The Hut at the end of the working weekend, June 2022. It's amazing what a lick of nasty, foul-smelling black stuff can do for the exterior. Don't try this at home, children!
If you're graduating this summer, please make sure that we have a non-university email address for you so we don't lose touch, and please stay a member! If you're receiving this newsletter because you expressed an interest in the club last year at the Welcome Fair but haven't yet managed to join us for a trip, make sure you sign up with us in September, and if you're around over summer, there's still time to get underground.
Many thanks to Tim Atkinson and Nigel Wallace for the generous donation of material to the library. The NSS Bulletins and a back set of Proceedings (always sought after, particularly the older ones) were much appreciated!
We hope to get use of the Stables back over summer. The latest estimate from Estates is that they hope to start work in the next couple of weeks. We know we've heard that before, but in their defence, they've had to prioritise a lot of problems elsewhere, all made worse by labour shortages as a result of covid and the dreaded B word.
Have a great summer, and keep those reports and articles coming in! If you'd like to do a report catch up on our brand new report form (see later) then we might even offer a prize for the most caving trips done by one person in the last three months. We'd also like to issue a challenge to you all ... it's time to get out of your armchair and start visiting some of Mendip's lesser known delights, so each month we're going to issue a Caving Challenge! The idea is that we pick a cave, you do it, submit a report on the form, preferably with photographic evidence and we reward you with applause (and maybe a pint, if we're feeling generous. Some of the caves will be small and grotty, some of them will be more impressive, most of them will be obscure. So who's up for the challenge?
The July Challenge Cave is Read's Grotto. Have fun!
As mentioned in the last newsletter, paying your tackle fees has now got a lot easier, as we have a card reader in the Tackle Store! So pay up, or face the wrath of the Tackle Warden aka Henry Morgan.
You can find all the back issues of the monthly newsletter online.
OK, we lied, there's no work going on here. This is the Tween Twins party having breakfast before setting off. It actually took another hour of faff before they finally headed off.
Our beloved hut played host to a hard-working group in June organised by Hut Warden Haydon Saunders, who had along list of tasks including plumbing, creosoting, and wood chopping. For once there was no farmer-drama (at least none that involved our members) and a busy Saturday was rounded off with an excellent barbecue and drinks. Many thanks to the Oliver Lloyd Memorial Fund for ensuring the working team was kept well fed and happy! So, without further ado, we bring you a diary of the weekend told in pictures and (in)appropriate captions by our designated camerawoman ...
Buff Fresher of the Year 2022, Guy Maalouf, living up to his title and eschewing any mod cons when it comes to wood chopping.
Jakob emptying a bucket of leaves over his head while Kat, Elliott and Ash try to work out what's going on. Bryn, less principled that Guy when it comes to wood, is using Haydon's natty little battery operated saw.
The amount of wood we started the weekend with. Please note that the logs are stacked four rows deep. This is as full as we normally manage to get the store.
This part of the roof is exactly one standard Elliot length high. At this point, Linda and Elliot were engaged in engineering works to keep old and new stacks separate and needed pit props to help hold up the new stack.
A well-earned rest for most people. Watching others (Guy, Haydon, Clive and Bryn) is always relaxing. We were grateful for the diligence of others.
Bryn creosoting the exterior while Merryn makes admiring (and wholly non-critical) noises. Bryn claimed repeatedly that he enjoyed creosoting. The rest of us stayed well away as it stunk to high heaven, but when he got as far as the woodstore it became impossible for those of us inside to avoid it!
Merryn and Jakob proving that the old double-handled saws still work. Zac and Haydon playing walk on parts in this action sequence.
Joint Hut Warden Liz hard at work strimming the lawn while Merryn works equally hard raking. It is said that to make a perfect lawn, you have to tend and cut the grass for 200 years, so we only have another 97 to go before we can play croquet on it.
Arty shot of the botanical garden growing on the old, rotten log from the fire circle, left in situ so things can grow on it and look pretty. Not that we're saying Ash in his pink teeshirt isn't pretty ...
The wood store as full as I've ever known it in 40 years! The stack on the left is three stacks deep, which is as much as we can fit in and still move around. The pit props work nicely. Memo to everyone using wood, please take firewood for inside the hut from the stack at the back, not the stack along the side, as the wood at the side needs to season for two years before use.
At long last we get to burn things!!! A traditional UBSS pastime dating back over 100 years.
Haydon enjoying a well-earned drink in a hot bath. Sadly, we don't have a photo of the way he stuck two forks into the end of his drill and used them like a food mixer to whip up the bubbles in the bath to preserve his (lack of) modesty.
