There's a cave down here somewhere, we know there is...
The
UBSS monthly online newsletter is now five years old! We started this
project in 2019, our centenary year, as we felt that our loyal members
needed more from us than the welcome thud of their copy of Proceedings
arriving on the doormat once a year, and that one of the big strengths
of the UBSS has always been its wide network of members, but what we
lacked was a more informal means of keeping members up to date with the
club's activities. It had become increasingly difficult to produce paper
newsletters and by the time they did arrive, any news was inevitably
out of date. So, encouraged by a friend who assured Linda that Mailchimp
was both free and easy to use, she took the plunge and spent half an
hour with learning what she needed to know.
To her surprise, it really was easy. It was also a lot easier than expected to dig up enough copy to fill an issue every month. The only time we've had to skip an issue was last February when Linda was in hospital for a month, but then there was a double issue in March. Many members have been generous with their time providing articles and trip write ups and photographers (some of whom aren't even club members) have been equally generous with their photos. At a time when other clubs are lamenting the difficulty of getting enough information to put out, we usually end up having to hold a couple of articles over to the next issue, which is every editor's dream situation. Written reports have now been supplemented by video caving logs, Clogs, pioneered by Jess Brock. Embedding via YouTube seems to work well, and gives us a definite advantage over paper newsletters.
Linda has been incredibly grateful to all our student newsletter editors and helpers in particular Mia Jacobs and Zac Woodford!
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.
To her surprise, it really was easy. It was also a lot easier than expected to dig up enough copy to fill an issue every month. The only time we've had to skip an issue was last February when Linda was in hospital for a month, but then there was a double issue in March. Many members have been generous with their time providing articles and trip write ups and photographers (some of whom aren't even club members) have been equally generous with their photos. At a time when other clubs are lamenting the difficulty of getting enough information to put out, we usually end up having to hold a couple of articles over to the next issue, which is every editor's dream situation. Written reports have now been supplemented by video caving logs, Clogs, pioneered by Jess Brock. Embedding via YouTube seems to work well, and gives us a definite advantage over paper newsletters.
Linda has been incredibly grateful to all our student newsletter editors and helpers in particular Mia Jacobs and Zac Woodford!
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
AGM & ANNUAL DINNER - 9 MARCH 2024
Yes, it's that time of year again, when we have elections for our next committee then in the evening we posh up and go to the highlight of the social calendar, the UBSS Annual Dinner! More below.
AGM
After being kindly hosted by the Geography Department since the centenary as building works kept us out of the Stables, we can now at last return to our own rooms! So the AGM will be held as usual at 10.30am in the UBSS Museum and Library, known as the Stables, behind 21 Woodland Road. Student president Mia Jacobs will be presenting the discussion points from February's panel discussion on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Outdoor sports. If we can get a stable connection from a phone, it'll be possible to join by zoom as well, but please turn up in person if you can. We'll circulate a link and further details nearer the time. For now, stick the date and time in your calendar.
ANNUAL DINNER
Hiya, it's finally here, UBSS most exclusive event of the year and the best excuse to spend a whole evening talking about dirt and holes without being lambasted by your friends because 'they could never do that'. This year it will be held at the Gloucester Old Spot. We have booked out the whole bar, with a sit down buffet meal and shenanigans to occur into the evening. I have taken consideration that budget is an issue for some people, and have ensured that this evening is done as affordably as possible. I do not have an exact price as of yet, but looking at a ticket cost of around £30-35 for dinner and 1-2 drinks per person, with the option for you to buy more as you please.
Please fill in this google form so that our hard-working Stanley Lewis can make the necessary arrangements.
Yes, it's that time of year again, when we have elections for our next committee then in the evening we posh up and go to the highlight of the social calendar, the UBSS Annual Dinner! More below.
AGM
After being kindly hosted by the Geography Department since the centenary as building works kept us out of the Stables, we can now at last return to our own rooms! So the AGM will be held as usual at 10.30am in the UBSS Museum and Library, known as the Stables, behind 21 Woodland Road. Student president Mia Jacobs will be presenting the discussion points from February's panel discussion on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Outdoor sports. If we can get a stable connection from a phone, it'll be possible to join by zoom as well, but please turn up in person if you can. We'll circulate a link and further details nearer the time. For now, stick the date and time in your calendar.
