 Darfar Pot 1st Pitch 4/4/2007 - Today Martin Milner installed a knotted handline on the 2nd pitch and an eyebolt belay on 3rd pitch. (Replacing the wobbly expending stemple that had been down there for the last 10 years!) The sump was just down the slope from here. (Less than a metre below.) 15/4/2007 - Today he finished surveying the top entrance passages down into Glory Chamber and enlarged the start of the squeeze into Darfar 2 a bit. 19/4/2007 - Today he started surveying from Glory Chamber into Prospect Chamber. In the process, he found that there were 3 ways leading off from the top of the climb up to the eyehole into Prospect Chamber, two of them heading back towards the 3rd pitch. On the way out, he dug some silt out of the way to reveal 2 new passages leading off from the top of the 3rd pitch. (One small one towards Prospect Chamber, the other much bigger and heading in the direction of Water Chamber.) 22/4/2007 - Today, Graham Needham and Martin tried to split the large rock blocking the way into the passage heading in the direction of Water Chamber. (A potential bypass to the 3rd pitch.) It quickly started to move when a chisel was driven into it, so some persuasion with a crowbar soon sent it crashing down and the way was open into a 2 metre drop to a boulder blockage. (A passage could be seen descending on the left, but it was left for the moment.) Martin then started the installation of an eyebolt belay at the top of Chamber Pot for less (climbing) experienced cavers, before several Darfar P.C. members descended to the bottom of Pedigree Pot finding the sump today was half filling the river passage before the Toboggan Run. After returning to Glory Chamber, Martin and Eddie Potter continued the survey from the eyehole into Prospect Chamber. At the bottom of the chamber, Martin found that some of the silt had moved since the early 80's and a way could be seen down towards the roar of the water below into negotiable passage. Two medium sized rocks needed moving and a much larger wedged rock needed splitting at it's narrowest end to allow entry to the continuation.  Surprise Pot in Darfar Pot 13/5/2007 - Today, Martin met Dave Ottewell at the Mill and after checking the river, descended Darfar finding foam half way up the 2nd pitch and the sump half way up Glory Chamber and the 3rd pitch bypass. (There had obviously been a flood since the last visit.) They surveyed into Glazebrooke Chamber finding the river flowing strongly across the floor of the chamber. After removing some rocks, Dave found a new, ascending passage in the south (river) end of the chamber while Martin installed the eyebolt belay for Surprise Pot properly. Another tight, (but seemingly seperate), way off towards the river bed was also noted to the right of the new passage Dave had entered. Surprisingly, the sump dropped by about 6 inches during this activity. Due to it's small size and the number passages leading off, Martin decided it would be more appropriate to rename the chamber Glazebrooke Junction instead. Dave and Martin agreed that the passage he had entered would be called Dan's Passage after his son. The pair then returned to the surface before the weather started to cause the the river to rise. Later that day, the river then flooded due to the increasingly heavy rain... 27/5/2007 - Today, Pete Ray and Martin took the opportunity to move the rubbish from Moonmilk from the cliff side of the river to the field side of the river ready for collection by the N.T. next Monday. They then went down Darfar Pot and extended Prospect Streamway by a few more metres (towards Riverside) and continued the survey. After clearing a load of rocks from the floor of the streamway to allow the water to flow easier, they paid a short visit to Prospect Chamber. Unfortunately, the sump was seen to be slowly rising up the rift in the lowest part of the chamber due to the rain, so a rapid exit was made, just in case. Interesting to see that sort of thing with a safe exit route though! 3/6/2007 - Today, Pete, Ed and Martin extended Prospect Streamway in Darfar Pot by another 9m, (5m downstream and 4m upstream), before having a look down Riverside Swallet. Martin surveyed the new passages including Tumbledown Aven while the others dug the silt out of the way upstream towards Darfar Pot. After cleaning up, they moved the rubbish from Moonmilk over to the roadside for collection by the N.T. the next day. 10/6/2007 - Today, Ed, Ian, Pete and Martin went down Darfar Pot. (For a change!) The squeeze down into Lower Glory Chamber was enlarged slightly before they descended to the top of Canyon 1 finding a mass of water falling down one end of it. A 8m (25ft) ladder didn't reach the bottom, so something seems to have changed down there. A return will be made in drier conditions. Next they visited Canyon 2 where Martin found the way down from the bottom of the ladder blocked by a large flake. This was moved out of the way ready for a return visit. On the way out they showed Ian Surprise Pot and Prospect Streamway. It was hard to imagine that the floor of this passage was only a couple of metres below that of Glory Chamber. 16/9/2007 - Pete and Martin spent around 3 hours down Darfar Pot today enlarging the top of the new pitch in the floor of Lower Prospect Chamber. The way down is now definately negotiable for someone Ian or Eddies size. (Martin felt he needed another inch or so off the left-hand side before he'd feel OK going through.) The pair were then able to see down for about 5 metres (15ft) to a ledge or constriction of some sort, with the pitch continueing down from there. A ringbolt was installed at the pitch head ready for the next visit. The roar of the river was REALLY loud today, as on Thursday Martin had diverted the river away from the river entrance of the cave so that it sank further downstream. 5/10/2007 - At last, back down Darfar Pot!  Today, Martin and Pete went down to the main sink area finding the river the lowest it had been for several weeks. After changing they quickly descended to Lower Prospect Chamber and removed some more pieces off the rock obstruction. Martin felt he was now able to get through, but would have to force himself through as it was now tight a bit further down (typical), so Pete had a go and passed the obstruction quite easily, (he's tall and slim), but felt it better to leave it to a Darfar ferret to push further. Still 1m of new cave was better than nothing!  (At least the squeeze was passable now.) The pair exited Prospect Chamber via Glazebrooke Junction finding that way much easier than via the eyehole and 3rd pitch bypass. The rope and tools were also removed from the cave. 7/10/2007 - Progress! Today, Ed, Ian, Martin and Pete returned to Darfar Pot. While Martin had a look in Prospect Streamway, the other 3 went into Lower Prospect Chamber (via Glazebrooke Junction) and Ed and Ian (our ferret heroes) descended the new (tighter than hoped for) pitch for 7m before it became to awkward to use the ladder. (Another tight, narrow rift, so a return with rope and jammers would be better.) The water from further upstream in Prospect Streamway was encountered 4m down and had at this point become a noisy waterfall only about 1m from the ladder. Meanwhile, Martin had made another 2m of progress and on the way out Ian pushed another side passage off Glazebrooke Junction for 3m before it got too tight. Altogether, 14m of new passage was explored. The new pitch was called Barn Pot for reasons known only to ourselves... (Not because it had a barn in it, or was as big as a barn! (We wish.)
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