21st January 2011 - Aquamole pot

The days are drawing out and we walked to Aquamole Pot in the light.  Having previously explored it when it was originally opened up (the Pot was ascended from below after divers had entered it from the bottom after diving through from the sump in Rowten Pot.  The high point of the vertical rift was reached by excavation from the surface) we were re-visiting it as it is the upstream continuation of the trip last week, Rowten Pot).

The entrance is a beautifully constructed brick shaft, supported from below by hanging buttresses of bricks and concrete lintels, followed after 8m by the excavated rift.  This opens out and the rift is followed via a number of rehangs to the bottom of the first pitch.  From there an awkward crawl round some bends and through water leads to the second pitch that ends in a chamber with some beautiful flowstone on the walls.

A breakdown passage and a rift leads to the top of the magnificent final pitch of 40m.  The shaft is polished rock and the line of the rope is  held away from the stream that falls down it by three deviations that appear to make the rope arc away and stick to the line of the far wall.

At the bottom of this pitch a short walk ends in a large, still sump pool, where underwater exploration continues to find further passages.

After a photo shoot, the long climb out began, the light of the Sten and Scurrion lights being used to effect to light the shaft while photos and video were shot.

On the surface, the temperature, once again was well below zero (-7) and clothing froze as we walked back to the cars.  The moon on this occasion, not hidden by cloud but full and bright. Quick change then off to the pub where this time, we had a pleasant pint.