Part of the wall in G.B. that hasn't decided to get up close and personal with the floor. Photo by Linda Wilson.
Welcome
to the April newsletter, now under new management with Zac Woodford
taking over from Mia Jacobs as Student Editor. Many thanks to Mia for
all her hard work on the newsletter over the past year.
April saw the return both to local caving and even in-person pub meets for the first time in over five months. It's been a long time coming! We'll still be having some Zoom socials as well, so keep an eye on the Facebook page for both pub details and online links, and if you haven't given away your soul and personal data to Mr Zuckerberg, drop us a line if you'd like to be notified of any pubs, in-person and online, and quizzes etc.
A huge thanks are due this month to UBSS member Chris Howes for providing several photos for Dickon's article on Welsh cave names! As well as being a superb photographer, Chris is also the editor of Descent Magazine. If you're not already a subscriber, do check out the website and sign up so that you can get all the latest caving news delivered to your door. It's well worth the money! Other material was also kindly provided by film makers Andy and Antonia Freem, who let us raid their excellent archive and take stills from their films. Take a look at their YouTube channel for all their films!
Everyone is going through difficult times and if any member - new or old - is struggling with anything and wants a listening ear, remember that UBSS is a supportive community that is always here to help. So drop us a line if you'd ever like to chat!
Back issues of the newsletter can be found here.
April saw the return both to local caving and even in-person pub meets for the first time in over five months. It's been a long time coming! We'll still be having some Zoom socials as well, so keep an eye on the Facebook page for both pub details and online links, and if you haven't given away your soul and personal data to Mr Zuckerberg, drop us a line if you'd like to be notified of any pubs, in-person and online, and quizzes etc.
A huge thanks are due this month to UBSS member Chris Howes for providing several photos for Dickon's article on Welsh cave names! As well as being a superb photographer, Chris is also the editor of Descent Magazine. If you're not already a subscriber, do check out the website and sign up so that you can get all the latest caving news delivered to your door. It's well worth the money! Other material was also kindly provided by film makers Andy and Antonia Freem, who let us raid their excellent archive and take stills from their films. Take a look at their YouTube channel for all their films!
Everyone is going through difficult times and if any member - new or old - is struggling with anything and wants a listening ear, remember that UBSS is a supportive community that is always here to help. So drop us a line if you'd ever like to chat!
Back issues of the newsletter can be found here.
Zac and Linda
TAKING FRESH MEAT DOWN SWILDON’S HOLE
Long Dry Way, Upper Swildon's. Not an actual fresher! Photo copyright Peter Glanvill and used with his kind permission.
Introducing work colleagues and friends to the joys of caving is a time-honoured tradition in the club (although Kirsten Hopkins' habit of lending one friend her wetsuit top and the other her wet suit trousers wasn't a great way of getting generations of medics to sign up!). On this occasion, Si and Megan did a better job.
On the 24th April, Simon and I took three caving newbies on a tour of Swildon’s upper series. The group consisted of Simon as trip leader, me seconding (for my very first time!), and Seb, Rose and Charlotte as the freshers.
After some missing wellies faff, we arrived at the cave an hour after we planned, and Simon gave the standard freshers’ talk to the group. We decided that he would lead, and I would bring up the rear, as I’d somehow managed to evade Swildon’s as a fresher and this would be my first time down that cave. We made it past the entrance and into the cave without any last-minute cold feet from the freshers and started the trip off by taking the Short Dry Way. Simon guided the freshers carefully through a couple of tougher spots, but as the trip progressed, they started gaining more and more confidence and competence. I was particularly impressed with their ability to continue having a chat whilst caving for the first time – on my first trip I was silent with terror!
We took the Short Dry Way towards the ladder pitch, had a quick look without actually going down it, and made our way back through the Long Dry Way towards Jacob’s Ladder. We passed quite a few other groups, but on the whole we managed to avoid getting caught up in chambers with other cavers. Instead of immediately heading back to the entrance, we looped back in through the Short Dry Way again, asking the freshers if they recognised chambers they’d been in earlier in the trip. We then took the Wet Way and used that to head back to the outside world.
Having emerged, we checked in with the freshers and I’m pleased to report that they all seemed to have had a great time and were keen to go caving again in the future.
Long Dry Way, Upper Swildon's. Not an actual fresher! Photo copyright Peter Glanvill and used with his kind permission.
Introducing work colleagues and friends to the joys of caving is a time-honoured tradition in the club (although Kirsten Hopkins' habit of lending one friend her wetsuit top and the other her wet suit trousers wasn't a great way of getting generations of medics to sign up!). On this occasion, Si and Megan did a better job.
On the 24th April, Simon and I took three caving newbies on a tour of Swildon’s upper series. The group consisted of Simon as trip leader, me seconding (for my very first time!), and Seb, Rose and Charlotte as the freshers.
After some missing wellies faff, we arrived at the cave an hour after we planned, and Simon gave the standard freshers’ talk to the group. We decided that he would lead, and I would bring up the rear, as I’d somehow managed to evade Swildon’s as a fresher and this would be my first time down that cave. We made it past the entrance and into the cave without any last-minute cold feet from the freshers and started the trip off by taking the Short Dry Way. Simon guided the freshers carefully through a couple of tougher spots, but as the trip progressed, they started gaining more and more confidence and competence. I was particularly impressed with their ability to continue having a chat whilst caving for the first time – on my first trip I was silent with terror!
We took the Short Dry Way towards the ladder pitch, had a quick look without actually going down it, and made our way back through the Long Dry Way towards Jacob’s Ladder. We passed quite a few other groups, but on the whole we managed to avoid getting caught up in chambers with other cavers. Instead of immediately heading back to the entrance, we looped back in through the Short Dry Way again, asking the freshers if they recognised chambers they’d been in earlier in the trip. We then took the Wet Way and used that to head back to the outside world.
Having emerged, we checked in with the freshers and I’m pleased to report that they all seemed to have had a great time and were keen to go caving again in the future.
Megan Malpas
G.B - WHERE THE WOOZLE WASN'T
Bloody great big pile of rubble at the bottom of the waterfall climb. Photo and graphic by Linda Wilson.
A few weeks after the initial investigation into the collapse at the waterfall in GB (reported in the last newsletter) a second check was needed. Linda and Dave King were nice enough to invite me (Zac) and Megan along for our first caving trip of the year… in April! Don’t people just love COVID times…
Anyway, on the way to GB, Megan elaborated on her video diary, taking clips through the day to stitch them together at the end to create an interesting summary of the day. We offered to help take some shots once we were in the cave. We arrived at the layby to find an already kitted-up Dave King, and we were all introduced. After getting changed, we all marched across the warm spring field to the entrance blockhouse.
It was quickly decided that Megan, not knowing the cave as well, would lead with me following and Linda and Dave at the back. I almost tricked Megan into taking the wrong way at the squeeze, but Linda soon set her right. We made it through the squeeze and down to the Gorge uneventfully. At the Bridge we encountered our first obstacle, a polite notice warning about the rockfall ahead.
With the waterfall climb out of commission the Bridge is your last opportunity to take a different route to the bottom of the cave. The notice was there to highlight that. As our intention was to check for any changes in the rockfall, we pushed on to the top of the waterfall where we stopped for a while to take photos of where collapse debris fell from and talk about Mamma Mia II, I can’t remember why!
We then returned to the Bridge and crossed over to White Passage where we carefully considered the effect of increased footfall as people bypass the waterfall. It was decided that sticking to the far left (as you’re heading up) would be the best strategy as it’s stable and contains less calcite. We also stopped for more photos and even recorded some footage for Megan’s diary as well as a possible fresher promotion video – expect to see that in the works soon. It also serves as good proof of concept for another idea I have in the works…
Megan continued to lead the way as we bypassed the waterfall down to the bottom of the Main Chamber where we assessed the rubble from the bottom as well as taking more photos and video. Please strictly adhere to the tape placed across the passage at the top and bottom of the climb. We only crossed these as part of the continuing monitoring exercise.
We then made our way out of the cave filming at several locations as we went. We finally emerged after some three hours into the far too warm sunlight. It was a very good trip, but I was very tired afterwards, lockdown has taken its toll. Despite the collapse I would still encourage people to visit GB as it is an incredible cave. We are also looking to do some further filming in there at the next opportunity. If you haven’t been there yet what are you doing? Get down there!
Note: you need to have done four caving trips previously and must have a permit. All members are entitled to a One Year Permit to the CCC Ltd caves. There should be a book of permits in the Tackle Store and committee members can issue them. Alternatively, contact Graham as Company Secretary.
Bloody great big pile of rubble at the bottom of the waterfall climb. Photo and graphic by Linda Wilson.
A few weeks after the initial investigation into the collapse at the waterfall in GB (reported in the last newsletter) a second check was needed. Linda and Dave King were nice enough to invite me (Zac) and Megan along for our first caving trip of the year… in April! Don’t people just love COVID times…
Anyway, on the way to GB, Megan elaborated on her video diary, taking clips through the day to stitch them together at the end to create an interesting summary of the day. We offered to help take some shots once we were in the cave. We arrived at the layby to find an already kitted-up Dave King, and we were all introduced. After getting changed, we all marched across the warm spring field to the entrance blockhouse.