And just in case the message about which wood to burn first got lost amidst this visual feast of loveliness, we left a little note on the log stack. Please feel free to add to the graffiti wall.
Many thanks to everyone who helped on a great weekend. Most people made it into the photos somewhere apart from Stu Walker and Chris Pepper, so thanks to them too for all their hard work with a chainsaw. Giang was an amazing dog walker looking after Gwen and Trigger for me, as well as cooking delicious sweetcorn on the barbie. Thanks also to the Wills Estate for permission to take down some small ash trees already suffering from dieback.
Tween Twins, Burrington. Photo by Clive Owen.
On the recent working weekend at the hut, a small group got to visit one of Burrington's less well known delights and saw what the other caves would have been like many years ago, as Zac Woodford explains ...
I didn’t know much about Tween Twins going into this trip, only that it was a pretty cave in Burrington (what I didn’t immediately clock was that this would mean that, like Pierre’s, a lot of crawling would be required).
Clive led the trip (as the cave is gated and requires a leader) with me, Merryn and Meg in tow. Having just been in Aveline’s, we strolled up the combe to find the entrance, a small muddy hole up a steep slope on the southern side.
The entrance is a short muddy crawl to the ladder pitch which slopes at just the right angle in a confined space to be bloody irritating. At the bottom of the ladder is the dig, a tiny squeeze through to the pretty bit. Here we disrobed and continued in socks and under-suits so as to preserve the pretties.
Someone appears to have stolen the cavers. Bottom of the pitch. Photo by Clive Owen.
I’m going to be brutally honest here, the pretties (for which the cave has so much protection) aren’t the prettiest. However, as Clive pointed out, they aren’t the prettiest BUT they are fascinating to see because they show what many of the caves in Burrington would have looked like before early exploration and the destruction that’s been wrought over the years.
And the chances of this surviving in Burrington without an access system? Answers on a postcard, please. Zac, looking clean. Photo by Clive Owen.
We clambered to the end of the pretty section, careful to not break anything or get too dirty (Clive promised us a lift back to the hut if we were clean enough). Plenty of pictures were taken for your viewing delight.
What the well dressed caver wears under their muddy outerwear. Megan and Merryn also looking clean. Photo by Clive Owen.
We powered out quick enough, the trip in its entirety was only about an hour long. While waiting at the entrance for Clive to emerge a bat flew past in the middle of one of the sunniest days of the year.
Overall, I’d say Tween Twins is an esoteric trip, not very long or sporting and also not the prettiest but interesting for gaining context around what the rest of Burrington would have looked like.
What's everyone looking at? Photos by Gabriel Littler.
On Sunday 19th June, Merryn Matthews, Zac Woodford, and Gabriel Littler forwent the usual Father’s Day celebrations of telly and making their parents a roast and instead headed underground. Gabriel tells their story ...
We took a day trip to the lovely OFD, intending to take the classic through-trip from Top to Bottom, hopefully without getting lost. Already we had sadly lost our well-travelled guide, Elaine, due to COVID, so we had to rely on good old route descriptions, surveys, and the occasional draught as none of us had made the trip before.
A package is delivered feet-first towards OFD 1 Photo by Gabriel Littler.
We set off from the SWCC just after 12 noon and entered at 12:30 sharp, with our call-out set for 10:30om. We were expecting a few wrong turns en route and didn’t want to race if we had to turn around or bail out at Cwm Dwr. In actual fact, we didn’t get lost once! With solid route-finding from all and a speedy exit through OFD 1 due to Zac’s seemingly photographic memory, we made it out in great time, including some stops for photos and see-saws along the way.
Zac in Marble Showers committing something to memory. Photo by Gabriel Littler.
Once we entered the Top Entrance, we had the familiar journey down past The Trident and Judge to the main streamway via Salubrious Passage. The weather had been beaming sunshine for the past week, and the water was reassuringly low, so onwards we went into the main streamway. Romping downstream, with the occasional splits over a water-filled pot, took us quickly to the Great Oxbow, entered via a short climb, which was quickly passed to take us back into the meandering but thankfully calm streamway. Pushing on led us along the pot-filled twists and turns and towards the Marble Showers, which we reached in a remarkably dry state. We stopped to take some photos in front of the beautiful marble veins that course through the black limestone of OFD here; the passage is truly striking and has to be some of my favourite cave passage that I’ve seen so far (sorry Mendips!).
From this, we quickly descended further to reach The Confluence, where we exited to dry land, with actual navigation to be done. After a few passages and a short climb, we reached the Divers’ Pitch and ascended the hemp rope to the short crawl onto the Letter Box. After posting ourselves out towards OFD 1.5, we climbed down and pushed on down to Pwll Twll, then to The Connection and the boulder choke under Starlight Chamber. The Connection featured some lovely formations, which Merryn got a shot of for the album.
