In
a hole in the ground there lived a caver. Not a nasty, dirty wet hole
filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare,
sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a
caver-hole, and that means caving! GB Cavern entrance. Photo by Linda
Wilson, with apologies to J.R.R. Tolkien.Busy,
busy, busy! Exam season has been in full swing, so don't expect too many
trip write ups in this issue, but as ever, your diligent editors are
have been beavering away so you can still procrastinate over your
morning beverage of choice, and Zac hasn't yet had to fulfil his promise
(or threat, depending on how you see it) to fill the newsletter with
computer science stuff but please keep the articles coming in, or you
never know what he'll get up to ...
Check out our events list for ways to de-stress after exams and for things to do over summer!
For those who are able to squeeze some caving in after exams, paying tackle fees will now be even easier, as the club has a card reader for the tackle store that will be in use shortly.
You can find all the back issues of the monthly newsletter online and we'd still dearly love someone to help us compile a contents list for each issue to make finding old stuff easier.
Check out our events list for ways to de-stress after exams and for things to do over summer!
For those who are able to squeeze some caving in after exams, paying tackle fees will now be even easier, as the club has a card reader for the tackle store that will be in use shortly.
You can find all the back issues of the monthly newsletter online and we'd still dearly love someone to help us compile a contents list for each issue to make finding old stuff easier.
Zac and Linda
ARRRR, CAVING, ME HEARTIES!
Tuesday 7th June, 7.30pm Sea Shanty Social at the Hare on the Hill, Cotham. All welcome! See the Facebook event for details, sign up and how to find the pub.
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 also 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. There are also caving trips on offer, including a couple of trips to the very lovely Tween Twins. You'll need clean kit for this one!
Friday 3rd June (Bank Holiday), Banwell Caves Open Day, 10am - 5pm. This is a great opportunity to see a site that is only open to the public by prior arrangement at other times. The Caves, Banwell, nr Weston super Mare, BS29 6NA. More details can be found in the April Newsletter.
22nd July - 1st August, UBSS trip to France, including the 18th International Congress of Speleology in the Haute Savoie. A UBSS group will be going to the congress and spending some time in France on either side of it. More details can be found in the April Newsletter please contact Zac Woodford if you're interested.
26th - 29th August Cavefest 2022 at Crickhowell, South Wales. Caving. More caving, and then some more caving. This is not a specifically UBSS event, and is open to all cavers. For details see their Facebook event.
27th August - 11th September UBSS Summer Irish Trip. For more details see the April Newsletter or the Facebook event page or contact Ashley Gregg if you're interested or have any questions.
Tuesday 7th June, 7.30pm Sea Shanty Social at the Hare on the Hill, Cotham. All welcome! See the Facebook event for details, sign up and how to find the pub.
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 also 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. There are also caving trips on offer, including a couple of trips to the very lovely Tween Twins. You'll need clean kit for this one!
Friday 3rd June (Bank Holiday), Banwell Caves Open Day, 10am - 5pm. This is a great opportunity to see a site that is only open to the public by prior arrangement at other times. The Caves, Banwell, nr Weston super Mare, BS29 6NA. More details can be found in the April Newsletter.
22nd July - 1st August, UBSS trip to France, including the 18th International Congress of Speleology in the Haute Savoie. A UBSS group will be going to the congress and spending some time in France on either side of it. More details can be found in the April Newsletter please contact Zac Woodford if you're interested.
26th - 29th August Cavefest 2022 at Crickhowell, South Wales. Caving. More caving, and then some more caving. This is not a specifically UBSS event, and is open to all cavers. For details see their Facebook event.
27th August - 11th September UBSS Summer Irish Trip. For more details see the April Newsletter or the Facebook event page or contact Ashley Gregg if you're interested or have any questions.
COME ON, YOU'LL LOVE IT, SHE SAID
Pi Chamber, OFD1. Photo copyright Mark Burkey, used with his kind permission
Caving is fun, and introducing friends to caves they don't know is even more fun, although we only have Kat Osei-Mensah's words for how her friend felt about the experience!
Recently a friend, Joe, admitted that while he is an experienced and qualified cave leader in Devon, he's never caved further north than the Mendips. So we set out to OFD on Bank Holiday Monday to put that right.
We managed to completely miss the UBSS trip that was also happening that weekend, but perhaps because my navigational reputation preceded me Elaine and Haydon had still taken the time to tape a laminated chunk of OFD survey to the changing room wall with my name on it.
We spent a very pleasant three hours pootling around OFD 1, starting with some gentle route finding and then sending poor Joe up Airy Fairy first, which he said afterwards was a 'bit more exposed' than anything to be found in Baker's Pit. From there we had an excellent time clambering in Helter Skelter, wiggling through boulder chokes, log rolling through low passages and romping about in massive chambers.
Joe got to experience his first 'can't see the ceiling with my torch on full beam' cave and I got to experience not getting lost down OFD. An excellent day of firsts for all!
Pi Chamber, OFD1. Photo copyright Mark Burkey, used with his kind permission
Caving is fun, and introducing friends to caves they don't know is even more fun, although we only have Kat Osei-Mensah's words for how her friend felt about the experience!
Recently a friend, Joe, admitted that while he is an experienced and qualified cave leader in Devon, he's never caved further north than the Mendips. So we set out to OFD on Bank Holiday Monday to put that right.
We managed to completely miss the UBSS trip that was also happening that weekend, but perhaps because my navigational reputation preceded me Elaine and Haydon had still taken the time to tape a laminated chunk of OFD survey to the changing room wall with my name on it.
We spent a very pleasant three hours pootling around OFD 1, starting with some gentle route finding and then sending poor Joe up Airy Fairy first, which he said afterwards was a 'bit more exposed' than anything to be found in Baker's Pit. From there we had an excellent time clambering in Helter Skelter, wiggling through boulder chokes, log rolling through low passages and romping about in massive chambers.
Joe got to experience his first 'can't see the ceiling with my torch on full beam' cave and I got to experience not getting lost down OFD. An excellent day of firsts for all!
