B.Smith

During September 1966 we were camping, as was our habit, on Black Moss, by Wild Boar Fell. We had spent all day Saturday vainly trying to pass the sump in Rawthey Cave 1 NGR SD 717 914, the first trip being at 1 a.m., the last at 8.00 p.m.

On Sunday we wanted a change so we decided to walk over to the sink at Scandal Beck, NGR SD 758 998, to see if any progress could be made at the foot of the entrance pitch. We set off bearing 1 section of Marley drain pipe. 30 ft. of red plastic hose and the usual array of hammers, chisels, picks and ropes.

On the way we paused occasionally to examine a shakehole. On Green Rig we noticed a pronounced line of deepish shakeholes following the contours. One of these appeared to have a hole at the bottom so John Parkinson went for a closer look, then called for a ladder. A 25 ft. ladder was put down the entrance shaft and John descended. 20 ft. down was a large ledge. Stones kicked off here seemed to rattle down a large shaft. The ladder was lowered down and put down this second pitch. Although ti was just short it sufficed and Eski, Brian Heys and I followed. At te foot of the ladder was a boulder strewn chamber about 20 ft. by 30 ft., leading off was an extremely low bedding plane behind the ladder, which would need excavating, and a low crawl opposite. We followed the latter to a second large chamber, once again full of loose boulders. This chamber had a wide aven in the roof and we estimated that we were under the next shakehole to the one from which we had entered. Still no water had been met.

Another low passage led to a third chamber, again complete with aven but this time containing a huge yellow and black stalagmite standing four feet high with a diameter of about 1 ft.

From here a long, low, muddy crawl led off until a small stream entered from the right. This did not alter the character of the cave except to make it more uncomfortable. Soon after this, the passage lowered, the water deepened and an extremely uninviting wet crawl presented itself, the passage being about 18 ins. high and about 1 ft deep in water. At this point, we retired for the day as Eski's climbing breeks were getting wet.

It was thought possible that this could be the upstream end of Chert Cave as it is thought to be in the same bed of the Great Limestone. However the lower end of Green Rig is too tight, as is the upper end of Chert Cave. (The estimated length was 450 ft.???).