University of Bristol Spelæological Society

YAY, CAVING!


Titan Shaft. Photo copyright Mark Burkey and used with his kind permission.
We have two dates for your diary, so if you are interested in either, please contact Haydon Saunders asap!

Friday 6th - Sunday 8th May - Derbyshire. The aim of this trip is again to do some more challenging caving such as Titan. This weekend is aimed at people who are self-sufficient cavers and competent at SRT. If you are interested email Haydon or message him on Facebook and he'll add you to a group. Ideally you should be able to lead your trip or have a leader in mind.

Friday 10th - Sunday 12th June - Hut Maintenance/ Wood chopping weekend. This is the traditional weekend where we all get together to give the hut a lick of paint and fill the woodstore. It's not a caving weekend and is more of an opportunity to have a bonfire and BBQ, there will also likely be a barrel of Butcombe! It's always a great laugh but also on a serious side the hut always needs a bit of TLC and if you have enjoyed a weekend there in the past it's well worth helping keep it in one piece. This is open to all and the sign-up sheet is here.

BANWELL CAVES OPEN DAY - 3rd JUNE 2022


Bone stack in Banwell Bone Cave. Photo by Kay Wills from the Mendip Cave Registry and Archive.
An open day is being held at Banwell Caves on 3rd June 2022. The following message has been received from Colin Rodgers (UBSS and Axbridge Cave Club member). In addition, Zac Woodford is hoping to go along to one of the working days on 22nd May, so contact Zac if you're interested in getting involved.

Hi Folks,
 
We want to encourage Fun-Filled Annual Day-Time Get-Togethers, like we used to have at Redcliff Caves and Wessex Challenge.  Lots of us only saw each other at the Redcliff Open day. Suffering City Traffic and Parking hassle. Family members had a potential choice of Bristol venues, but in practice Redcliff was the main venue, and it was often cheaper to stay put and see nothing else.
 
In contrast, Banwell, has large grounds and many activities. It has been a very popular day-out for visitors both in and out of the caves.  I cannot vouch for all the activities this year, it depends on volunteer numbers.  In the past, we had a rota of guided tours of the follies, caves and tower, a video and talk, an exhibition and cream teas.  All going off on relay.  There used to be craft stalls and many exhibits.  The house and grounds are beautiful. There are activities for volunteers before the open days. You can come at other times and get into Technical Activities, power cables to improve; Stu. Mac. wants to do electronic analysis in the lower galleries, and we have filming assignments. 'The Caves' are featured in biological studies and UBSS are keen to have academic tours.
 
Don't be worried by traffic: there are no bottle-necks from Weston to 'The Caves.'  The short & avoidable rush hr. is only to the village from the A38. The caves are West of the village and rush hr. free. There are also numerous back roads to the South and North of 'The Caves.' Parking is at 'The Caves.' Bring the family, stay most of the day. If that's not enough, there are numerous tourist activities within an easy drive.  A bus route is nearby, and I'm sure we could organise lifts from Bristol etc., and no problem getting lifts back. Lifts Wanted and Offered board available. 
 
If still uncertain, Come this year as a visitor, and see the potential.  In case you don't know, the ACG originated with a group of Banwell Cave explorers. (If successful and with enough volunteers, this event could develop. Remember the Wessex Challenge with lectures, cave photography and art, 'buy and sell' and 'Caver Olympic' fun squeezing through coat hangers etc.). 
 
Colin, 
on behalf of 
'The Caves' 
(West of) Banwell
nr. Weston-super-Mare
Somerset
BS29 6NA​
NGR ST 3822 5881   (i.e. finger on good map: 382 588) 
WG S84: 51. 32502, -2.88801
 

IRELAND SUMMER TRIP



Hi everyone! It’s Mia here to hype people up for the Ireland expo. Our last one was in 2020 and it was fantastic; if you’re unsure whether or not to try it out I am here to convince you to GO FOR IT. See the Facebook event and Ash’s description below:

"Summer caving trip to Co Clare, Ireland. The dates for the trip are 26th August - 11th September. Ideally come for both weeks!, however there will most likely be a changeover day in the middle if you can only make one of the weeks.
 
Back over to Mia for more info...

FAQs

Do I have to be a super pro experienced caver?
No! Just come keen to learn. Ash loves training up expo minions.

What else can I do there?
There’s lots to enjoy in the surrounding areas (including other amazing caves) – for example, beaches, great hiking spots, seafood, Guinness (!), and there’s the possibility of daytrips to other places of interest e.g. the Cliffs of Moher.

What’s Coolagh River Cave like?
Really cool. Every type of caver on the last expo loved it for various reasons. It genuinely has something for everyone – spacious traverses, wiggly stomping passage, climbs, streamway, muddy grotty oxbows, and more.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask Ash. If you have any queries about being a not-so-pro super experienced caver on their first expo, I am also happy to talk. Here are some highlights from expo 2020 to give you an idea of what it is like.