Kat Osei-Mensah
DANGLING IN DERBYSHIRE
Titan Shaft. Photo copyright Mark Burkey, used with his kind permission.
An intrepid bunch, consisting of Elliott, Bram, Merryn, Haydon and Ash made their way up to Derbyshire to have a crack at Titan and do some dangling around on ropes. Elliott takes up the tale ...
PART 1, TITAN TO PEAK
Elliott McCall at the entrance to Titan. Photo by Bram Lovelace.
After a shockingly faffless 6am start, Haydon, Bram, and I piled into the car and did a lovely sunny short walk through a sheep (and baby sheepsie) ‘infested’ field. At the top of a hill in the gorgeous Derbyshire countryside, a covered hole in the ground leads down towards the biggest pitch in the UK.
With Haydon going first to rig and Bram taking up the rear, we begin our descent… most of us. Bram forgets to close the door on the shaft; and so has to prusik back up the 50m pitch and close the door to prevent one of the exceptionally intelligent sheepsies from falling down the hole in the ground.
The main drop is very impressive, lights barely reaching as far as the aptly named Event Horizon. We were borrowing Henry Morgan’s rope for this (thanks Henry!) and each of us did our dizzying bit of taking the twists out of it as we descended. I had to take a short break at the Event Horizon rebelay to see straight again.
Leaving Titan behind, an unceremonious hole in the floor marks a dramatic change in the size of the passage; from lights that can’t reach the ceiling to close in walls. This passage continues for a bit until we met the ‘cow arse worm sump’ [sic], a very unpleasant duck that stank of petrol and I am told there were worms wriggling about in there. Thankfully Haydon went first and stirred up the waters, so I didn’t see any.
This leads into the bottom of Leviathan where we met Merryn and Ash who had made excellent time and were going to climb up Titan to de-rig it. We didn’t stop long for chat because we were all desperate to wash off the gasoline so did the next bit of passage at record speed. There is a series of ladders with a door to help manage the airflow in the cave and keep the radon gas away from the show cave (and all the cavers I presume…). The water has been diverted with a pipe through this section so when we reached the bottom we were able to wash off a bit with the somewhat anemic waterflow from the hose.
Onwards, we meet the Speedwell streamway which on the very far side has a tourist attraction that allows you to take a boat down which I would love to come back and do at some point. We reach the Bung Hole and are shocked at how low the water level is; there is hardly any water flowing down it. There is however a shiny, shiny, stainless-steel ladder leading onwards. We follow the stream for a way, realise we’ve followed it too long and double back. Next is Colostomy Crawl which is about as pleasant as it sounds, a muddy hands and knees crawl that goes on deceptively long with a brown slurry all along the floor…
After this, the crawl opens up a bit but becomes even more muddy in the Trenches, wellies disappearing into the mud. This too continues for much too long. A thoroughly unpleasant section of passage that I vowed to not do again (subtle foreshadowing….). After this the cave opens up and passes through the mud ducks, which were surprisingly clear and made a refreshing change of pace from the previous passage. We made our way to a dam that had been built and as required for an exit via Peak we washed ourselves off.
Leaving Peak Cavern between groups of tourists was a very surreal experience. The tour guides either enjoyed pointing us out as examples of cavers exploring more of the cave or pointedly tried to hide us from their tour groups. Peak Cavern itself is very impressive and easy going with its concrete floor, handrails, and steps. Right at the exit a cinema had been set up (hence our early start) and we needed to be out before the film started as per the access rules. We then tramped through the incredibly picturesque town back to the TSG hut to enjoy our afternoon and go find some pubs.
PART 2, WHITE RIVER SERIES, PEAK CAVERN (or Haydon and Elliott go for a double colostomy)
Haydon and Elliott after their double colostomy.
The next day, feeling masochistic, myself and Haydon decided to go back into Peak to go see the White River, which we were reliably informed was stunning. The only issue being that this required a trip that led back through the Trenches, back through Colostomy Crawl, and then out through the Trenches again…. Mistakes were made.
Carrying SRT kits in a tackle sack, we repeat the trip from yesterday in reverse. However, this time when we are finished with Colostomy Crawl, instead of making our way out of the Bung we find Block Hall Pitch and begin ascending. This was all pre-rigged with confidence-lending new looking rope. This pitch was slightly longer than we expected, and it took me a few extra minutes to negotiate some of the rebelays and deviations. This was followed by another crawl which, with the state of my and Haydon’s knees, was not welcomed.
This crawl brought us into the White River series. We were a bit pressed for time having taken longer than expected and were a bit tired so decided to do a quick whistlestop tour of the exciting bits, leaving some of the harder to reach areas alone for this trip. So we had a quick gander at some lovely crystals and some blue crystal pools and eventually found ourselves alongside the White River itself, over which I got very excited. It looks like a marble floor frozen in stunning white calcite wending its way around the floor of the cave. We had to be very careful to not knock mud into its edges as we made our way along it.
We then come to some traverses over No-name Pitch and the Moosetrap before finding our way out down the Ventilator. We had carried ropes of our own through all the crawls because we thought we would have to do a pull through however it was already pre-rigged. Some of the rope looked slightly old but safe enough to descend the series of pitches. This was a relatively simple affair with the exception of one very *interesting* traverse which led to one of the pitch heads.
This traverse was in essence two traverse lines leading across a far too smooth wall over a big drop to the pitch. With some fancy footwork and a good dose of not looking down, we made it down the pitches. A series of ladders dropped us down in between the Trenches and Colostomy Crawl and we made our way out back through Peak Cavern and the village and towards some cool beers waiting for us back at the TSG hut.
Elliott McCall
Titan Shaft. Photo copyright Mark Burkey, used with his kind permission.
An intrepid bunch, consisting of Elliott, Bram, Merryn, Haydon and Ash made their way up to Derbyshire to have a crack at Titan and do some dangling around on ropes. Elliott takes up the tale ...
PART 1, TITAN TO PEAK
Elliott McCall at the entrance to Titan. Photo by Bram Lovelace.
