Marble Steps.

Keith Wright, Fran Dike, Chaz. Frankland, Frank Hardy, Bob Stevens, Grahame Leech.

The club trip was changed at short notice from Tatty Wife Hole to Marble Steps Pot. The intention being the wet entrance followed by the Intestines route.

As we were so late at the hole there was already a party down the dry entrance. Charlie, Frank, and Keith set off to rig, leaving myself, Bob and Fran to wait an hour before following them. As it was so pleasant lazing in the sun we gave them nearly one and three quarters before setting off, enjoying the beautiful panoramic views of the Lune Valley and Morecambe Bay, spoilt only by the permanent pollution haze that we seem to produce in this country.

The wet way series of pitches are very interesting, with numerous deviations to keep one clear of the water (when there is some water). We met Keith coming out at the fixed rope climb. We met some of the other party at the traverse above the 20ft. pitch. Their party was on its way out from the Intestines route. thus we were descending the big pitch route.

We met Fran at the start of the Intestines and Frank at the top of the 90ft. pitch. By the time we got to the bottom there was no sign of the other party.
Fran de-rigged a couple of pitches and Bob de-rigged the rest, (for the exercise, he claimed). We exited to more glorious sunshine.

This top route down Marble Seeps makes the cave particulary interesting and well worth doing, (but I’m not convinced that the route keeps one dry in wet weather.
My apologies for such a boring write up but SRT trips are extremely difficult to make sound interesting on paper.

Grahame Leach.

Back to: Contents