It was quickly decided that Megan, not knowing the cave as well, would lead with me following and Linda and Dave at the back. I almost tricked Megan into taking the wrong way at the squeeze, but Linda soon set her right. We made it through the squeeze and down to the Gorge uneventfully. At the Bridge we encountered our first obstacle, a polite notice warning about the rockfall ahead.
With the waterfall climb out of commission the Bridge is your last opportunity to take a different route to the bottom of the cave. The notice was there to highlight that. As our intention was to check for any changes in the rockfall, we pushed on to the top of the waterfall where we stopped for a while to take photos of where collapse debris fell from and talk about Mamma Mia II, I can’t remember why!
We then returned to the Bridge and crossed over to White Passage where we carefully considered the effect of increased footfall as people bypass the waterfall. It was decided that sticking to the far left (as you’re heading up) would be the best strategy as it’s stable and contains less calcite. We also stopped for more photos and even recorded some footage for Megan’s diary as well as a possible fresher promotion video – expect to see that in the works soon. It also serves as good proof of concept for another idea I have in the works…
Megan continued to lead the way as we bypassed the waterfall down to the bottom of the Main Chamber where we assessed the rubble from the bottom as well as taking more photos and video. Please strictly adhere to the tape placed across the passage at the top and bottom of the climb. We only crossed these as part of the continuing monitoring exercise.
We then made our way out of the cave filming at several locations as we went. We finally emerged after some three hours into the far too warm sunlight. It was a very good trip, but I was very tired afterwards, lockdown has taken its toll. Despite the collapse I would still encourage people to visit GB as it is an incredible cave. We are also looking to do some further filming in there at the next opportunity. If you haven’t been there yet what are you doing? Get down there!
Note: you need to have done four caving trips previously and must have a permit. All members are entitled to a One Year Permit to the CCC Ltd caves. There should be a book of permits in the Tackle Store and committee members can issue them. Alternatively, contact Graham as Company Secretary.
Zac Woodford
TACKLE FEES
Now caving has resumed, this seems like a good time for a reminder about the need to pay tackle fees if you're using club kit, as gear doesn't miraculously regenerate without outside assistance and all fees paid go into the pot for replacement kit. Pay up, or new student tackle warden Megan Malpas will be on your case!
Helmet = £1
Oversuit = £1
Light = £1
So for the mathematically challenged, a full set of kit (use of wellies is free) is £3!
However, to encourage people to buy their own gear if they continue caving beyond their first year in the club, these fees double after the first year for each item of kit. This policy clearly works, as after this was discussed and re-agreed in the last committee meeting, our new tackle warden promptly bought her own oversuit!
Discussions are ongoing about the best way of ensuring fees get paid, but in the meantime, if you (or anyone you;re taking) don't pay in cash on the day, ask for the bank details for a direct transfer and quote the reference TACKLE when making the payment.
Now caving has resumed, this seems like a good time for a reminder about the need to pay tackle fees if you're using club kit, as gear doesn't miraculously regenerate without outside assistance and all fees paid go into the pot for replacement kit. Pay up, or new student tackle warden Megan Malpas will be on your case!
Helmet = £1
Oversuit = £1
Light = £1
So for the mathematically challenged, a full set of kit (use of wellies is free) is £3!
However, to encourage people to buy their own gear if they continue caving beyond their first year in the club, these fees double after the first year for each item of kit. This policy clearly works, as after this was discussed and re-agreed in the last committee meeting, our new tackle warden promptly bought her own oversuit!
Discussions are ongoing about the best way of ensuring fees get paid, but in the meantime, if you (or anyone you;re taking) don't pay in cash on the day, ask for the bank details for a direct transfer and quote the reference TACKLE when making the payment.
A FEW WORDS ON THE HUT
The above clearly illustrates the consequences of not clearing up in the hut! Thanks to Mia Jacobs for the image.
Complaints about the state of the hut are a long-standing tradition in the club. One classic from Arthur ApSimon in the hut logs from the ‘50s starts with the words ‘DEAR BASTARDS AND BASTARDESSES’. Here, Henry Morgan makes a politer but equally heartfelt plea for members to clean up after themselves when leaving the hut.
I'd just like to have a few lines to talk about the hut for those who are using it currently, and especially looking forward to a great summer of using the hut! I was there a couple of weeks ago and the hut was generally messy. Everything was 'away' but to a poor standard (Bare minimums not even being reached!).
We have a current (and longstanding) problem with rodents as I'm sure you are all aware (one even came and said hello!) and they have become even less picky about what they will eat recently! (Tin foil, sponges, plastic bins and chipboard are now all on the menu apparently).
Apologies if this seems pedantic - it is! But it's necessary if we want to keep the hut a nice place to go to, and not have to spend two hours sweeping up and tidying away rat/mouse poo at the start of every trip!
A few specific points:
· Please take even your recycling home after every trip! Mice are now even getting attracted by dregs in empty beer bottles. (Tins are lighter if you’re cycling!)
· I found some grains of rice (just a few!) clogging up the sink. These had gone mouldy (grim to clean up when mixed with poo!)
· The floors hadn't been swept in ages, with lots of rotten wood lying around. I think this was failure to clean after a work party. Thank you for doing work, but please don't leave tools and detritus around for extended periods of time.
· Please don't leave dishes to dry next to the sink and not put them away, from the location of poo, it's clear mice are running over them which means they just have to be washed up again! There are now some lovely clean tea towels at the hut (In the kitchen cupboard) so you can dry everything. (Then take dirty tea towels home and wash and return please!)
Sorry to moan, I love the hut and I'm sure you all do too. Mess tends to breed mess, please do something about it if it’s not looking lovely.
Let's keep it a lovely place to be :)
And don’t forget to pay your Hut Fees! These are £2 per day/night for anyone using the hut. These fees enable us to continue to maintain the hut, which isn’t cheap, so please pay up! If you’ve been there in the past year and not paid, consider your conscience duly pricked and pay up now. If you don’t already have the club’s bank details, then just ask! And quote HUT as the payment reference.
The above clearly illustrates the consequences of not clearing up in the hut! Thanks to Mia Jacobs for the image.
Complaints about the state of the hut are a long-standing tradition in the club. One classic from Arthur ApSimon in the hut logs from the ‘50s starts with the words ‘DEAR BASTARDS AND BASTARDESSES’. Here, Henry Morgan makes a politer but equally heartfelt plea for members to clean up after themselves when leaving the hut.
I'd just like to have a few lines to talk about the hut for those who are using it currently, and especially looking forward to a great summer of using the hut! I was there a couple of weeks ago and the hut was generally messy. Everything was 'away' but to a poor standard (Bare minimums not even being reached!).
We have a current (and longstanding) problem with rodents as I'm sure you are all aware (one even came and said hello!) and they have become even less picky about what they will eat recently! (Tin foil, sponges, plastic bins and chipboard are now all on the menu apparently).
Apologies if this seems pedantic - it is! But it's necessary if we want to keep the hut a nice place to go to, and not have to spend two hours sweeping up and tidying away rat/mouse poo at the start of every trip!
A few specific points:
· Please take even your recycling home after every trip! Mice are now even getting attracted by dregs in empty beer bottles. (Tins are lighter if you’re cycling!)
· I found some grains of rice (just a few!) clogging up the sink. These had gone mouldy (grim to clean up when mixed with poo!)
· The floors hadn't been swept in ages, with lots of rotten wood lying around. I think this was failure to clean after a work party. Thank you for doing work, but please don't leave tools and detritus around for extended periods of time.
· Please don't leave dishes to dry next to the sink and not put them away, from the location of poo, it's clear mice are running over them which means they just have to be washed up again! There are now some lovely clean tea towels at the hut (In the kitchen cupboard) so you can dry everything. (Then take dirty tea towels home and wash and return please!)
Sorry to moan, I love the hut and I'm sure you all do too. Mess tends to breed mess, please do something about it if it’s not looking lovely.
Let's keep it a lovely place to be :)
And don’t forget to pay your Hut Fees! These are £2 per day/night for anyone using the hut. These fees enable us to continue to maintain the hut, which isn’t cheap, so please pay up! If you’ve been there in the past year and not paid, consider your conscience duly pricked and pay up now. If you don’t already have the club’s bank details, then just ask! And quote HUT as the payment reference.
Henry Morgan, Student Prezz and Joint Hut Warden
WHO'S DOING WHAT
At the recent committee meeting the following jobs were dished out:
Social Secretary - Sam Bowers.
Tackle Warden - Megan Malpas (helped by Sioned Haughton).
Covid Officer and Equalities Officer - Imogen Clement (also Student Moneybags).
Hut Wardens - Liz Green and Henry Morgan. (Liz very kindly keeps the exterior tidy and Henry will look after the rest, so please ensure any work needed is flagged up to Henry so that this can be properly agreed and farmed out as necessary.
