Happy
New Year to all our members! 2023 was a great year for caving and
activity levels remained high right up to the end of the year!
The recent discussion about print newsletters that started at Hidden Earth in September continued in the latest issue of the cavers' magazine Descent, with Grampian CG editor Alan 'Goon' Jeffreys extolling the virtues of print as he did at Hidden Earth, whilst also lamenting the problems of obtaining material, something that Peter Glanvill of the BEC who ran the session at Hidden Earth, also talked about at length.
However, we can say that for this issue unsolicited write ups simply poured in, starting with Stanley's tale of Burrington cave-finding woes, closely followed by Jake's account of a recent Wookey 24 trip. And then we had Jess's amazing Clogs (Caving Logs), hosted on her YouTube channel. This is something that you certainly can't cover in a paper newsletter, but here all you have to do is click on a link. To make life easy for the editors, the video box on Mailchimp even pulls in a preview image, so it's a win for us, too. If you do click on the link, which we hope you will, your browser might ask you to open the video in a new window. If so, click that link, too, and you should reach your intended destination! This also applies to any other links in here.
The final advantage of digital over print is that we don't have to spend a fortune on postage, so please keep the write-ups and the video logs coming! And while editors of other journals bemoan the lack of articles, we have material already in hand for the next issue, so if anything you've sent in hasn't appeared yet, it's not forgotten, it's been filed in an email folder marked January 2024!
If you want check out previous issues, you can find them all here. You can also find a scanned archive of all our paper issues from 1919 to 2017 here.
The recent discussion about print newsletters that started at Hidden Earth in September continued in the latest issue of the cavers' magazine Descent, with Grampian CG editor Alan 'Goon' Jeffreys extolling the virtues of print as he did at Hidden Earth, whilst also lamenting the problems of obtaining material, something that Peter Glanvill of the BEC who ran the session at Hidden Earth, also talked about at length.
However, we can say that for this issue unsolicited write ups simply poured in, starting with Stanley's tale of Burrington cave-finding woes, closely followed by Jake's account of a recent Wookey 24 trip. And then we had Jess's amazing Clogs (Caving Logs), hosted on her YouTube channel. This is something that you certainly can't cover in a paper newsletter, but here all you have to do is click on a link. To make life easy for the editors, the video box on Mailchimp even pulls in a preview image, so it's a win for us, too. If you do click on the link, which we hope you will, your browser might ask you to open the video in a new window. If so, click that link, too, and you should reach your intended destination! This also applies to any other links in here.
The final advantage of digital over print is that we don't have to spend a fortune on postage, so please keep the write-ups and the video logs coming! And while editors of other journals bemoan the lack of articles, we have material already in hand for the next issue, so if anything you've sent in hasn't appeared yet, it's not forgotten, it's been filed in an email folder marked January 2024!
If you want check out previous issues, you can find them all here. You can also find a scanned archive of all our paper issues from 1919 to 2017 here.
Linda and Alysia
EVENTS
Happy new year everyworm!
We’re seeing in 2024 with an emphasis on sober socials and, you’ve guessed it, more caving! Signups for weekends will be released via our WhatsApp community 1 week in advance, so make sure you’ve joined. Information on weekly Tuesday evening pub meets will also, as usual, be circulated via WhatsApp. Don’t let dry January put you off from joining for a chat – I’ll be there on the lime & sodas. Here’s our schedule for the term so far…
WEEKENDS:
27th – 28th January – Burns night/post-exams weekend – UBSS hut
23rd – 25th February – SCHECC – tickets will be released soon
1st – 3rd March – Joint weekend with UBES and UBMC – location TBC
11th – 14th April – Joint weekend with Birmingham Student Caving Club – location TBC
SOCIALS:
30th January 7:30pm – Open Discussion on Equality, Diversity & Outdoor Sport led by our very own Stanley Lewis
9th March – AGM & Annual Dinner (our biggest event of the year!) – location TBC
We will be announcing a range of further speleology-related talks on Tuesday evenings at the Stables. They will be sober socials followed by the standard Tuesday pub meets. Also keep an eye out for an upcoming social with UBES and UBMC to mingle before the trip.
See you soon and don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Yay caving!
Happy new year everyworm!
We’re seeing in 2024 with an emphasis on sober socials and, you’ve guessed it, more caving! Signups for weekends will be released via our WhatsApp community 1 week in advance, so make sure you’ve joined. Information on weekly Tuesday evening pub meets will also, as usual, be circulated via WhatsApp. Don’t let dry January put you off from joining for a chat – I’ll be there on the lime & sodas. Here’s our schedule for the term so far…
WEEKENDS:
27th – 28th January – Burns night/post-exams weekend – UBSS hut
23rd – 25th February – SCHECC – tickets will be released soon
1st – 3rd March – Joint weekend with UBES and UBMC – location TBC
11th – 14th April – Joint weekend with Birmingham Student Caving Club – location TBC
SOCIALS:
30th January 7:30pm – Open Discussion on Equality, Diversity & Outdoor Sport led by our very own Stanley Lewis
9th March – AGM & Annual Dinner (our biggest event of the year!) – location TBC
We will be announcing a range of further speleology-related talks on Tuesday evenings at the Stables. They will be sober socials followed by the standard Tuesday pub meets. Also keep an eye out for an upcoming social with UBES and UBMC to mingle before the trip.
See you soon and don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Yay caving!
Mia Jacobs
THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS
2023 ROUND UP
2023 ROUND UP
Cick on the image above to play the video.
Jess
Brock has created a video round-up of the club's activities in 2023 and
while you're there, don't forget to subscribe to Jess' YouTube channel!
SEEING THE SEASON IN ... AND OUT
Left front to back: Ben Alterman, Ryan Mattick, Jositha Sivakumar, Emma Robinson, Jess Brock, Haydon Saunders. Right back to front: Elaine Oliver, Ethan Gutmann, Claire Missen, Dan Hill, Alysia Ellis.
The seasonal festivities started, as usual with the Christmas dinner and ended with the New Year's Eve dinner at the Hut.
Eighteen hungry cavers turned up to the now traditional Xmas dinner, held again at the Spotted Cow in Bedminster. Ben Alterman made the arrangements, so all everyone else had to do was make their menu choices, pay their dosh and turn up. Even remembering what you'd ordered was optional, as the pub had Ben's spreadsheet of everyone's choices!
Left to back: Orfhlaith Roberson, Mia Jacobs, Jan Walker. Back to front: Jake Reich, Graham Mullan, Eva Hesketh-Laird, Dan Runcan.
The food was fine, although the Brussels sprouts could have doubled for cannonballs in the seige of Bristol in the Civil War. The festivities continued, with one of the UBSS teams winning the pub Quiz Night. We'll draw a discreet veil over the accusations of cheating from some of the disgruntled locals. A slur on our collective honour! How very dare they?
After several days of miserable rain, the weather took a slight turn for the better on New Year's Eve in honour of the Society's longest continuous tradition, a dinner at the Hut. The evening consists of food, lots of food, with a turkey, stuffing, sausages and gravy, all ably cooked in Bristol by Clive and Wanda, accompanied by roast potatoes (thanks, Aunt Bessie, you're a star!) and veg, chopped by Linda and boiled by Graham!