Twinkling stal in Starlight Chamber. Photo by Gabriel Littler.
Once in OFD 1, good and proper, Zac was in his element, and we gleefully went on towards the Step to verify that the water was indeed very low. In no time at all, we found ourselves back on the surface, well caved but with an annoyingly long walk back up to the SWCC (why can’t you find a Voi when you need one?).
Three happy cavers. Photo by Gabriel Littler.
Overall, we all had a great time, practised our route-finding together before heading to France this summer and took a couple of photos for posterity. A great trip and an awesome day out!
Welcome to our new shorter reports section! We're trying to capture as much activity as possible here, and Zac has even put together a form that you can use to send in short, or even long, reports for inclusion, so do check out his handiwork here. Any photos can be sent to either Zac or Linda on Facebook or by email if you have any. Note/disclaimer for future club historians: some dates haven't been recorded or might have been slightly scrambled. The editors accept no responsibility if none of this makes sense in relation to a calendar in 100 years time!
SWILDON'S HOLE
13.5.22 Henry Morgan and three UBMC climbers. Report by Henry Morgan
7/10
DAREN CILAU
27.5.22 Lauren Francis, Henry Morgan, Elliott McCall, Sorcha Heatlie. Report by Elliott McCall
A long crawl, a lot of faff belaying, getting tired, through trip, the other way out is just as crawly!! 8/10
GB CAVERN
David Hardwick, Tim, Steve and Ben Fowkes. Report by David Hardwick.
Good to be back in GB. Haven’t been in for years.
This was a trip for myself and the Fowkes brothers Tim and Steve plus Steve’s son Ben, all Hades CC members but borrowing the UBSS key as guests (with permits and having paid fee etc). Thanks to Linda and Andrew for the help in arranging this at short notice
Trip was a fairly standard one crossing the Bridge and taking the White Passage loop down to the sump and back out via the Balcony. This was of course my first time in since the collapse and for those who haven’t been in recently, the Waterfall route is taped off very clearly at top and bottom.
It isn’t really possible to see the collapse clearly from anywhere outside the tapes (which we respected) but from the balcony looking down there does appear to be a clean side wall, which is presumably where it peeled off. Those who know the Gorge will be aware that there are multiple places where the sides show the remains of a washed away floor, most notably the Bridge which is part of the earlier floor. It looks as if all that has happened is that part of the remaining edge has fallen away rather than there being any inherent instability (at least no more than normal!!)
The current closure is presumably more to allow it to be monitored for any more changes and to show sensible proactivity to the landowner. Hopefully, if nothing else moves the tapes will be a short term addition although even without climbing the waterfall it remains a great evening trip.
SWILDON'S TO SUMP 9
Ashley Gregg, Sioned Haughton, Report by Ashley Gregg.
We set out to do a Swildon's Long Round Trip, kitted up in our wetsuits in preparation for Sump 4. We made good time through the Upper Series and down the ladder, soon leaving the streamway behind. Briefly stopping to ladder Shatter, then down Blue Pencil to Sump 4. Sioned hadn't done the sump before, but had watched some YouTube videos in preparation. Fortunately it wasn't too bad, just a bit of scraping along the roof and then through to the many ducks of Sump 5.
Things had been going well until confusion in the Sump 6 bypass ensued. After retracing our steps and then repeating them we had gone the right way, the route had just completely silted up at a low crawl. We dedicatedly dug our way through with our hands, eventually scooping out enough sand to squeeze through. From here it was a case of following our noses over big boulders and through the other bypasses to end up at Sump 9.
We then returned back to the start of the Damp Link (where we'd started the siphons as we passed) to find that after about an hour, the water level hadn't dropped significantly. So it was a case of returning back out the way we came. We'll have to go back and attempt again soon!
SWILDON'S SHORT ROUND TRIP
12.6.22 Ash Gregg, Zac Woodford, Jakob Annerdal, Merryn Matthews. Report by Ben Alterman
My first sump (a bit nervous but a piece of cake) - the ducks (sad to see no real ducks) - finally promising to myself that I will buy kneepads - getting a very tiny little bit lost and Ash not helping at all. Rating: 10/10
YORKSHIRE
Linda Wilson and Graham Mullan went up north for the Jubilee weekend to help with a weekend on recording historic graffiti organised by the British Cave Research Association. A longer report is planned for the next newsletter. Report by Linda Wilson.
3.6.22 Jubilee Caves, Attermire. Mostly modern stuff in the right hand cave. Some older stuff in the left hand one.
3.6.22 Victoria Cave, Attermire. Loads of interesting inscriptions, many dating to the earliest explorations in the 1800s.
