Team: Jon, Jim, Chris, Sam, Joe
A sizeable team assembled on the inky black moor for tonight’s jaunt. All gathered in Jon’s van for a quick chat about the differences between, and merits of, scarification and aeration and of course the obligatory prebeers, I got the abuse/banter started immediately by pouring half my Guinness Zero via my crotch onto the luxury white carpet he has installed on the floor…
Quick change and off on the long trek towards the objective. Just as I felt like the end was approaching, I had to turn back to fetch my descender…
By the time I returned various bods were still wandering about looking for the shaft. Duly located, Jon set to tying knots and loudly exclaiming his prowess at rigging. We were rigging two ropes on the shaft to speed up egress, so with the first one sorted I chucked the free end down the hole. Cue a spluttering diatribe of further abuse from the Peak’s leading authority on rope handling.
Jon, Joe, Sam headed down restoring peace and I got on the rope, abbed down a few metres and waited for Chris who hadn’t been on a rope for a while consequently was shaking and on the verge of tears. I talked to him gently about how the nonchalance of the other bellends created tension and other such pearls.. Sam heard me and thought I was being rude, but of course I’d never do such a thing.
As predicted Chris was fine as soon as he weighted his Stop and wondered what all the fuss was about, and just to prove it kicked a big bit of ginging out that glanced my helmet and missiled down the shaft, exploding just where Sam was poised…
Anyway, we all reached the window at the mid-shaft platform and got off the rope ready for a poke about. I’d never been in this place and was really looking forward to seeing the spiral staircase it’s known for… it didn’t disappoint, complete with in-situ t’owd man’s wheelbarrow at the top for good measure.
Some fairly awkward looking but really fun thrutchy climbing followed, a bit of up and down before reaching a lovely narrow, but tall and deep rift with in situ handline and some more nice climbing/traversing to enjoy. This opened out into a much bigger mined out bit full of, it looked like at least, bright pink fluorspar.
After this with the three ahead of us all perched in a shaft, the whole place crumbling to bits as they stood still, we all decided it would be really nice to have a debrief in The Anchor afterwards so Chris and I made a quick exit and were joined by Sam whereupon we abandoned Jon and Joe to derig and went to the pub. The deriggers met us shortly afterwards and Jon obviously felt guilty for his mistreatment of me earlier and toned by presenting me with a lovely spar crystal.