated in that it took a less than obvious route through lots of boulder squeezes. Without the ever-present power cable and the hints of PTW you'd be hard pressed to make quick progress. An entertaining traverse above the streamway heralded the approach of the Mendipian Way and a chance to clean off some of the mud with some brushes. The Mendipian Way was quite constricted but essentially is a series of chokes which turn this way and that before tending Westbound towards the start of the pretty stuff. Again, navigation is fairly linear however you need to be observant to avoid getting lost, as both Gover and I can attest to on the way out!
Then comes the Hall of the Thirty. As you approach it the pretties begin in a series of large chambers and passageways. The early stuff rivals pretty much anything you've seen before. I was in the lead and became very aware that all I said for the next 15mins or so was either "oh my God" and "wait until you see this!". I recommend you do a google to get an idea of some of the stuff in Otter Hole (this is a good place to look http://www.darkanddeep.co.uk/caving_other.asp). The Hall of the Thirty is stupendous. Luckily there's well appointed tape to usher you through it, however you still get rather close to the impressive stuff. The problem with it is you really don't know where to look! It's virtually impossible to take the splendor all in so you tend to stare open-mouthed, looking like a simpleton (or like Steve).
The Hall of the Thirty is where 90% of 'between the tides' trips stop. Indeed, some people who are slow/fat/cr@p don't even make it there. With the need to keep an eye on the time firmly in mind, PTW asked us if we'd like to go a bit further and take a look at Gour Passage and Straw Chamber. Obviously we said YES when he let on that, in his opinion, these sections eclipsed even the Hall of the Thirty.
Gour Chamber and Straw Passage are about 45mins easy caving further into the cave. If you have time and haven't faffed around you MUST go there as the formations are absolutely spectacular. They're not as extensive but the gour pools are incredibly beautiful and the fact that the pretties live is a much narrower passage than the previous stuff means you can get much closer to them. This certainly gives you a much better appreciation of just how amazing they are.
So, the way back out was done at quite a pace to ensure we weren't trapped by the sump. This would be sub-optimal indeed. Sadly the entrance was just as muddy on the way out as it was on the way in. Nevermind. Adieu Otter Hole, maybe see you in another 10 years!