After a shockingly faffless 6am start, Haydon, Bram, and I piled into the car and did a lovely sunny short walk through a sheep (and baby sheepsie) ‘infested’ field. At the top of a hill in the gorgeous Derbyshire countryside, a covered hole in the ground leads down towards the biggest pitch in the UK.
With Haydon going first to rig and Bram taking up the rear, we begin our descent… most of us. Bram forgets to close the door on the shaft; and so has to prusik back up the 50m pitch and close the door to prevent one of the exceptionally intelligent sheepsies from falling down the hole in the ground.
The main drop is very impressive, lights barely reaching as far as the aptly named Event Horizon. We were borrowing Henry Morgan’s rope for this (thanks Henry!) and each of us did our dizzying bit of taking the twists out of it as we descended. I had to take a short break at the Event Horizon rebelay to see straight again.
Leaving Titan behind, an unceremonious hole in the floor marks a dramatic change in the size of the passage; from lights that can’t reach the ceiling to close in walls. This passage continues for a bit until we met the ‘cow arse worm sump’ [sic], a very unpleasant duck that stank of petrol and I am told there were worms wriggling about in there. Thankfully Haydon went first and stirred up the waters, so I didn’t see any.
This leads into the bottom of Leviathan where we met Merryn and Ash who had made excellent time and were going to climb up Titan to de-rig it. We didn’t stop long for chat because we were all desperate to wash off the gasoline so did the next bit of passage at record speed. There is a series of ladders with a door to help manage the airflow in the cave and keep the radon gas away from the show cave (and all the cavers I presume…). The water has been diverted with a pipe through this section so when we reached the bottom we were able to wash off a bit with the somewhat anemic waterflow from the hose.
Onwards, we meet the Speedwell streamway which on the very far side has a tourist attraction that allows you to take a boat down which I would love to come back and do at some point. We reach the Bung Hole and are shocked at how low the water level is; there is hardly any water flowing down it. There is however a shiny, shiny, stainless-steel ladder leading onwards. We follow the stream for a way, realise we’ve followed it too long and double back. Next is Colostomy Crawl which is about as pleasant as it sounds, a muddy hands and knees crawl that goes on deceptively long with a brown slurry all along the floor…
After this, the crawl opens up a bit but becomes even more muddy in the Trenches, wellies disappearing into the mud. This too continues for much too long. A thoroughly unpleasant section of passage that I vowed to not do again (subtle foreshadowing….). After this the cave opens up and passes through the mud ducks, which were surprisingly clear and made a refreshing change of pace from the previous passage. We made our way to a dam that had been built and as required for an exit via Peak we washed ourselves off.
Leaving Peak Cavern between groups of tourists was a very surreal experience. The tour guides either enjoyed pointing us out as examples of cavers exploring more of the cave or pointedly tried to hide us from their tour groups. Peak Cavern itself is very impressive and easy going with its concrete floor, handrails, and steps. Right at the exit a cinema had been set up (hence our early start) and we needed to be out before the film started as per the access rules. We then tramped through the incredibly picturesque town back to the TSG hut to enjoy our afternoon and go find some pubs.
PART 2, WHITE RIVER SERIES, PEAK CAVERN (or Haydon and Elliott go for a double colostomy)
Haydon and Elliott after their double colostomy.
The next day, feeling masochistic, myself and Haydon decided to go back into Peak to go see the White River, which we were reliably informed was stunning. The only issue being that this required a trip that led back through the Trenches, back through Colostomy Crawl, and then out through the Trenches again…. Mistakes were made.
Carrying SRT kits in a tackle sack, we repeat the trip from yesterday in reverse. However, this time when we are finished with Colostomy Crawl, instead of making our way out of the Bung we find Block Hall Pitch and begin ascending. This was all pre-rigged with confidence-lending new looking rope. This pitch was slightly longer than we expected, and it took me a few extra minutes to negotiate some of the rebelays and deviations. This was followed by another crawl which, with the state of my and Haydon’s knees, was not welcomed.
This crawl brought us into the White River series. We were a bit pressed for time having taken longer than expected and were a bit tired so decided to do a quick whistlestop tour of the exciting bits, leaving some of the harder to reach areas alone for this trip. So we had a quick gander at some lovely crystals and some blue crystal pools and eventually found ourselves alongside the White River itself, over which I got very excited. It looks like a marble floor frozen in stunning white calcite wending its way around the floor of the cave. We had to be very careful to not knock mud into its edges as we made our way along it.
We then come to some traverses over No-name Pitch and the Moosetrap before finding our way out down the Ventilator. We had carried ropes of our own through all the crawls because we thought we would have to do a pull through however it was already pre-rigged. Some of the rope looked slightly old but safe enough to descend the series of pitches. This was a relatively simple affair with the exception of one very *interesting* traverse which led to one of the pitch heads.
This traverse was in essence two traverse lines leading across a far too smooth wall over a big drop to the pitch. With some fancy footwork and a good dose of not looking down, we made it down the pitches. A series of ladders dropped us down in between the Trenches and Colostomy Crawl and we made our way out back through Peak Cavern and the village and towards some cool beers waiting for us back at the TSG hut.
Elliott McCall
IT'S ALL INITIALS, INNIT?
The wider caving world, particularly anything to do with 'politics', can seem both daunting (and as much fun as watching paint dry) and so it's an area that not many people are keen to venture into. However, our regional and national bodies, as well as other access bodies, do a huge amount to ensure cavers can still pursue their hobby. One of the things that can be off-putting is the array of confusing initials that all sound very, very similar, so Linda Wilson has put together a very quick explanation of a few of the ones that are relevant to UBSS, with links to further information, and recaps some of the latest news from each.
The British Caving Association (BCA). This is the national body for British caving. If you are a UBSS member, then you are also a BCA member. One of the main benefits of membership is the insurance that cavers need. For further information, see the BCA website via the above link. The BCA AGM is on Sunday 12th June and all members are entitled to attend. This is being held by Zoom, so you don't even have to leave your armchair. It's worth dropping in to get an idea of what's going on in the wider world. Full details can be found on the BCA website. You do need to register in advance for IT reasons. The BCA have recently given a grant of £500 to the UBSS party going to the Congress in France as part of its support for young cavers.