4.6.22 Attermire Cave, Attermire Scar. When I was 15, I didn't even blink at the narrow approach and the long drop down to the valley. Now, I kept my eyes firmly ahead! Again, lots of interesting stuff.
5.6.22 Dead Man's Cave, Giggleswick. Oh yes, we found something very, very interesting here! More next time ...
THE RIFT/MYATT'S MINE, MENDIP
25.6.22 Linda Wilson, Tony Boycott (plus Alan Grey, Chris Richards, Lofty and Aaron). Report by Linda Wilson
A long, steep, very picturesque walk up Axbridge Hill to an obscure dig Tony's been involved in for years in a long, deep rift dug by ochre miners in the 1800s. As Tony was about to enter his third week of radio and chemotherapy, he wasn't expecting to make it as far as the dig as it's probably the longest walk to any dig on Mendip, at about a mile from the parking place near the A38, but he surprised everyone by stomping up the hill at a rapid pace and getting all the way to the dig. He then spent a couple of hours being leaned on by Gwen the Greyhound while Trigger the Lurcher covered his trousers in white dog hair. I helped carry and empty 65 bags of very claggy mud. Next time, I'll go in full kit. Sounds a very interesting dig.
SWILDON'S HOLE
7.6.22 Jakob Annerdal, Kat Osei-Mensah, Jakob's brother Johan. Report by Jakob Annerdal
This was Johan's first ever caving trip, after having listened to me go on and on about caves for years, he finally got to go on a trip. We made it to Tratman's Temple (Significantly better caver than my mom who also went on her first trip the week before. (See below, albeit she is 62 and Johan is 23). Anyway. We also, crucially, made it out just in time for his first proper west country cider! 8/10
GOATCHURCH
28.6. 22 Henry Morgan, Rosie Jones and Alex Little (climbers). Report by Henry Morgan
UBMC come caving. A very tight squeeze that Rosie (small) managed and none of the rest of us could! 8/10
TRIP REPORT GENERATOR If there are any fields you would like us to eg Quote of the Trip, Most Embarrassing Moment or whatever, let Zac know!
Cave rescue practice or carboot sale?
On a fine Sunday in mid-June, David Hardwick, in company with a cast of thousands, see above, practised hauling a dummy masquerading as a casualty out of Slaughter Stream Cave aka Wet Sink on a major rescue practice.
At less than an hour from central Bristol, the Forest of Dean is not much further than the Mendips but is not as often visited, despite it having some really good caves.
With having membership of both Hades and UBSS, I have done quite a bit on the opposite side of the river and I am also a warden with the Gloucestershire Cave Rescue Group (GCRG). The second Sunday in June was time once again for the quarterly practice session. On this occasion the location was Wet Sink (Slaughter Stream Cave) in the Forest of Dean.
As can be seen from the photo there was a large turnout with GCRG members keen to forgo the glorious weather and to use their ever increasingly expensive petrol not for a car tour around the forest (although one or two did that by accident!!) but to park in a field near English Bicknor and to head underground.
The purpose of the day was to practice rescues on the initial entrance pitches. For those who don’t know the cave, the entrance consists of an initial 5m shaft, leading to an awkward slot before reaching another similar shaft both of which would no doubt have been rigged as SRT pitches in Yorkshire with the associated topos/rigging guides etc, but here they have fixed ladders. This is due to the fact that all of this is part of an extensive dig (as is the passion of the Forest cavers) which took around 40 years before breaking into the main Slaughter Streamway cave - oh yes, for the confused it is the usual terminology to talk about the cave as the "Slaughter Stream Cave" with this entrance being the "Wet Sink" entrance since there is potential for various other entrances into the system. At the bottom of the second laddered shaft a short crawl leads first to Balcony Pitch, 4 metres (13 ft) which is immediately followed by the largest of the pitches, which according to Wikipedia is 10 metres (33 ft) deep although my 35ft ladder only just reaches the floor when put in using a long wire tether rather than a standard spreader, I guess it depends where you measure it from. There is a further 4 metres (13 ft) of free climb down to the crawl which leads into the main stream cave so arguably the pitch is even longer. There are also actually two different routes down the main bit and plenty of P hangers to choose from with even more fixings put in for hauling at Sunday’s practice.
The main stream near Cross-Stream Junction, Slaughter Stream Cave. Photo by Mark Tringham.
One group was assigned the task of rigging and hauling a stretcher up the bottom two pitches. A second team, the one which I was part of, rigged and hauled the second of the pitches with the fixed ladder (i.e. the one after the awkward slot) which I now know is actually called Mouse Aven. The final group rigged both the first of the ladder climbs and a surface haul to raise a stretcher out of the depression.
