Upper Cradle Hole
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Location
Cradle Hole (H120 341)
Description and history of diving
From Cradle Hole shakehole [H120 340] on the Marlbank access is gained to the Aghinrawn River in Upper Cradle Hole cave.
Downstream sump - Mike's Bath
At the entrance the river turns and runs parallel with the northern side of Cradle Hole - this wall is composed of boulders. After a short distance the river sumps among boulders. This sump was dived in 1974 by Martyn Farr and Dave Morris, who found it blocked by boulders at -2.4 m.
Upstream sumps - Monastir Way and Northern Way
After travelling some 200 m upstream along fine river and canyon passage the Aghinrawn River emerges from a large sump. This sump branches after 80 m.
The left-hand branch follows the Aghinrawn River along the Monastir Way, surfacing after another 35 m in a large, foamy sump pool in Upper Cradle 2. Here spectacular canyon passage up to 10 m high can be followed south upstream over 11 cascades (the Midnight Falls). After 150 m the roof lowers and the passage widens to river passage and after climbing over large boulders (The Lendri) Sump Two is reached. This is 25 m long, initially straight-forward but with an awkward section of large boulders at the end around which the diveline meanders, and surfaces in a U-shaped canal (El-ahrairah) in Upper Cradle 3. From the canal a large bouldery passage is followed to where the river emerges from Sump 3a (dived for 60 m in small rifty passage, continuing) and crosses the passage to disappear along the eastern wall. Crossing the river, more boulders can be climbed to reach Sump 3b in a large, static pool with high mud banks around (dived for 20 m at a maximum depth of 13 m before all ways on closed down in boulders). Above the landing from the El-ahrairah canal a well-decorated aven can be climbed to reach Fu Inlé, a maze of small, rifty, sandy passages, with a sound connection to Upper Cradle 2a.
The right-hand branch of the sump, the Northern Way, is a flood overflow for the Sruh Croppa. After approximately 80 m a squeeze is passed to surface on a gravel beach in a large, well-decorated dry passage (Upper Cradle 2b) 5 m high and 3 m wide trending north; a sloping shelf on the west side of the sump pool gives access to 10 m of low, wide passage with two further sump pools (airbells before the squeeze) deeply sunk in its floor. From the main passage a well-decorated aven can be climbed to 20 m of small crawling passage, and climb up boulders leads to a rift with a tight connection to the surface in the Mastodon shakehole. The main passage ends in huge boulders, through which the Sruh Croppa River can be reached at a lower level. A dig is in progress to connect the Northern Way to Mastodon.
Sump 1 was first dived (free) by Mike Boon in 1959, through the 0.5 m sump to a chamber. In 1961 Davies and Boon dived from this chamber for 24 m at a depth of 3.6 m. In 1972 Martyn Farr and Roger Solari dived Sump 1 for a total of 105 m, reporting an airbell 'just off the left hand wall' after 33 m. Then in 1978 Dave Morris and Phil Rust dived. Rust lost the way on after 45 m, but Morris followed the right-hand wall to reach Upper Cradle 2 (now Upper Cradle 2a). He explored 150 m upstream. Returning the following day Morris reached and passed Sump 2, bypassed Sump 3a and stopped at Sump 3b (Southern Dilemma) with insufficient line for a dive. A few months later Dave Woods and Mark Campbell explored high level passages in Upper Cradle 2, discovering a small boulder chamber 15 m above the stream close to Sump 2; they believed that this was near the surface. In March and May 2008 Chris Jewell, Simon Cornhill and Hilary Greaves made several dives in Sump 1, following the right-hand wall. They inadvertently strayed into the Northern Way but failed to find anyway on to the surface. In March 2009 Artur Kozlowski and Al Kennedy reached Upper Cradle 2b and realised they had discovered a new passage, which they named the Northern Way. Diving from Upper Cradle 2b Kozlowski reached Upper Cradle 2a. Kozlowski dived Sumps 3a and 3b while Kennedy started re-surveying Upper Cradle 2a. The project to connect Upper Cradle Hole with Monastir Sink continues, along with surveying and exploration of high-level passages.
Shepton Static Sump
From the sump pool at the end of Upper Cradle Hole it is possible to squeeze up into a large chamber, the Shepton Mallet Chamber, which after a 3 m climb becomes low crawling passage and ends in a sump. This was first dived by Martyn Farr and C. Anderson in August 1973 for 6 to 9 m, who found it to be 300 mm in height before abandoning it 'without success'. (The sump when first surveyed had been 6 to 9 m shorter due to dry weather or perhaps siphoning attempts.) In 1978 attempts were made to siphon the sump, also without success.