The Council of Southern Caving Clubs (CSCC). This is the regional body that UBSS is most closely associated with. Henry Morgan is the UBSS representative on CSCC and Linda Wilson is the CSCC's representative on BCA and covers for the UBSS rep if they're unable to attend. At the last CSCC meeting, Linda represented the club as Henry was still in the changing barn at Swildon's when the meeting started on Zoom. Faff happens! The main points of interest from this meeting were a) that the clubs present did not want to spend more money on BCA's CroW campaign without way more information and cost estimates (this was in line with the UBSS committee position) and b) the post of Conservation and Access Officer went to a contested vote and this was won by Wayne Starsmore. In the prior discussions, in line with the UBSS committee position, I proposed a job share, but as many club reps only had a mandate to vote for one candidate, there were a lot of abstentions, so that proposal was not carried. On the subsequent vote, I voted for Wayne rather than Graham Price (the previous post holder) as the committee had expressed a preference for Wayne if it went to a vote. CSCC is now dealing with the transition in C&A and Wayne is picking up many projects where Graham left off, including access to Singing River Mine, Loxton Cavern and, in time, discussions with Longleat Estate over Cheddar. Updates on these and other access matters will follow when available.
Charterhouse Caving Company Ltd (CCC Ltd). This is the Access Controlling Body (ACB) for the nature reserves covering GB, Charterhouse, Longwood and Rhino Rift. UBSS is one of the clubs that make up this limited company, who work closely with the landowner, Somerset Wildlife Trust (SWT). Graham Mullan is currently company secretary and UBSS representative, Pete Hann (also a UBSS member, as well as a Wessex CC member) is Chair and Linda Wilson is Conservation Officer. There are four Directors in total and all of the 12 member clubs have one rep.
That's probably enough to be going on with. More explanation of initials in the next newsletter!
The wider caving world, particularly anything to do with 'politics', can seem both daunting (and as much fun as watching paint dry) and so it's an area that not many people are keen to venture into. However, our regional and national bodies, as well as other access bodies, do a huge amount to ensure cavers can still pursue their hobby. One of the things that can be off-putting is the array of confusing initials that all sound very, very similar, so Linda Wilson has put together a very quick explanation of a few of the ones that are relevant to UBSS, with links to further information, and recaps some of the latest news from each.
The British Caving Association (BCA). This is the national body for British caving. If you are a UBSS member, then you are also a BCA member. One of the main benefits of membership is the insurance that cavers need. For further information, see the BCA website via the above link. The BCA AGM is on Sunday 12th June and all members are entitled to attend. This is being held by Zoom, so you don't even have to leave your armchair. It's worth dropping in to get an idea of what's going on in the wider world. Full details can be found on the BCA website. You do need to register in advance for IT reasons. The BCA have recently given a grant of £500 to the UBSS party going to the Congress in France as part of its support for young cavers.
The Council of Southern Caving Clubs (CSCC). This is the regional body that UBSS is most closely associated with. Henry Morgan is the UBSS representative on CSCC and Linda Wilson is the CSCC's representative on BCA and covers for the UBSS rep if they're unable to attend. At the last CSCC meeting, Linda represented the club as Henry was still in the changing barn at Swildon's when the meeting started on Zoom. Faff happens! The main points of interest from this meeting were a) that the clubs present did not want to spend more money on BCA's CroW campaign without way more information and cost estimates (this was in line with the UBSS committee position) and b) the post of Conservation and Access Officer went to a contested vote and this was won by Wayne Starsmore. In the prior discussions, in line with the UBSS committee position, I proposed a job share, but as many club reps only had a mandate to vote for one candidate, there were a lot of abstentions, so that proposal was not carried. On the subsequent vote, I voted for Wayne rather than Graham Price (the previous post holder) as the committee had expressed a preference for Wayne if it went to a vote. CSCC is now dealing with the transition in C&A and Wayne is picking up many projects where Graham left off, including access to Singing River Mine, Loxton Cavern and, in time, discussions with Longleat Estate over Cheddar. Updates on these and other access matters will follow when available.
Charterhouse Caving Company Ltd (CCC Ltd). This is the Access Controlling Body (ACB) for the nature reserves covering GB, Charterhouse, Longwood and Rhino Rift. UBSS is one of the clubs that make up this limited company, who work closely with the landowner, Somerset Wildlife Trust (SWT). Graham Mullan is currently company secretary and UBSS representative, Pete Hann (also a UBSS member, as well as a Wessex CC member) is Chair and Linda Wilson is Conservation Officer. There are four Directors in total and all of the 12 member clubs have one rep.
That's probably enough to be going on with. More explanation of initials in the next newsletter!
UNDERGROUND, OVERGROUND, WOMBLING FREE!
Doline 3, Gruffy Field.
Some of the most popular caves on Mendip are on nature reserves owned and managed by Somerset Wildlife Trust (SWT), with the underground managed by Charterhouse Caving Company Ltd (CCC Ltd). As part of her role as CCC Ltd's Conservation Officer, Linda and SWT reserve manager Chris Eyles make an annual infrastructure check on all cave entrances on the Gruffy Field, Longwood Valley and Velvet Bottom reserves. This year, they were joined by UBSS members Jan Walker and Helen Rossington, along with a walking friend, Jo West. It's well worth spending some time above ground on these reserves, as Linda explains...
Gruffy Field is best known to cavers for two major Mendip caves, GB Cavern, discovered by UBSS members in 1939 and Charterhouse Cave, discovered by UBSS honorary member Alison Moody and members of the Wessex Caving Club in 1981. The cave was then great extended after a long dig by Ali and Pete Hann, now also a UBSS member. Ground disturbed by mining is often called 'gruffy ground' and this reserve has a long history of mining.
