Frog Pot

Location


Grid Ref: SE. Alt.m.

Limited parking (further parking as for Goyden Pot) by the entrance of Limley Farm. Note: Do not park in what looks like a layby opposite the entrance as this is for tractors to swing round. Park on the verge beyond this area of road. Walk down the track towards Limley Farm and then turn right onto the Nidderdale footpath. Follow the footpath past the entrance of an old mine and at the point where a stream crosses the path turn left towards the river bed. Frog Pot is visible by its metal bin lid.

Access
Presently permission granted for access by Mr Church of Limley farm, no need to call.

Description
'''NOTE: At present the choke in Shackleton passage leading to Lister Hall is open but only just and not made safe. We tried to remove the boulder blocking the way out of the choke but unfortunately dropped it into the hole. It is possible to slither by it but it is awkward and needs care not to bring the boulder down on top of you. Black Sheep Diggers in the future plan to open a better way through and will inform people of when it has been done here and in the Descent magazine. The 30m sump connecting Toad Hall and the New Stream passage has once again been lowered to provide access through with airspace. (Update 11th July 2011)

Overall

Entrance shaft leads to a series of small muddy crawls and then pitch down to the stream passage. From there an interesting round trip can be made with a rich variety of passages for such a small cave.

Detail

Entrance Series.

Entrance lid opens to reveal 9m shaft climb down with care, rope may be useful. At the bottom a short squeeze on the right leads through to passge turning right and then left to a small drop. Here water enters on the left and falls down through a slot in the floor. The way is through a crawl on the right. The continuing passage briefly opens out to standing height before closing down to a continuing crawl through to 3m drop. Drop down into the bedding and follow the muddy crawl to the Toad-U-So 17m pitch. At the base of the pitch go down the slope and through the excavated crawl into the New Stream passage.

New Stream Series

The excavated crawl soon opens out to reveal three ways on. To the right a 30m sump has been lowered to provide long wet crawl through to the Toad Hall series. Straight on from the excavated crawl over cobbles passes under an aven and through to the streamway. Turning left gives access to the same streamway. Upstream a short duck under the arch leads through to a lake and the upstream sump. Downstream waking and stooping size passage leads to a small cascade. To the right of the cascade a small muddy opening leads up and through to a an aven. At the base of the cascade the passage narrows and then doglegs on the fault to reach the downstream sump pool. A small climb at the start of the sump pool, on the right, leads up to passage linking back over to the roof of the streamway and further climb up an aven through to the Dry Wath bedding. Here a connection can been made through to the Dry Wath series in New Goyden pot. Note once through the bedding turn right along the passage to the pitch. Descend and follow the stream to join the large main river passage or at the top of the pitch crawl onwards to the right and descend the choke with care to follow the tight bypass until you reach the stream, follow this to the New Goyden's large main river passage. Traversing across the 17m sump pool using the wall on the left provides access to Shackleton passage. Traverse the passage in the higher wider section until the T-junction. A small stream enters from the left which is too tight. While right leads on and eventually after crawling through a pool opens out into walking passage. The passage narrows as it rises up to the choke. Make your way through the choke with care and squeeze through between the blocks into Lister Hall. The falling water comes a roof tube inlet which chokes after a short distance.

Toad Hall Series

At the top of the slope in Lister Hall is a hole and climb down into a walking size passage. Follow this until the passage turns right, down the slope into the crawl and through to climb and continuing crawl through to Fossil chamber formed on the shale band. Ongoing crawl turns left into wide section and continuing crawl straight ahead. The crawl soon turns right and leads into Toad Hall with pool of water at its base. Turning left and then down under the arch opens out into fine walking size phreatic passage. Eventually leads to a short drop and sharp left turn brings you to the top of a 5m drop. To the right the phreatic continuation is being excavated to hopefully provide a sump bypass. A climb down the 5m drop leads to short section of open passage between Goyden sump 6 and New Goyden sump 2. Right from Toad Hall leads to a short crawl and climb down into larger passage to a junction. Left at the junction is the North passage terminating at a choke. A small pot before the small 1.5m climb leading to the choke drops into a stream that can be followed to a low arch where it gets too tight. Further on beyond the 1.5m climb, at the start of the choke, a small pot drops into the stream. Downstream is too tight while upstream gets easier going after the low arch. Following a tight section with bends the pasage opens up and ends at a choke currently being dug. Back at the start of North passage both the high level and low level tubes can be followed down to a canal. Upstream becomes a crawl and gets too low while downstream follows the fine canal to the 30m lowered sump with limited airspace and access through to the base of Toad-U-So pitch and New Stream passage.

History
The Frog pot dig was first started by Mick Gargett of the Black Sheep Diggers but by the end all the club members were involved in the dig during 2004-2006. The internal pitch Toad-u-So was found by Russ Brooks. The breakthrough at the base of the pitch linking it with the Aquamole series (found by divers Julian Griffiths Rob Shackleton and Jim Abbott in 1981/82) was made by Alan Crossley Russ Brooks and Chris Fox in late December 2005.

Almost all the Black Sheep Diggers worked together to transport scaffolding and clips through to Shackleton choke. This allowed several members then to steadily did the choke and make it safe. On the final trip which had not planned for a breakthrough Nigel Gatenby Chris Fox and Noel dug and opened up a tight slot with dark void beyond. Chris attempted and got jammed but managed to see a chamber. Nigel helped him back and then had a go making the breakthrough into Lister Hall on January 31st 2006. They then chiselled away a slot at the top of the chamber and went through to link it with the passage south from Toad Hall found by Jim Abbott.

In 2009 Frog Pot manay sessions were spent opening up the Dry Wath bedding, above the pitch at the end of Dry Wath inlet New Goyden by Chris Fox and Ralf Guscott with the aid of others like Russ Brooks, Nigel Gatenby and John Fox (no relationn). The on 7th August 2009 from the Frog pot end Ralf Guscott managed to squeeze through and make the first through trip.