Rodent Officer - Ratty McRatFace. Ratty and his friends are on a strict diet, so please don't tempt them with leftovers!
Training Officers - Ashley Gregg and Si Hadfield.
Mid-Week Caving Officer - Si Hadfield.
Safety Officer - Andrew Atkinson.
Proceedings Editor - Graham Mullan.
Newsletter Editors - Zac Woodford and Linda Wilson (please keep the articles and trip reports coming or Zac has threatened to fill the newsletter with computer science nonsense!)
Museum Curators - Linda Wilson and Nathan Cubitt (student curator)
Librarian - Tony Boycott.
Sales Managers - Tony Boycott and Jan Walker.
Thanks to everyone for taking on these positions. Please do everything you can to make their jobs as easy as possible!
At the recent committee meeting the following jobs were dished out:
Social Secretary - Sam Bowers.
Tackle Warden - Megan Malpas (helped by Sioned Haughton).
Covid Officer and Equalities Officer - Imogen Clement (also Student Moneybags).
Hut Wardens - Liz Green and Henry Morgan. (Liz very kindly keeps the exterior tidy and Henry will look after the rest, so please ensure any work needed is flagged up to Henry so that this can be properly agreed and farmed out as necessary.
Rodent Officer - Ratty McRatFace. Ratty and his friends are on a strict diet, so please don't tempt them with leftovers!
Training Officers - Ashley Gregg and Si Hadfield.
Mid-Week Caving Officer - Si Hadfield.
Safety Officer - Andrew Atkinson.
Proceedings Editor - Graham Mullan.
Newsletter Editors - Zac Woodford and Linda Wilson (please keep the articles and trip reports coming or Zac has threatened to fill the newsletter with computer science nonsense!)
Museum Curators - Linda Wilson and Nathan Cubitt (student curator)
Librarian - Tony Boycott.
Sales Managers - Tony Boycott and Jan Walker.
Thanks to everyone for taking on these positions. Please do everything you can to make their jobs as easy as possible!
THE RELUCTANT CAVER – THE DANGERS OF TRAVEL
Aerial walkway at the UBSS Hut at Burrington. Well, we can dream, can't we?
One of the advantages of editing the newsletter is getting to coax our members into using their considerable writing talents. The author is this piece,The Reluctant Caver, is a shy, retiring individual who prefers to remain anonymous, but if anyone guesses their identity correctly you'll receive a pat on the back for your detective work and maybe even a prize! Naturally, we will continue to preserve their anonymity in public!
Have you ever been sent a threatening email, well I have and it resulted in the following article (article is possibly a bit over flattering for what is a mish mash of stuff that popped into what’s left of my brain after 50 years of drinking homebrew and 12 months of lockdown writing reports on chalk hydrogeology which let’s face it is pretty dull - apologies Dr Farrant, I will be/was [depending on when this goes to press] there in BCRA cyberspace on 12 April and it will be/was most enlightening).
How did I end up in this mess? Well, it started in the Union building in 1983, looking for an interesting club to join, and let’s face it what more could a spotty-faced 19-year-old want than a club with their own woodland retreat, weekend trips to the Mendips (didn’t know where they were at the time but they had a nice friendly sound to them) with singing around the camp fire, drinking (my specialist area) and a club name that uses the letters ÆO which you just don’t see in common usage any more. Didn’t really know what spelaeology was but “ologies” are generally pretty good and perfect for someone whose only aversions were heights, enclosed spaces and being cold and wet.
Unfortunately, things didn’t quite go as planned. The first weekend away in the Mendips involved copious amounts of alcohol (OK, good start actually) interspersed with marmalade fights, t-shirt ripping, crawling into dark holes, almost dying of smoke inhalation in the “woodland retreat” and the “long drop” (nuff said on that). The evening improved around the campfire, although I soon found that running very far very fast was essential when someone shouted carbide bomb and a bottle flew past towards the fire. Not being a quitter, I decided to stick around for a bit, particularly when someone called Chris Pepper suggested that the club was great provided that you spent all of your hard-earned grant money on a good stereo. This made far more sense than buying a wetsuit and Oldham lamp (under 40s may need to Google that). Someone called Nick Patrick then suggested I take over as Hon Sec and Martin Warren convinced me that correct use of the word f**k in casual conversation was really an art form.
Taking up the Hon Sec position was a brilliant move, it played to my organisational strength and meant I was so busy organising (mostly faffing and drinking tea) that I didn’t have time to go underground, and no one would notice. Job done, going underground largely avoided but still got to be a member of the ÆO club.
Fast forward to the next millennium, children left home (only to return again several years later) and so I could indulge in my greatest pleasure, leaving the crap UK January weather behind by going somewhere warm and sunny and where people wouldn’t make stupid suggestions like “do you fancy doing Primrose Pot” (well no, obs). It started well, so I thought, with Bonaire, encouraged to go there by friends with tales of long sunny days, clear waters, superb snorkelling/diving and world class windsurfing (right on all counts). Perfect, an arid flat low-lying island in the Caribbean – no caves there. Wrong. Apparently, there was one, in the middle of the island somewhere, but no one knew where. Result. Right up until a local offered to take us there…bugger! Small, smelly, with highly degraded stal but at least there was one bat in there having a nap. Things improved when I came out as someone had set up a camera, slave flash etc and was happily snapping away whilst a lady (possibly not quite a lady?) stripped for him, presumably for the covers of one of those magazines that appear on top shelves (or used to when I was fresher).
Somewhere in central Bonnaire. Four-wheel-drive and a good sense of direction essential.
After Bonnaire came Cuba then Madagascar where I managed to avoid any mention of below ground mucking about. What followed was a major blunder – did a half-arsed job on my research and went to Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur, no problem there, Petronas Towers, cheap beer, good food and lots of cultural stuff. One train journey later and we arrived at the Batu temples only to discover that the Batu area was actually a massive limestone cliff with brightly coloured temples set in and around some very large caves.
Temple Cave in the Batu Caves Complex, a 30 minute train ride from Kuala Lumpur - be prepared to sweat.
No lights needed, no crawling and lots of flowstone, not what you would call pristine but certainly an improvement on Rod’s Pot. I almost enjoyed being underground, if only that monkey with the huge balls would stop hassling me.
The perils of internet dating sites...
From KL we headed out to Borneo, land of the old man so I thought I would fit in perfectly, and yes when we finally found him it was well worth it. Orangutans are fantastic creatures to watch. After faffing about in Kuching for a bit we headed by plane to Gunung Mulu national Park, a world heritage site that is home to some fantastic tropical rainforest including a canopy skywalk which we did on Day 1 - high and wobbly is not good for those to an aversion of heights. [See header photo!]
Route to Clearwater Cave - best way ever to get to a cave entrance.
Next day I headed off on what was advertised as the Clearwater trip, a boat trip followed by a swim in the warm clear waters, just what I needed. Got given a life jacket and helmet when I got on the boat which I thought was a bit odd (the helmet that is), although having mistakenly paddled my kayak down my local river at home a few years ago I realised that a helmet can come in handy in a river when the vertical hold goes on the blink and you end up looking at the fish close up.
Got to Clearwater and our guide took us straight past the inviting pool of clear water to what can only be described as a very large hole in a cliff face at which point, I gathered I had booked the wrong Clearwater trip and missed the local market (oh bugger) to shop for all those little dust gathering trinkets that seem such a great idea to buy when travelling. We were then told to turn our lights on. What lights? You mean that little tube on the front of the helmet. Yes, and whatever you do, don’t shine it in your eyes as it will burn out your retinas. Hmmm, bit brighter than my Oldham then. just as well it was bright as there was a lot of space in all directions to try to illuminate.
We then proceeded alongside a river as big as the one I had kayaked down at home. There were strategically placed hand lines, made out of the cleanest and best kept rope that I had ever seen underground. The river went on and we followed. It included a few crossings, only pausing to watch a cave racer snake sat on a rock waiting for passing bats, or possibly tourists, to snack on. The trip ended too soon on a sandy bank which was a great place to enjoy my Mars bar (other chocolate bars are available but after 30 years of not caving I have learnt that nothing beats a Mars bar). The trip back to the entrance involved a lot of floating along in the Clearwater stream staring up at the cave roof and wondering why I wasn’t cold in just my t-shirt and shorts - caving in tropical areas may have some benefits, just so long as you don’t mind snakes, bats, cockroaches and guano.
Deer Cave - don't bother trying to take photos.
The next day I decided to enjoy one of the paths from the hut through the rainforest to what I thought was marked on the map as Deer Café, but it turned out to be a typo and was actually Deer Cave – felt a bit of a dick if I’m honest. Anyway, decided to check it out. If I thought Clearwater was big, this was f**kin’ massive (just for the cave nerds apparently it is the largest cave passage by volume in the world). Had a wander around inside, no light necessary – it wouldn’t have made any difference anyway. Not much by way of formations, but boy was it big (to paraphrase Douglas Adams, you may think that it’s a long way to the shops but that’s nothing compared to Deer Cave, its big, I mean really big etc). It’s also home to between 2.5 and 3.5 million bats, and for those of you familiar with the species you probably know what that means in terms of the floor covering and odour.