In September 2009 Artur Kozlowski passed the sump after a 15 m dive, to reach two further sump pools in small pots. The left (east) pot has been dived for 20 m, with a max. depth of -5.5 m and reaches -1.5 m at the EOL, without conclusion. The right (west) pot promises another sump. Sump 1 and 2 are extremely silty and constricted in places.
References
Irish Speleology, 3.2, 1985.
Irish Sump Index, 1988.
The Caves of Fermanagh and Cavan, 1997.
Cave Diving Group Newsletter, 167; 168.
Descent, 208; 209.
Surveys
Upper Cradle Hole - Monastir Way and Northern Way
Upper Cradle Hole - Shepton Mallet extensions
Recent dives
Upstream sumps - Monastir Way and Northern Way
21-03-08 - divers Hilary Greaves and Simon Cornhill; support Chris Jewell, M. Fu, M. Topsom, Tony Furnell, B. Wright
The plan was to dive the main upstream sump series for as far as possible, following the route dived by Dave Morris in 1978 (Monastir way) and relining the sumps as necessary. Based on previous dive reports, Sump 1 was expected to be 150 m long.
HG dived first. A short section of orange washing line was found connecting a belay 5 m back from the sump with a large underwater thread just before the start of the sump proper. Beyond this the sump was unlined. HG laid 60 m of 6 mm polypropylene line, in large (>2 m diameter) southward-trending passage. This section of the passage was mostly clean-washed, with numerous rocks providing convenient line belays. After 60 m a second section of orange washing line was encountered, belayed to a rock on the floor at a depth of 7 m. To one side of this belay the line led further into the sump; to the other side it led directly upwards. The upwards-leading orange line came taut when pulled; the forward-leading line was somewhat looser. At this point the diver reached thirds, and returned to base.
SC dived second. He followed the orange line continuing along the main line of the passage for 20 m, taking in loose sections of line and securing them with cable ties. He then laid a further 40 m of 6 mm polypropylene. However, in this section of passage there were no rock belays, and the diver had no silt screws. The far end of the line was belayed as securely as possible by half-burying the line reel in a silt bank, and the diver returned to base.
The carry was easy (10 minutes of large, walking and wading streamway passage; wetsuits for sherpas are helpful). Visibility was 1-2m. The divers used 6 L cylinders, and wore 3 kg of lead with 10 mm of neoprene. The current was not too strong in the sump to prevent easy swimming upstream, despite fast-flowing water in the wide stream passage downstream of the sump.
04-05-08 - divers Chris Jewell and Simon Cornhill
Trying to finish off the job from last time (21-03-08) of re-lining the upstream sumps dived by Dave Morris in 1978.
SC and CJ hired 4 x 12 L cylinders from a shop in Belfast. CJ kitted up on the surface and carried one cylinder, whilst SC carried the other. Then SC went back to bring his in one by one, whilst CJ dived. As it was a hot day on the surface when CJ reached the sump he was still really warm and with no delay in kitting up he was able to dive whilst the sweat was still drying! Despite the lovely sunshine it had rained the night before and vis was worse than last time - just half a meter or less. After CJ reached the end of the line laid by SC last time route finding became very difficult, trying to follow one wall. Eventually after 45 minutes in the water and reaching an alcove at -2 m CJ turned so that SC could have a go.
SC managed to surface in a blind airbell where CJ had left the reel but after several more aborted attempts in bad vis was no more successful in finding the way on and regaining Dave Morris' 'Monastir way'.
28-03-2009 and 29-03-2009 - divers Artur Kozlowski and Al Kennedy; support Stephen 'Jock' Read, Eoghan Mullan, and Tony Furnell
Plan to pass Sump 1, re-survey the Monastir Way and dive Sump 3.
28-03-2009 With the help of Jock, Eoghan, and Tony all dive kit (4x 12L steel bottle, 1x 11L aluminium bottle, 1x 5.75L aluminium bottle, harnesses, drysuits) was speedily carried to the entrance to Upper Cradle Hole. After 3 carries up the Aghinrawn streamway Artur and Al established dive base on a shelf of rock just before Sump 1.
Artur dived upstream following the blue polyprop line laid by Chris Jewell and Simon Cornhill the previous year, in visibility of 1 to 1.5 m. Reaching the end, 6 m of additional line were added through a squeeze into a sump pool. There was a gravel bank but no streamway! After waiting several minutes for the sump to clear the diver returned to base. Cave was exited, as big push was planned for the following day.
29-03-2009 Cold, windy and damp conditions made sleeping bags preferable to an early start, and we didn't enter Upper Cradle Hole until 1200. Diving together we followed the line through Sump 1 in much poorer visibility of 30 cm. After approximately 80 m we suddenly entered much clearer water, with visibility up to 1.5 m. The improved visibility and lack of flowing stream in the sump pool at the end confirmed that we were not in the Monastir Way. From the sump pool around 100 m of new passage was explored on several levels - the Northern Way.