As well as GB and Charterhouse. the reserve also contains the massive collapse known as Doline 3 that appeared during the devastating 1968 floods. Over 30 years ago, in an ill-advised attempt to block a possible open surface connection with GB, Bristol Water Plc, the landowner at the time, dumped several wrecked cars and a large quantity of mud rocks into the doline. To say that Oliver Lloyd, our rep on the access committee, went ballistic, would be putting it mildly. Bits of these bloody cars are still regularly finding their way down the Gorge and then need to be removed. So if you ever see anything like that in the cave, please either take it out if you can, or leave it somewhere it can be cut up and removed, and let me know so I can deal with it.
Tynings Great Swallet. The cave entrances are on the other side of the swallet. You won't miss them.
Gruffy Field also contains some minor sites. Take a look at Great Swallet. It's a lovely spot for wild flowers and contains two other points of interest. A open rift was dug many, many years ago by UBSS members and a small cave was dug initially by Graham Mullan, Tony Boycott and I, and this then extended to include other UBSS members. The dig petered out due to the problems of spoil stacking and no clear route on, as well as the problems of getting out to Mendip of an evening through Bristol traffic. I still think it's a good dig site and might be heading to the blank area between GB and Charterhouse. Contact me for the key if you'd like to take a look sometime.
There are also two grilled mine shafts: Rabbit Mine and Charterhouse Mine. Have fun finding them! I can usually manage it fairly quickly, but I swear that sometimes the damn things hide deliberately! These are locked on the standard CSCC key, simply for ease of access.
In a hole in the ground there lived another hobbit. The entrance to Charterhouse Cave.
The next field field contains the entrance to Charterhouse Cave. If you find something that looks like a very utilitarian hobbit hole, you're in the right place. Clive Owen and Andrew Atkinson are our leaders. Very close to Charterhouse cave you'll see a stream sinking into a small hole, dry at the moment. This is Read's Grotto, named after UBSS member Reginald Read, of Read's Cavern fame. A tight entrance slot and a tightish squeeze beyond lead to a largeish chamber with the sad remnants of old, damaged stal. It's definitely worth a visit and I would absolutely love someone to take a camera in there and get some decent photos. Pretty please! It's well worth a visit. Honest!
Entrance to Read's Grotto.
The wild flowers in Gruffy Field are absolutely gorgeous at the moment and there is even still a good display of bluebells.
From Gruffy Field we moved over to the parking area for Longwood and walked into the top of the reserve, now closed to the public because of the dangers of ash die back. Access has been preserved for cavers, but please see the CCC Ltd website for full details. In short, caving helmets must be worn when entering the reserve and access is only available for visits to and from the caves. As we were on an official inspection trip, access was allowed and we all wore helmets in the reserve. Chris Eyles has done a lot of work clearing ash trees around various entrances to reduce the risk to cavers. The danger from the ash trees isn't to be taken lightly, so please do make sure you follow the new rules for caving in the Longwood Valley.
Longwood entrance with some of the felled ash.
The first cave you encounter entering the woods from the north is Longwood, with its small blockhouse, then just a short way south of this, the stream disappears into Top/Main Sink. Every year, the accumulated debris needs to be cleared from the sink to allow the water to run away freely underground, rather than heading down the valley. This is the first line of defence in flood conditions. The second is Longwood Valley Sink, much further down the valley. This is being actively dug by Ali Moody and others. I'll be arranging a Top Sink clearance day later in the year. Zac came along last year, as did Jan Walker and Tony Boycott and a few volunteers from other clubs. It's always pleasant to spend a day digging, filling buckets, hauling spoil and having a picnic. And there is often cake!
Top/Main Sink, Longwood Valley.
We then took a detour away from the main valley up to Rhino Rift. Chris and I take it in turns to slither down to the gate and check the lock. Whoever does this usually gets grubby. After that, we play the annual Hunt for Toothache Pot game. This is an active dig and access to this shaft is only for the diggers, so please don't go hunting for it. Longwood Valley Sink is the last site in this reserve before we move onto Velvet Bottom.
Polar Bur dig, Velvet Bottom.
Again, if you've not walked there, I really recommend it. The valley is gorgeous and very interesting historically but its caving interest is limited to a few dig sites. These are (described heading north up valley): Timber Hole (a Cerberus SS dig), Polar Bur (also a Cerberus dig), Hangover Hole (a long-abandoned dig). The first and last of these are gated. Polar Bur doesn't go far and isn't gated as it is half way up the valley side and doesn't present a risk. Go looking for all three and let me know if you get the hat trick!
For many years, that was as far as I needed to go on infrastructure check until The Incident with the Dog. About five years ago, much further up the valley, a dog went missing for a couple of hours until it was found, sitting patiently at the foot of a two metre deep mine shaft. The dog, a trained gun dog, simply just sat patiently, not barking, waiting to be found. Luckily,that happened after a couple of hours of frantic searching by its owner. This was reported to SWT and I went over to take a look with my contact at the time, Neil Watson. After my hat got snagged on brambles and disappeared down the hole, I climbed down and took a closer look. All I could see was a low adit going off under the valley. It might be diggable, but as the hole is in a scheduled ancient monument, we'd have to jump through quite a lot of hoops to get permission, and I doubt it would reveal much. It does extend our infrastructure walks quite a bit, though, to make sure the grill is still in place, We never found out the name of the dog, but Chris and I informally refer to it as Dog Drop Shaft.
Here ends this guided tour of three very lovely nature reserves and all their various openings to the underworld!
Doline 3, Gruffy Field.
Some of the most popular caves on Mendip are on nature reserves owned and managed by Somerset Wildlife Trust (SWT), with the underground managed by Charterhouse Caving Company Ltd (CCC Ltd). As part of her role as CCC Ltd's Conservation Officer, Linda and SWT reserve manager Chris Eyles make an annual infrastructure check on all cave entrances on the Gruffy Field, Longwood Valley and Velvet Bottom reserves. This year, they were joined by UBSS members Jan Walker and Helen Rossington, along with a walking friend, Jo West. It's well worth spending some time above ground on these reserves, as Linda explains...
Gruffy Field is best known to cavers for two major Mendip caves, GB Cavern, discovered by UBSS members in 1939 and Charterhouse Cave, discovered by UBSS honorary member Alison Moody and members of the Wessex Caving Club in 1981. The cave was then great extended after a long dig by Ali and Pete Hann, now also a UBSS member. Ground disturbed by mining is often called 'gruffy ground' and this reserve has a long history of mining.