ANNUAL DINNER
Hiya, it's finally here, UBSS most exclusive event of the year and the best excuse to spend a whole evening talking about dirt and holes without being lambasted by your friends because 'they could never do that'. This year it will be held at the Gloucester Old Spot. We have booked out the whole bar, with a sit down buffet meal and shenanigans to occur into the evening. I have taken consideration that budget is an issue for some people, and have ensured that this evening is done as affordably as possible. I do not have an exact price as of yet, but looking at a ticket cost of around £30-35 for dinner and 1-2 drinks per person, with the option for you to buy more as you please.
Please fill in this google form so that our hard-working Stanley Lewis can make the necessary arrangements.
TALKS
Join us in the UBSS Museum and Library, the Stables, behind 21 Woodland Road for a series of 'sober social' talks, all starting at 7pm, on the following subjects:
- 6th February - What it's like to be a Cave Baby - Jess Brock, Dan Rose, James Hallihan and Alysia Ellis talk about what it's like growing up in a family where one or more parents cave.
- 20th February - Panel discussion on equality, diversity & inclusion in outdoor sport - with guests from UBES & UBMC.
- 5th March - Forgotten Voices Speak - Linda Wilson talks about a five-year project to record historic Graffiti in Kent's Cavern, Torquay.
The British Cave Research Association (BCRA) also holds a series of online talks monthly. You don't have to be a member to join these free seminars.
There is a list of upcoming talks on the BCRA's website, with the next one being on 5th February at 7.3pm on Tracking alpine cave glaciations: cryogenic cave carbonates from the Eastern and Southern Alps. The Zoom link is on the webpage.
Join us in the UBSS Museum and Library, the Stables, behind 21 Woodland Road for a series of 'sober social' talks, all starting at 7pm, on the following subjects:
- 6th February - What it's like to be a Cave Baby - Jess Brock, Dan Rose, James Hallihan and Alysia Ellis talk about what it's like growing up in a family where one or more parents cave.
- 20th February - Panel discussion on equality, diversity & inclusion in outdoor sport - with guests from UBES & UBMC.
- 5th March - Forgotten Voices Speak - Linda Wilson talks about a five-year project to record historic Graffiti in Kent's Cavern, Torquay.
The British Cave Research Association (BCRA) also holds a series of online talks monthly. You don't have to be a member to join these free seminars.
There is a list of upcoming talks on the BCRA's website, with the next one being on 5th February at 7.3pm on Tracking alpine cave glaciations: cryogenic cave carbonates from the Eastern and Southern Alps. The Zoom link is on the webpage.
TRAINING!
Tried of knee-bruising crawls in Mendip and Wales? Then try dangling from ropes in Derbyshire and Yorkshire instead.
But before that, join our Single Rope Techniques training sessions in the Richmond Building instead. And yes, they really do let us hang from ropes in the stairwell, which makes an excellent training facility. If you're interested, contact our Training Officer and Tackle Warden extraordinaire, Jess Brock, who says: "Yet another amazing srt session! Only the fourth session and everyone's making great progress. It's only been possible thanks all these fabulous helpers Jake, James, Mia, Merryn and Claire!"
Tried of knee-bruising crawls in Mendip and Wales? Then try dangling from ropes in Derbyshire and Yorkshire instead.
But before that, join our Single Rope Techniques training sessions in the Richmond Building instead. And yes, they really do let us hang from ropes in the stairwell, which makes an excellent training facility. If you're interested, contact our Training Officer and Tackle Warden extraordinaire, Jess Brock, who says: "Yet another amazing srt session! Only the fourth session and everyone's making great progress. It's only been possible thanks all these fabulous helpers Jake, James, Mia, Merryn and Claire!"
CCC LTD ONLINE PERMITS FOR 2024
Everyone who is likely to be caving in the CCC Ltd controlled caves should now head over to the CCC Ltd website to get their online permit for 2024. For more details, read on...
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 number. This (for now) 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. If you can't find the card, then email Graham and ask him, as he's got a spreadsheet of them all, or if you're in a hurry, message via WhatasApp and he'll do his best to get it back to you asap 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. If they aren't BCA members (yet) or don't have their membership number to hand, they can still access any of these caves if either they are caving with a BCA member or have two or more years' caving experience.
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.
Permits run for each calendar year, as that's in step with the BCA insurance year, which is the reason you need to get a new permit now, even if you had one last year.
Remember that novices must not be introduced to caving in these areas, which means everyone must have done at least four trips before a visit.
