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Ten Go Caving In Sutherland

by Peter Glanville

The story so far.  A motley group of west country cavers have travelled north of the border in two successive years in a desperate urge to find new caves, new worlds to conquer, to boldly go .... Whoops!  Sorry about that, we'll start again.

Enough enthusiasts remained from the last two trips to mount a third.  With Nick Williams and a MOLEPHONE in our armoury there were high hopes of making progress in ANUS cave.  Unfortunately the weather on this occasion failed to come up to expectations. Water came from the sky at all speeds and in all forms.  Stream levels rose and remained high for virtually the whole week which had, I suppose, the virtue of concentrating our minds on a limited number of sites.

Day one dawned sunny. While some team members visited ANUS the divers headed for the salmon farm in Loch Cairbawn after getting air from Jimmy Crooks at Lochinver. We emerged from the depths with several small plaice, numerous long armed squat lobsters and many scallops all destined for the pot.  By this time the weather had begun to deteriorate and it was with reluctance that a small group of us started up the

ANUS valley carrying assorted bite of diving kit.

This proved to be the first of the daily treks up the glen.  The varied weather conditions helped to relieve the tedium as did the sight of large herds of deer down by the stream bed.

Peter Mulholland proved he was a priceless addition to any expedition by cooking a gourmet meal that evening using the morning’s catch which had been prepared by Tony Boycott and Julian Walford who only just made it back in time for the last few morsels.

The Allt bar found favour this year as the watering hole.  As the Inchnadamph Hotel is up for sale it will be interesting to see where cavers go in the future.

Day two began lousy and got worse.  We plodded our way up to ANUS cave in rain of steadily increasing intensity wellies were the order of the day.  Getting changed was misery.  I changed in the cave entrance feet from the raging torrent pouring down the normally dry stream bed.

The plan was for Pete and myself to dive through to ANUS2 with a MOLEPHONE, set it up at various locations and broadcast to the surface in an attempt to radio locate the nearest point to ANUS 1 or the surface.

The dive was murky in a strong current and sump 2 was found to be in existence.  However no real problems were encountered and we soon had the aerial set up for the first transmission.  Peter alternately bleeped and broadcasted on a three way link with the surface and the digging team while we munched Angie Glanvill's famous apple cake. Hearing the weather report from the surface we felt incredibly snug in our dry sandy niche.  After another broadcast from Sotanito Chamber we moved to Sump 4 via the traverses we had decided were the fastest route last year.

Evidence that dry exploration would yield dividends was reinforced by our noticing a circular hole in the roof near Sump 4, clearly leading to a higher level.  Water was pouring out of the inlet by Sump 4. Weather conditions on the surface were still atrocious and we began to feel really sorry for the soggy band trudging around the rain lashed hill side waiting to hammer in wooden marker stakes.

We slowly made our way out taking photos.  On the far of the sump we found virtually everybody apart from a few diehards had done a bunk.  We forgot about changing and squelched our way back to the car.

Pete Mulholland decided the next day was the one to do a surface survey of the ANUS valley in order that we could tie in the radio location points.  Fun was had at the waterfall when Pete detailed me to measure its height.  Lobbing the tape over the edge proved to be tricky in the strong up glen wind.  We achieved the task just before hypothermia set in and warmed up by taking pictures in ANUS cave.  Tav appeared at a late stage in the proceedings - he had been caught in a hailstorm of such ferociousness that he had had to prostrate himself in the heather until it passed.

The following day we returned yet again and, with the help of Tony Boycott, transferred kit down to a shake hole at the fork between the ANUS and Claonite valleys before taking pictures of the bone caves.  Pete and I, gluttons for punishment, then went on a photo trip to Cnoc nam Uamh bumping into Trevor Knief, Pete Rose, John Kidd and Ken Passant on one of the two caving trips they did.  Water levels were impressively high.

The next day after a trip to collect air and after waving good bye to Pete,  John and Trevor (defeated by the weather) we picked up Goon (Alan Jeffries) and headed for no, YOU Guess!

