Grid Ref. 672S446S p175 & map pocket

Coroners Cavern:- 1 tape, 40ft ladder, iSm rope

13m pitch:~ 1 tape, 60ft ladder, 20m rope

23m pitch:~ 2 tapes, 80ft ladder, 30m rope

16m pitch:~ 1 tape, SOft ladder, 25m rope or 1 x SOm rope for

both 23m and 16m.

Sump I:~ 1 tape, SOm rope

Sum II:~ 1 tape, 60ft ladder, 30m rope, lOin handline

After 3m the top of The Corkscrew is encountered. The side passage to the left leads back towards the entrance passage but does not connect. The Corkscrew is a series of short climbs, 2.lm, 2.2m and 1.2m respectively. The top of the second climb can also be reached from a side passage in The Flattener. At the bottom of The Corkscrew, 7m of passage leads to a junction where the passage trifurcates. To passage to the right ends after 7.5m. The passage straight ahead leads to the top of the Root Chamber and to the left, the low wide grovel leads to the top of the 1 3m pitch.

The passage continues as a ledge, to the right of the pitch. The ledge, 0.7m wide and 0.7m high continues for 7m to a small squeeze 0.25m high and 1 m wide. After the squeeze a chamber 6m high and l.Sm wide is reached. A climb to the top of this chamber leads through a small rock pile into the Root Chamber. To the left the floor drops away to become the 1 3m pitch. From the roof, tree roots hang down approximately 9m.

At the bottom of the rift the passage continues back under itself for 2m where it drops 1 .4m into a small chamber Sm long, 2m wide and 2m high. The dirt floor slopes to the right to a small passage that continues back 32m to the bottom of the 6m aven. 25m along this passage is a side passage which leads to Coroners Cavern. This passage is 1.3m wide and O.8m high, which quickly diminishes to

0.7m wide and 0.25m high. The passage continues for 14m gradually opening out until the top Coroners Cavern is reached.

A ladder or rope is required to descend the 11 m to the bottom of the Cavern which is 17m long, 7m wide and 9m high. At the northern end of the chamber is a dig revealing 4m of passage. On the western side there is a small passage leading to a medium-sized chamber with a sediment roof and a sloping mud floor. The chamber is ‘decorated’ with mud figurines.

Back at the top of the 13m pitch is a natural jug handle which is suitable for use as a belay. After the 1 3m pitch there is a further 2.6m drop best negotiated by con~ tinuing on the rope. The passage, 6m high and l.Sm wide with a well washed rubble floor, continues down for 7m. Up and to the right is The Alcove which contains some decoration. Directly below The Alcove is a Sm chimney followed by 6m of passage leading to the top of the next pitch of 23m.

The bottom of the pitch is followed by a 3m drop. At the top of the next pitch, a side loop can be reached by chimneying up and over the chock stones and traversing out along the wall to the right. This side loop was discovered by

members of NUCC early in 1997. The passage contains some decoration and has a very muddy floor.

The third pitch of 1 6m is followed by a lOin scramble to The Junction. Straight ahead after a short climb up is a 45m descent, a series of small pitches called The Stairs, which leads to Sump I. The lake in Sump I has been measured to a depth of 6m but it is not known if this is the bottom.

From The Junction a passage on the left leads to the 1 9m pitch and the way to Sump II. At the bottom of the pitch the cave continues for 8m to a 4.2m drop. Some may wish to attach a hand line at this point to assist in negotiating the squeeze. The squeeze drops down 3m opening out to 2m in width and continues to drop down another 4m. Here the passage bifurcates into two tubes containing water. There is a slight difference between the water levels in Sumps I and II however, these were surveyed almost 12 months apart and can possibly be attributed to differing climatic conditions at the time of surveying.