As well as GB and Charterhouse. the reserve also contains the massive collapse known as Doline 3 that appeared during the devastating 1968 floods. Over 30 years ago, in an ill-advised attempt to block a possible open surface connection with GB, Bristol Water Plc, the landowner at the time, dumped several wrecked cars and a large quantity of mud rocks into the doline. To say that Oliver Lloyd, our rep on the access committee, went ballistic, would be putting it mildly. Bits of these bloody cars are still regularly finding their way down the Gorge and then need to be removed. So if you ever see anything like that in the cave, please either take it out if you can, or leave it somewhere it can be cut up and removed, and let me know so I can deal with it.
Tynings Great Swallet. The cave entrances are on the other side of the swallet. You won't miss them.
Gruffy Field also contains some minor sites. Take a look at Great Swallet. It's a lovely spot for wild flowers and contains two other points of interest. A open rift was dug many, many years ago by UBSS members and a small cave was dug initially by Graham Mullan, Tony Boycott and I, and this then extended to include other UBSS members. The dig petered out due to the problems of spoil stacking and no clear route on, as well as the problems of getting out to Mendip of an evening through Bristol traffic. I still think it's a good dig site and might be heading to the blank area between GB and Charterhouse. Contact me for the key if you'd like to take a look sometime.
There are also two grilled mine shafts: Rabbit Mine and Charterhouse Mine. Have fun finding them! I can usually manage it fairly quickly, but I swear that sometimes the damn things hide deliberately! These are locked on the standard CSCC key, simply for ease of access.
In a hole in the ground there lived another hobbit. The entrance to Charterhouse Cave.
The next field field contains the entrance to Charterhouse Cave. If you find something that looks like a very utilitarian hobbit hole, you're in the right place. Clive Owen and Andrew Atkinson are our leaders. Very close to Charterhouse cave you'll see a stream sinking into a small hole, dry at the moment. This is Read's Grotto, named after UBSS member Reginald Read, of Read's Cavern fame. A tight entrance slot and a tightish squeeze beyond lead to a largeish chamber with the sad remnants of old, damaged stal. It's definitely worth a visit and I would absolutely love someone to take a camera in there and get some decent photos. Pretty please! It's well worth a visit. Honest!
Entrance to Read's Grotto.
The wild flowers in Gruffy Field are absolutely gorgeous at the moment and there is even still a good display of bluebells.
From Gruffy Field we moved over to the parking area for Longwood and walked into the top of the reserve, now closed to the public because of the dangers of ash die back. Access has been preserved for cavers, but please see the CCC Ltd website for full details. In short, caving helmets must be worn when entering the reserve and access is only available for visits to and from the caves. As we were on an official inspection trip, access was allowed and we all wore helmets in the reserve. Chris Eyles has done a lot of work clearing ash trees around various entrances to reduce the risk to cavers. The danger from the ash trees isn't to be taken lightly, so please do make sure you follow the new rules for caving in the Longwood Valley.
Longwood entrance with some of the felled ash.
The first cave you encounter entering the woods from the north is Longwood, with its small blockhouse, then just a short way south of this, the stream disappears into Top/Main Sink. Every year, the accumulated debris needs to be cleared from the sink to allow the water to run away freely underground, rather than heading down the valley. This is the first line of defence in flood conditions. The second is Longwood Valley Sink, much further down the valley. This is being actively dug by Ali Moody and others. I'll be arranging a Top Sink clearance day later in the year. Zac came along last year, as did Jan Walker and Tony Boycott and a few volunteers from other clubs. It's always pleasant to spend a day digging, filling buckets, hauling spoil and having a picnic. And there is often cake!
Top/Main Sink, Longwood Valley.
We then took a detour away from the main valley up to Rhino Rift. Chris and I take it in turns to slither down to the gate and check the lock. Whoever does this usually gets grubby. After that, we play the annual Hunt for Toothache Pot game. This is an active dig and access to this shaft is only for the diggers, so please don't go hunting for it. Longwood Valley Sink is the last site in this reserve before we move onto Velvet Bottom.
Polar Bur dig, Velvet Bottom.
Again, if you've not walked there, I really recommend it. The valley is gorgeous and very interesting historically but its caving interest is limited to a few dig sites. These are (described heading north up valley): Timber Hole (a Cerberus SS dig), Polar Bur (also a Cerberus dig), Hangover Hole (a long-abandoned dig). The first and last of these are gated. Polar Bur doesn't go far and isn't gated as it is half way up the valley side and doesn't present a risk. Go looking for all three and let me know if you get the hat trick!
For many years, that was as far as I needed to go on infrastructure check until The Incident with the Dog. About five years ago, much further up the valley, a dog went missing for a couple of hours until it was found, sitting patiently at the foot of a two metre deep mine shaft. The dog, a trained gun dog, simply just sat patiently, not barking, waiting to be found. Luckily,that happened after a couple of hours of frantic searching by its owner. This was reported to SWT and I went over to take a look with my contact at the time, Neil Watson. After my hat got snagged on brambles and disappeared down the hole, I climbed down and took a closer look. All I could see was a low adit going off under the valley. It might be diggable, but as the hole is in a scheduled ancient monument, we'd have to jump through quite a lot of hoops to get permission, and I doubt it would reveal much. It does extend our infrastructure walks quite a bit, though, to make sure the grill is still in place, We never found out the name of the dog, but Chris and I informally refer to it as Dog Drop Shaft.
Here ends this guided tour of three very lovely nature reserves and all their various openings to the underworld!
Linda Wilson
OOK! OOK!
Librarian Nathan Cubitt lists the latest arrivals:
- Newsletter of the Mendip Nature Research Committee (NL 158) Dec 2021
- Nature in Avon Volume 81
- William Pengelly Cave Studies Trust Newsletter 134 Sept 2021
- William Pengelly Cave Studies Trust Newsletter 135 March 2022
These are being kept off site whilst the Stables are being repaired and can therefore be made available if wanted.
