We fancied an evening SRT trip, so Pool Sink seemed as good a choice as anywhere. Dunc kindly gave me a rigging guide which showed a total requirement of 100 metres of rope! Good old CNCC we thought. So with less rope packed than suggested we headed off, noticing the very low water conditions on the way.
Pool Sink is easy to locate: head up Ease Gill and you will soon come across a deep pool (empty on our visit) with an obvious little hole on the left. The entrance is narrow and passes through a wicked left then right tight hairpin before easing off before the first pitch. This has a P-anchor back up to a simple Y-hang and an obvious P-anchor re-belay lower down for wet conditions which we didn’t utilise. If it was wet, you would still get wet with the re-belay I imagine. Anyway, a 25 metre is required for this pitch.
At the bottom, there is a right to left clean washed stream. Right (upstream) leads, after a left turn, to magpie cavern which is well worth a visit. A detour in the high level passage is also worth a look as there are plenty more formations.
Back downstream and past the bottom of the first pitch leads to the second/third (rigged with one rope). If water is low, you can rig with the water and save a load of rope (and hassle). Otherwise, follow the guide which involves a traverse to the third pitch and a Y-hang (take a 40 -45 metre rope for these pitches). A fine clean washed passage with some cascades follows until the 4th pitch disrupts the harmony. If you can be bothered or if it’s really wet, follow CNCC (25 metre rope) and rig upwards and round the corner to a Y-hang on the other side of the trouser flake, otherwise, follow the water (16 metre rope) as it’s not a big pitch.
At the bottom, you pass through a razor type passage before arriving at a T-junction. Left takes you to the awkward clamber up to Spiral Staircase and right takes you back towards Holbeck Junction. It was good to get a good set of bearings on this area on Ease Gill and the realisation that it is difficult to go wrong.
As Dunc stated, this has to be the finest way into the Ease Gill system and a highly recommended trip which can be short or as a long as you want.
Pints were had in the Station Inn in Caton as we thought it might be the only place open on a late Monday night.
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