COUNTY POT

Link to CaveMaps surveys

The most popular route into the EASE GILL SYSTEM 

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.

George Cornes, the discoverer of Lancaster Hole in Poetic Justice Crawl.. Photo: Ron Bliss

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