Aardvark Country into Ease Gill Caverns
At the start of this year we published a news article detailing two routes we had added to our rigging topo for Cow Pot, as alternatives to the traditional pitch into Fall Pot. These routes, Sneaky and Devious, have been anchored for years, but for reasons lost to time never made it onto earlier versions of our rigging topo.
For anyone who has done these, and is keen for more variety in Cow Pot, another option is Aardvark Country.
This esoteric route commences from the bottom of the open-air entrance pitch, opposite to the traditional route. Although this initially appears to be large and enticing, it quickly becomes challenging with three short pitches, a quirky traverse and some awkward crawls and squeezes, emerging into Ease Gill Main Drain.
Like many of the caves we have recently anchored, this route came to most peoples' attention via Mike Cooper's Not for the Faint Hearted - a guidebook to 50 harder trips in our region.
Until now, it relied on use of original exploration studs and bolts, which were coming towards the end of their life.
We are pleased to say that Aardvark Country now benefits from CNCC stainless steel resin bonded anchors, to complement some good natural belays, so that the integrity of the anchors is one less thing to worry about.
The Cow Pot topo has been updated to include this route, and we hope a few thin connoisseurs enjoy it.
We'd like to remind you of a warning we received a few years ago, that the excavated 17m climb down after the entrance pitch and Shale Cavern, is now looking particularly loose, with rocks coming free of the shoring. We urge visitors to be vigilant and to exercise great care. We would welcome updates on the situation here.
Photo: Looking up the entrance pitch of Cow Pot, by Gary Douthwaite