A very productive day with each group achieving their objectives. The group I was in initially practised by raising a stretcher loaded with rocks before the stretcher with the dummy arrived from the lower team which we then duly hauled out. My role was to SRT alongside the casualty as Jockey Boy, which actually entailed partially using the ladder to climb and some free hanging SRT work near the top. Because of the practices with rock loaded stretchers, I actually went up and down this pitch three times and no rocks or mannequins were harmed in the process. We also successfully passed both stretchers through to the top team to take them out of the cave. NB - Having witnessed how the stretcher needs to be taken through the slot it is a really good advert for caving safely!!!!
Nick Mullholland (Hades CC Treasurer) was in the team at the top of the cave and one of his ulterior motives for attending was to return the club's 65m SRT rope which had been used previously in Yorkshire on a couple of trips the weekend before. As Nick had to travel from Berkshire to Bristol to collect the rope, I had managed to persuade (trick, con etc) him into joining Andy Brander and I on a Fishmonger’s Swallet photography trip for photos for the Alveston History display. At least on that trip he got further underground than on the GCRG practice where he spent much of the day at the top of the first fixed ladder a matter of a couple of feet into the cave. Given that this was the second time he had travelled from Berkshire and as he hadn’t been in Slaughter before I felt it only right to offer to join him for a slightly longer trip - after all we did have the rope to rig the pitches
After the GCRG debrief and suitably logged out, whilst everyone else made their way home we headed back down to the entrance. Our trip was a fairly standard jump down the main stream to Bottom Bend, which is where the stream disappears into a sump and Kuwait Passage heads off into the distance. Slaughter is not a small cave. The Royal Forest of Dean Caving Club website says the cave is 11km long but Mark Tringham’s article in UBSS Newsletter for March 2021 says it is 13km. I am assuming that this is due to additional bits added as a result of Mark’s current resurveying exercise. I have joined him on a couple of trips in connection with that and yes…. I did drag him down Fishmonger’s to do some geology and surveying there.
The trip to Bottom Bend is one of several evening trips that are possible in this cave and the streamway is really quite nice. It is easy enough to pick up a key on the way and if anyone fancies an evening trip into Wet Sink or whilst it is dry into neighbouring Redhouse please let me know.
FOOTNOTE: - In searching the internet for a suitable image of the Slaughter streamway Google took me to the March 2021 UBSS Newsletter and Mark Tringham’s update on the stuff he has been doing in the cave. In the same newsletter is an item about St Vincent’s Spring, which I have also been involved in and another article about the rock fall in GB (where I had just been and had been discussing with Linda).
Why have I not read that Newsletter before?? How did I miss it???
Read it right to the end so felt obliged to email the editor to say I had done so …. Do I qualify as the slowest person to read to the end???
[Editors’ note – yes you do, you idle bugger, but you have now redeemed yourself and won the Stale Biscuit Award from Cool Dude Dog. See below. We’ll now expect a timely note from you every month, as a thank you.]
Julian Walford in Poulnagollum. Photo by Clive Owen.
In his write-up of a recent visit to Co Clare, Clive Owen demonstrates that it's important to keep a sense of perspective when on holiday.
Back in the pre-Covid days of spring 2019 there was a County Clare trip as part of the Society’s centenary celebrations, including a dinner held at Ballynalacken Castle. Several of us stayed in a very comfortable holiday cottage near Kilfenora. In May this year we decided to reprise our visit, including the dinner.
Julian and Carol Walford, Steve and Sheena Warr, Clive and Wanda Owen, Bob Churcher, and a charming American lady called Jen made up the party. The tone for the holiday (we made no pretence of it being a working trip) was set immediately by a distribution of gin and tonics on arrival. After shopping the next day, more ambitious projects became possible. Steve and Sheena mixed cranberry juice, lime juice, vodka and Cointreau to produce professional standard Cosmopolitans for our pre-prandial cocktail. Depending on the recipe, the ratio of vodka to Cointreau varies between 6:1 and 2:1, so if you start with the same sized bottle of each you should always run out of vodka first. But it’s not the expected that happens (in this sort of story at least), for someone discovered that Cointreau is very palatable in coffee and can also give a lift to your breakfast cereal.
Julian on the entrance climb into Poulnagoullum pothole. No cocktails anywhere in sight. A sad omission. Photo by Clive Owen.
We very soon had to find an alternative cocktail. Examining the remaining duty-free stocks, it was apparent that rum was now the basic ingredient of choice, so we switched to Mojitos for the remainder of the week.