Librarian Nathan Cubitt lists the latest arrivals:
- Newsletter of the Mendip Nature Research Committee (NL 158) Dec 2021
- Nature in Avon Volume 81
- William Pengelly Cave Studies Trust Newsletter 134 Sept 2021
- William Pengelly Cave Studies Trust Newsletter 135 March 2022
These are being kept off site whilst the Stables are being repaired and can therefore be made available if wanted.
DON'T PANIC!
AB (Dr) outside the Oncology Centre. Amazingly, he posed for a photo when asked.
Definitely don't panic, this isn't an obituary! We're happy to announce that our honorary member and former long-time Hon. Librarian Tony Boycott, known in many caving logs as AB (Dr), is still very much with us and this health bulletin has been put out with his full knowledge and agreement by his Hon. Amanuensis, Linda Wilson.
Joking aside, folks, Tony would like to let his many friends know what's been happening to him recently. Sadly, a month ago, Tony was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour, but an operation to remove as much of the tumour as possible was very successful, and he will shortly be embarking on both radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Tony is currently doing well, despite his numerous bouts of covid and the awful long covid that has restricted a lot of his activities over the past two years. He's receiving and reading emails but doesn't always have the concentration to reply to them. He's happy to see people outside the house in the garden, but needs to be very careful to avoid further infection whilst he's being treated, so if you do visit, please take a lateral flow test beforehand. Tony is having some hearing difficulties at the moment, so phone isn't necessarily the best means of contact.
If you'd like to get in touch with him via me, please phone or drop me an email.
AB (Dr) outside the Oncology Centre. Amazingly, he posed for a photo when asked.
Definitely don't panic, this isn't an obituary! We're happy to announce that our honorary member and former long-time Hon. Librarian Tony Boycott, known in many caving logs as AB (Dr), is still very much with us and this health bulletin has been put out with his full knowledge and agreement by his Hon. Amanuensis, Linda Wilson.
Joking aside, folks, Tony would like to let his many friends know what's been happening to him recently. Sadly, a month ago, Tony was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour, but an operation to remove as much of the tumour as possible was very successful, and he will shortly be embarking on both radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Tony is currently doing well, despite his numerous bouts of covid and the awful long covid that has restricted a lot of his activities over the past two years. He's receiving and reading emails but doesn't always have the concentration to reply to them. He's happy to see people outside the house in the garden, but needs to be very careful to avoid further infection whilst he's being treated, so if you do visit, please take a lateral flow test beforehand. Tony is having some hearing difficulties at the moment, so phone isn't necessarily the best means of contact.
If you'd like to get in touch with him via me, please phone or drop me an email.
Linda Wilson
EATING OUT IN THE DORDOGNE
A restaurant with a cave - what's not to love? Out for a meal with friends, Linda and Graham couldn't work out why restaurant customers were disappearing through a glass door in small groups, and taking quite a long time to reappear, but all finally became clear!
The beautiful medieval market town of Sarlat in the heart of the Dordogne region of France isn't short of restaurants. It has more per square metre than anywhere I've ever known, mostly tucked into little nooks and crannies in a town that manages to rise above being a massive tourist trap. I go there every time we're at our place in Coly, and I still find little streets and squares I've managed to miss.
The Fontaine Sainte Marie at night.
The Auberge du Mirandol is next door to the Fontaine Sainte Marie. In deference to something that seems almost to be hard-wired into the human brain, I always throw a coin into the water when I'm passing. The Mirandol is one restaurant amongst many, and I'd never taken any particular notice of it, until we went there one night with friends and enjoyed an absolutely excellent meal.
But one thing struck is as distinctly odd. Loads of people disappeared through a glass door at the back of the restaurant and didn't return for ages. Definitely taking going to the loo in groups to extremes, or so we thought. Eventually the mystery was solved when I took a closer look and discovered it led to a small cave that forms part of the network of medieval water conduits that provided the town's water supply.
These small passages were explored some years ago by members of the Spéléo Club de Périgueux and one year there was a tableau of cavers in full kit in the neighbouring shrine, which puzzled me (and all the other visitors!) until I read the explanatory info. Although there's no reason why the Virgin Mary shouldn't be a keen caver, as many of her shrines show.
We were seriously tempted! But coming out muddy might have been noticeable.
Discovering that we could see both the cave and part of the water supply system was a great way to end a lovely evening, and there are even a few replica cave paintings in the entrance.
Come on, if you had a cave, wouldn't you have a go at replicating Lascaux?
The Mirandol is open for both lunch (fantastic, reasonably priced mushroom omelettes!) and evening meals (pricier but still excellent). We'll be very happy to introduce any passing cavers to the delights of a restaurant with a cave in the heart of one of France's great caving areas.
A restaurant with a cave - what's not to love? Out for a meal with friends, Linda and Graham couldn't work out why restaurant customers were disappearing through a glass door in small groups, and taking quite a long time to reappear, but all finally became clear!
The beautiful medieval market town of Sarlat in the heart of the Dordogne region of France isn't short of restaurants. It has more per square metre than anywhere I've ever known, mostly tucked into little nooks and crannies in a town that manages to rise above being a massive tourist trap. I go there every time we're at our place in Coly, and I still find little streets and squares I've managed to miss.
The Fontaine Sainte Marie at night.
The Auberge du Mirandol is next door to the Fontaine Sainte Marie. In deference to something that seems almost to be hard-wired into the human brain, I always throw a coin into the water when I'm passing. The Mirandol is one restaurant amongst many, and I'd never taken any particular notice of it, until we went there one night with friends and enjoyed an absolutely excellent meal.
But one thing struck is as distinctly odd. Loads of people disappeared through a glass door at the back of the restaurant and didn't return for ages. Definitely taking going to the loo in groups to extremes, or so we thought. Eventually the mystery was solved when I took a closer look and discovered it led to a small cave that forms part of the network of medieval water conduits that provided the town's water supply.
These small passages were explored some years ago by members of the Spéléo Club de Périgueux and one year there was a tableau of cavers in full kit in the neighbouring shrine, which puzzled me (and all the other visitors!) until I read the explanatory info. Although there's no reason why the Virgin Mary shouldn't be a keen caver, as many of her shrines show.