Goon proved to be action man, racing up the hill with the heaviest bottle which made youngsters like Pete and I feel like wimps.  Mind you, with the holes in his wetsuit, he had to move fast to keep warm.  The transport of three sets of kit into Claonite is almost unheard of and proved, in the high water conditions, to make the trip very slow.  Sump one bypass with an airspace of only 6" added to the fun.  Goon kept up the light relief by dropping a tank in Bottomless Pillar pool.  The cascades and waterslides were horrendous death traps and we were glad to reach the tranquillity of the sump three pool .

All the kit worked at sump three apart from Goon's valve which delivered a 50/50 water/air mixture but got him through.  Beyond sump three is a high narrow cross rift which soon turns into a low boulder grovel by the stream.  An inclined bedding plane, awkward with diving kit, leads off above and parallel to the streamway which drops into sump 4.  A most unlikely hole in the roof opens into the base of a loose looking boulder pile (Fawlty Towers) before a climb down to the stream.  This flows down a shallow ramp into the wide sump 5 pool. One tug on the diving line and it came out severed by floods.

We relined the sump using some sewing thread Pete had on a line reel instead of proper diving line. The sump is shallow and easy and ends up in a little boulder ringed pool.  A stepped ledge a few metres ahead yields the promise of a bypass to the next sump.  Goon remained at Sump 5 preferring to cultivate his hypothermia.  Pete and I found 6 to be only a few yards from 5.  A sort of cat’s cradle of blue polyprop hung above the sump pool with one end leading in a positive way into the pool. An experimental tug suggested it was belayed "somewhere".  Pete then decided he was not in a sump pushing mood which left us with two large tanks at the sharp end. There was no option but for yours truly to have a go. Kitting up with Pete's kit proved to be awkward and I entered the low bedding plane at the start of the sump in a less than positive state of mind carrying sewing thread and line reel. The presence of a 'snoopy loop' on the floor of the sump seemed to suggest someone had been through before. I followed the line into a wider section of passage which led to the right and began to ascend.  By now, though, my mask had begun to flood and all my kit was snagging.  I backed out, turned round and retreated, defeated.  Getting out proved to be easy and in a few minutes we were reunited with Goon.

The trip out proved no less eventful than the trip in with Pete losing a bottle in Cavity Wall Passage. After 7 hours we eventually emerged in daylight.  Back at the hut all was hush - the family section of the GSG, fresh from new hut construction, were quietly settled reading when we burst through the door. The British Museum Reading Room atmosphere lasted for an hour before there was a sudden and mass exodus to the pub.

The next morning dawned sunny and clear.  Pete, Ken and I departed for Lochinver for some air and a dive.  The dive proved to be successful as far as my ambition to photograph sea pens goes, but due to a misunderstanding about compasses the two Petes spent the last of the dive swimming about trying to find the shore!

After packing for the return south the next day we drove round to Stac Pollaidh.  Ken went for a stroll on the coast having been up with Pete Rose and co. a couple of days earlier.  We got to the top in 45 minutes then weaved and scrambled our way to the seaward summit 'prow'.  In the golden light of mid evening the view in all directions was magnificent, north across the blue reticulated pattern of Lochans to the rearing bulk of Suilven and west to the Summer Isles.  To the east lay ranges of snow capped mountains fringed by low banks of cloud.

We reluctantly returned to Ken and drove into Ullapool for a late but excellent chilli bean casserole at the Ceilidh Place (recommended).  By the time we got back to the hut it was late.  Stepping outside the hut for a quick pee, I noticed a cloud which came and went rather fast,  the Northern Lights.  We spent a happy hour gazing at the natural light show flickering over our heads until fatigue overcame us.

This was a week unlike the other two the group splintered into several teams all doing their own thing. From an uninspiring beginning it ended on a high note.  I know one thing - given half a chance I'll be back next year!

Sutherland Update. Goon returned to Sump 6 and got as far as being able to see down a wide open 1.5 metre passage.  He also discovered Sump 5 drains off to the right on the far side in dry conditions.  He then pushed the obvious bypass mentioned in my report and found a large chamber which returned through boulders to the streamway and yet another sump. Meanwhile one of the digs near the waterfall above ANUS cave has gone another 15 metres.  A dry link with upstream ANUS seems imminent.

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