The bat exodus!
Outside the cave lots of people milled about waiting for the bat exodus. A spectacle that happens daily unless it rains, so just as well they don’t live in the UK. About 1 to 2 million bats leave the cave each evening to forage and most importantly eat the mossies which is fine by me. The bats spiral upwards out of the cave trying to avoid the hawks that prey on them, an absolutely awesome sight (available on YouTube if you don’t fancy emptying your bank account and spending 24hrs in planes, trains etc).
So what is the point of these senile wanderings, thinly disguised as an article in such a learned journal?
Aerial walkway at the UBSS Hut at Burrington. Well, we can dream, can't we?
One of the advantages of editing the newsletter is getting to coax our members into using their considerable writing talents. The author is this piece,The Reluctant Caver, is a shy, retiring individual who prefers to remain anonymous, but if anyone guesses their identity correctly you'll receive a pat on the back for your detective work and maybe even a prize! Naturally, we will continue to preserve their anonymity in public!
Have you ever been sent a threatening email, well I have and it resulted in the following article (article is possibly a bit over flattering for what is a mish mash of stuff that popped into what’s left of my brain after 50 years of drinking homebrew and 12 months of lockdown writing reports on chalk hydrogeology which let’s face it is pretty dull - apologies Dr Farrant, I will be/was [depending on when this goes to press] there in BCRA cyberspace on 12 April and it will be/was most enlightening).
How did I end up in this mess? Well, it started in the Union building in 1983, looking for an interesting club to join, and let’s face it what more could a spotty-faced 19-year-old want than a club with their own woodland retreat, weekend trips to the Mendips (didn’t know where they were at the time but they had a nice friendly sound to them) with singing around the camp fire, drinking (my specialist area) and a club name that uses the letters ÆO which you just don’t see in common usage any more. Didn’t really know what spelaeology was but “ologies” are generally pretty good and perfect for someone whose only aversions were heights, enclosed spaces and being cold and wet.
Unfortunately, things didn’t quite go as planned. The first weekend away in the Mendips involved copious amounts of alcohol (OK, good start actually) interspersed with marmalade fights, t-shirt ripping, crawling into dark holes, almost dying of smoke inhalation in the “woodland retreat” and the “long drop” (nuff said on that). The evening improved around the campfire, although I soon found that running very far very fast was essential when someone shouted carbide bomb and a bottle flew past towards the fire. Not being a quitter, I decided to stick around for a bit, particularly when someone called Chris Pepper suggested that the club was great provided that you spent all of your hard-earned grant money on a good stereo. This made far more sense than buying a wetsuit and Oldham lamp (under 40s may need to Google that). Someone called Nick Patrick then suggested I take over as Hon Sec and Martin Warren convinced me that correct use of the word f**k in casual conversation was really an art form.
Taking up the Hon Sec position was a brilliant move, it played to my organisational strength and meant I was so busy organising (mostly faffing and drinking tea) that I didn’t have time to go underground, and no one would notice. Job done, going underground largely avoided but still got to be a member of the ÆO club.
Fast forward to the next millennium, children left home (only to return again several years later) and so I could indulge in my greatest pleasure, leaving the crap UK January weather behind by going somewhere warm and sunny and where people wouldn’t make stupid suggestions like “do you fancy doing Primrose Pot” (well no, obs). It started well, so I thought, with Bonaire, encouraged to go there by friends with tales of long sunny days, clear waters, superb snorkelling/diving and world class windsurfing (right on all counts). Perfect, an arid flat low-lying island in the Caribbean – no caves there. Wrong. Apparently, there was one, in the middle of the island somewhere, but no one knew where. Result. Right up until a local offered to take us there…bugger! Small, smelly, with highly degraded stal but at least there was one bat in there having a nap. Things improved when I came out as someone had set up a camera, slave flash etc and was happily snapping away whilst a lady (possibly not quite a lady?) stripped for him, presumably for the covers of one of those magazines that appear on top shelves (or used to when I was fresher).
Somewhere in central Bonnaire. Four-wheel-drive and a good sense of direction essential.
After Bonnaire came Cuba then Madagascar where I managed to avoid any mention of below ground mucking about. What followed was a major blunder – did a half-arsed job on my research and went to Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur, no problem there, Petronas Towers, cheap beer, good food and lots of cultural stuff. One train journey later and we arrived at the Batu temples only to discover that the Batu area was actually a massive limestone cliff with brightly coloured temples set in and around some very large caves.
Temple Cave in the Batu Caves Complex, a 30 minute train ride from Kuala Lumpur - be prepared to sweat.
No lights needed, no crawling and lots of flowstone, not what you would call pristine but certainly an improvement on Rod’s Pot. I almost enjoyed being underground, if only that monkey with the huge balls would stop hassling me.
The perils of internet dating sites...
From KL we headed out to Borneo, land of the old man so I thought I would fit in perfectly, and yes when we finally found him it was well worth it. Orangutans are fantastic creatures to watch. After faffing about in Kuching for a bit we headed by plane to Gunung Mulu national Park, a world heritage site that is home to some fantastic tropical rainforest including a canopy skywalk which we did on Day 1 - high and wobbly is not good for those to an aversion of heights. [See header photo!]
Route to Clearwater Cave - best way ever to get to a cave entrance.
Next day I headed off on what was advertised as the Clearwater trip, a boat trip followed by a swim in the warm clear waters, just what I needed. Got given a life jacket and helmet when I got on the boat which I thought was a bit odd (the helmet that is), although having mistakenly paddled my kayak down my local river at home a few years ago I realised that a helmet can come in handy in a river when the vertical hold goes on the blink and you end up looking at the fish close up.
Got to Clearwater and our guide took us straight past the inviting pool of clear water to what can only be described as a very large hole in a cliff face at which point, I gathered I had booked the wrong Clearwater trip and missed the local market (oh bugger) to shop for all those little dust gathering trinkets that seem such a great idea to buy when travelling. We were then told to turn our lights on. What lights? You mean that little tube on the front of the helmet. Yes, and whatever you do, don’t shine it in your eyes as it will burn out your retinas. Hmmm, bit brighter than my Oldham then. just as well it was bright as there was a lot of space in all directions to try to illuminate.
We then proceeded alongside a river as big as the one I had kayaked down at home. There were strategically placed hand lines, made out of the cleanest and best kept rope that I had ever seen underground. The river went on and we followed. It included a few crossings, only pausing to watch a cave racer snake sat on a rock waiting for passing bats, or possibly tourists, to snack on. The trip ended too soon on a sandy bank which was a great place to enjoy my Mars bar (other chocolate bars are available but after 30 years of not caving I have learnt that nothing beats a Mars bar). The trip back to the entrance involved a lot of floating along in the Clearwater stream staring up at the cave roof and wondering why I wasn’t cold in just my t-shirt and shorts - caving in tropical areas may have some benefits, just so long as you don’t mind snakes, bats, cockroaches and guano.
Deer Cave - don't bother trying to take photos.
The next day I decided to enjoy one of the paths from the hut through the rainforest to what I thought was marked on the map as Deer Café, but it turned out to be a typo and was actually Deer Cave – felt a bit of a dick if I’m honest. Anyway, decided to check it out. If I thought Clearwater was big, this was f**kin’ massive (just for the cave nerds apparently it is the largest cave passage by volume in the world). Had a wander around inside, no light necessary – it wouldn’t have made any difference anyway. Not much by way of formations, but boy was it big (to paraphrase Douglas Adams, you may think that it’s a long way to the shops but that’s nothing compared to Deer Cave, its big, I mean really big etc). It’s also home to between 2.5 and 3.5 million bats, and for those of you familiar with the species you probably know what that means in terms of the floor covering and odour.
The bat exodus!
Outside the cave lots of people milled about waiting for the bat exodus. A spectacle that happens daily unless it rains, so just as well they don’t live in the UK. About 1 to 2 million bats leave the cave each evening to forage and most importantly eat the mossies which is fine by me. The bats spiral upwards out of the cave trying to avoid the hawks that prey on them, an absolutely awesome sight (available on YouTube if you don’t fancy emptying your bank account and spending 24hrs in planes, trains etc).
So what is the point of these senile wanderings, thinly disguised as an article in such a learned journal?
- Firstly, if like me you prefer your armchair to those subterranean delights and you do plan to go travelling in the post-C19 landscape, do your research carefully and as all the great teachers say, read the bloody book. If you don’t you run the risk of thinking that you might like to go caving again when the holiday is over and you get back to the UK, and it’s the same as it is with grappa, ouzo, rakki and just about any other local hooch, it’s never as good at home as it was when you were away.
- Secondly, when someone threatens you in cyberspace (even in a C-19 lockdown where you're reasonably confident that they cannot travel across the Severn Bridge to get you) with a phrase like “I could try making puppy eyes for something Welsh from you ….. or even anything for the Newsletter”, just write something even if it is complete rubbish then at least you will be able to sleep soundly at night.
