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Photograph of the volcano formation in Witches II Cave

Goyden Grovels - A Circular Route

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This series of articles is intended for the guidance of experienced cavers, who may not be familiar with the details of the best routes through the more complex systems in the Yorkshire Dales. To echo the sentiments in Northern Caves, it "is intended as guidance for the wise, not the obedience of fools"

This is a route for those who are familiar with what the Goyden Figure of Eight route has to offer, and would like to get to know a little about the more esoteric parts of this complex system. It visits Pillar Pot, and then follows a convoluted route to Five Ways Chamber via Cap Left Crawl. From there it reaches the base of the 20' Climb via Carbide Tin Passage, before negotiating an energetic route into New Stream Passage. A return to the entrance is made via Mud Hall. It isn't a long trip, but it does provide two or three hours full-on entertainment, and should provide inspiration for further visits. You may find it useful to take extracts of the relevant parts of the Black Sheep Diggers' Goyden survey with you.

From the end of the entrance passage, follow the main passage round to the left. This may be found to be blocked with a wood choke after a few metres, but the blockage can be easily bypassed by clambering up on the right into a rift, and dropping down again on the far side. The main passage then veers to the left into a hands and knees section over mud. Almost immediately there is a hole by the right wall. This is Cap Left Crawl which we will be entering shortly, but it is worthwhile continuing to the end of Timber Passage and the impressive Pillar Pot. The latter drops into a static sump through which was made the original connection with Manchester Hole.

Return to Cap Left Crawl, and make your way along this. It's a little low at first, but becomes easier after the floor drops a metre. The passage emerges at the end of Cap Left Tunnel. Follow this to where there is a three way junction, with a large rift passage on the right; a wide hands and knees crawl on the half-left from which a little water flows; and a small passage between the two where the water sinks. Enter the latter. This is a cosy crawl that passes under a pair of skylights leading up to Sand Tunnel. It emerges at the base of the 10' Climb, and its smart aluminum ladder.

Ignore the ladder and the passage on the left, and go straight across into Pool and Boulder Passage. After 30 metres of easy going there is a junction where a calcite shelf almost blocks the way on. Enter the crawl on the left, which gently descends, and then take the next left (A-Junction), which leads to Five Ways Chamber at the heart of the Labyrinth, a complex of inter-connecting passages stretching down to New Stream Sump. It is worthwhile taking stock when you arrive. On the right is Labyrinth Passage leading to the main river; straight on is Carbide Tin Passage; on its left is a larger passage which is more-or-less blind; and behind and to the left is the voie normale to the 10' Climb. Go across the little channel in the floor and enter Carbide Passage. This circumnavigates the northern flank of the Labyrinth, and so the general rule is to ignore the obvious passages on the right, although there are a couple of uninviting looking passages on the left which should also be ignored. After a few metres there is a flat-out crawl over bedrock which emerges next to a pool in a larger section. Navigation is now straightforward, and rapid progress can be made along a walking-sized passage to where there is an elegant step-up on the left. Carbide Tin Passage does continue to New Stream Passage, but we step up into the chamber at the base of the 20' Climb.

From here follow the walking-sized passage easily to a complex of oxbows called the Baffle Plates. On the right here, a five-metre descent lands in Mud Pot, which has an inlet entering from on high. Follow the water into the downstream passage to a small chamber. Ahead the water disappears into a miserable sump, but there is a small passage two metres or so up on the right. Enter this with difficulty, and traverse over a hole into a continuation of the passage. This is a little wriggly for the first few metres, but soon enlarges to a more comfortable size. It ends on a shelf overlooking New Stream Passage.

Follow New Stream Passage upstream ignoring the various inlets to the right, most of which link back into other parts of the system. Eventually, the alternating rift / bedding passage steps up into a wide cobble-strewn bedding area. Follow the low bedrock crawl to the left for two or three metres, and follow it round to the right. You will then find yourself at a T-junction. This is Labyrinth Passage.

Go left back towards the river, and take the second passage on the right, which starts in an area of a cobbly bedding plane development. This is Limley Bypass, and it passes through some plastic drums. The first impressive aven on the left is the bottom of the now-sealed Zanussi Pot entrance shaft. A little further on is the base of Mud Hall, with a high rift on the left marking the entry point for Limley Pot. Ahead is a steep mud slope which is ascended with the help of a fixed handline. At the top follow the obvious passage along a rift, and then down a boulder slope. This leads to a large fragment of passage overlooking the main river, where the way on is up into a passage which starts a couple of metres or so up the right hand wall. This is a comfortably-sized crawl leading to a Y-junction. Follow the smaller left passage to a cross-roads. Left goes to another window overlooking the river, straight across leads you back into the entrance series.