The most obvious way on from the entrance pitch chamber (hence the one explored in 1988 as the second pitch) is the 20m Dungeon Pitch. This leads through an eyehole to another pitch, 10m deep, landing on a boulder floor, with two ways on.
At the foot of the boulder slope in Big Sainsbury's traversing left above the obvious hole leads to a window looking out into Dungeon Pitch. A 15m drop into a circular chamber with a way on through an eyehole to a 4m drop into the next chamber (Zoom dropped in 1988 found here). A right turn under a frightening rock leads to S'not pitch rift (so S'not could have been found in 1988!).
To left are two ways on: hole down is short choked pitch. Narrow way on in front is Variomatic (because you have to take your gear off to get through).
At the lowest point of the SE (entrance) end of Big Sainsbury's, to the right at the foot of Automatic Doors pitch, a rift leads back. This goes to Dungeon Pitch and on through the floor. The lower part is undescended, but probably connects to The Dungeon (at base of Dungeon pitch). This connecting rift is reached by descending Dungeon Pitch about 12m, before penduluming off on to a ledge.
From the ledge part way down Automatic Doors, at the end further from the entrance, a passage leads off SW. The name reflects the fact that it leads nowhere, but was prone to rediscovery. A low passage leads for 25m to an enlargement in a small chamber. Hard right, and at the top of the chamber, a small passage (unsurveyed) leads back to a balcony over Big Sainsbury's.
Ahead is a big hole, and to its right, a tight bedding rift leads up c 20m to a dead end. The hole opens onto a 16m pitch on a 150°-330° rift, landing part way down a boulder slope in a chamber, Ignorance is Bliss. A small waterfall enters at the top of the slope (the northern end). Downslope, a traverse past bivalve fossils in the wall reaches the takeoff for a further 15m pitch (on the published plan, these pitches are marked together as p30m). The landing is near the foot of a boulder slope in a similar chamber, whose upper end extends underneath Ignorance is bliss. This lower floor is also apparently suspended, but a void below its lowest point is not reachable.
The second route out of the Basement (at the foot of the 161a entrance pitch) is a stoop on the left hand (south) side. A 2m climb leads into the Rabbit Warren Series. This leads to Adrian's Route and France, normally entered by 161c. Early documentation described this whole area (Rabbit Warren, Adrian's Route, French Connection II and upper stuff below 161b & 161c) as Adrian's Route.
Initially a small phreatic tube and several short climbs lead to a blocked 12m pitch (handline advised for traverse across). Just beyond this, a fork to the right leads to a tight stream rift and a couple of nasty but undescended pitches. To the Left two routes both lead to a 10m pitch into the top of the French Connection II rift. The bottom of this pitch is the furthest you can get in this direction from the 161b or 161c entrances.
161b entrance (© Olly Betts 1990)
Adrian's Route (named after Adrian the Anaconda - the 130m rope used to rig it) starts here. At the S end of the rift are a pair of blind holes. Next is the big Adrian shaft of 40m, quickly followed by a hading one of 46m. The rift at the bottom ends in a draughting sand-filled tube with no way on at a depth of 170m.
A bolted traverse (1990) across Adrian pitch (E side) leads to a partially rock-filled passage which after 30m of crawling, stooping and walking, a left turn up a similar but smaller passage, a grovel into a low chamber and a climb through a short rift leads to the tight boulder choked 161b entrance.
At the highest point of Big Sainsbury's, 20m from Automatic Doors, in the left (SW) wall is a pair of eyeholes overlooking Skull Pitch, a 10m pitch and high aven with two short blocked passages at the bottom.
At the same point on the right (NE) a 3m climb leads into Umleitung, a passage back to the top of Dungeon Pitch on the opposite side from the Basement, and from here there is another 5m climb up to a rift leading to another pitch. There is a possible continuation over the pitch ([C1990-161-09 C], needs bolting). The pitch is 13m (?) to a choked floor. Further progress can be made 5m(?) down the choke against the opposite wall.
A few metres further along the left wall of Big Sainsbury's is a short low passage which chokes after 12m.
About halfway along Big Sainsbury's (before the way into Drunk & Stupid on the right) is a small hole in the floor, very loose and uninviting [C1989-161-08 B]. Entering without major gardening would be foolhardy.
About halfway along Dewdrop (before it emerges into the Left Hand Route) there is a hading rift on the left which can be climbed up for 4m to the foot of an unascended big aven, the 6m diameter Levitation Pitch. This is directly below Big Sainsbury's.
Along Big Sainsbury's, 20m beyond the entrance of Drunk & Stupid, is a pair of very high avens with associated pitches. There is a traverse line along the left hand wall which leads to a col between the two drops. Along this traverse is a passage in the left hand wall which goes for 25m before choking. The first drop is Checkout, the old main route on. The second drop is Alternative Shopper, a funnel-shaped 30m pitch followed by a 10m pitch under a big boulder at the bottom. Below this is a tight rift leading to a chamber where two rifts leading on are both too tight.