Please go online now and get your permits. If you have any queries, please contact the Company Secretary, UBSS Member Gabriel Littler.
Everyone who is likely to be caving in the CCC Ltd controlled caves should now head over to the CCC Ltd website to get their online permit for 2024. For more details, read on...
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 number. This (for now) 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. If you can't find the card, then email Graham and ask him, as he's got a spreadsheet of them all, or if you're in a hurry, message via WhatasApp and he'll do his best to get it back to you asap 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. If they aren't BCA members (yet) or don't have their membership number to hand, they can still access any of these caves if either they are caving with a BCA member or have two or more years' caving experience.
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.
Permits run for each calendar year, as that's in step with the BCA insurance year, which is the reason you need to get a new permit now, even if you had one last year.
Remember that novices must not be introduced to caving in these areas, which means everyone must have done at least four trips before a visit.
Please go online now and get your permits. If you have any queries, please contact the Company Secretary, UBSS Member Gabriel Littler.
FAREWELL TO ROSEMARY BALISTER
The society recently received the sad news that Rosemary Balister, a UBSS member for many years, had died on 29 December 2024 in the USA, her home since the 1960s.
Rosemary was born on 18 July 1934 in London. She was evacuated from her childhood home during the "The Blitz" of World War II, and began writing poetry as a child, publishing her first poem in 1945. Rosemary continued her studies at the University of Bristol, earning a Bachelor of Arts in German in 1956 and a Certificate of Education in 1957.
After arriving in Bristol, Rosemary joined UBSS and took as enthusiastically to caving as she did to everything else that sparked her interest, such as her other great hobbies of painting and knitting. The logbook entries for her time at Bristol contain many mentions of her name both on the Mendips and on the society’s trips to Co Clare, Ireland. The above photo might well have been taken on one of those trips, with Rosemary quenching her thirst from a beer bottle!
Along with her family, she emigrated to Canada in 1963 and then moved to Charlottesville, Virginia. She also lived in Australia for two years before settling back in Charlottesville. Rosemary maintained her contact with UBSS for many years. She is survived by her three children, their spouses, and many grandchildren. Rosemary's son Philip, also a caver, was on the 2023 Austria expo with UBSS members Merryn Matthews and Zac Woodford. Philip and his sisters, Michelle and Nicolette, still live in the USA, as does Rosemary’s former husband, Mike Balister, also a UBSS member who she met through caving.
The society recently received the sad news that Rosemary Balister, a UBSS member for many years, had died on 29 December 2024 in the USA, her home since the 1960s.
Rosemary was born on 18 July 1934 in London. She was evacuated from her childhood home during the "The Blitz" of World War II, and began writing poetry as a child, publishing her first poem in 1945. Rosemary continued her studies at the University of Bristol, earning a Bachelor of Arts in German in 1956 and a Certificate of Education in 1957.
After arriving in Bristol, Rosemary joined UBSS and took as enthusiastically to caving as she did to everything else that sparked her interest, such as her other great hobbies of painting and knitting. The logbook entries for her time at Bristol contain many mentions of her name both on the Mendips and on the society’s trips to Co Clare, Ireland. The above photo might well have been taken on one of those trips, with Rosemary quenching her thirst from a beer bottle!
Along with her family, she emigrated to Canada in 1963 and then moved to Charlottesville, Virginia. She also lived in Australia for two years before settling back in Charlottesville. Rosemary maintained her contact with UBSS for many years. She is survived by her three children, their spouses, and many grandchildren. Rosemary's son Philip, also a caver, was on the 2023 Austria expo with UBSS members Merryn Matthews and Zac Woodford. Philip and his sisters, Michelle and Nicolette, still live in the USA, as does Rosemary’s former husband, Mike Balister, also a UBSS member who she met through caving.
GREAT CHIEFTAIN O' THE PUDDIN-RACE!
A puddin-race in Goatchurch on a Saturday morning in January.
Daniel Rose confirms that traditions were suitably upheld when UBSS congregated for the annual celebration of Burn’s Night last weekend, taking time to show their love towards the lyricist behind Auld Lang Syne.
Haggis was cooked, songs were sung and caves were explored. As part of the SU’s refresher’s week ‘give it a go’ programme, many newcomers experienced the underground for the first time, dazzled by the thrill of crawl-climbing in Goatschurch, the first trip of the weekend undertaken by the firstcomers to the hut. Perhaps the most crowded I’ve ever seen a cave, we ran into multiple large parties, taking time to chat with Reading Cave Club and others, allowing the freshers to appreciate the social side of caving and the interconnectedness of clubs across the country.