Left to right: Graham's hands, Jan Walker, Chris Pepper, Clive Owen. Wanda Owen, Carol Walford, Julian Walford. In the other direction, behind the camera, Helen Rossington, Zac Woodford, Merryn Matthews, Richard Rossington, Linda Wilson, Trigger the Lurcher and Gwen the Greyhound.
Merryn and Zac represented the younger end of the membership and Merryn was inducted into the rituals that always herald the new year and ensure the sun rises later that morning. In brief, after the stroke of midnight, we form a circle and toast absent friends via the four points of the compass in the Hish, Hash, Hosh ritual, where the circle is divided into three, with each segment designated as one of the three 'sneezes', the names of members in those directions are called out, and we all yell our designated word, with one person calling out 'Bacon!'. What does it mean? We have absolutely no idea, and have been unable to get to the bottom of this. All we know is that it pre-dates World War II and might have originated in the medical school at Bristol as several of our early members were medics.
Getting ready for the rituals.
Then we sing the club's own version of the well known folk song Twa Corbies. The Old Crows tells the cheery tale of two crows planning to peck the eyes out of a dead horse for their dinner. Again, what does this have to do with UBSS? Again, we have no f***ing clue, but this also goes back to before the war. Finally, we cross arms and sing a couple of verses of Auld Lang Syne, with this disintegrating into some vigorous pushing and shoving while we all try not to break the circle.
Afterwards there's more drinking and even a few caving songs. Then it was back to Bristol, with Graham's car trapping a large holly branch in the boot door and dragging it as far as one of the airport hotels. A helpful WhatsApp from Merryn pointing out the unexpectedly mobile shrubbery wasn't picked up until much later!
Left front to back: Ben Alterman, Ryan Mattick, Jositha Sivakumar, Emma Robinson, Jess Brock, Haydon Saunders. Right back to front: Elaine Oliver, Ethan Gutmann, Claire Missen, Dan Hill, Alysia Ellis.
The seasonal festivities started, as usual with the Christmas dinner and ended with the New Year's Eve dinner at the Hut.
Eighteen hungry cavers turned up to the now traditional Xmas dinner, held again at the Spotted Cow in Bedminster. Ben Alterman made the arrangements, so all everyone else had to do was make their menu choices, pay their dosh and turn up. Even remembering what you'd ordered was optional, as the pub had Ben's spreadsheet of everyone's choices!
Left to back: Orfhlaith Roberson, Mia Jacobs, Jan Walker. Back to front: Jake Reich, Graham Mullan, Eva Hesketh-Laird, Dan Runcan.
The food was fine, although the Brussels sprouts could have doubled for cannonballs in the seige of Bristol in the Civil War. The festivities continued, with one of the UBSS teams winning the pub Quiz Night. We'll draw a discreet veil over the accusations of cheating from some of the disgruntled locals. A slur on our collective honour! How very dare they?
After several days of miserable rain, the weather took a slight turn for the better on New Year's Eve in honour of the Society's longest continuous tradition, a dinner at the Hut. The evening consists of food, lots of food, with a turkey, stuffing, sausages and gravy, all ably cooked in Bristol by Clive and Wanda, accompanied by roast potatoes (thanks, Aunt Bessie, you're a star!) and veg, chopped by Linda and boiled by Graham!
Left to right: Graham's hands, Jan Walker, Chris Pepper, Clive Owen. Wanda Owen, Carol Walford, Julian Walford. In the other direction, behind the camera, Helen Rossington, Zac Woodford, Merryn Matthews, Richard Rossington, Linda Wilson, Trigger the Lurcher and Gwen the Greyhound.
Merryn and Zac represented the younger end of the membership and Merryn was inducted into the rituals that always herald the new year and ensure the sun rises later that morning. In brief, after the stroke of midnight, we form a circle and toast absent friends via the four points of the compass in the Hish, Hash, Hosh ritual, where the circle is divided into three, with each segment designated as one of the three 'sneezes', the names of members in those directions are called out, and we all yell our designated word, with one person calling out 'Bacon!'. What does it mean? We have absolutely no idea, and have been unable to get to the bottom of this. All we know is that it pre-dates World War II and might have originated in the medical school at Bristol as several of our early members were medics.
Getting ready for the rituals.
Then we sing the club's own version of the well known folk song Twa Corbies. The Old Crows tells the cheery tale of two crows planning to peck the eyes out of a dead horse for their dinner. Again, what does this have to do with UBSS? Again, we have no f***ing clue, but this also goes back to before the war. Finally, we cross arms and sing a couple of verses of Auld Lang Syne, with this disintegrating into some vigorous pushing and shoving while we all try not to break the circle.
Afterwards there's more drinking and even a few caving songs. Then it was back to Bristol, with Graham's car trapping a large holly branch in the boot door and dragging it as far as one of the airport hotels. A helpful WhatsApp from Merryn pointing out the unexpectedly mobile shrubbery wasn't picked up until much later!
Linda Wilson
MENDIP QUIZ NIGHT
Does anyone fancy reprising the quiz win at the Xmas meal? If no, now's your chance!
Does anyone fancy reprising the quiz win at the Xmas meal? If no, now's your chance!
THE CAVE(S) THAT WENT WRONG
Descending Pierre's Pot after the entrance finding faff.
Everyone knows that caving involves faff, or if you don't know that before you take up the sport, it's one of the first things you learn. Stanley Lewis muses on the ill-advised nature of caving when hungover and relying on an ancient guidebook.
As I rudely awoke from a remarkably unrestful slumber, I rolled over to rot my brain with short videos and music clips, unable to move from my pillowed palace, which considering my state at the time felt more like a coffin. Prosecco and whiskey are cruel mistresses.
Much to my surprise (not), I saw that all the South Wales trips had fallen through, but who could have predicted a 9:00 wakeup on a Saturday wouldn’t go well? Despite the pessimistic smugness that filled my three remaining brain cells, I did feel some sort of longing. A longing to truly be six feet under (no, not in that way), and this became a call to action when someone suggested a much more relaxed trip up to Mendip, for some casual Saturday rambling. To cut a long story short, three hours later I was annoying Jess in the car, with Dan and Billy in tow, ready to dive under the earth, and feeling deep pits of anxiety that maybe this time, I won't fit through the hole and I'll be stuck there forever, having to eat bats and spiders to survive. Then we got to the Hut. That’s when the first problem reared its troglodytic head. Where was Pierre’s Pot?
See, not only had none of us been to this cave for over a year, but we were using a 31 year old Mendip Underground, which had, shall we say, rather lacklustre directions. We proceeded to spend the next 40 minutes running round the hills surrounding Goatchurch, asking ever hiker, caver and UBES member to no avail. Right when we were about to give up and go to Goatchurch (the caving equivalent of unmelted cheese on your chips at the end of a night out), the cave we wanted was located and with an hour burned from a callout, we quickly headed into the dark depths below.
After climbing down a rope and short amble down a rocky slither, we heard voices in the distance and got excited. For those amongst you unaware, UBSS is not the most popular of clubs, we just never really fit in, you see, so this was an exciting prospect for us. After crawling towards the sounds, I came out onto a small chamber with about five different routes and three women dressed in full gear sitting around waiting for us to pass.
