Dow Cave by Peter Benn

Dow Cave: Andy Cole, Peter, Matt, Chris & Geoff Dudman (1st March 2009).

The plan was to do 2 trips – that all went a bit tits up (sorry Frank!). Stuck halfway up Whernside with no car, no phone reception and a planned walk on the Saturday meant no trip to Illusion with poor Frank left on his own. So a walk was started, but Dillon was suffering from a cold, so we had to cut that walk short. After a fairly sober evening and a meal in out Kettlewell – or was it two meals…the portions were huge???….the A team (should be B team) assembled in an orderly fashion and trudged overland, down the steep sided valley to the streamway exit….this was the hardest part of the trip!

Arriving at the entrance, we spotted Steve Warren down below on the footpath…and he spotted us, hence the photo! The other team, a team of 2 led by Ian, entered at Providence to do the proper through trip.

The A-team ready to enter Dow Cave, March 1, 2009. The B-team arrived late and did not qualify for a photograph.

After much posing for photos and a lot of chat, it was eventually decided to go in as far as the first waterfall….nice streamway walking until the ominous sign that says Danger! Beware! Do not pass this point etc….this is the doorway to the bolder choke. Passed this with some care and proceeded on until no one was sure where to go next. After some general exploration of side passages, the general consensus and last way to go on proved to be the right one!

On arrival at the first waterfall a few went on to the second. Once they returned, it was back out – didn’t hang around for this and made a swift exit to cope with the major task ahead – climbing back up that bloody hillside and back to the sanctuary of Hag Dyke.

The ranger man who looks after Hag Dyke was there ready to ensure the place was vacated and locked up etc., so I had to wait for the others to return and pack up, restock coal etc etc…with our planned transportation nowhere to be seen, the ranger man had to transport all of our kit down to Kettlewell in his landy whilst we did the walk (again) do the hill to Kettlewell….

….a fine weekend indeed lol.

Pic by Steve Warren.