We were seriously tempted! But coming out muddy might have been noticeable.
Discovering that we could see both the cave and part of the water supply system was a great way to end a lovely evening, and there are even a few replica cave paintings in the entrance.
Come on, if you had a cave, wouldn't you have a go at replicating Lascaux?
The Mirandol is open for both lunch (fantastic, reasonably priced mushroom omelettes!) and evening meals (pricier but still excellent). We'll be very happy to introduce any passing cavers to the delights of a restaurant with a cave in the heart of one of France's great caving areas.
Linda Wilson
DESCENT MAGAZINE
Descent magazine, published by Wildplaces Publishing, is one of the best ways to stay up to date with all the latest news and discoveries in the caving world both at home and abroad.
Wildplaces Publishing is run by UBSS member Chris Howes and his partner Judith Calford, and by taking out an annual subscription or buying a copy from a caving shop or other caving outlet, you'll be supporting a magazine that does an amazing job of bringing out news, articles and stunning photos every two months throughout the year. The UBSS library subscribes, so when we're finally back in the Stables, you'll also be able to read the club copy
Descent magazine, published by Wildplaces Publishing, is one of the best ways to stay up to date with all the latest news and discoveries in the caving world both at home and abroad.
Wildplaces Publishing is run by UBSS member Chris Howes and his partner Judith Calford, and by taking out an annual subscription or buying a copy from a caving shop or other caving outlet, you'll be supporting a magazine that does an amazing job of bringing out news, articles and stunning photos every two months throughout the year. The UBSS library subscribes, so when we're finally back in the Stables, you'll also be able to read the club copy
ALL THE COOL DUDES READ TO THE END, AND I DID, TOO!!!
With thanks to Chris Howes for Cool Dude Dog!
Yes, we know you read to the end last time and deserve kittie kibble, but as one of your editors (hint, not Zac) is a total muppet and mucked up her own email address in last month's issues, much to our disappointment we didn't get our usual flood of accolades and lavish praise.
Some clever, determined folks did circumvent the comms problem and got messages through and these are included as well, so your challenge this time is to distinguish fact from fiction! Would we wrongly quote? Surely some mistake! Hopefully, normal praise will resume with this issue, as you do all love us, don't you? Needy, us?
- It’s always a great read, and I look forward to it every month. Excellent news about Fishmonger’s; Grotte de Douyme is always worth a visit, and I really need to see the cluseaux in Terrasson! [Jan Walker]
- Impressive Mark Burkey pic! [Chris Howes]
- Thanks. Good memories of Coolagh – exiting late one warm summer’s night with Graham and Chris Smart, lying on the grass looking up at the Milky Way. Was it the same trip that we dug an escape exit from the bottom of the cave to a doline on the surface? The farmer and his wife came out and watched us enthusiastically pulling boulders away from a hole. They were most amused that we were messing about in what we slowly realised was their outside toilet. [Dick Willis} [Editors' Note: Nope, we definitely didn't make this one up!]
- Good to see the new new Manor Farm entrance structure. It brings back memories of sunny days in 1962 (or was it 63?). [Tim Hill]
- Enjoyed reading right to the end - and it wasn't me wot did the 'Mike '97' graffiti. [Mike Simms]
- Wow, you two do an amazing job!! [A Devoted Reader]
- There is, quite simply, not enough nudity and debauchery; What is wrong with young people these days? [Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells]
- Older members should be setting a better example! How very dare they encourage the impressionable youth of today with stories of past wrong doing? Bring back National Service, that'll sort the blighters out! [Lieutenant Colonel Sir Bufton Tufton DSO and bar]
- No, I absolutely did not blow the gate off Cwm Dwr! It's a scurrilous rumour. [Anon]
- I need to talk to you urgently. Are you there? [Fake Elaine]
I did it, cool dude dog! I read to the end! Biscuits for me!
THE END
With thanks to Chris Howes for Cool Dude Dog!
Yes, we know you read to the end last time and deserve kittie kibble, but as one of your editors (hint, not Zac) is a total muppet and mucked up her own email address in last month's issues, much to our disappointment we didn't get our usual flood of accolades and lavish praise.
Some clever, determined folks did circumvent the comms problem and got messages through and these are included as well, so your challenge this time is to distinguish fact from fiction! Would we wrongly quote? Surely some mistake! Hopefully, normal praise will resume with this issue, as you do all love us, don't you? Needy, us?
- It’s always a great read, and I look forward to it every month. Excellent news about Fishmonger’s; Grotte de Douyme is always worth a visit, and I really need to see the cluseaux in Terrasson! [Jan Walker]
- Impressive Mark Burkey pic! [Chris Howes]
- Thanks. Good memories of Coolagh – exiting late one warm summer’s night with Graham and Chris Smart, lying on the grass looking up at the Milky Way. Was it the same trip that we dug an escape exit from the bottom of the cave to a doline on the surface? The farmer and his wife came out and watched us enthusiastically pulling boulders away from a hole. They were most amused that we were messing about in what we slowly realised was their outside toilet. [Dick Willis} [Editors' Note: Nope, we definitely didn't make this one up!]
- Good to see the new new Manor Farm entrance structure. It brings back memories of sunny days in 1962 (or was it 63?). [Tim Hill]
- Enjoyed reading right to the end - and it wasn't me wot did the 'Mike '97' graffiti. [Mike Simms]
- Wow, you two do an amazing job!! [A Devoted Reader]
- There is, quite simply, not enough nudity and debauchery; What is wrong with young people these days? [Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells]
- Older members should be setting a better example! How very dare they encourage the impressionable youth of today with stories of past wrong doing? Bring back National Service, that'll sort the blighters out! [Lieutenant Colonel Sir Bufton Tufton DSO and bar]
- No, I absolutely did not blow the gate off Cwm Dwr! It's a scurrilous rumour. [Anon]
- I need to talk to you urgently. Are you there? [Fake Elaine]
I did it, cool dude dog! I read to the end! Biscuits for me!
THE END