The puddin-race judges wondering what's taking everyone so long.
With the generator still broken, the rawness of the increasingly deforested surrounding trees was embraced to the fullest capacity, with Simon braving the elements to spend the night in a hammock, flirting with hypothermia to connect to his inner hunter gatherer spirit. He (somewhat?) impressively made it to around 4am before calling it quits and succumbing to the warm temptation of hut shelter.
SR-Tree sessions were had, with training continuing on from the Monday/Wednesday sessions in the SU; some of those capable of SRT and feeling not-too-hungover on the Sunday (me, Jess, James and Dan Hill) did a small SRT trip down Hunter’s Hole, with Jess using it as an opportunity to expertly rig a cave for the first time, with Dan de-rigging on the way up in an equally exemplary fashion.
Vlogs (or Clogs, standing for Caving Logs) were filmed and cave photo shoots were had, with Jess, upon failing to find any way past the opening chamber in Read’s Cavern, decided to repurpose the trip as a photography crash course, setting up a combination of blue and red lights around the chamber to add an ethereal, wonderous quality to cave photography, producing images that would be welcomed in a Gucci catalogue, let alone a caving newsletter.
A puddin-race in Goatchurch on a Saturday morning in January.
Daniel Rose confirms that traditions were suitably upheld when UBSS congregated for the annual celebration of Burn’s Night last weekend, taking time to show their love towards the lyricist behind Auld Lang Syne.
Haggis was cooked, songs were sung and caves were explored. As part of the SU’s refresher’s week ‘give it a go’ programme, many newcomers experienced the underground for the first time, dazzled by the thrill of crawl-climbing in Goatschurch, the first trip of the weekend undertaken by the firstcomers to the hut. Perhaps the most crowded I’ve ever seen a cave, we ran into multiple large parties, taking time to chat with Reading Cave Club and others, allowing the freshers to appreciate the social side of caving and the interconnectedness of clubs across the country.
The puddin-race judges wondering what's taking everyone so long.
With the generator still broken, the rawness of the increasingly deforested surrounding trees was embraced to the fullest capacity, with Simon braving the elements to spend the night in a hammock, flirting with hypothermia to connect to his inner hunter gatherer spirit. He (somewhat?) impressively made it to around 4am before calling it quits and succumbing to the warm temptation of hut shelter.
SR-Tree sessions were had, with training continuing on from the Monday/Wednesday sessions in the SU; some of those capable of SRT and feeling not-too-hungover on the Sunday (me, Jess, James and Dan Hill) did a small SRT trip down Hunter’s Hole, with Jess using it as an opportunity to expertly rig a cave for the first time, with Dan de-rigging on the way up in an equally exemplary fashion.
Vlogs (or Clogs, standing for Caving Logs) were filmed and cave photo shoots were had, with Jess, upon failing to find any way past the opening chamber in Read’s Cavern, decided to repurpose the trip as a photography crash course, setting up a combination of blue and red lights around the chamber to add an ethereal, wonderous quality to cave photography, producing images that would be welcomed in a Gucci catalogue, let alone a caving newsletter.
Daniel Rose
Click on the image above for another of Jess Brock's Clogs,
this time a trip into the subterranean depths of Hunter's Hole in search
of the elusive Mendip Haggis.
CAVE PHOTOGRAPHY
This is the story of a ‘cave baby’ trip down Read’s Cavern for James Hallihan, Daniel Rose and Jess Brock, in which coloured lights were deployed and photos were taken as Jess relates.
After a short attempt at trying to navigate the worm holes somewhere near the Water Chamber in Read’s Cavern, we returned into the Main Chamber for a bit of a sit on a comfortable rocky seat and cave chat.
After this interlude, I focused my attention on snapping some photos. Pictures or it didn’t happen!
I studied photography at A-Level and whilst home over Christmas I looked through some old projects and the worm of an idea infiltrated my brain. What is more cool than funky lighting? So, I brought some coloured light filters with me underground and an extra-powerful photography light.
How soulful are these two? James, left and Daniel, right.
