[Andy B]

Just right of Odin cave is the long trench of Odin Mine. Currently behind fencing due to rockfalls.
The first section of the trench, just behind the fence, consists of a long barrel shaped wall of good (by peak lime standards) rock, which offers a quality varied traverse.
I have been politely challenged by the nice NT ranger, but, when I explained that I was an experienced rock cat (or words to that effect), he let me be. Having said that, a low profile would probably be wise.

By Odin! 7cish

Start in the wide crack at the far right hand end of the wall. Traverse at low level all the way leftwards to finally pull round the left arête of the wall.
About 3/4s of the way along there are jugs in a large hueco, where string ticklers will recover nicely and boulderers will pump out completely.

The right most metre or so are slow to dry, but starting on sidepulls in the high diagonal cracks is still good and a grade or so easier.

By eck! is the left to right version. Slightly harder but less satisfying.

There is potential for a few non-descript easy up problems, but considering the sensitive access and the castleton SSSI status, I don’t think that they are worth the cleaning and vegetation destruction. Likewise the verdant walls further up the gorge.

The grade could be well out, as I’m currently recovering from a total hip replacement, so my apologies if that is the case.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bnj9oygef5y1cvj/Photo%2024-06-2021%2C%2020%2054%2025.png?dl=0

[remus]

Looks like a good un! Any chance it'll survive the minging weather these next few days or does it catch the weather?

[Wood FT]

Good effort, looked at this wall on a typically wet Odin trip and then forgot to come back. Good to know it was too hard for me anyway.

[Andy B]

Looks like a good un! Any chance it'll survive the minging weather these next few days or does it catch the weather?

Thanks Remus.
Hmm, I’m not sure. It was all dry, except the first metre and a half at the end of April, then wet out completely until the middle of June, but by the end of June it was all dry.
I’ve had a few problems on lime that took ages to dry before the FA but then became much more reliably dry after that. Presumably with traffic.
I’d certainly be giving it at least a couple of days after prolonged heavy rain, but even then I’m not sure on the seepage timings.

[Andy B]

Good effort, looked at this wall on a typically wet Odin trip and then forgot to come back. Good to know it was too hard for me anyway.

Thanks guy. I wouldn’t write yourself off, I really have no idea on the grade, but people tend to ignore problems that don’t have numbers assigned to them.
It also breaks down nicely into worthwhile shorter sections;
Hueco jugs to end
Juggy crack to hueco jugs/end
Sidepull crimps in high, thin diagonal cracks to juggy crack/ hueco jugs/ end.
I did short versions first and kept going back to add sections to the start as they dried out.

[Bonjoy]

Nice one, looks great!

[Nigel]

Nice one Andy! Looks fantastic, will check it out once the rain has gone 👍

[r-man]

Top stuff Andy! Dawid and I had a session on this years ago - did the moves but never linked it. As you say, pretty sustained for a boulderer! I remember thinking it was a good fingery challenge. Great to see it done. Don't think it was behind a fence when we were there, is that quite new?

[Bonjoy]

The fence has been there about 2 years now. There was a rockfall in the little hanging valley that drops into the main fissure from the south. Quite a way up/in from Andy's trav.

[Andy B]

Cheers lads.

[SamT]

Hi All,

Please tread carefully (sic) at this site.  The caving community at have been hard at work for decade trying to re-gain access to this site after major collapses (underground, leading to surface subsidence)

We are on the verge or regaining access, after a lot of hard work.