We made some spirited conversation, however I don’t think they really got what we were after. We were carrying a picture of possibly the most unclear survey I have ever had the pleasure of using, so when we asked them for directions, we wanted to go to the most crawly cavey squeezes the tunnels had to offer, and we knew Pierre's had them on offer. After pointing us in what they believed was the direction we wanted, they dashed past us and climbed out. However, after following their directions, climbing through a few crawls and over some large rocks, we came out at a terminal chamber that I had never seen before. After much deliberation,the conclusion reached was that we had been led astray, and despite Jess becoming more discouraged by the minute, Dan and I decided to press on and try to find the route.
Route-finding faff in Pierre's Pot.
Finally, I struck gold and found a route downwards that just seemed to keep on going and going and going and after an all too familiar feeling squeeze, everything began looking very familiar and I knew we had finally struck gold. Alas, at this point I think the cave - and the day - may have got on top of us and another two hours of squeezes without much of an option to turn around just didn’t feel as appealing to some of us any more. The executive decision was made to turn around, and after some excellent cave photography by Jess, we reached the surface, to be greeted by a calming blue hue with starlight reflecting off the streamway, our Fenix's only companion, instead the crisp rays that surrounded us as we decended the cave.
Fossil brachiopod in Pierre's, identified by our resident fossil expert Mike Simms as a Schellwienella.
Despite this ardent defeat, spirits were still high(ish) and the best way to raise them was a quick run around Sidcot and when I say run, I do mean run. So despite Jess’s calls of protest that she wasn’t at the front, Dan dived down into our second pit of the day. As I slid down the slick pit, I let out a silent thank you that the spiders which guard its gates had opted to take a holiday . However my cheery demeanour was short lived, as I began to look around at what again, were unfamiliar surroundings. This time I was more alarmed.
See, not only is Sidcot basically a straight line, but I knew the cave and therefore the fact that what I was seeing and feeling was new was much more distressing. I thought to myself surely we haven't got lost again but it seems I had placed too much faith in our motley crew of dopey and hungover cavers, and was greeted by the proposition of turning around.
At this point, we had all had enough, and swiftly left the Hut, filled with post cave euphoria that lacked the feeling of any real accomplishment or success. It was an unfortunate trip to say the least, but one I most certainly enjoyed. The car ride home was spent singing Jess songs to cheer her up, and I even saw her crack a smile at one point so I’ll say that was mission accomplished. All I can say to conclude this is that I wouldn’t recommend being an idiot and getting lost in two caves in one day. But if you do, it can still be a decent bit of craic nonetheless.
Stanley Lewis
Descending Pierre's Pot after the entrance finding faff.
Everyone knows that caving involves faff, or if you don't know that before you take up the sport, it's one of the first things you learn. Stanley Lewis muses on the ill-advised nature of caving when hungover and relying on an ancient guidebook.
As I rudely awoke from a remarkably unrestful slumber, I rolled over to rot my brain with short videos and music clips, unable to move from my pillowed palace, which considering my state at the time felt more like a coffin. Prosecco and whiskey are cruel mistresses.
Much to my surprise (not), I saw that all the South Wales trips had fallen through, but who could have predicted a 9:00 wakeup on a Saturday wouldn’t go well? Despite the pessimistic smugness that filled my three remaining brain cells, I did feel some sort of longing. A longing to truly be six feet under (no, not in that way), and this became a call to action when someone suggested a much more relaxed trip up to Mendip, for some casual Saturday rambling. To cut a long story short, three hours later I was annoying Jess in the car, with Dan and Billy in tow, ready to dive under the earth, and feeling deep pits of anxiety that maybe this time, I won't fit through the hole and I'll be stuck there forever, having to eat bats and spiders to survive. Then we got to the Hut. That’s when the first problem reared its troglodytic head. Where was Pierre’s Pot?
See, not only had none of us been to this cave for over a year, but we were using a 31 year old Mendip Underground, which had, shall we say, rather lacklustre directions. We proceeded to spend the next 40 minutes running round the hills surrounding Goatchurch, asking ever hiker, caver and UBES member to no avail. Right when we were about to give up and go to Goatchurch (the caving equivalent of unmelted cheese on your chips at the end of a night out), the cave we wanted was located and with an hour burned from a callout, we quickly headed into the dark depths below.
After climbing down a rope and short amble down a rocky slither, we heard voices in the distance and got excited. For those amongst you unaware, UBSS is not the most popular of clubs, we just never really fit in, you see, so this was an exciting prospect for us. After crawling towards the sounds, I came out onto a small chamber with about five different routes and three women dressed in full gear sitting around waiting for us to pass.
We made some spirited conversation, however I don’t think they really got what we were after. We were carrying a picture of possibly the most unclear survey I have ever had the pleasure of using, so when we asked them for directions, we wanted to go to the most crawly cavey squeezes the tunnels had to offer, and we knew Pierre's had them on offer. After pointing us in what they believed was the direction we wanted, they dashed past us and climbed out. However, after following their directions, climbing through a few crawls and over some large rocks, we came out at a terminal chamber that I had never seen before. After much deliberation,the conclusion reached was that we had been led astray, and despite Jess becoming more discouraged by the minute, Dan and I decided to press on and try to find the route.
Route-finding faff in Pierre's Pot.
Finally, I struck gold and found a route downwards that just seemed to keep on going and going and going and after an all too familiar feeling squeeze, everything began looking very familiar and I knew we had finally struck gold. Alas, at this point I think the cave - and the day - may have got on top of us and another two hours of squeezes without much of an option to turn around just didn’t feel as appealing to some of us any more. The executive decision was made to turn around, and after some excellent cave photography by Jess, we reached the surface, to be greeted by a calming blue hue with starlight reflecting off the streamway, our Fenix's only companion, instead the crisp rays that surrounded us as we decended the cave.
Fossil brachiopod in Pierre's, identified by our resident fossil expert Mike Simms as a Schellwienella.
Despite this ardent defeat, spirits were still high(ish) and the best way to raise them was a quick run around Sidcot and when I say run, I do mean run. So despite Jess’s calls of protest that she wasn’t at the front, Dan dived down into our second pit of the day. As I slid down the slick pit, I let out a silent thank you that the spiders which guard its gates had opted to take a holiday . However my cheery demeanour was short lived, as I began to look around at what again, were unfamiliar surroundings. This time I was more alarmed.
See, not only is Sidcot basically a straight line, but I knew the cave and therefore the fact that what I was seeing and feeling was new was much more distressing. I thought to myself surely we haven't got lost again but it seems I had placed too much faith in our motley crew of dopey and hungover cavers, and was greeted by the proposition of turning around.
At this point, we had all had enough, and swiftly left the Hut, filled with post cave euphoria that lacked the feeling of any real accomplishment or success. It was an unfortunate trip to say the least, but one I most certainly enjoyed. The car ride home was spent singing Jess songs to cheer her up, and I even saw her crack a smile at one point so I’ll say that was mission accomplished. All I can say to conclude this is that I wouldn’t recommend being an idiot and getting lost in two caves in one day. But if you do, it can still be a decent bit of craic nonetheless.
Stanley Lewis
HOW NOT TO FIND A CAVE (PART 2) - JESS'S TALE
For
those who would like to know a little more about this epic trip into
Pierre's Pot, Jess Brock Productions proudly presents Clog 3 in which cavers explore Pierre's Pot after spending nearly an hour trying to find it of course...
Click on the image above to play the video.
Jess has perfectly reasonably sub-titled this film Route Finding by Boys.
YORKSHIRE IN WINTER
Winter wonderland in Kingsdale.
