Excavated entrance shaft with steel lid, on right bank of gill 73m up valley from COW DUBS. An easy climb down into a low passage,A few metres down from the foot of the entrance climb a narrow passage leads off from the entrance shaft of OXFORD POT This is a 20m pitch leading down to THE SNAKE, a torturous passage leading to Confusion Corner. The narrow passage quickly enlarges to become a winding canyon with several short climbs down to the head of a 6m pitch. An awkward climb above the pitch leads in to some small passages and the connection to Rosy Sink
Alternatively the entrance passage can be traversed at roof level in a large phreatic tube. Belowthe pitch is a chamber with an inlet entering on the right. Following this leads to a short low dug crawl through to THE SNAKE PASSAGE downstream of OXFORD POT pitch mentioned above. A short passage on the left to a 2.4m climb down into BROADWAY. This fine passage can be followed upstream as an easy walk to a crawl and aven, which has been scaled. The inlet has been dye tested from Innominate Sink There is a short climb into an upper passage which emerges in a large chamber with a waterfall inlet
Almost opposite the point of entry to BROADWAY is OXFORD CIRCUS, downstream leads to TOADSTOOL JUNCTION.
From OXFORD CIRCUS a passage leads off right up and over a rock slope and down into SHOWERBATH PASSAGE. Easy walking in a narrow meandering streamway brings one to CONFUSION CORNER and the junction with the Snake, the original route from OXFORD POT.
Downstream of CONFUSION CORNER up on the right is a large abandoned passage which enters THE UPPER TRIDENT SERIES in BATTLE of BRITAIN CHAMBER
On down the main streamway leads to a climb down into SPOUT HALL which can be by-passed via an old route on a shelf to the left.The MANCHESTER BY-PASS enters just upstream of this climb down.
SPOUT HALL slopes steeply down to two outlet passages which quickly unite, and only a few metres further on tucked under the right wall, is the chimney up to POETIC JUSTICE., a short crawl which leads to a 5m pitch. (see below) There is a bypass to this pitch through the Trident Series Downstream continues as a fine meandering streamway past formations to PLATYPUS JUNCTION and passes two high level connections to IGNORANCE is BLISS (Link to Recent exploration- 2002) an another way through to the FAR SERIES. |
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A short crawl at the head of the chimney leads to a 3 metre drop down into a separate stream passage, upstream leads to a complex route to a link with CARROT CHAMBER or alternatively the UPPER TRIDENT SERIES and hence back to SPOUT HALL.
A few metres downstream is a 5.4m pitch down into PIERCES PASSAGE, an easy meandering walk to a large junction where on the right enters. This can be followed upstream for some distance to WHITELINE CHAMBER and various routes into UPPER TRIDENT PASSAGES , a very complex series. Ways on in the at Trident Junction lead via Three Fags Climb to TRIDENT SERIES and to UPPER PIERCES PASSAGE via a rift and ascent of an 8m pitch.
Downstream a climb up a muddy boulder slope up to the right or alternative route following the stream leads to a twisting canyon passage which descends numerous cascades. This is LOWER PIERCES PASSAGE. Half way along here a route descends from the roof from COTTON CHAMBER. Gradually the gradient flattens out and a drop in the roof is followed by a climb up into a mud floored section, lowering to a crawl. A hole in the right hand wall leads to WRETCHED RABBIT PASSAGE.
A few metres down the crawl you emerge down a slope into the spacious MAIN DRAIN at EUREKA JUNCTION