FAIRIES AND FROGGIES


The Toast Rack, OFD1, taken by Linda Wilson on a totally different trip with totally different people, but hey, you don't expect total toasty accuracy, do you? And to complicate matters further, there's a school of thought that argues that this isn't actually the toast rack, and that a formation a little further into the cave is the original toast rack.
Although this one didn’t quite make national news, Jake Reich recounts the tale of another thrilling rescue in OFD …
Haydon and his three minions, Bryn; Nicholas (coming all the way from York university) and Jake, set off on a sunny Saturday morning to OFD 1 (with a 'reasonable' 50 minutes worth of faff).

The caving starts off smoothly with oversuits filled with double deckers and snickers bars. Bryn decided to steal precious tackle bag space with his stack of Welsh cakes. Brave. A steady walk ensued, before our arrival at the Toast Rack with smiling faces. We then took a quick detour to the step to check the (low) water levels. From there, a bit of exploration (or rather, getting lost) to find Airy Fairy commenced. After some ideas being thrown around about how best to leap over the streamway from above, we deemed it too dangerous and found Airy Fairy some other way.

We arrived at the Bolt Traverse, where Bryn was having loads of fun (after his heart rate settled). Through Rawl Series we go and into the streamway. At some point we arrived at a crawl with extremely beautiful, yet extremely sharp crystals. Thankfully, since I showed my mother last month's newsletter where I complained heavily about having no knee pads, she was very worried about her favourite son's knees and sent me some Warmbacs in the mail! Thanks mom! I was fully prepared, given that I didn't leave my fresh kneepads in the sodding car! So, I mustered through, destroying my knees in the process.

Off we went to Roly Poly Passage, with Nicholas winning the award for fastest time to roll through (like a log rolling down a hill). We steadily made our way back to the entrance, where Bryn found a cute little froggy and a cute larger froggy lost in the cave! Bryn took the small guy in his oversuit and climbed up, heroically saving his poor amphibious soul. Nicholas bravely held the big boy between his two hands, climbed up and similarly became a hero (with ol’ froggo narrowly escaping a couple near death encounters from his hands)!
 

FISHING FOR ROCKS


Mark Tringham outside the entrance to Fishmonger's Swallet. Photo by David Hardwick.
On Sunday 1st May, David Hardwick and Mark Tringham spent a couple of happy (muddy) hours down Fishmonger's Swallet. David provides an update following the recent change of ownership.
 
The land upon which the entrance to Fishmonger's Swallet is located was sold late last year along with the adjacent property. Contact has now been made with the new owners and they have confirmed that they are quite happy for there to be continued access to the cave. A formal access agreement is in the process of being written up with Hades Caving Club as the access controlling body.
 
This is the first trip since the sale and as anticipated there was quite a lot of introductions and discussion about the cave and what had been done there previously, before we actually got underground. It is great that the new owners are as interested as their predecessors and hopefully this will lead to a similar relationship to that with the previous owners who so kindly indulged our activities and put up with not only filthy cavers on their lawn but various film crews too
 
The purpose of this trip was to collect a few more rock samples from the muddiest part of the cave to complete the write up on the cave geology. To be totally truthful, it was to get the ones we didn’t bother to get last time and probably should have, but there is only so much wallowing in mud and lugging about of rocks that you can do before deciding enough is enough. In fairness, it wasn’t just that we couldn’t be bothered that left us a few samples short but having looked at and discussed the nature of the cave we thought we had it sussed with what we had and it was only when Mark cleaned up the samples and tested them that things proved to be a little more complicated
 
I won’t bore you with details here, you can wait until the findings appear in  Proceedings for that (the details that is, not the being bored bit … although then again ….!!)  To summarise though …. there are features we identified (OK, Mark did)  that are normally only found in Sandstone. Some of the rock layers also had the characteristic shininess of silica again suggesting sandstone. These were subsequently found to be limestone, meaning our theories about where we had met the interface between the sandstone and limestone were incorrect and more sampling was therefore needed, and, of course, the samples needed were of course at the very far end where it is typically muddiest.
 
The result was, there was I, all pleased about going back into a cave that I thought I might never be able to go into again, and there was Mark, somewhat more reluctantly, going into the same cave having hoped he would never have to go into it again. It only took a couple of hours to get everything we needed so not the longest trip but hopefully a productive one.
 
Two other bits to report are: Firstly, the property is now on mains drainage so the overflow from the septic tank no longer flows into the stream and down the cave and secondly, in digging the new connection through to the main road (through rock, not surprisingly) they used JCBs and breakers to cut a trench directly over the cave but despite this no doubt causing vibrations, there do not appear to be any adverse effects in the cave itself.
 