Yorkshire in December. Hmm, so what's on the traditional checklist? ... snow (check); getting lost (check), faff (check) ... yep, most of the ingredients for a standard trip for the time of year are definitely in place. Jess, Merryn and Zac take up the tale. Thanks to Graham for some additional information on the wonderfully named Aquamole.
Winter wonderland in Kingsdale.
Yorkshire in December. Hmm, so what's on the traditional checklist? ... snow (check); getting lost (check), faff (check) ... yep, most of the ingredients for a standard trip for the time of year are definitely in place. Jess, Merryn and Zac take up the tale. Thanks to Graham for some additional information on the wonderfully named Aquamole.
AQUAMOLE
Click on the image above to play the video
Aquamole is one
of those rare caves that was discovered from the ‘inside out”. In 1974
Geoff Yeadon and the late Oliver ‘Bear’ Statham passed the upstream sump
from Rowten Pot, part of the Kingsdale Master Cave, after a 168 dive
and discovered the impressive 40 high Aquamole Aven, named from an
occasional nickname for Geoff. Over the next few years, that aven and
the pitches above it were climbed using a variety of techniques
including scaling poles and bolts until the cave finally topped out
quite close to the surface.
Rupert Skorupka had started diving upstream from the aven in 1992, and was quite keen to find an easier way in, so, eventually, the highest point in the cave was radio-located to a point about 55 m from Jingling Pot and a dig started from the surface. This broke through to the pitches in 2002. The upstream sump is now over 900m long and is still going.
Rupert Skorupka had started diving upstream from the aven in 1992, and was quite keen to find an easier way in, so, eventually, the highest point in the cave was radio-located to a point about 55 m from Jingling Pot and a dig started from the surface. This broke through to the pitches in 2002. The upstream sump is now over 900m long and is still going.
Graham Mullan
IREBY FELL
Left to right: Jake, Jacob and Merryn at the sump in Duke Street.
On Saturday 2nd December, Merryn Matthews, Ash Gregg, Jacob Podesta and Jake Reich got acquainted with Ireby Fell and some traditional winter weather for the frozen north.
None of us had ever been down Ireby before so we had a great time visiting Duke Street and watching the cave change in nature from wet stream, to pothole, to dry stomping at the end. We decided to save the Cripple Creek round trip for another day, prefering to head out in time for Christmas dinner and mulled beverages.
Unfortunately we timed surfacing to collide with an unforecast snowstorm - but it wouldn't be a Winter Yorkshire without a few frozen suits.
Left to right: Jake, Jacob and Merryn at the sump in Duke Street.
On Saturday 2nd December, Merryn Matthews, Ash Gregg, Jacob Podesta and Jake Reich got acquainted with Ireby Fell and some traditional winter weather for the frozen north.
None of us had ever been down Ireby before so we had a great time visiting Duke Street and watching the cave change in nature from wet stream, to pothole, to dry stomping at the end. We decided to save the Cripple Creek round trip for another day, prefering to head out in time for Christmas dinner and mulled beverages.
Unfortunately we timed surfacing to collide with an unforecast snowstorm - but it wouldn't be a Winter Yorkshire without a few frozen suits.
Merryn Matthews
BULL POT OFTHE WITCHES
Our intrepid trio of Jess (left), Zac (middle) and Mia (right).
After a very successful first day down Aquamole, Mia, Jess and Zac decided on some more relaxing caving on Sunday as Zac relates ...
After the usual evening debate/argument/shouting match that is organising caving trips, it was decided that Mia, Jess and I would return to Kingsdale and do a couple of the pitches in Bull Pot and then head back.
It had snowed during the night leaving about half a foot of fun white powder (the natural kind). This delayed us setting off as we first had to settle the snowball war that had erupted. When we arrived in Kingsdale, it was unrecognizable from the day before. Getting changed was a painful affair but we soon began to trudge up the hill. There was much snow tossing and several snow angels were made while we searched for the cave.
Jess enjoying the snow.
While we were hiking we spotted the figures of Ash, Merryn, Dan and Jake in the distance. We followed the customary communication protocol of SCREAMING THE FROZEN 2 THEME until they responded. Which they did.
Eventually we found a hole covered in a chicken wire like grate. We immediately assumed we’d reached our cave and so began to try to figure out how the terrain corresponded to the rigging guide and where the bolts were. This culminated in Mia tying the rope around a boulder and dropping the pit, swiftly followed by Jess.
If you'd like to watch what we got up to, Jess has produced another Clog, to give you a flavour of Yorkshire in the snow and our cave hunting!
Our intrepid trio of Jess (left), Zac (middle) and Mia (right).
After a very successful first day down Aquamole, Mia, Jess and Zac decided on some more relaxing caving on Sunday as Zac relates ...
After the usual evening debate/argument/shouting match that is organising caving trips, it was decided that Mia, Jess and I would return to Kingsdale and do a couple of the pitches in Bull Pot and then head back.
It had snowed during the night leaving about half a foot of fun white powder (the natural kind). This delayed us setting off as we first had to settle the snowball war that had erupted. When we arrived in Kingsdale, it was unrecognizable from the day before. Getting changed was a painful affair but we soon began to trudge up the hill. There was much snow tossing and several snow angels were made while we searched for the cave.
Jess enjoying the snow.
While we were hiking we spotted the figures of Ash, Merryn, Dan and Jake in the distance. We followed the customary communication protocol of SCREAMING THE FROZEN 2 THEME until they responded. Which they did.
Eventually we found a hole covered in a chicken wire like grate. We immediately assumed we’d reached our cave and so began to try to figure out how the terrain corresponded to the rigging guide and where the bolts were. This culminated in Mia tying the rope around a boulder and dropping the pit, swiftly followed by Jess.
If you'd like to watch what we got up to, Jess has produced another Clog, to give you a flavour of Yorkshire in the snow and our cave hunting!
To watch the video, click on the image above.
Meanwhile I
went to have a look just over the ridge. And then I found Bull Pot. Mia
and Jess had already realized the pit wasn’t our intended destination as
there was no onward passage. Meanwhile, I’d found the bolts and even a
plaque.
Mia and Jess came to join me, and we then had a discussion about the future of this trip, and how it was going to be much shorter than initially planned as we were all cold, tired and it was getting dark. Mia rigged only the first pitch which Jess and then I descended.
Caving quota completed we set off back down the hill. We reasoned that we had absorbed all the faff and bad luck from the other trips so they must have all gone swimmingly. Mia employed another of her unusual techniques by rolling down the hill. It was effective - at making her cold.
As we got to the road, a pickup truck driving past stopped. As the driver lowered the window, I could see he was wearing a cave and fell rescue jacket. He asked if we were all right. I then asked if there’d been a rescue and if so, how it had gone. To which he vaguely responded: “Yeah, all right”. He then pulled away followed by several other vehicles.
We reasoned that it couldn’t have been our other group as what could possibly have gone wrong? Then I got back to the car and checked my messages… Merryn had fallen on the surface on the way up to the top entrance to Yordas. We speculated what might have happened while we were changing but didn’t find out for certain until Ash pulled up with Dan, Jake and Merryn. She’d been checked by the paramedics but was still a little out of it so Ash drove them all back to Bristol.
Thankfully, Si, Haydon, Elaine and Jacob had a very good trip so one out of three ain’t bad?
