DALE HEAD POT

A classic, deep, wet pothole with a choice of pitch routes down to the final sump.


Feedback

From Paul (Beardy) Swire (RRCPC/ULSA) - 9/1/07
Following an unsuccessful trip to Dale Head Pot during 2006, I can report that the Dig Climb immediately below the Entrance Pitch requires extreme care and almost certainly more work to make it safe. The wooden shoring is under a constant flow of water and is rotting away. At some point it will collapse catastrophically. I'd recommend rigging a rope off a spit at the top to help avoid touching it. At the base of the dig where you squeeze into a flat-out crawl, an unstable pile of debris a few feet high at floor level in the far side of the rift is liable to collapse and block ingress or more importantly egress from the crawl - it would be impossible to dig it out from inside the cave. Maybe some good samaritans would consider some remedial work here as a nice challenge?

From Ian Cummins (WRPC) - 29/10/07
My lasting impression of Dale Head Pot was the constant concentration required from the first step down the ladder into the entrance shaft until the dip in the final sump and the relief of exiting over 6 hours later. This trip has a lot of variety and despite its reputation as a largely vertical system there are hard sections of crawling, traversing and climbing away from the pitches. Below the Dig Climb we had to clear a collapse of some decent-sized rocks and timbers to allow a foot-first entry into the notorious Heartburn Crawl. The spit at the top of Emery Pitch was unusable, but a fine round bollard provided a solid natural anchor and a tackle bag was used to protect the rope over the sloping rim. The rebelay bolt immediately before the squeeze onto Window Pitch also proved unusable, but a sharp spike (3 feet below it) provided a good alternative. Overall this was one of the most varied trips I've done, with some memorable features - especially the wet descent to the final sump. We did find quite a few spits to be unusable, but with a bit of imagination one can descend safely.

From Mike Cooper (RRCPC/CPC) - 4/1/08
The Dig Climb in Dale Head Pot has now been re-scaffolded and access to Heartburn Crawl is much safer.