Entrance pipe replacement at Stream Passage Pot
The entrance pipe of Stream Passage Pot is coming towards the end of its life, showing signs of degradation and loosening of the material behind. Rather than wait for a more significant failure, a team will be working through July and August to replace this with a modern plastic pipe which should last for many decades.
You can see the current entrance to Stream Passage Pot in the photo above.
This will be a significant effort which will require digging out the current pipe (a serious effort as it extends about 3m underground), any necessary stabilisation work of material that comes loose from behind, installation of the new pipe and back-filling around it, followed by some final landscaping.
The team are hoping to commence work on 2nd July, and they expect it to require several sessions. They are unable to commit to exactly what days they will perform the work, or the accessibility of the entrance through this period, so we kindly ask that cavers avoid Stream Passage Pot for July and August. Through the first few weeks of August, the CPC winchmeet will manage access (if any access is possible by then) in the usual way.
Once the winchmeet is finished, we hope to provide an update on progress.
The cave has been temporarily closed on the booking system to avoid disappointment. If you really want/need to access Stream Passage Pot during these works, please get in touch with our Secretary and we can put you in touch with the team performing the work to try to accommodate your visit as best as possible. However, if you would be happy to select a different cave for your day out then that would be appreciated.
Thanks to the team for the planning that has already gone in, and thanks in advance for their efforts.
This work should secure access to Stream Passage Pot for several decades to come. This is an outstanding pothole, with three iconic, classic Yorkshire Dales pitches (plus the entrance pitch), followed by some splendid caving in large passage. If you need some inspiration for a trip later in the year, look no further than the second photo above, of Stream Passage itself, only a few minutes beyond the final pitch.