Mia and Jess came to join me, and we then had a discussion about the future of this trip, and how it was going to be much shorter than initially planned as we were all cold, tired and it was getting dark. Mia rigged only the first pitch which Jess and then I descended.
Caving quota completed we set off back down the hill. We reasoned that we had absorbed all the faff and bad luck from the other trips so they must have all gone swimmingly. Mia employed another of her unusual techniques by rolling down the hill. It was effective - at making her cold.
As we got to the road, a pickup truck driving past stopped. As the driver lowered the window, I could see he was wearing a cave and fell rescue jacket. He asked if we were all right. I then asked if there’d been a rescue and if so, how it had gone. To which he vaguely responded: “Yeah, all right”. He then pulled away followed by several other vehicles.
We reasoned that it couldn’t have been our other group as what could possibly have gone wrong? Then I got back to the car and checked my messages… Merryn had fallen on the surface on the way up to the top entrance to Yordas. We speculated what might have happened while we were changing but didn’t find out for certain until Ash pulled up with Dan, Jake and Merryn. She’d been checked by the paramedics but was still a little out of it so Ash drove them all back to Bristol.
Thankfully, Si, Haydon, Elaine and Jacob had a very good trip so one out of three ain’t bad?
Zac Woodford
WELCOME TO WOOKEY
Our intrepid team outside the cave.
At about 4pm on a lame Monday, Sara, Jake, Stan and Ben set off to meet Elaine and our leader (whose name I envy), Bean. On arrival we were asked to sign a waiver at the Wookey Hole hotel, ensuring that no caving gear enters and that the clean carpets stay clean. After Ben ordered some dinner crisps from the bar, we set off to get changed in the car park and made our way (chauffeured by Bean) to the public exit of Wookey.
We enter through a side gate and are welcomed by a variety of large cute cool dinosaurs. We then continued past them to enter the showcave, where we were welcomed by a barrage of colourful Christmas lights and even a reindeer (1:1 scale) in the cave. After a brisk walk through the showcave, we enter into a large chamber. After a quick look at the chamber, Bean swiftly climbs over the chain which keeps the paying customers from going where they shouldn't, and takes us to the edge of the chamber where we start the real cave.
Santa and his Little Helpers. Photos by Linda Wilson from a previous Xmas trip.
We follow Bean through a relatively large passage filled with boulders, at some point using a very slack traverse line to ensure that we don't fall down a sloping rift. After some time, we emerge at a series of very long slides, accompanied by a handline to use to slow ourselves down to ensure we don't break the sound barrier. We encounter a tightish and awkward climb down a ladder, a bit of crawling, a long and awkward rift and bit of squeezing before arriving at a higher level of a large chamber with some gushing water and deep sand that's easy to sink into. To climb down to the bottom of the chamber, I'm told there is a slot that I should enter to the left, which is completely invisible to my naked eye. I start climbing down via a handline and after some time, gravity threw me into the invisible slot like magic. After some short climbs down, we make it to the bottom.
The famous Witch of Wookey (centre) with the Xmas lights. Photos by Linda Wilson from a previous trip.
Once here, we walk around a bit to see a fancy cool passage, which was likely sumped. We then go through and around an interesting traverse/climb down where we end up at the camp. After a quick look around the camp, we head all the way back. It was mostly up, tight and strenuous. While on the rift going back, I was fully suspended for a few mins by my torso and Ben was stuck for at least five, whereas Sara slipped right through. On we go, all the way back to the show cave. As we enter through the public exit, we decide to have a quick look around the rest of the showcave.
Bean warned us not to get our muddy paws on the clean handrails as management doesn't like dirty handrails. We passed into Third Chamber (I think) where we were welcomed by lovely Xmas music (and still filled with colourful lights), then before saying hi to the Witch in the kitchen, we went past the maturing cheddar cheese and left the way we came in. After being sad that we didn't take a camera into the cave with us, we took one picture in the car park and went on our merry ways.
Our intrepid team outside the cave.
At about 4pm on a lame Monday, Sara, Jake, Stan and Ben set off to meet Elaine and our leader (whose name I envy), Bean. On arrival we were asked to sign a waiver at the Wookey Hole hotel, ensuring that no caving gear enters and that the clean carpets stay clean. After Ben ordered some dinner crisps from the bar, we set off to get changed in the car park and made our way (chauffeured by Bean) to the public exit of Wookey.
We enter through a side gate and are welcomed by a variety of large cute cool dinosaurs. We then continued past them to enter the showcave, where we were welcomed by a barrage of colourful Christmas lights and even a reindeer (1:1 scale) in the cave. After a brisk walk through the showcave, we enter into a large chamber. After a quick look at the chamber, Bean swiftly climbs over the chain which keeps the paying customers from going where they shouldn't, and takes us to the edge of the chamber where we start the real cave.
Santa and his Little Helpers. Photos by Linda Wilson from a previous Xmas trip.
We follow Bean through a relatively large passage filled with boulders, at some point using a very slack traverse line to ensure that we don't fall down a sloping rift. After some time, we emerge at a series of very long slides, accompanied by a handline to use to slow ourselves down to ensure we don't break the sound barrier. We encounter a tightish and awkward climb down a ladder, a bit of crawling, a long and awkward rift and bit of squeezing before arriving at a higher level of a large chamber with some gushing water and deep sand that's easy to sink into. To climb down to the bottom of the chamber, I'm told there is a slot that I should enter to the left, which is completely invisible to my naked eye. I start climbing down via a handline and after some time, gravity threw me into the invisible slot like magic. After some short climbs down, we make it to the bottom.
The famous Witch of Wookey (centre) with the Xmas lights. Photos by Linda Wilson from a previous trip.
Once here, we walk around a bit to see a fancy cool passage, which was likely sumped. We then go through and around an interesting traverse/climb down where we end up at the camp. After a quick look around the camp, we head all the way back. It was mostly up, tight and strenuous. While on the rift going back, I was fully suspended for a few mins by my torso and Ben was stuck for at least five, whereas Sara slipped right through. On we go, all the way back to the show cave. As we enter through the public exit, we decide to have a quick look around the rest of the showcave.
Bean warned us not to get our muddy paws on the clean handrails as management doesn't like dirty handrails. We passed into Third Chamber (I think) where we were welcomed by lovely Xmas music (and still filled with colourful lights), then before saying hi to the Witch in the kitchen, we went past the maturing cheddar cheese and left the way we came in. After being sad that we didn't take a camera into the cave with us, we took one picture in the car park and went on our merry ways.
Jake Reich
DEFINITELY NOT DRY
Entrance to Read's Cavern in normal water conditions. Now imagine this much, much wetter! Photo by Linda Wilson from a previous, less wet trip.,
Carrying sausages in your helmet is not always recommended, as Zac Woodford found during a very wet end of year trip into Read's Cavern.
Ahead of the New Year’s Eve celebrations at the Hut, Merryn and I wanted to get in one last cave of the year. We decided on Read’s Cavern as we wanted something short and dry (given the recent weather). We also had unfinished business there as we had previously tried to reach the bottom and failed.
Ahead of the trip we raided Sainsbury’s for snacks for an underground picnic. I later came to regret some of my choices here… but you live and learn!
There was some fun while changing as I had no belt, left hand gloves or cave pants. Merryn lent me a sling for a belt while I had to put up with a back-to front glove and commando for the other two issues.