We did make an effort to get underground and Julian and Clive went down Coolagh River Cave and Poulnagollum, the latter in fairly high water. There was the traditional visit to Ailwee Cave and we also decided to see how Doolin Cave was looking. The last time any of us had been down there was when it was called Pol-an-Ionain and involved 150m of miserable crawling. Nowadays you descend a spiral staircase down what looks like a vertical metro tunnel. This intersects the crawl and a mined tunnel (which was apparently drilled and feathered rather than blasted) leads to the main chamber where the Soggy Dishcloth is tastefully illuminated.
Nope, not Pol-an-Ionain at all. Julian Walford in the unspoilt Coolagh River Cave. Photo by Clive Owen.
Before dinner at the Ballynalacken Hotel we went for a tour of the castle, guided by the owner. It was as awe inspiring as ever. The dinner was excellent, too.
After a fabulous week of activity and indulgence we returned home feeling very satisfied. Then came the phone call: “Hello, I thought I ought to tell you, I’ve just tested positive for Covid…”
Mother and baby. Showing off the new Mothercare clothes range for intrepid offspring.
With the expansion of Caving Clan Henry, Adam gives an account of new arrival's formative experience underground, proving that you're never too young to start caving.
At the ripe old age of four months, it was time to take our newest family member on his first caving trip. Following a 30th (ish, may have been delayed by some time due to that what shall not be named) for UBSS’s finest token Welshman, Dickon, the option of a baby friendly caving trip was about the most ambitious option floated for Sunday caving.
The happy group. Team Henry and friends.
Goatchurch Cavern. Team Henry feat. The three year old and the four month old plus their proud parents, with Rob Adams, Oli Dawson & the marshmallow skewer.
In the old showcave entrance, finding anything that could be offered as a slide to gee up the Edster. We heard a noise of something in the cave passage ahead of us. Was it a Dragon? Maybe a Gruffalo? No, it was a Rob who had run back to the Belfry after leaving his helmet behind!
Excuse us while we melt with the cuteness. This has to be the nicest family portrait ever!
It didn’t take long, or the promise of many chocolate raisins, to get Eddie racing off through the passages, up the rocks and over the boulders.
Through the upper series, down to the Boulder Chamber and back up again, we managed to run around for 1.5hrs without really feeling the struggle.
Eddie leading his family back into outside world.
Despite such an epic trip, there isn’t really much more I can waffle on about the trip. What makes it for me is the pictures of the happy muddy three year old, and a baby enjoying his first trip! Time to create an UBSS family membership, Graham?
Entering the underworld ...
On the 29th of May, Jakob Annerdal took him mum (60) and dad (64) on their first caving trip. And it sounds like they'll be back for more, proving that you're never too old to start caving!
The pothole of choice was, of course, Goatchurch - as it offers all sorts of fun including some proper ol' bedding planes, spiders, bats, sporting tunnles, bat shit, mould and ample opportunity to sit down and turn of everybody's headtorch and sit in the dark.
Kat Osei-Mensah came along as second. With Jakob's parents dressed in his old torn up suits and wellies, the party set of from the UBSS hut. Arriving at the cave we held the obligatory freshers' talk.
We proceeded past the stairs where Victorian ladies and their big dresses would have pootled along long ago and upon reaching the Giant Steps, initially, Dad thought I was kidding when I proclaimed where we must go next.
We made it as far as the Boulder Chamber before we had reached mom's 'out-of-comfort-zone' limit and turned around for a swift exit through the Tradesman's Entrance.
The day ended with a pint and pie at the Queen Vic. I think they'll be back for more.
Linda Wilson brings us up to date with both national and local news.
THAI CAVE RESCUE FILM TRAILER NOW OUT
The trailer for the long awaited Hollywood blockbuster on the Thai cave rescue is now out! The film, directed by Ron Howard, stars Viggo Mortensen as Rick Stanton and Colin Farrell as John Volanthen.
You can watch the trailer for Thirteen Lives here.
In other news, Rick and John are receiving honorary degrees from the University of Bristol on 6th July 2002. They were nominated for their heroism on the rescue by Linda Wilson and Dick Willis. Professor Mike Benton has kindly agreed to do the oration for them.
BRITISH CAVING ASSOCIATION (BCA)
Linda Wilson brings us up to date with both national and local news.
The BCA AGM was held by Zoom on 12.6.22 and, in comparison to some dire performances in person in past times, was a remarkably civilised and pretty rapid affair, chaired by Russell Myers. I forgot to make a note of the numbers present, but there were enough people to make it quorate. I think there were approximately 20 people online.