Returning to the sump pool at the start of the Northern Way we discussed options; we had been underground for around 6 hours already. We determined to make the connection again with the Monastir Way as we still had plenty of gas reserves. Thus Artur dived downstream to the Aghinrawn River passage, turned right when the visibility worsened again and explored upstream along the right hand wall, reaching the beginning of the Monastir Way. He returned with the good news and diving together we traversed from the Northern Way to the Monastir Way and carried 2x 12L bottles up the cascades to Sump 2. Artur dived S2 while Al surveyed back downstream. The survey confirms the assumed southerly direction of the passage along the Monastir Way.
Passing Sump 2 in 7 minutes, Artur spent another 30 minutes finding a way out of the U-shaped canal on the other side (El-ahrairah), before carrying his bottles one at a time to Sump 3 proper (Sump 3b); the first Sump 3 appeared insignificant and was easily bypassed. Diving down a clean gravel slope to a low arch at -13 m, this was passed and the passage ascended. However all routes ended in a nasty boulder choke around -6 m. After 32 minutes, Artur surfaced and began carrying his bottles back to Sump 2. On the second trip he decided to take a quick look in Sump 3a, from which a stream was emerging. Diving on a single 12 L tank he laid 15 m of line to -4 m where an intimidating squeeze suggested a return might be more prudent. However, it looked a much more promising way on than Sump 3b. Total time spent beyond Sump 2 was around 2 hours 45 minutes. We exited the cave at 2345.
15-04-09 - divers Artur Kozlowski, Chris Jewell, and Dave Garman; support Al Kennedy
Plan to enter the Northern Way and establish surface connection, then to traverse to the Monastir Way and continue exploration in both sump 3s.
Even in wetsuits Chris and Dave were unable to push the surface connection, and so the divers resorted to shouting 'hello'. This was heard on the surface over 100 m away near Pollsillagh by Al. Running in the direction of the shouts, he shouted 'hello' back as he approached the Mastodon shakehole. Cheering from the diving party and further shouts led to a distinct body-sized rift 10 m from the Mastodon entrance, behind a large detached flake. From here it was possible for both parties to see each others torch beams, but without a ladder sliding into the rift looked like a bad idea. (On 16-04-09 a ladder was rigged in two different positions and Artur and Al attempted to make the surface connection. Rift is very awkward, but connection is believed to be possible.) The proximity of the connection to the Mastodon cave raises the possibility of a connection between the Northern Way and Mastodon-Pollsillagh. The stream encountered in the Northern Way terminal boulder choke is the Sruh Croppa. Several other tight passages in the Northern Way were investigated, inconclusively.
Dave returned to Upper Cradle Hole while Artur and Chris traversed to the Monastir Way. Artur again dived sump 3a on 2x 7 L bottles, adding 45 m of line. Chris then dived, and increased the size of the first squeeze. Also on this trip 200 m of high level passage were explored that began at the end of sump 1, with a view to finding a connection downstream to Upper Cradle Hole.
03-05-09 - divers Artur Kozlowski and Al Kennedy
Aim to push the third sump, explore for high level passages and work on the survey. The dive through sump 1 to Monastir Way went smoothly as did the carry up to sump 2 although there was noticeably more water flowing in the Aghinrawn cascades. Diving sump 2 both divers became rapidly and chillily aware of punctures to their drysuits, and on the far side of sump 2 equipment was rather battered. Artur had lost his compass (which had been only partly working before entering the cave!), Al's compass had died a little more (it too was leaking fluid on entry to the cave!), suits were leaky, and one of Artur's regs was leaking in several places. Taking Al's compass, Artur dived sump 3 while Al explored this section of the Monastir Way. Artur returned in 57 minutes, having got to the end of the line and progressed one body-length further until tight passage, high flow and flood debris stopped him. Turning back he heard bubbles surfacing and himself surfaced in a small 1 x 1 m pool with very loose sides. Some passage was visible beyond so carefully de-kitting he climbed the bank and had a look, but both directions closed down in 5 m. On his return he again de-kitted at sump 2 and climbed the decorated aven above, followed by Al, to a maze of small, rifty, sandy passages. Pushing northish (Al's compass was no longer functioning!) clear sound of the Aghinrawn was heard downstream of sump 2, but all leads ended in boulders tantalisingly close. One very well decorated chamber, named 'Fu Inlé', some 10 m across was entered and carefully explored; several high avens and boulder falls were noted. Later the length of passage here was estimated at 100+ m. After spending 2 hours exploring the high level passages both divers returned to Upper Cradle 3 and started downstream, exiting rather moistly at 2230 after a 6 1/2 hour trip.
(Today Stephen Macnamara squeezed through the Northern Way rift in Mastodon shakehole to enter the Northern Way. Tony Furnell connected the descending tube half-way down Mastodon cave entrance to the Northern Way rift.)