Our second round of apprehension hit when we arrived at Read’s and found a veritable river flowing into it. This provided little obstacle, at that stage, and we were soon squirming and worming through boulders, albeit with care. At some point we took the same wrong turn we did before. Realising our mistake we stopped for a picnic of baguette, Kielbassa sausage and truffled brie (I hadn’t realized it was truffled when I brought it).
Merryn contemplating an amphibian (left), Zac contemplating a sausage (right).
I was only able to manage half the sausages and had to put the rest back in my helmet meaning the rest of the trip smelt like sausage as we descended a 4 m pitch and then crawled through some thoroughly disgusting tubes to reach the streamway. Merryn was ahead of me and called back, very accurately, that it was like Swildon’s, on abad sporting day. We tried going a little further
but it was far too wet so we stopped and turned around. Not wanting to
upset Junction Chamber, we went back the way we came… Yay…
The rescued amphibian.
Back in the entrance chamber, Merryn went exploring along the streamway and swiftly summoned me. She’d found an amphibian perched on a rock. Concerned for its welfare, we took it to a safer part of the cave, just inside the entrance. It had a bloodied mouth so we thought it had been knocked about when it was washed in.
Good deed done for the day, we made it back to the Hut in time for the meal and the celebrations.
Entrance to Read's Cavern in normal water conditions. Now imagine this much, much wetter! Photo by Linda Wilson from a previous, less wet trip.,
Carrying sausages in your helmet is not always recommended, as Zac Woodford found during a very wet end of year trip into Read's Cavern.
Ahead of the New Year’s Eve celebrations at the Hut, Merryn and I wanted to get in one last cave of the year. We decided on Read’s Cavern as we wanted something short and dry (given the recent weather). We also had unfinished business there as we had previously tried to reach the bottom and failed.
Ahead of the trip we raided Sainsbury’s for snacks for an underground picnic. I later came to regret some of my choices here… but you live and learn!
There was some fun while changing as I had no belt, left hand gloves or cave pants. Merryn lent me a sling for a belt while I had to put up with a back-to front glove and commando for the other two issues.
Our second round of apprehension hit when we arrived at Read’s and found a veritable river flowing into it. This provided little obstacle, at that stage, and we were soon squirming and worming through boulders, albeit with care. At some point we took the same wrong turn we did before. Realising our mistake we stopped for a picnic of baguette, Kielbassa sausage and truffled brie (I hadn’t realized it was truffled when I brought it).
Merryn contemplating an amphibian (left), Zac contemplating a sausage (right).
I was only able to manage half the sausages and had to put the rest back in my helmet meaning the rest of the trip smelt like sausage as we descended a 4 m pitch and then crawled through some thoroughly disgusting tubes to reach the streamway. Merryn was ahead of me and called back, very accurately, that it was like Swildon’s, on a
The rescued amphibian.
Back in the entrance chamber, Merryn went exploring along the streamway and swiftly summoned me. She’d found an amphibian perched on a rock. Concerned for its welfare, we took it to a safer part of the cave, just inside the entrance. It had a bloodied mouth so we thought it had been knocked about when it was washed in.
Good deed done for the day, we made it back to the Hut in time for the meal and the celebrations.
Zac Woodford
A SUCCESSFUL FISHING TRIP
Ben Alterman hauling digging spoil out of Fishmonger's Swallet on our last excavation in August 2023. Photo by Linda Wilson.
The eagerly awaited second tranch of dates from Fishmonger's Swallet have now been received and Graham Mullan talks through the results after discussion with lead archaeological investigator, Dr Adelle Bricking, and presents the new dates and some new thoughts.
Fishmonger’s, a small swallet cave in south Gloucestershire, has been studied quite extensively by the Society over the past few years, working in conjunction with the Hades CC, who discovered the cave. It has previously featured in this newsletter and was reported on in detail in our Proceedings in 2022. Fishmongers is a small cave, but it has yielded some very interesting late Iron Age deposits, which are now held by UBSS.
For such an unassuming cave, it continues to be wholly fascinating archaeologically. Most recently, we have obtained six more radiocarbon dates, three on dogs and three more on humans which, added to the ones published in Proceedings 29.1 in 2022 means we have 13 dates, not including the less precise ones originally obtained by Time Team many years ago. Adelle Bricking has taken these and done some modelling.
The above graph shows the modelled date ranges for radiocarbon dated humans in red and the dogs ingrey. ‘Start’ and ‘End’ represent the modelled prediction for the site chronology based on the results from samples. This graph was created in OxCal by Adelle Bricking.
Originally, all 13 dates were included in one model, but now Adelle has produced two models, one of dogs and one of people. The models are shown in this figure, layered together with the human in red and the dogs in grey. This shows a number of things:
- The human remains were deposited within a period of no more than about 100 years, but probably not all at the same time.
- The dogs were deposited over a longer period, perhaps about 200 years.
- Both sequences end at about the same point within the first couple of decades AD.
What was going on here we do not know. The dogs show little evidence of how they died or how they were treated after death, with only one cut mark and a few signs of gnawing, although the people have more signs of both pathology and trauma (see the papers in our 2022 Proceedings for more details: for the dogs and here and here for the humans. However, the timing does seem to show that something about their internment here (used the term loosely) was intentional, especially given the cut-off date.
Why the behaviour, whatever is was, stopped we don’t know. The date is a few decades before the Roman invasion under Claudius in AD 43, so cannot be in direct response to that. Much was already changing, socially and politically, in southern Britain even before the Romans arrived, but very little is actually known about events in this period in this place. Early indications from stable isotope analysis are that both animals and people were local to the area but that is all we can currently say. The next stage will probably be to date some of the fauna other than dogs to see whether any domestic activity was taking place outside these two centuries.
Two very definite conclusions can be drawn at this point: We need to do more excavation and we need more dates. Anyone wishing to either join in with the former or donate to the cost of the latter please contact our museum curator Linda Wilson who is co-ordinating the work at the site.
Grateful thanks are due to the British Cave Research Association and the Oliver Lloyd Memorial Fund for underwriting the cost of the dating and to our landowners, Ian and Geraldine Potter for their forbearance in allowing very muddy cavers and archaeologists to wander over and under their land.
Ben Alterman hauling digging spoil out of Fishmonger's Swallet on our last excavation in August 2023. Photo by Linda Wilson.
The eagerly awaited second tranch of dates from Fishmonger's Swallet have now been received and Graham Mullan talks through the results after discussion with lead archaeological investigator, Dr Adelle Bricking, and presents the new dates and some new thoughts.
Fishmonger’s, a small swallet cave in south Gloucestershire, has been studied quite extensively by the Society over the past few years, working in conjunction with the Hades CC, who discovered the cave. It has previously featured in this newsletter and was reported on in detail in our Proceedings in 2022. Fishmongers is a small cave, but it has yielded some very interesting late Iron Age deposits, which are now held by UBSS.
For such an unassuming cave, it continues to be wholly fascinating archaeologically. Most recently, we have obtained six more radiocarbon dates, three on dogs and three more on humans which, added to the ones published in Proceedings 29.1 in 2022 means we have 13 dates, not including the less precise ones originally obtained by Time Team many years ago. Adelle Bricking has taken these and done some modelling.
The above graph shows the modelled date ranges for radiocarbon dated humans in red and the dogs ingrey. ‘Start’ and ‘End’ represent the modelled prediction for the site chronology based on the results from samples. This graph was created in OxCal by Adelle Bricking.