The chair is exploring ways that UK cavers can support cavers in the UK (beyond the obvious routes of making donations to appropriate organisations etc) and it seems it might be possible for UK cavers to show support to their counterparts by joining the Ukraine Speleological Association for a modest fee. Watch this space!
The Crow is Dead, Long Live the Crow. The BCA have officially thrown in the towel on the long-running judicial review against the Welsh Government on the advice of their barristers, who saw no realistic prospect of success, even if the BCA took action against their refusal to review the current position that caving is excluded from the ambit of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act. David Rose, convenor of the CroW working Group gave a clear summary of the position to date and why they were advised against attempting to continue their previous action, however, the CroW working group will remain in force, and David's view is that the BCA need to play the long game via lobbying MPs for a change in the law. Whatever your views on CroW and the £80,000 it has cost British caving (no costs can be recovered in the action), I think David is to be commended for doing his best to take the heat out of what became a very divisive matter in the caving world.
A proposal to reduce the number of individual and group reps on BCA Council from four to two in each category was put by Josh White. The basic reasons for this were that a) BCA have always struggled to attract nominations for these roles and b) if all positions were filled, Council would be even more unwieldy than it is now. By a subsequent electronic ballot, this motion was passed by 237 votes FOR the motion. 70 AGAINST and 86 ABSTENTIONS. Andy Eavis stood for one of the individual rep positions and was elected by subsequent electronic ballot. The other individual rep is Nigel Atkins. One of the two group rep positions is held by Josh White, the other is vacant.
There are a number of other vacant positions in BCA, notably Conservation & Access Officer and Publicity Officer. If you are interested in getting involved in the work of the BCA, please contact me for a chat, likewise if you have any queries about BCA matters.
COUNCIL OF SOUTHERN CAVING CLUBS (CSCC)
CSCC officers are still busy dealing with the transition to its new Conservation & Access Officer Wayne Starsmore, who has been massively occupied picking up projects old and new. Discussions have restarted with Longleat Enterprises regarding access to caves and digs in Cheddar Gorge and a new gate has been fitted to Compton Martin Ocre Mine after the old one disintegrated some while ago, so make sure you take a CSCC key if you're planning a visit to this fascinating site, and also make sure you clean your kit very thoroughly afterwards as otherwise you'll leave red, ocherous mud all the way down the next cave you visit! Trust me on this. Tony Boycott and I made that mistake many years ago and forgot to clean our wellies, despite cleaning everything else. It took ages for the streaks down GB to disappear and we felt embarrassed every time we saw them.
The former C&A officer recently wrote the following description of how to find the mine: "Please note that if you try to find the mine using the description in Mendip Underground you are likely to have major problems. 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. Yes, 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 you can cross the fence to the right into the wooded combe and the entrance will be found a short distance ahead on the left."
Also on the subject of access, whilst the club now has a key for Singing River Mine, access is not yet available as we are trying to navigate certain difficulties with the labyrinthine booking system, which is still under the control of the outgoing C&A officer. Please bear with us. Likewise, the leader system for Loxton Cavern is not yet up and running as no leaders from any of the clubs have had the necessary familiarisation trips yet. Henry and Zac have volunteered to be our leaders when this can be taken forward.
Cavers from the late '50s/early 60s got together recently for a reunion meal. Thanks to Nigel Wallace's daughter Dawn Percival for ferreting out this photo for us!
From left to right we have on the back row Tim Hill, David Mead, Annie Mead; middle row Kit Eaton, Ann Milton, Cyril Johnson, John Worley and front row Nigel Wallace, Pat Hill, Wendy Johnson.
This is the place where you can appeal for any help you need. Do you need a leader for a cave? Do you need to beg, steal or borrow an item of kit? Do you have any kit to sell or give away? Have you got a pet project you'd like some help with? Let us know and we'll advertise here for you. This can be both a "help needed" and a "help offered" column.
WANTED - CAVING PHOTOS
An appeal from Clive Owen ...
I have to give a talk about caving later in the summer to Bristol's Spanish Circle. I will need some caving pictures. Obviously, I would be particularly interested in Spanish caves, especially in the Picos. However, more general pictures would also be useful to illustrate caving kit, techniques and typical types of cave development. Pretty well anything, in fact, preferably with a caption or some indication of where and when they were taken, for the benefit of my audience.
The talk isn't until September but I need to start preparing now as it has to be in Spanish and I need a lot of pictures to distract from my accent!
Please send photos and captions direct to Clive!
An appeal from Professor Mike Benton ...
For Earth Sciences students, fieldwork is an essential part of their degree. While field trips are provided free-of-charge, students still need basic field kit such as waterproofs and hiking boots. No one can truly make the most out of their experience when they don’t have the kit to keep them clean and dry. By raising £3,000 we will provide students from low-income households with essential kit, enabling them to throw themselves into their fieldwork so they can make the most of the opportunity.