The Reluctant Caver.
UNDERGROUND IN FARLEIGH DOWN QUARRY, BATH
Zac Woodford in Farleigh Down Quarry. Photo by Linda Wilson.
UBSS members have a long history with the Bath stone quarries, although for many years the habit of evening trips after a visit to the pub weren't an aid to navigation! And then there was the search for an intercontinental ballistic missile in a haystack, but that's one for 100 Memories! Over the past year, in the breaks between lockdowns, Zac Woodford has been getting acquainted with a very different side of his home city.
Bath, a city often described as beautiful and serene but what some may not know is that the stone used to build the city was excavated from the surrounding hills. The nature of the stone made it necessary to excavate and work it underground otherwise it would dry out and become ruined. This has left a vast network of abandoned underground quarries throughout the hills around Bath.
One such quarry is Farleigh Down Quarry also known as Brown’s Folly Quarry/Mine (due to the large tower built on the hill above it). The quarry (the proper term for underground stone workings, rather than mine) is located just outside the eastern side of Bath, in the hillside above a village called Bathford. It has an interesting history, originally a quarry but then converted into a munitions dump during World War II. Much of it is now blocked off or collapsed but there are still plenty of accessible parts to provide an adventure.
For about as far back as I can remember I have been enthralled by the stone mines around Bath, both their industrial and military histories. My dad even had a book about their use as munitions dump which, while I couldn't quite read, I thoroughly enjoyed it never the less (it had plenty of brilliant pictures).
So it is much to my delight that I have recently been visiting the quarry with a group outside the club who have given me a comprehensive tour of most of the workings and I would definitely recommend visiting them! The entrance is a little tight but that’s to dissuade the casual visitor. Once inside there is plenty to see from old railway lines to stables to carved water troughs. The majority of the quarry can be traversed by walking but there are some more crawly, cavey places if people fancy something more strenuous.
Quarrymen's graffiti. The bird is a peacock, a common local surname. Local census records record numerous Peacocks who worked underground and two signed their names here.
There is also plenty of social history to study as well, the walls are littered with graffiti by the original quarrymen with depictions of trains and peacocks to polite notices warning workers of a fine for farting! It is also a very interesting environment to navigate with several miles of near identical passageways and interesting shortcuts between them. It’s best to take a map.
There are several issues with the quarry, however, it is slowly collapsing. Not at a rate you’d notice unless you happen to be extremely unfortunate… which won’t happen, no one so far has been injured in a collapse. There are some precarious spots, but they can easily be avoided. There is also a war raging with one side desperately trying to turn the quarry into an art gallery not to dissimilar to one you might find under a road underpass and the other side trying to stop them. There are plenty of vandals around who will go to any depths to destroy what is part of our industrial heritage. So just don’t go there intending to find your way back out with paint or glowsticks! Go with someone who knows their way around.
The Well. Scene of an infamous UBSS naked photo shoot many years ago in the days when there was a ladder over the top. A flat cap strategically hung on a certain part of Mike Martin's anatomy preserved his modesty and spared the onlookers' blushes.
But don’t let these minor issues put you off! It is a truly incredible place with many fascinating features and a rich industrial and social history. What’s more, there is always more to explore there. It’s also not very physically taxing, so it makes for a nice relaxing trip. I would very much like to put together several trips there if people are interested. If so, do contact me! It’s a great way to get back underground.
My Email
Zac Woodford in Farleigh Down Quarry. Photo by Linda Wilson.
UBSS members have a long history with the Bath stone quarries, although for many years the habit of evening trips after a visit to the pub weren't an aid to navigation! And then there was the search for an intercontinental ballistic missile in a haystack, but that's one for 100 Memories! Over the past year, in the breaks between lockdowns, Zac Woodford has been getting acquainted with a very different side of his home city.
Bath, a city often described as beautiful and serene but what some may not know is that the stone used to build the city was excavated from the surrounding hills. The nature of the stone made it necessary to excavate and work it underground otherwise it would dry out and become ruined. This has left a vast network of abandoned underground quarries throughout the hills around Bath.
One such quarry is Farleigh Down Quarry also known as Brown’s Folly Quarry/Mine (due to the large tower built on the hill above it). The quarry (the proper term for underground stone workings, rather than mine) is located just outside the eastern side of Bath, in the hillside above a village called Bathford. It has an interesting history, originally a quarry but then converted into a munitions dump during World War II. Much of it is now blocked off or collapsed but there are still plenty of accessible parts to provide an adventure.
For about as far back as I can remember I have been enthralled by the stone mines around Bath, both their industrial and military histories. My dad even had a book about their use as munitions dump which, while I couldn't quite read, I thoroughly enjoyed it never the less (it had plenty of brilliant pictures).
So it is much to my delight that I have recently been visiting the quarry with a group outside the club who have given me a comprehensive tour of most of the workings and I would definitely recommend visiting them! The entrance is a little tight but that’s to dissuade the casual visitor. Once inside there is plenty to see from old railway lines to stables to carved water troughs. The majority of the quarry can be traversed by walking but there are some more crawly, cavey places if people fancy something more strenuous.
Quarrymen's graffiti. The bird is a peacock, a common local surname. Local census records record numerous Peacocks who worked underground and two signed their names here.
There is also plenty of social history to study as well, the walls are littered with graffiti by the original quarrymen with depictions of trains and peacocks to polite notices warning workers of a fine for farting! It is also a very interesting environment to navigate with several miles of near identical passageways and interesting shortcuts between them. It’s best to take a map.
There are several issues with the quarry, however, it is slowly collapsing. Not at a rate you’d notice unless you happen to be extremely unfortunate… which won’t happen, no one so far has been injured in a collapse. There are some precarious spots, but they can easily be avoided. There is also a war raging with one side desperately trying to turn the quarry into an art gallery not to dissimilar to one you might find under a road underpass and the other side trying to stop them. There are plenty of vandals around who will go to any depths to destroy what is part of our industrial heritage. So just don’t go there intending to find your way back out with paint or glowsticks! Go with someone who knows their way around.
The Well. Scene of an infamous UBSS naked photo shoot many years ago in the days when there was a ladder over the top. A flat cap strategically hung on a certain part of Mike Martin's anatomy preserved his modesty and spared the onlookers' blushes.
But don’t let these minor issues put you off! It is a truly incredible place with many fascinating features and a rich industrial and social history. What’s more, there is always more to explore there. It’s also not very physically taxing, so it makes for a nice relaxing trip. I would very much like to put together several trips there if people are interested. If so, do contact me! It’s a great way to get back underground.
My Email
OGOF WHAT?
Llygad Llwchwr. Photo copyright Chris Howes and used with his kind permission.
With lockdown easing and caving back on the agenda, Dickon Morris has put together some information about Welsh cave names, in the hope of tempting a few folks over the border as soon as restrictions allow.
When asked what they think is the second most widely spoken language in the British Isles most people will tend to guess a language such as Hindi, Arabic or Polish (although that last guess is less common now that Brexit has completed). In actual fact the correct answer is Welsh which is just one of five indigenous Celtic languages spoken at least to some extent in these islands. The other four being Scottish Gaelic, Irish Gaelic, Manx and Cornish. Of these five languages, Welsh, is by far the most vibrant and widely used.
The question as to how many people speak and understand Welsh is a difficult one to answer. Within the borders of Wales itself data on Welsh language ability is collected as part of the decennial census. The last census in 2011 suggested that 19% of the population (562,000) could speak Welsh which represented a decline of 14,000 speakers since the 2001 census and a larger decline when taken as a proportion of total population, which had increased. However, the annual population survey by the Office of National Statistics for the year ending September 2020 showed the proportion of people able to speak Welsh had increased since the 2011 census to 28.8% of the population (876,200). If this seems like a rather unbelievable jump in bilingualism then that’s because it probably is.
These surveys are all self-reported (obviously the census does not require you to prove your language ability) and the debate about what level of proficiency in a language allows you to declare yourself a ‘speaker’ can fill hours in the pub. There are also large numbers of Welsh speakers living in other parts of the UK but this is much harder to estimate as the only people that will be noted on the census as Welsh speakers outside of Wales are those who say that their main language is Welsh. Clearly those who live and interact with people who do not speak Welsh are unlikely to claim it as their main language.
With all that considered it can probably be said that 1-2% of British residents are proficient in the language which is impressive considering the efforts made to stamp out the language entirely in the past - but let’s not get into that!
While that is not an insignificant number it is low enough that it can be safely considered that the majority of UBSS Newsletter readers will not be Welsh speakers and that this article will be mostly new and interesting information. For my part I can count on the fingers of two hands the number of cavers I am aware of who speak Welsh.
While there is a rich variety of literature and music produced in the language each year, a decent radio station and slightly less spectacular television channel, these things are invisible to anyone who is not looking for them. The notable exception being the glorious national anthem which is belted out with great enthusiasm at every major sporting event in which Wales are playing.
No, the main exposure that most British people have to Welsh is the place names which they encounter when they visit Wales on holiday, or to go caving of course.