Originally, all 13 dates were included in one model, but now Adelle has produced two models, one of dogs and one of people. The models are shown in this figure, layered together with the human in red and the dogs in grey. This shows a number of things:
- The human remains were deposited within a period of no more than about 100 years, but probably not all at the same time.
- The dogs were deposited over a longer period, perhaps about 200 years.
- Both sequences end at about the same point within the first couple of decades AD.
What was going on here we do not know. The dogs show little evidence of how they died or how they were treated after death, with only one cut mark and a few signs of gnawing, although the people have more signs of both pathology and trauma (see the papers in our 2022 Proceedings for more details: for the dogs and here and here for the humans. However, the timing does seem to show that something about their internment here (used the term loosely) was intentional, especially given the cut-off date.
Why the behaviour, whatever is was, stopped we don’t know. The date is a few decades before the Roman invasion under Claudius in AD 43, so cannot be in direct response to that. Much was already changing, socially and politically, in southern Britain even before the Romans arrived, but very little is actually known about events in this period in this place. Early indications from stable isotope analysis are that both animals and people were local to the area but that is all we can currently say. The next stage will probably be to date some of the fauna other than dogs to see whether any domestic activity was taking place outside these two centuries.
Two very definite conclusions can be drawn at this point: We need to do more excavation and we need more dates. Anyone wishing to either join in with the former or donate to the cost of the latter please contact our museum curator Linda Wilson who is co-ordinating the work at the site.
Grateful thanks are due to the British Cave Research Association and the Oliver Lloyd Memorial Fund for underwriting the cost of the dating and to our landowners, Ian and Geraldine Potter for their forbearance in allowing very muddy cavers and archaeologists to wander over and under their land.
Graham Mullan
IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ!
This is a public service announcement from our long-suffering treasurer, Graham, on the subject of email notifications and addresses.
The British Caving Association (BCA) is dropping its plastic membership cards in favour of issuing electronic versions of the cards to all its members. These won’t come via me, as the plastic ones used to, but directly to you all from the BCA. I have concerns about the reliability of email these days and so am asking that you all take a moment to ‘whitelist’ the BCA email address to ensure delivery of your membership card. We don't yet know exactly what address will be used, so please whitelist the domain @caves.org.uk . BCA have put up a web page explaining the process of getting and using your ecard.
Similarly, I have found that many people are not receiving emails from me, or only doing so randomly, so please also whitelist [email protected] as well. This move should, hopefully, cut down on an awful lot of my work when dealing with subscription renewals and similar matters.
Thanks for your cooperation.
This is a public service announcement from our long-suffering treasurer, Graham, on the subject of email notifications and addresses.
The British Caving Association (BCA) is dropping its plastic membership cards in favour of issuing electronic versions of the cards to all its members. These won’t come via me, as the plastic ones used to, but directly to you all from the BCA. I have concerns about the reliability of email these days and so am asking that you all take a moment to ‘whitelist’ the BCA email address to ensure delivery of your membership card. We don't yet know exactly what address will be used, so please whitelist the domain @caves.org.uk . BCA have put up a web page explaining the process of getting and using your ecard.
Similarly, I have found that many people are not receiving emails from me, or only doing so randomly, so please also whitelist [email protected] as well. This move should, hopefully, cut down on an awful lot of my work when dealing with subscription renewals and similar matters.
Thanks for your cooperation.
Graham Mullan
(Hon. Treasurer)
(Hon. Treasurer)
UBSS ONLINE BOOKSHOP - TECHNO UPDATE
The Society's latest book published in 2022. If you haven't got it, why not?
For some years we have been using PayPal buttons to take payments for online book sales, for our Irish cave guides and for recent issues of Proceedings. However, PayPal are in the process of ‘updating’ their sales interface as editor, Graham Mullan reports ...
Their instructions are well above my teccie skillset and I haven’t yet solved the problem of a wholesale website upgrade (offers of help gratefully received) so I have cheerfully ignored their emails. Until now. The matter came to a head when I found that I could not generate a new payment button for the latest edition of Proceedings so a workaround was needed.
A while back we bought a Sumup card reader so that members borrowing tackle could pay their fee easily by a tap of a card in the Tackle Store. This, as recent Tackle Wardens will tell you, has been spectacularly unsuccessful but it does mean that we have an account with them and they offer the facility to set up an online shop simply and quickly. This has now been done & non-members wanting to buy our publications can now obtain them here . Members get discounts so should talk directly to the Treasurer.
With a little thought, we should be able to expand this so that things like tackle fees, hut fees and even subscriptions can be paid by card by those who are unhappy using direct online bank transfers. There are fees to pay, currently 2½%, on all transactions, which will have to be factored in, but we are working on it and will always do what we can to make it easier for you all to hand over your hard-earned cash.
The Society's latest book published in 2022. If you haven't got it, why not?
For some years we have been using PayPal buttons to take payments for online book sales, for our Irish cave guides and for recent issues of Proceedings. However, PayPal are in the process of ‘updating’ their sales interface as editor, Graham Mullan reports ...
Their instructions are well above my teccie skillset and I haven’t yet solved the problem of a wholesale website upgrade (offers of help gratefully received) so I have cheerfully ignored their emails. Until now. The matter came to a head when I found that I could not generate a new payment button for the latest edition of Proceedings so a workaround was needed.
A while back we bought a Sumup card reader so that members borrowing tackle could pay their fee easily by a tap of a card in the Tackle Store. This, as recent Tackle Wardens will tell you, has been spectacularly unsuccessful but it does mean that we have an account with them and they offer the facility to set up an online shop simply and quickly. This has now been done & non-members wanting to buy our publications can now obtain them here . Members get discounts so should talk directly to the Treasurer.
With a little thought, we should be able to expand this so that things like tackle fees, hut fees and even subscriptions can be paid by card by those who are unhappy using direct online bank transfers. There are fees to pay, currently 2½%, on all transactions, which will have to be factored in, but we are working on it and will always do what we can to make it easier for you all to hand over your hard-earned cash.
Graham Mullan
TIME FOR YOUR ANNUAL CCC LTD PERMIT!
Example permit created online.
With the turning of the year, everyone who intends to cave in the areas run by the Charterhouse Caving Company Ltd (CCC Ltd) needs to obtain a fresh permit. This can be done online, so there's no excuse for not doing it now, just in case you might want it later in the year.
The main caves involved here are GB, Charterhouse, Longwood and Rhino Rift. The first two are in Gruffy Field and the latter two are in Longwood Valley.
All you need to do is 1) check you have your BCA (British Caving Association) number. This will be on the green, credit card sized bit of plastic that you've probably only ever used for scraping the ice off your cars, if you have one. However, for this year, BCA has moved to electronic versions of the card, and these will be issued by BCA to each member. If you can't find your number, then email Graham and ask him, as he's got a spreadsheet of them all, then 2) go to the relevant page on the CCC Ltd website and start following the instructions. It really is easy.
For anyone responsible for issuing keys to our members or others, you MUST check that ALL people in the party have a valid permit.