James and Dan had no idea what I was doing when I started scurrying around setting out lights. Once happy, I placed the filters and got an affirming ‘ooooo’ to show that I was onto something. I used a blue filter in front of my Fenix as it is a stronger light and for this dual colour technique the red filter in front of the other light usually dominates so the blue needed to be under a brighter light for equal colour distribution. James and Dan jumped right into their model personas, and the photos turned out better than I imagined!
This is the story of a ‘cave baby’ trip down Read’s Cavern for James Hallihan, Daniel Rose and Jess Brock, in which coloured lights were deployed and photos were taken as Jess relates.
After a short attempt at trying to navigate the worm holes somewhere near the Water Chamber in Read’s Cavern, we returned into the Main Chamber for a bit of a sit on a comfortable rocky seat and cave chat.
After this interlude, I focused my attention on snapping some photos. Pictures or it didn’t happen!
I studied photography at A-Level and whilst home over Christmas I looked through some old projects and the worm of an idea infiltrated my brain. What is more cool than funky lighting? So, I brought some coloured light filters with me underground and an extra-powerful photography light.
How soulful are these two? James, left and Daniel, right.
James and Dan had no idea what I was doing when I started scurrying around setting out lights. Once happy, I placed the filters and got an affirming ‘ooooo’ to show that I was onto something. I used a blue filter in front of my Fenix as it is a stronger light and for this dual colour technique the red filter in front of the other light usually dominates so the blue needed to be under a brighter light for equal colour distribution. James and Dan jumped right into their model personas, and the photos turned out better than I imagined!
Jess Brock
INTERVIEW WITH THREE CAVE BABIES
And by cave babies, we don't mean three people new to caving, we mean three people who have been caving since they were babies, which is what happens when you have a caving parent, or even more than one.
Jess Brock and her co-hosts James Hallihan and Dan Rose talk about why they carried on caving, what they like about it, what scares them underground and more. Click on the photo/link below, which will take you to another of Jess's Clogs on YouTube.
And by cave babies, we don't mean three people new to caving, we mean three people who have been caving since they were babies, which is what happens when you have a caving parent, or even more than one.
Jess Brock and her co-hosts James Hallihan and Dan Rose talk about why they carried on caving, what they like about it, what scares them underground and more. Click on the photo/link below, which will take you to another of Jess's Clogs on YouTube.
"This cave is carving a colossal smile across my face." Daniel Rose
JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE HANGING GARDENS
As you can see, ther's more to Mendip caving than such classic tourist trips as GB, Swildon's and St Cuthberts. Right on our doorstep there's the delights of Burrington Combe including Pierre's Pot, with its infamous squeeze, a tight, descending slot that often requires combined tactics to reverse. And if that's not enough to fire your imagination, let Simon Payne lead you on a trip deep into the bowels of the earth...
It’s two degrees outside in mid-January, the sun is down and you know what I feel like doing? That’s right, wiggling about underground in the mud and rock. Standard. Thus the virgin cave hazing of fresher James Howitt was underway, having driven to the wrong place initially the trip was off to a flying zero-faff start. Now when I remembered doing Pierre’s Pot, I remembered a pleasant, fun, leisurely stroll of a cave and not the abyssal squeeze death our route turned out to be. You see, dear reader, most sane people upon entering decide to go straight ahead and embark untoward the not-so-nasty boulder rift then longingly gaze upwards when standing by the first sump to imagine just how pretty the hanging gardens must surely be… Because trust me when I say it might be better for your claustrophobia for it to be well left to the imagination.
So just as we entered the cave and met our first junction we turned right and everything went downhill (literally) from there on. Squeeze after squeeze after squeeze; before long I felt like I was some bizarre human string cheese being getting stuck about the teeth of the earth like we were playing host to the rock cirque du soleil and roleplaying trafficked eastern European human contortionists fleeing arranged marriages. Because I’ll tell you something, we were all fleeing something down there in that abhorrent honey comb, I’m not sure what exactly but it felt like comfortable joint function in retirement.
After some gruelling squeezes, we made it to a section of the main stream inlet where we promptly got lost trying to sus the way forward and at one point, when split testing the route, we got ourselves into a wide variety of uncomfortable slots and holes choking out to nowhere, one of which felt like the earth itself was eating us and our souls.
Simon invites you to feel his pain.
Finally, Eva found the way and I proceeded to attempt the most inconvenient means to follow by getting on my front in a stream having no clue that a much more amenable (and dryer) means of following were hiding just behind another boulder. At this point the rocks were definitely closing in and I felt myself somewhat slowing down; many questions were rushing past our minds: Were we ever going to get out? Are the Hanging Gardens real? Did James and Eva leave any rubbish in the backseat?