In fact, the cave was pretty much as left last Autumn. The scaffolding all appeared sound and very little had changed underground. Some broken glass had been washed in (or out of the debris) which was lying at the bottom of the scaffolding along with a few bits of pottery but no bones had been washed clean by the winter weather on this occasion. The amount of water that has flowed into the cave since we were last there was evident from the debris we had to dig through to get to the gate. More than other years, but probably related to tree clearance and pruning by the new owners rather than any major change in flow patterns etc.
 
Good to be back in and lots more to do.
 
Next steps are completing the photography (including the Tringham Buttocks!!  - and you will have to wait for Proceedings for that to be explained!!) and hopefully also more of the filming which has only been done as far as Bone Idle Chamber.
 

MENDIP ACCESS NEWS

The following is a round-up of access news from Mendip, thanks to the work of Graham Price, Conservation and Access Officer, Council of Southern Caving Clubs (CSCC).

MANOR FARM


New entrance structure, replacing the original one built in the 1960s by Prof. Tratman. Photo by Graham Price.
The work of rebuilding the entrance to the cave has now been finished. For access, please call at the farm for permission. A small goodwill fee of £2 per head is payable, so please have some cash with you.

LOXTON CAVE


200 year old miner's boots in Loxton Cave, protected by conservation tape. Photo by Graham Price.
Following extensive stabilisation works on the entrance shaft and conservation work to tape delicate areas and historic artefacts underground, Loxton Cave will be open again soon on a leader system under the aegis of CSCC.

Henry Morgan and Zac Woodford have agreed to be leaders for UBSS. This fascinating cave was first entered by miners in the 18th century and still contains a lot of evidence of their work there, including tally marks, graffiti, clay pipes, old boots and the imprint of corduroy trousers in mud. The location of the cave was then lost for nearly 200 years until it was rediscovered by digging in 2000.

COW HOLE
 
Following another change of ownership it has been possible to renegotiate access to Cow Hole and the cave is now available for visits. There is no requirement to call on the owner, however the following procedure must be followed.
 
The entrance is located in the field one removed from the road. Park neatly on the verge in Ubley Drove taking care not to obstruct any gateways, leaving plenty of space for tractors with large trailers to manoeuvre.
 
Follow the track across the first field from the gate situated at ST 51534 57093, which is between Ubley Barn and Ubley Hill Farm. This field is effectively part of the garden of Ubley Barn and it is essential that the gates at both ends are shut. There is a right of access across the field and no need to obtain permission to use it.
 
The cave is located at ST 51963 567643 in the second field. The entrance is not very visible and a GPS is useful to locate it. If the field is planted with a grass crop for hay it is essential to take a direct route to the entrance and avoid excessive damage to the grass. If the field is in use for grazing and animals are present, it will be necessary for one member of the party to remain on the surface to safeguard the entrance.
 
Proposals to aid in locating the entrance and securing the lid are under consideration.
 
WARNING. Please take note that the section from the bottom of the entrance shaft and the pitch into the Main Chamber is of questionable stability and appropriate care must be taken. There is limited space at the head of the pitch which is fitted with resin anchors. The pitch is not suitable for SRT.

WATERWHEEL SWALLET

Work on the replacement gate. Photo by Graham Price
Waterwheel Swallet was broken into over the Christmas period and the cave had to be made secure and a temporary fixed grill was installed.
 
The new gate has now been fitted and access restored. Access remains the same, the cave being fitted with a standard CSCC lock.

SINGING RIVER MINE

Following a change of ownership a while ago, lengthy negotiations have being taking place with the new owner. This has been a sensitive situation as effectively the cave is in the back garden of the house at Shipham. These discussions have now been concluded.

The cave will be locked and CSCC C&A officer Graham Price will administer an access system of those caving clubs with premises where keys can be held as the landowner does not wish keys to be held by individuals. UBSS will be included in this arrangements and Hon. Sec. Elliot McCall will be the designated point of contact for the distribution of a key to third parties should outside requests for trips be made.

All visits will need to be booked via and online booking system and the landowner reserves the right to note any days during which the cave will not be open to visits on this system. A goodwill fee for each visit will also need to be collected. The mechanics of how this will be collected.are currently under discussions. Please do not try to visit the cave yet until we have the key and have been officially notified that the cave can be visited again.

COMPTON MARTIN OCHRE MINE


Entrance to Compton Martin Ochre Mine before fitting of new gate. Photo by Graham Price.
A new gate will be fitted on Compton Martin Ochre Mine in the near future. The mine is gated as a requirement of the landowner for safety reasons and to protect the bat population. The mine is an important bat site and when visiting care must be taken to avoid any disturbance. During January, the mine is closed and visits are not permitted. The gate will be on a standard CSCC padlock.