Once you've got your permit, then you can save it to your phone, or print out a copy yourself, if you have access to a printer. You MUST have a permit in your possession before visiting any of these caves and you MUST show it to the person who issues you a key. Not everyone will want to take their phones with them when they go caving, so if you're ever asked on the ground by a representative of the landowner (Somerset Wildlife Trust) or CCC Ltd, then the person who checked the key out will be able to confirm that everyone in the party did show valid permits. If you're then asked for a name and what club you got the key from so this can be verified, please respond politely with the information. Remember, the person asking you is only doing their job and making sure that we can keep access to the caves.
Remember that novices must not be introduced to caving in these areas, which means they must have done at least four trips before a visit.
If you have any queries, please contact the Company Secretary, UBSS Member Gabriel Littler, who has taken over from Graham Mullan in this role.
Example permit created online.
With the turning of the year, everyone who intends to cave in the areas run by the Charterhouse Caving Company Ltd (CCC Ltd) needs to obtain a fresh permit. This can be done online, so there's no excuse for not doing it now, just in case you might want it later in the year.
The main caves involved here are GB, Charterhouse, Longwood and Rhino Rift. The first two are in Gruffy Field and the latter two are in Longwood Valley.
All you need to do is 1) check you have your BCA (British Caving Association) number. This will be on the green, credit card sized bit of plastic that you've probably only ever used for scraping the ice off your cars, if you have one. However, for this year, BCA has moved to electronic versions of the card, and these will be issued by BCA to each member. If you can't find your number, then email Graham and ask him, as he's got a spreadsheet of them all, then 2) go to the relevant page on the CCC Ltd website and start following the instructions. It really is easy.
For anyone responsible for issuing keys to our members or others, you MUST check that ALL people in the party have a valid permit.
Once you've got your permit, then you can save it to your phone, or print out a copy yourself, if you have access to a printer. You MUST have a permit in your possession before visiting any of these caves and you MUST show it to the person who issues you a key. Not everyone will want to take their phones with them when they go caving, so if you're ever asked on the ground by a representative of the landowner (Somerset Wildlife Trust) or CCC Ltd, then the person who checked the key out will be able to confirm that everyone in the party did show valid permits. If you're then asked for a name and what club you got the key from so this can be verified, please respond politely with the information. Remember, the person asking you is only doing their job and making sure that we can keep access to the caves.
Remember that novices must not be introduced to caving in these areas, which means they must have done at least four trips before a visit.
If you have any queries, please contact the Company Secretary, UBSS Member Gabriel Littler, who has taken over from Graham Mullan in this role.
LETTER TO THE EDITORS
Our occasional correspondent, Dick Willis, has emailed with some advice to cave explorers to look, and then maybe look again another time ...
An almost UBSS note. In 1989, Colin Boothroyd (SLUGS/LUSS) and I dropped the awkward 50m Y-Hang shaft in Mulu’s Clearwater Cave to access a complex of large passages that we named the Cairn Farm (because we had to leave lots of them to find our way around). We were both convinced that there would be a way on, but despite 3 days of trying, we couldn’t find it
28 years later, Colin went back again and found a way on through a boulder choke. He and his companions broke out into a massive chamber 200m x 100m x 60m high and 1km of huge passage that terminated in another, impassable, boulder choke which the survey confirmed to be the other side of Api Chamber.
The moral of this story is that caves are where you find them, assuming you look hard enough and more than once.
Our occasional correspondent, Dick Willis, has emailed with some advice to cave explorers to look, and then maybe look again another time ...
An almost UBSS note. In 1989, Colin Boothroyd (SLUGS/LUSS) and I dropped the awkward 50m Y-Hang shaft in Mulu’s Clearwater Cave to access a complex of large passages that we named the Cairn Farm (because we had to leave lots of them to find our way around). We were both convinced that there would be a way on, but despite 3 days of trying, we couldn’t find it
28 years later, Colin went back again and found a way on through a boulder choke. He and his companions broke out into a massive chamber 200m x 100m x 60m high and 1km of huge passage that terminated in another, impassable, boulder choke which the survey confirmed to be the other side of Api Chamber.
The moral of this story is that caves are where you find them, assuming you look hard enough and more than once.
Dick Willis
(Photo credit. Colin Boothroyd. Taken on his phone.)
AQUAMOLE READ TO THE END, DID YOU?
Thank you, as ever, to all the wonderful people who drop us a line to say they've made it to the end. Feedback always delights any editors' needy little hearts and is one of the many advantages of a digital format, as drpping us a line is as easy as clicking a link. We've even done a ready made header for you! So say hello, and if you can't think of anything to say, emoji are also great! Or ask ChatGPT to write a letter to the editor!
- Excellent newsletter, as always. The Cave of the Cats looked fascinating, my sympathy to Zac on his boring new cave 😃, and Elaine’s AI writeup of her trip was hilarious! Lovely photos. [Jan Walker]
- You don’t need a badger to badger folk to respond ... not needed at all, at all. [Chris Howes]
- Great pictures. Read to the end, although not a registered student any more still learning!!! [Eve Gilmore]
- Amazing pix, although I think I'll definitely have nightmares at the memory of Megan auditioning for Doctor Who (or one of those low-budget horror movies that Madam Editor and I have seen more of than any sane(ish) people should)! Interesting piece about the Welsh mine trip and I wish I could remember the name of the one I went to some years ago with a group of friends. We blotted our copybooks seriously by sniggering loudly when we were told that the Romans had burrowed into it with their p-p-p-p-picks, but later redeemed ourselves by scrambling out of a very narrow ceiling exit that apparently most sane(ish) people refused to countenance. [Sharon Wheeler and the blessed FT Bear].
- Fabulous newsletter! [Jess Brock]
- And I read the PPH discussion twice. Never been in, so I have no comments, but I like to follow the debate. Looking forward to Part 2. [Hans Friederich]
- CREEPY?? ME???? [Megan Malpas]
Thumbs up, Aquamole, I got here!
THE END
Thank you, as ever, to all the wonderful people who drop us a line to say they've made it to the end. Feedback always delights any editors' needy little hearts and is one of the many advantages of a digital format, as drpping us a line is as easy as clicking a link. We've even done a ready made header for you! So say hello, and if you can't think of anything to say, emoji are also great! Or ask ChatGPT to write a letter to the editor!
- Excellent newsletter, as always. The Cave of the Cats looked fascinating, my sympathy to Zac on his boring new cave 😃, and Elaine’s AI writeup of her trip was hilarious! Lovely photos. [Jan Walker]
- You don’t need a badger to badger folk to respond ... not needed at all, at all. [Chris Howes]
- Great pictures. Read to the end, although not a registered student any more still learning!!! [Eve Gilmore]
- Amazing pix, although I think I'll definitely have nightmares at the memory of Megan auditioning for Doctor Who (or one of those low-budget horror movies that Madam Editor and I have seen more of than any sane(ish) people should)! Interesting piece about the Welsh mine trip and I wish I could remember the name of the one I went to some years ago with a group of friends. We blotted our copybooks seriously by sniggering loudly when we were told that the Romans had burrowed into it with their p-p-p-p-picks, but later redeemed ourselves by scrambling out of a very narrow ceiling exit that apparently most sane(ish) people refused to countenance. [Sharon Wheeler and the blessed FT Bear].
- Fabulous newsletter! [Jess Brock]
- And I read the PPH discussion twice. Never been in, so I have no comments, but I like to follow the debate. Looking forward to Part 2. [Hans Friederich]
- CREEPY?? ME???? [Megan Malpas]
Thumbs up, Aquamole, I got here!
THE END