The most pertinent thread on UKcaving is probably this one..

https://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=27965.msg343251#msg343251

[Andy B]

Hi Sam, thanks for the info. I’d done some research prior to posting and found the other thread on UKCaving, from when the collapses first occurred (I hadn’t even noticed the big sink hole in front of the gorge!) It looked to me, from reading that, and scouting around the entrances that sneaky access had continued on the qt, but it looks like cavers are accessing the gorge from further up and dropping in from the right, rather than past the initial section of the gorge, where the traverse is. So hopefully the activities of climbers and cavers won’t be conflated by the NT.
The NT ranger rightly approached me as some numpty wandering around behind the fencing, which has been erected for good reason (the rockfall further up was fairly substantial), but after a reasonable chat he let me continue, at my own risk, obviously.
I have also done a couple of substantial litter picks whilst there, including some gnarly stuff, which may have been noticed and would hopefully count in favour of our presence.
Having said all this, as I mentioned in the first post, a low profile would be very prudent. If you park high on the left side of the car park, it blocks the view into the gorge and makes it hard to see anyone climbing in there from the road (other than on the last few metres). Obviously, large groups, ropes or ladders, extensive cleaning or stripping of vegetation or lots of noise would be a stupid move.

[SamT]

 

[mark20]

Fencing no longer there and access seems fine.
The original start is really quite dirty again though, the well chalked hold in the photo is grassed over. I tried starting on the sidepulls just left, it's OK for a few moves then there is an utterly desperate move down into the short vertical crack on poor footholds - any beta for this bit Andy / Remus?
Starting from the short vertical crack (where Andy is in the photo) I thought it felt like hard 7B or french 7c+, judging by the chalk/nettles this is where most are climbing it from at the moment. Some nice rock and cool moves

[NaoB]

Yeah, we were there on Tuesday and started at the vertical crack. That's my fault, I must have misread the description, plus all the climbing from there was clean and chalked whereas the furthest right section was filthy. Adam and Jordan made short work of it (flash for Jordan) and we all felt like it was easier than the given grade. Now we know why - we started in the wrong place! Back around!! Although it was really logical and climbed very well that way. Sounds like the original start is a bit unpleasant in comparison?

[Adam Lincoln]

We did this the other day and started both hands matched in the crack where Andy has his right hand. Enjoyed it, nice one.

[User deactivated.]

Has Jelly of the Beast seen any recent attention? That's another good power endurance line (and body tension!) that I enjoyed last year and it stays dry after rain.

[Adam Lincoln]

Has Jelly of the Beast seen any recent attention? That's another good power endurance line (and body tension!) that I enjoyed last year and it stays dry after rain.

Jordan did it the other day.He thoroughly enjoyed working it all out and coming up with non reach beta.

[User deactivated.]

Has Jelly of the Beast seen any recent attention? That's another good power endurance line (and body tension!) that I enjoyed last year and it stays dry after rain.

Jordan did it the other day.He thoroughly enjoyed working it all out and coming up with non reach beta.

Nice! There must be loads of ways to do that thing. I believe Joe who did the FA did it a different way to me too. I couldn't find a useful knee on it, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone did eventually.

[Wellsy]

Chap called George did it last week-ish too. His first of the grade I believe

[Droyd]

I had a play on Jelly yesterday. The second half was dry (from the end of Prowl to the finish) but the LH jug and rail in the cave on Prowl were seeping.

[Adam Lincoln]

I had a play on Jelly yesterday. The second half was dry (from the end of Prowl to the finish) but the LH jug and rail in the cave on Prowl were seeping.

Yeah was seeping badly the other day, a fan  makes it do-able

[Droyd]

I had a play on Jelly yesterday. The second half was dry (from the end of Prowl to the finish) but the LH jug and rail in the cave on Prowl were seeping.

Yeah was seeping badly the other day, a fan  makes it do-able

Interesting, I'd seen your logs and just figured that it had been dry and got wet again after the rain on Wednesday. Good effort Jordan getting it done with that level of damp. I'm hoping it dries out a little more!

[yetix]

I went for a walk yesterday morning there and had a look at it and it didn't look to bad then! Must have condensed as the day went on?

[Bradders]

I think the rail is very prone to condensation, more so than seepage. When I was on it last year I resorted to setting my fan up on a tripod to get air blowing directly on it which helped.