Limited parking available. Photo by Graham Price.
Please note there is very limited parking available nearby. If there is space, please park in an obvious area on the left in front of Feltham Lodge prior to the end of the road. If no spaces are available you may have to park some distance away, taking care not to restrict the road or access to any properties.
 
Please do not use the description of how to find the mine in Mendip Underground. The easy route to the mine is to take the footpath on the left hand side just to the side of the last house at the end of the metalled road. This may appear to be taking you away from the combe but after a short distance a less defined path on the right can be followed up the hillside. When a flat area before the brow of the hill is reached, cross the fence to the right into the wooded combe and the entrance will be found a short distance ahead on the left.

FAIRY CAVE QUARRY


Formations in Shatter Cave, Fairy Cave Quarry. Photo by Linda Wilson.
The code for the padlock on the gate to Fairy Cave Quarry has been changed as of 1 May 2022. If you would like to know the new code, please ask Elliot McCall as UBSS secretary. Please do not give out this code to any non-cavers.

Climbers have their own arrangements to obtain the code via the British Mountaineering Council and need to follow their own procedure as a list is kept of climbers who have been given the code so they can be notified of any changes.
 

HIDDEN WORLDS


Robbie Shone, the partner of UBSS member Gina Mosely, is bringing out his first coffee-table book, showcasing over 20 years of stunning cave photography from all around the world.

The book is published by Kozu Books, based near the Mendips, UK. Kozu are a small, independent, family-run business specialising in high-quality, limited edition landscape books. 

Hidden Worlds will be a 200 page, 300mm x 240mm case-bound, thread-sewn book featuring a clothbound cover with a hand tipped-in image and letter foiling. The Special and Collectors Editions additionally come with a handmade slipcase and a signed and numbered print. These are limited to only 100 and 50 copies each. 

Pre-orders can be made via the publisher for delivery to a specific address, or you can arrange to pick up at the UIS congress in France or via Starless River by ordering from Shonephotography.com.

Prices can be found on Kozu Book’s website. Special and Collectors Editions are only available by pre-order (deadline 13th May). Standard Editions will be available after the pre-order deadline (end of May), but there will only be a limited number available.
 

SET BACK FOR BCA'S CROW CAMPAIGN


The BCA's long-running campaign to have caves included under the rights granted by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act suffered a set back on 1st April 2022 as Linda Wilson, CSCC's representative on BCA Council reports.
 
Following the compromise agreement reached on the judicial review of the decision to exclude Stuart France from a committee looking at access reform in Wales, David Rose, on behalf of BCA, made a detailed case to the Welsh Government for the inclusion of caving in the actives allowed under CRoW.  On 1st April, the Welsh Government responded to these representations. They responded in detail to each point made to them but in essence, their reply is that they do not have the resources to look into this further and that they are not prepared to do so. They avoided taking any decision as to whether CRoW applied to caving or not and simply set out what they described as their 'understanding' of the position. This is a subtle distinction, but an important one.

They stated: "The Welsh Ministers consider that there are a number of already identified practical obstacles which make reform of access arrangements for cavers undesirable at this time, because of the complexity, cost, and resources it would take to properly investigate and overcome these obstacles (if indeed they could be overcome)."

One of these 'practical obstacles' is the fact that caves are not mapped on any of the 'conclusive' maps on which the relevant legislation is based.

They commented: "Consequently, the Welsh Ministers have at this stage concluded that a significant work programme would be needed to consider, develop and implement any potential reform of access arrangements for caving." and concluded: "... having considered the best use of their finite resources, they do not intend to consider reform of access arrangements for caving in Wales at this time."

This response arrived just before the BCA Council meeting in early April, and with CRoW Working Group Convenor David Rose on expedition in Mexico, there was little the Council could do to reflect on the response. Subsequently, Stuart France resigned from the CRoW working group, as he did not agree with the decision to reach a compromise agreement on the original action and feels that there is no realistic prospect of success in any further action against the Welsh Government at this time. No proposal has yet been made to council about what, if anything, happens next.

The matter of the costs in the judicial review action remains undecided and so BCA does not know whether it will receive back any of its costs. To date, BCA has spent £80,000 on the action over the past two years. No decision has been made as to what further action BCA can or should take regarding this matter. There has been no substantive discussion in BCA council as yet. As BCA's rep on council, any vote I cast there will be done strictly in accordance with CSCC's wishes. The UBSS rep at CSCC is Henry Morgan. If you have any views on whether BCA should spend more money on any further legal action arising from the above, please let Henry know and if necessary, this can be discussed by the committee prior to the CSCC AGM on Friday 13th May 2022. BCA subscriptions have already increased recently, partly due to the costs of this action and partly due to the amount spent on conservation and access matters across the regions.