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Swaledale Outdoor Club |
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Swaledale Outdoor Club |
| > Home > Newsletter > Caving > Giant's Hole, Derbyshire |
Giant's Hole, Derbyshire"Well we could go down Flood Entrance," "No, stupid. it's called Flood Entrance because it floods." "No. it's called Flood Entrance because you can do it when everything else is in flood". "Well anyway I don't want to do Ireby Pot". "Actually, Thornton Force waterfalls would be really spectacular in these conditions". It should be explained that this conversation took place in Longlands Eating House in Hathersage, several hours drive away from the locations under discussion. However, it is a caving section tradition that these phrases have to be uttered before venturing underground, and we are nothing if not traditionalists. Having completed the formalities, we then went and did our intended trip. The Round Trip in Giant's is a circuit involving a reasonably long section of walking sideways, best done swiftly to get it out of the way. Hence the comment of the day: "The Crabwalk," Kirsti said, "is like Heron Pot on speed." The first time I went down this cave, as a beginner, I came out soaked and exhausted to find that the leader had hidden the car keys in the dry stone wall. And it had snowed. The whole wall was hidden by an even, smooth white covering. I have never forgotten the sensation of freezing gradually in my borrowed homemade wetsuit as the others scrabbled around. "I think it was about here... .no, wait a minute". This time despite the snow we managed to avoid this mistake, so I have learned something in the last twenty years! Ursula |