THE PROBLEM
As we recruit more diverse students, some cannot afford waterproof jackets and trousers or high-quality hiking boots. This is where we need your help. By having the right kit, these students will be able to fully immerse themselves in their field trips on an equal footing to their classmates. In short, you’ll ensure that these students can throw themselves into their field experiences without worrying about staying dry and warm.
WHY IS THIS AN ISSUE NOW?
The Earth Sciences are essential to addressing the challenges of the
21st century, from living with hazards and understanding the
biodiversity crisis to securing the water, soil and mineral resources on
which society depends. To achieve those ambitions, we must attract a
new generation of Earth Scientists from a wide range of backgrounds,
ensure they thrive during their time at Bristol, and prepare them for
careers in a competitive world.
WHAT YOU CAN DO?
If you did an Earth Sciences degree at Bristol, it is likely that your fondest memory is of the field work. That is still a central part of our programme, and we are proud that we remain one of the few UK departments that pays all field work travel and accommodation expenses for our undergraduate students. However, it is likely that those memories include adventures in less than ideal weather conditions. Whether it be the wind-swept Brecon Beacons or near-freezing rain of Arran, field work in the UK is something that is best enjoyed when you are best prepared. And that is where we need you.
WHERE WILL THE MONEY GO?
A
donation of £50 buys field waterproofs, £100 buys a pair of hiking
boots, £200 provides all the needed kit for one student and £3,000 funds
one year worth of kit bursaries.
You can find the crowdfunding page here. All donations welcome, no matter how small!
With thanks to Chris Howes for Cool Dude Dog!
Cool dude dog is here again to toss biscuits to the kind souls who throw comments and compliments our way! Double rations for compliments, naturally. The first biscuit goes to Jan Walker, and there's a special Stale Biscuit Award for David Hardwick, who caught up with the March 2021 newsletter only 14 months late! That's definitely set a new record. His school report no doubt frequently contained the words: Must read faster.
- Lovely stories. Auberge Le Mirandol is now on my list of places to go! [Jan Walker] [Editors' note: as a prize for being a frequent first responder, Jan wins lunch at the Mirandol in August! Who says we don't hand out the good prizes?]
- Thanks once again for the Newsletter, in particular the Titan account. Also, I like the front page picture of the GB blockhouse. It has not changed. [Tim Hill]
- This time my favourite pics are down to the surface greens ... [Chris Howes]
- I read to the end! Great newsletter, as always! I promise there's a Clare caving report in prep, expect it soon! [Paul Savage]
- Thanks. Doline 3 may have formed in ’68, but the mud plug created by the landowner gave way in 1972 (I think). I was the first person down with a couple of friends and went in via the Upper Grotto. I got to the final step down into the Gorge and did think that it wasn’t as far or as clean as I remembered. Dropping down to floor level, I found myself up to my knees in mud which wasn’t terribly pleasant and huge change from the rock-strewn surface of a few weeks before. We went up the passage and there was clearly a connection through to the doline but we didn’t try to pass it. I’m not sure if anyone subsequently dropped through it from the surface. Is it still open? [ Dick Willis} [Editors' note: No, it's not still open. There may have been an earlier mud plug, but the one referred to in the last newsletter, when the cars were tipped in there, was done in the early '80s.
- Loved the description of the surface around GB Cave. I spent quite a few hours in the Gruffy Ground, measuring soil moisture, and taking samples of soil air and water. [Hans Friederich]
- I did it, cool dude dog! I read to the end! Biscuits for me! [David Hardwick]
- So nice to finally understand the acronyms! Thanks :) [Kat Osei-Mensah]
- After my email being cruelly rejected and bounced last time, I have dared to try again. [Megan Malpas] [Editors' note: And we love you for it!!!]
- Got to the end of March 2021. Am I the slowest !!! [David Hardwick] [Editors' note: Yes you are, you lazy bugger!!!]
- I still need those amazon vouchers. Why haven't you replied to me? [Fake Elaine] [Editors' note: Because you're always on the scrounge and we don't love you as much as we love Megan.]
- I absolutely did not mistake the top entrance to the Columns for the lower entrance! It's a scurrilous lie! And I didn't read to the end either, I never do! [Colonel H. Saunders, OBE, DSO & Bar] [Editors' note: Er, you forgot to put in a trip report for this, and you mentioned it first, we didn't, so don't blame us. Or maybe someone dobbed you in. Our lips are sealed.]
Cool Dude Dog, you hand out the best biccies! More for me, please? I did get to the end, honest!
THE END