The reaction to these names is not always positive and I’m sure we’ve all heard a joke or two. Incidentally the Welsh language actually has seven vowels (all of the English ones plus w and y) so it is actually English that is lacking in vowels. Not to mention that its only Scrabble gone wrong if you’re using the wrong version of the game (i.e. the English one!).
Joking aside these place names can be rather difficult to pronounce for those not familiar with the language not to mention the fact that they make no sense at all. The aim of this article therefore is to enlighten the majority of cavers who are not familiar with the Iaith o Nefoedd (Language of Heaven) and hopefully make your next visit to Wales more interesting.
The Caves
There are hundreds of caves in South Wales and a good number in North East Wales. The vast majority of these have Welsh names although there are a minority that have been given English names. For example, Little Neath River Cave which may be better off as Ogof Afon Nedd Fechan. In any case what follows is a run through some of the more interesting cave names and their meanings with an approximate phonetic spelling for English speakers.
Llygad Llwchwr Ll-uh-gad Ll-oo-ch-oo-r
Llygad Llwchwr. Photo copyright Chris Howes and used with his kind permission.
Eye of the Lougher. The Lougher is the river which flows out of the entrance to the cave.
Dan yr Ogof Dan uhr Og-ov
Dan yr Ogof. Photo copyright Chris Howes and used with his kind permission.
Quite possibly the finest cave in the country. The name literally means ‘Under the Cave’ which appears to make no sense as it is the cave. However, it seems that the cave is named after the farm which sits below the resurgence which could quite sensibly be named Dan yr Ogof.
Ogof Ffynnon Dhu Og-ov Fun-non Thee
Pluto's Bath. OFD 1. Photo by Linda Wilson.
Cave of the Black Spring. Interestingly the slightly controversial top entrance is labelled as Ogof y Noson Hir on the survey which means Cave of the Long Night although for some reason this name does not seem to have made it into English.
Pant Mawr Pant Ma’-oohr
Pant Mawr. Photo copyright Chris Howes and used with his kind permission.
This means big dip which could be quite reasonably applied to any cave which begins in a large shakehole.
Ogof yr Ardd Og-ov uhr Ar-th (soft th as in then not as in thunder)
This is a little known and fairly tedious cave close to the South Wales Club hut at Penwyllt (Wild Top) but the name is interesting and means ‘The Garden Cave’ which is hardly surprising seeing as it sits in a paddock to the rear of an activity centre.
Ogof Cul Og-ov Keel
A small cave to the west of Ystradfellte (Vale of the River Mellte) meaning quite literally ‘Narrow Cave’ which could quite easily be applied to many caves.
Ogof Fechan Og-ov Veh-ch-an
Simply meaning ‘Small Cave’ in a similar vein to another significant cave on the same mountain called Ogof Fawr which means ‘Big Cave’.
Ogof Rhy Sych Og-ov Rheed See-ch
A fantastic aquatic cave near Merthyr Tydful which means ‘Cave of the Dry Ford’. Although I do not personally know of any fords in the area this most likely refers to a nearby ford which is usually dry due to the fact that the water is underground in the cave.
Ogof Tarddiad Rhymney Tarr-th(soft)-ee-ad Ruh-m-knee
A cave which has been traced to the Rhymney Rising and unsurprisingly means something along the lines of ‘Cave of the Source of the Rhymney’. Admittedly it doesn’t translate that well into English and seems a little clumsy.
Ogof Cynnes Og-ov Cun-ness
Meaning ‘Warm Cave’, so called because it was originally discovered on a winter’s day with snow lying on the ground which had been melted by the warm draft blowing out of the cave.
Agen Allwedd Ag-en Ah-ll-oo-eh-th(soft)
Aggy Entrance. Photo from a film by Andy and Antonia Freem and used with their kind permission.
‘Key Slot’ although personally I’ve never seen the resemblance.
Aggy, Turkey Passage. Photo from a film by Andy and Antonia Freem and used with their kind permission.
Eglwys Faen Egg-loo-us Vine
Literally meaning ‘Stone Church’. This cave has been known for many years so it is certainly possible that the large chamber near the entrance was used as a place of worship at some point in the past.
Siambr Ddu Sham-brr Thee
A cave formed by the collapse of Pennant Sandstone beds into large chambers in the underlying limestone (Ogof Draenen). The cave is therefore entirely formed within the Pennant Sandstone (a coarse sandstone similar to the Millstone Grit found outcropping across the north of England) with black walls and roof hence the name Siambr Ddu which means ‘Black Chamber’.
Ogof Draenen Og-ov Drain-en
Ogof Draenen (upstream). Photo copyright Chris Howes and used with his kind permission.
Without a doubt the longest cave system in the British Isles although two thirds of it is yet to be discovered. The name simply means ‘Thorn Cave’ which supposedly refers to the hawthorn bushes around the original entrance although is also a very appropriate name considering the thorny and protracted debate around the various entrances.
Pronunciation
Fortunately, the majority of the letters of the Welsh alphabet (of which there are 28) are not as unfamiliar to English speakers as you may have imagined although ll, rh and ch have no equivalent in English and are likely to be a bit of a challenge (although the ch sound is present in the Scottish word loch).
Furthermore, unlike the English language, which is notoriously difficult for learners due to the fact that there are so many alternative pronunciations of letters in different words Welsh is entirely phonetic meaning that once you have learned the alphabet you should theoretically be able to pronounce any word that you read on the page although this is very much easier said than done for a native English speaker due to the way that the letters are often combined. Good luck!
Thanks to Enid Evans for checking the Welsh content (I am not a native speaker) and adding the phonetic translations.
Llygad Llwchwr. Photo copyright Chris Howes and used with his kind permission.With lockdown easing and caving back on the agenda, Dickon Morris has put together some information about Welsh cave names, in the hope of tempting a few folks over the border as soon as restrictions allow.
When asked what they think is the second most widely spoken language in the British Isles most people will tend to guess a language such as Hindi, Arabic or Polish (although that last guess is less common now that Brexit has completed). In actual fact the correct answer is Welsh which is just one of five indigenous Celtic languages spoken at least to some extent in these islands. The other four being Scottish Gaelic, Irish Gaelic, Manx and Cornish. Of these five languages, Welsh, is by far the most vibrant and widely used.
The question as to how many people speak and understand Welsh is a difficult one to answer. Within the borders of Wales itself data on Welsh language ability is collected as part of the decennial census. The last census in 2011 suggested that 19% of the population (562,000) could speak Welsh which represented a decline of 14,000 speakers since the 2001 census and a larger decline when taken as a proportion of total population, which had increased. However, the annual population survey by the Office of National Statistics for the year ending September 2020 showed the proportion of people able to speak Welsh had increased since the 2011 census to 28.8% of the population (876,200). If this seems like a rather unbelievable jump in bilingualism then that’s because it probably is.
These surveys are all self-reported (obviously the census does not require you to prove your language ability) and the debate about what level of proficiency in a language allows you to declare yourself a ‘speaker’ can fill hours in the pub. There are also large numbers of Welsh speakers living in other parts of the UK but this is much harder to estimate as the only people that will be noted on the census as Welsh speakers outside of Wales are those who say that their main language is Welsh. Clearly those who live and interact with people who do not speak Welsh are unlikely to claim it as their main language.
With all that considered it can probably be said that 1-2% of British residents are proficient in the language which is impressive considering the efforts made to stamp out the language entirely in the past - but let’s not get into that!
While that is not an insignificant number it is low enough that it can be safely considered that the majority of UBSS Newsletter readers will not be Welsh speakers and that this article will be mostly new and interesting information. For my part I can count on the fingers of two hands the number of cavers I am aware of who speak Welsh.
While there is a rich variety of literature and music produced in the language each year, a decent radio station and slightly less spectacular television channel, these things are invisible to anyone who is not looking for them. The notable exception being the glorious national anthem which is belted out with great enthusiasm at every major sporting event in which Wales are playing.
No, the main exposure that most British people have to Welsh is the place names which they encounter when they visit Wales on holiday, or to go caving of course.
The reaction to these names is not always positive and I’m sure we’ve all heard a joke or two. Incidentally the Welsh language actually has seven vowels (all of the English ones plus w and y) so it is actually English that is lacking in vowels. Not to mention that its only Scrabble gone wrong if you’re using the wrong version of the game (i.e. the English one!).
Joking aside these place names can be rather difficult to pronounce for those not familiar with the language not to mention the fact that they make no sense at all. The aim of this article therefore is to enlighten the majority of cavers who are not familiar with the Iaith o Nefoedd (Language of Heaven) and hopefully make your next visit to Wales more interesting.
Place Names Across Mainland Britain
The history of Mainland Britain is reflected in its place names. When a place was first named it would obviously have been given a name in the language of the people who lived in that area at the time. However, the original name did not always stick when new people came along (one can hardly imagine that the Native Americans who lived around the island of Manhattan would have called it that prior to European settlement).