17-05-09 - divers Artur Kozlowski and Al Kennedy
Our plan to push the third sump was put on hold when we saw the amount of water flowing in Upper Cradle 2a. So dropping one 7 L bottle each we climbed the cascades with some difficulty to Sump 2 and dived to Upper Cradle 3. We started the survey of Upper Cradle 3 in the main passage with a plan to climb to Fu Inlé and push and survey the high-level passages. Surveying upstream we found that the pool for sump 3a was 1.5 m deeper than normal and beginning to flow into the previously dry boulder channel (i.e. overflowing normal route under the east wall). The Sump 3a bypass to Sump 3b was sumped off. After 15 minutes surveying the pool we noticed that the water level had increased by another 10 cm and decided to retreat. We surveyed Sump 2 together on our way out. In Upper Cradle 2a the water level had increased markedly (perhaps 50 % more than on our ascent) and progress downstream was very difficult. We used 6 mm dive line as a handline over several of the cascades. Halfway down Al fell and was washed over three cascades before being caught in a back-eddy and climbing onto a submerged shelf. The next cascades were impassable at river level with no belay for a handline, so we climbed the left wall to a balcony and then crossed the canyon to a boulder ledge and took a high level passage (Learning Curve) back to Sump 1. Artur surveyed Sump 1 on his way out, while Al set a record dive time of 5 minutes through Sump 1 in a completely flooded drysuit. We emerged after 6 hours very battered.
Shepton Static Sump
26-09-09 - diver Artur Kozlowski; support Al Kennedy
Following a reconnaisance trip to the Shepton Mallet chambers with Laura Nolan on 5 September, when we cleared the squeeze up from UCH sump 1 (to the left of the dive-line) and scouted the route to the Shepton Mallet sump (on this occassion, during rain, it was not a static sump), AK2 returned to push the sump (now after a dry spell it was static). Following a mix up with weights and cylinders we only brought 1x 7L (140 BAR) and 1x 3L (220 BAR) and one harness. Artur dived, his first dive after the 'Aghinrawn Incident'.
The sump proved rather constricted, but after 5 or 6 m Artur entered a larger chamber with an airbell. From here a dive of another 10 m or so at a depth of 2 m ended in a pot, which surfaced in a small chamber. On the right over a mudbank was another small flooded pot, and there was another flooded pot on the left. Choosing the left one Artur descended to -2.8 m before turning the dive, deciding that he'd reached a good depth for his first dive after his head / sinus injury. The way on could be felt in zero visibility, small. With no belay points and no more silt-screws or leadings Artur removed the line from this pot and returned through the first sump. During the dive in the first sump Al heard bubbling from the airbell, coming from a tight rift to the left of the sump pool. A handline was placed on the 3 m climb in the Shepton Mallet chamber.
10-10-09 - divers Artur Kozlowski and Al Kennedy; support Laura Nolan
The Shepton Mallet chamber was quickly reached, and the divers kitted up just above the climb, where there was more space to move, before crawling to sump 1. Al dived first, taking advantage of the good visibility for his first dive in the sump, moving quickly to keep ahead of the silt. The narrow, low passage slopes downwards over fine silt to a large submerged chamber with an airbell above (depth approx. 2 m), and then the way on continues tight to the base of the centre pot in Tripot Chamber. This is also approx. 2 m deep. Surfacing Al climbed out the pot on the right (west) on to a slippery mudbank and the only area of dry cave in the chamber - this mudbank separates the centre and right (west) pot. Artur arrived and went to the left (east) pot, divided from the centre pot by a short canal 50 cm deep. Al dekitted and checked Tripot Chamber before waiting for Artur as nothing exciting was found - several tight avens above the right pot. For some distance it was possible to hear Artur's bubbles rising. Artur dived for approx. 20 m, in mostly small to very tight passage, reversing the long squeeze to a chamber. From here it seemed that the sump was surfacing, but after several more metres, reaching a depth of -1.5 m, all ways seemed to close down in an alcove, and visibility was lost. Artur returned after a 16 minute dive. We made a sketch and compass survey of Tripot Chamber and then retreated, compiling our impressions of sump 1 when back in the Shepton Mallet chamber with Laura. A speedy exit was made.
16-10-09 - diver Artur Kozlowski; support Ian Wilton-Jones
Diving in a dry suit proved to be very difficult. Several attempts were needed to pass the second, 'long squeeze' in Sump 2. At that stage the visibility was completely gone and the plan to look for a presumed passage on the right hand wall has failed. Instead the diver continued to the end of his line, picked up the reel and continued over the mudbank into NE descending passage. The line was belayed as another low section had to be negotiated. A small submerged chamber was reached but the only way on seemed to lead W, back to the Tripot Chamber. The dive was abandoned.
