Faunarooska Cave
Wednesday, 12 December 2007
An epic 15 hour voyage to Co. Clare in Ireland, involving sleeping in a kiddies play area on the ferry in a fort constructed out of soft blocks (we were too stingy to pay for a cabin and it was either this or the deck), saw us arriving at the Burren for about 9am in the morning fresh and ready for caving. The weather looked a bit threatening and we were very tired so opted for an easy sounding, non-floody death cave.
The cave is situated in a spectacular situation overlooking Gallway Bay and is on a Hillside at least twice as windy and cold as Leck Fell. The entrance series follows a pleasant and easy streamway with occasional crawls and decorations to a short broken pitch to a sump. This wasn’t descended as team ‘organised’ hadn’t brought any rope, except for a knackered short length covered in mouldy mince pie.
However the main passage can be followed, now as an inlet up through dry passage with traverses eventually leading into the most spectacularly calcited bit of passage I’ve ever seen. This area and the inlets nearby abound with hundreds of crystal straws and perfect unbroken curtains, the like of which I’ve never seen in the UK. Tom reckoned it was better than White river series. And this from two people who aren’t generally bothered by formations. The cave then continues now downstream again to another short pitch leading to the final sump.
A pleasant if easy short trip.
We then descended on Doolin where we managed to scrape accommodation at a Hostel and then onto the local pub for Irish stew and far too much Guinness (we lost count of how many after reaching double figures)