In Wales the meanings of the vast majority of place names is immediately obvious to a Welsh speaker and this is because the majority of Wales has been continuously inhabited by speakers of Welsh for over 2000 years. Prior to the gradual anglicisation of the nation that has occurred over the last several hundred years the linguistic make-up of the nation had not changed significantly since the departure of the Romans. However, the influx of English speakers has already left its mark with the large number of anglicised place names in South and East Wales (although the original Welsh version is usually still retained as an alternative). Furthermore, many place names in South Pembrokeshire are fully anglicised with no Welsh version remaining which is indicative of the fact that this has been a majority English speaking area for almost 1000 years.
To the east of Offa’s Dyke in England the picture is far more complicated and while some place names make sense to an English speaker (e.g. Wells), many others do not (e.g. Kirkby Lonsdale). This is a result of the fact that the demographics (and therefore linguistics) of England shifted many times between the departure of the Romans and the arrival of the Normans in 1066.
This means that many of the place names originate from languages that have been pushed out and are no longer spoken, including Norse languages, Saxon languages and, on the borders, the Celtic languages that still dominate place names on the fringes of the island of Britain in Scotland, Wales and Cornwall.
For example, many place names in the north of England have their roots in Cumbric which was a Celtic language very closely related to Old Welsh. The names Cumbria and Cymru (Wales) share a common root. The name Pen y Ghent is partially comprehensible to a modern Welsh speaker meaning the head / top of something with the word Ghent not present in the modern language.
The history of Mainland Britain is reflected in its place names. When a place was first named it would obviously have been given a name in the language of the people who lived in that area at the time. However, the original name did not always stick when new people came along (one can hardly imagine that the Native Americans who lived around the island of Manhattan would have called it that prior to European settlement).
In Wales the meanings of the vast majority of place names is immediately obvious to a Welsh speaker and this is because the majority of Wales has been continuously inhabited by speakers of Welsh for over 2000 years. Prior to the gradual anglicisation of the nation that has occurred over the last several hundred years the linguistic make-up of the nation had not changed significantly since the departure of the Romans. However, the influx of English speakers has already left its mark with the large number of anglicised place names in South and East Wales (although the original Welsh version is usually still retained as an alternative). Furthermore, many place names in South Pembrokeshire are fully anglicised with no Welsh version remaining which is indicative of the fact that this has been a majority English speaking area for almost 1000 years.
To the east of Offa’s Dyke in England the picture is far more complicated and while some place names make sense to an English speaker (e.g. Wells), many others do not (e.g. Kirkby Lonsdale). This is a result of the fact that the demographics (and therefore linguistics) of England shifted many times between the departure of the Romans and the arrival of the Normans in 1066.
This means that many of the place names originate from languages that have been pushed out and are no longer spoken, including Norse languages, Saxon languages and, on the borders, the Celtic languages that still dominate place names on the fringes of the island of Britain in Scotland, Wales and Cornwall.
For example, many place names in the north of England have their roots in Cumbric which was a Celtic language very closely related to Old Welsh. The names Cumbria and Cymru (Wales) share a common root. The name Pen y Ghent is partially comprehensible to a modern Welsh speaker meaning the head / top of something with the word Ghent not present in the modern language.
The Caves
There are hundreds of caves in South Wales and a good number in North East Wales. The vast majority of these have Welsh names although there are a minority that have been given English names. For example, Little Neath River Cave which may be better off as Ogof Afon Nedd Fechan. In any case what follows is a run through some of the more interesting cave names and their meanings with an approximate phonetic spelling for English speakers.
Llygad Llwchwr Ll-uh-gad Ll-oo-ch-oo-r
Llygad Llwchwr. Photo copyright Chris Howes and used with his kind permission.
Eye of the Lougher. The Lougher is the river which flows out of the entrance to the cave.
Dan yr Ogof Dan uhr Og-ov
Dan yr Ogof. Photo copyright Chris Howes and used with his kind permission.
Quite possibly the finest cave in the country. The name literally means ‘Under the Cave’ which appears to make no sense as it is the cave. However, it seems that the cave is named after the farm which sits below the resurgence which could quite sensibly be named Dan yr Ogof.
Ogof Ffynnon Dhu Og-ov Fun-non Thee
Pluto's Bath. OFD 1. Photo by Linda Wilson.
Cave of the Black Spring. Interestingly the slightly controversial top entrance is labelled as Ogof y Noson Hir on the survey which means Cave of the Long Night although for some reason this name does not seem to have made it into English.
Pant Mawr Pant Ma’-oohr
Pant Mawr. Photo copyright Chris Howes and used with his kind permission.
This means big dip which could be quite reasonably applied to any cave which begins in a large shakehole.
Ogof yr Ardd Og-ov uhr Ar-th (soft th as in then not as in thunder)
This is a little known and fairly tedious cave close to the South Wales Club hut at Penwyllt (Wild Top) but the name is interesting and means ‘The Garden Cave’ which is hardly surprising seeing as it sits in a paddock to the rear of an activity centre.
Ogof Cul Og-ov Keel
A small cave to the west of Ystradfellte (Vale of the River Mellte) meaning quite literally ‘Narrow Cave’ which could quite easily be applied to many caves.
Ogof Fechan Og-ov Veh-ch-an
Simply meaning ‘Small Cave’ in a similar vein to another significant cave on the same mountain called Ogof Fawr which means ‘Big Cave’.
Ogof Rhy Sych Og-ov Rheed See-ch
A fantastic aquatic cave near Merthyr Tydful which means ‘Cave of the Dry Ford’. Although I do not personally know of any fords in the area this most likely refers to a nearby ford which is usually dry due to the fact that the water is underground in the cave.
Ogof Tarddiad Rhymney Tarr-th(soft)-ee-ad Ruh-m-knee
A cave which has been traced to the Rhymney Rising and unsurprisingly means something along the lines of ‘Cave of the Source of the Rhymney’. Admittedly it doesn’t translate that well into English and seems a little clumsy.
Ogof Cynnes Og-ov Cun-ness
Meaning ‘Warm Cave’, so called because it was originally discovered on a winter’s day with snow lying on the ground which had been melted by the warm draft blowing out of the cave.
Agen Allwedd Ag-en Ah-ll-oo-eh-th(soft)
Aggy Entrance. Photo from a film by Andy and Antonia Freem and used with their kind permission.
‘Key Slot’ although personally I’ve never seen the resemblance.
Aggy, Turkey Passage. Photo from a film by Andy and Antonia Freem and used with their kind permission.
Eglwys Faen Egg-loo-us Vine
Literally meaning ‘Stone Church’. This cave has been known for many years so it is certainly possible that the large chamber near the entrance was used as a place of worship at some point in the past.
Siambr Ddu Sham-brr Thee
A cave formed by the collapse of Pennant Sandstone beds into large chambers in the underlying limestone (Ogof Draenen). The cave is therefore entirely formed within the Pennant Sandstone (a coarse sandstone similar to the Millstone Grit found outcropping across the north of England) with black walls and roof hence the name Siambr Ddu which means ‘Black Chamber’.
Ogof Draenen Og-ov Drain-en
Ogof Draenen (upstream). Photo copyright Chris Howes and used with his kind permission.
Without a doubt the longest cave system in the British Isles although two thirds of it is yet to be discovered. The name simply means ‘Thorn Cave’ which supposedly refers to the hawthorn bushes around the original entrance although is also a very appropriate name considering the thorny and protracted debate around the various entrances.
Pronunciation
Fortunately, the majority of the letters of the Welsh alphabet (of which there are 28) are not as unfamiliar to English speakers as you may have imagined although ll, rh and ch have no equivalent in English and are likely to be a bit of a challenge (although the ch sound is present in the Scottish word loch).
Furthermore, unlike the English language, which is notoriously difficult for learners due to the fact that there are so many alternative pronunciations of letters in different words Welsh is entirely phonetic meaning that once you have learned the alphabet you should theoretically be able to pronounce any word that you read on the page although this is very much easier said than done for a native English speaker due to the way that the letters are often combined. Good luck!
Thanks to Enid Evans for checking the Welsh content (I am not a native speaker) and adding the phonetic translations.
Dickon Morris
THE MYSTERY IS REVEALED - IRON ACTON CAVE
Graham outside Iron Acton Cave with Lady (left) and Trigger (right).
As part of Things To Do In Lockdown (Volume 54), Graham and Linda took a trip to one of the areas lesser known caving regions just north of Bristol to visit yet more caverns measureless to man.
Many years ago, I came across a handwritten account of Iron Acton Cave by 'Porthos' Taylor, donated to the society in a collection of other papers by his widow, and so on 29th March 1987, clutching his description, Graham and I set off with Tony Boycott and our first generation of dogs (Scruffy and Beela, for those who remember them) to follow in his footsteps. We found the cave without difficulty and I even did a sketch of the entrance, with Graham and Scruffy for scale. Beela was investigating the interior at the time.
My sketch made on 3 May 1987. There was a lot less ivy then.
We followed the description in Porthos' account (reproduced below) and the following is taken from the description I wrote at the time for the Newsletter but never got around to submitting to the then editor (apologies to whoever it was at the time!). We followed Porthos' description, although according to Graham, the grid reference he gave is wrong and should be NGR ST 6788 8287.
There is parking by the bridge over the nearby river and there is now a very obvious nature trail beside the river to the weir. Almost 34 years ago to the day, I noted that ... 'The recent heavy rains had swollen the river to such an extent that the low-lying fields on either ban were completely flooded and the course of the river was lost for some way, the only indication of its correct channel was a footbridge, rising straight out of a lake and disappearing back into it, with only the tops of the fence posts to show the line of the track leading to and from it." It was a lot drier when we visited at the end of March this year.
Returning to my original notes ... "The cave itself lies at the foot of a sandstone outcrop, which appears to have been quarried. The large entrance leads to a chamber approx .... by .... with a flat floor, showing the usual evidence of human habitation (albeit temporary) on the floor: a camp fire, picnics and coke cans. By bridging up the left hand end of the chamber - and getting covered in red mud - I was able to ascertain that there were no passages leading off the chamber, although there did appear to be evidence of water running into the chamber and down the walls through a narrow rift, this is nothing more than surface water running down through the rock.' And so endeth my previously unpublished account from 34 years ago. To complete the description, I think the chamber is approximately two metres wide, one metre deep and two metres high.
Looking at it now, I have no idea how I managed to bridge up the wall! And with modern lights it wasn't necessary to reprise that performance as my Fenix clearly showed there was nothing of interest at the top of the climb. On this occasion, there was a lot less detritus on the floor, but there was considerably more paint-spray graffiti on the wall (with little or no artistic merit apart from one small drawing of a dog's head).
This was Lady's last walk, and it was very special to visit the cave with her, our 3rd female dog. Trigger is our 4th generation male dog and has a new 4th generation companion, Lady's very worthy successor, Gwen Greyhound. It's a really nice walk, so I don't think we'll leave it another 34 years before returning. I might even have another go at climbing the wall next time!
No one correctly guessed the cave, so there are no prizes to hand out, but well done to Clive and Elaine for trying. Clive's guess was Sally's Rift and Elaine thought it was 'the little cave in Chill Wood next to the Frome.'
Graham outside Iron Acton Cave with Lady (left) and Trigger (right).
As part of Things To Do In Lockdown (Volume 54), Graham and Linda took a trip to one of the areas lesser known caving regions just north of Bristol to visit yet more caverns measureless to man.
Many years ago, I came across a handwritten account of Iron Acton Cave by 'Porthos' Taylor, donated to the society in a collection of other papers by his widow, and so on 29th March 1987, clutching his description, Graham and I set off with Tony Boycott and our first generation of dogs (Scruffy and Beela, for those who remember them) to follow in his footsteps. We found the cave without difficulty and I even did a sketch of the entrance, with Graham and Scruffy for scale. Beela was investigating the interior at the time.
My sketch made on 3 May 1987. There was a lot less ivy then.
We followed the description in Porthos' account (reproduced below) and the following is taken from the description I wrote at the time for the Newsletter but never got around to submitting to the then editor (apologies to whoever it was at the time!). We followed Porthos' description, although according to Graham, the grid reference he gave is wrong and should be NGR ST 6788 8287.
There is parking by the bridge over the nearby river and there is now a very obvious nature trail beside the river to the weir. Almost 34 years ago to the day, I noted that ... 'The recent heavy rains had swollen the river to such an extent that the low-lying fields on either ban were completely flooded and the course of the river was lost for some way, the only indication of its correct channel was a footbridge, rising straight out of a lake and disappearing back into it, with only the tops of the fence posts to show the line of the track leading to and from it." It was a lot drier when we visited at the end of March this year.
Returning to my original notes ... "The cave itself lies at the foot of a sandstone outcrop, which appears to have been quarried. The large entrance leads to a chamber approx .... by .... with a flat floor, showing the usual evidence of human habitation (albeit temporary) on the floor: a camp fire, picnics and coke cans. By bridging up the left hand end of the chamber - and getting covered in red mud - I was able to ascertain that there were no passages leading off the chamber, although there did appear to be evidence of water running into the chamber and down the walls through a narrow rift, this is nothing more than surface water running down through the rock.' And so endeth my previously unpublished account from 34 years ago. To complete the description, I think the chamber is approximately two metres wide, one metre deep and two metres high.
Looking at it now, I have no idea how I managed to bridge up the wall! And with modern lights it wasn't necessary to reprise that performance as my Fenix clearly showed there was nothing of interest at the top of the climb. On this occasion, there was a lot less detritus on the floor, but there was considerably more paint-spray graffiti on the wall (with little or no artistic merit apart from one small drawing of a dog's head).
This was Lady's last walk, and it was very special to visit the cave with her, our 3rd female dog. Trigger is our 4th generation male dog and has a new 4th generation companion, Lady's very worthy successor, Gwen Greyhound. It's a really nice walk, so I don't think we'll leave it another 34 years before returning. I might even have another go at climbing the wall next time!
No one correctly guessed the cave, so there are no prizes to hand out, but well done to Clive and Elaine for trying. Clive's guess was Sally's Rift and Elaine thought it was 'the little cave in Chill Wood next to the Frome.'
You can
probably tell from his handwriting that Porthos was a doctor. It's not
too bad here, but in some of the archaeological logs, it's almost
indecipherable.
Porthos also notes the possibility of some other caves in the area that might be worthy of further investigation, so if anyone fancies a nice walk in the countryside, make sure you take a camera or sketchbook and don't leave it as long as I did to submit your report to the newsletter!
Porthos also notes the possibility of some other caves in the area that might be worthy of further investigation, so if anyone fancies a nice walk in the countryside, make sure you take a camera or sketchbook and don't leave it as long as I did to submit your report to the newsletter!
Linda Wilson
THE DRAGON READ TO THE END - DID YOU?
The winner of last month's competition was Jan Waker, who was very quick off the mark! Keep the emails coming! It's a real bonus for your editorial team, slaving over a hot computer, to know there's a readership out there, busy finding excuses not to do any real work!
- Great newsletter this time; lots of fascinating stuff, but I must admit that my two favourite bits were the insect up the arm story (ugh!!!) and this quote: “Previously to this, the only change in the photos was the door falling off one of the cars at the very top of the Gorge.”, which for some reason just tickled my funny bone. (Jan Walker)
- I’m procrastinating while waiting for my training course to start! Good work, everyone, and I am tittering at both the Hon Moneybags and the goat being paid more than Rick! (Sharon Wheeler and the blessed FT Bear)
- Yes, yes, once more unto the end, dear friends, once more. Cry ‘Good for Cuthberts! Britain! And Saint Swithins!’ (William Shookspear aka Chris Howes)
- During my tenure as editor be prepared to be bored to death by my instance that comp sci does have a place in the newsletter! (Zac Woodford)
- (well, I skipped a few bits here and there, but I read the GB Cave rockfall bits twice.) (Hans Freiderich}
- Yes I did read to the end, but got distracted by a rockfall… (Andy Farrant}
- Anyway, I got to the end. You were surprisingly polite about the younger me photo. (Dick Willis)
- Good newsletter BTW. The article on slaughter was very interesting. (Dickon Morris)
- Only a fortnight late! (in my defence, I've been caving...) (Elaine Oliver)
Now, who read to the end this time? Late entries accepted! For those new to the game, there will be a splendid prize for the first person to read to the end and tell us that you did!
THE END
The winner of last month's competition was Jan Waker, who was very quick off the mark! Keep the emails coming! It's a real bonus for your editorial team, slaving over a hot computer, to know there's a readership out there, busy finding excuses not to do any real work!
- Great newsletter this time; lots of fascinating stuff, but I must admit that my two favourite bits were the insect up the arm story (ugh!!!) and this quote: “Previously to this, the only change in the photos was the door falling off one of the cars at the very top of the Gorge.”, which for some reason just tickled my funny bone. (Jan Walker)
- I’m procrastinating while waiting for my training course to start! Good work, everyone, and I am tittering at both the Hon Moneybags and the goat being paid more than Rick! (Sharon Wheeler and the blessed FT Bear)
- Yes, yes, once more unto the end, dear friends, once more. Cry ‘Good for Cuthberts! Britain! And Saint Swithins!’ (William Shookspear aka Chris Howes)
- During my tenure as editor be prepared to be bored to death by my instance that comp sci does have a place in the newsletter! (Zac Woodford)
- (well, I skipped a few bits here and there, but I read the GB Cave rockfall bits twice.) (Hans Freiderich}
- Yes I did read to the end, but got distracted by a rockfall… (Andy Farrant}
- Anyway, I got to the end. You were surprisingly polite about the younger me photo. (Dick Willis)
- Good newsletter BTW. The article on slaughter was very interesting. (Dickon Morris)
- Only a fortnight late! (in my defence, I've been caving...) (Elaine Oliver)
Now, who read to the end this time? Late entries accepted! For those new to the game, there will be a splendid prize for the first person to read to the end and tell us that you did!
THE END