Left to right: James, Eva, Jake, Simon (smiling, despite his claims to the contrary).
It turns out all our questions and more were soon to be answered within the guise of a rocky revelation. Disaster, we had not found the Hanging Gardens at all, but instead had somehow got lost in the Western Inlet, and not only that but we were cutting our call out time to within a hair’s width. And then the bombshell dropped. Jake at the front called it. It was a dead end. After all the crawling, all the holes and all the wet awful bone pinching jars, we had failed to find the promised land.
There is a deep seated almost primal part of human nature that demands that if you watch a man try a door knob that he finds locked, some overwhelming instinct tells you that this man is an idiot, surely, surely he just twiddled the knob the wrong way? Perhaps he didn’t wiggle it with the correct intensity of northern gumption? And so Eva climbed up the sheer face near the inlet terminus and after a couple of tense seconds where we considered turning back, disaster struck again… The way had been found…
Once again I had to suffer more rock and holes. Why did I agree to this? Why did I think caving was a good idea? Not only this but why were there so many bats everywhere? Not only do I have to worry about being trapped underground but now I might get rabies or bat ebola? This evening was shaping up indeed. We plunged up and forward dangled over a 5(ish) metre free climb and dived head first through the final hole and found the not so forbidden Hanging Gardens! Little white crystal worms sprouted out of the rock like growing fingers of pearl to a backdrop of stalactite and stalagmite formations, it was picture time.
After attaining spiritual enlightenment by looking upon the Hanging Gardens we belted out of the cave in record time to make call out. After a few helping hands climbing down the rock faces and a particularly nasty squeeze that Jake enjoyed, we were birthed again under open sky and, according to Eva, this was the first time I smiled.
As you can see, ther's more to Mendip caving than such classic tourist trips as GB, Swildon's and St Cuthberts. Right on our doorstep there's the delights of Burrington Combe including Pierre's Pot, with its infamous squeeze, a tight, descending slot that often requires combined tactics to reverse. And if that's not enough to fire your imagination, let Simon Payne lead you on a trip deep into the bowels of the earth...
It’s two degrees outside in mid-January, the sun is down and you know what I feel like doing? That’s right, wiggling about underground in the mud and rock. Standard. Thus the virgin cave hazing of fresher James Howitt was underway, having driven to the wrong place initially the trip was off to a flying zero-faff start. Now when I remembered doing Pierre’s Pot, I remembered a pleasant, fun, leisurely stroll of a cave and not the abyssal squeeze death our route turned out to be. You see, dear reader, most sane people upon entering decide to go straight ahead and embark untoward the not-so-nasty boulder rift then longingly gaze upwards when standing by the first sump to imagine just how pretty the hanging gardens must surely be… Because trust me when I say it might be better for your claustrophobia for it to be well left to the imagination.
So just as we entered the cave and met our first junction we turned right and everything went downhill (literally) from there on. Squeeze after squeeze after squeeze; before long I felt like I was some bizarre human string cheese being getting stuck about the teeth of the earth like we were playing host to the rock cirque du soleil and roleplaying trafficked eastern European human contortionists fleeing arranged marriages. Because I’ll tell you something, we were all fleeing something down there in that abhorrent honey comb, I’m not sure what exactly but it felt like comfortable joint function in retirement.
After some gruelling squeezes, we made it to a section of the main stream inlet where we promptly got lost trying to sus the way forward and at one point, when split testing the route, we got ourselves into a wide variety of uncomfortable slots and holes choking out to nowhere, one of which felt like the earth itself was eating us and our souls.
Simon invites you to feel his pain.
Finally, Eva found the way and I proceeded to attempt the most inconvenient means to follow by getting on my front in a stream having no clue that a much more amenable (and dryer) means of following were hiding just behind another boulder. At this point the rocks were definitely closing in and I felt myself somewhat slowing down; many questions were rushing past our minds: Were we ever going to get out? Are the Hanging Gardens real? Did James and Eva leave any rubbish in the backseat?
Left to right: James, Eva, Jake, Simon (smiling, despite his claims to the contrary).
It turns out all our questions and more were soon to be answered within the guise of a rocky revelation. Disaster, we had not found the Hanging Gardens at all, but instead had somehow got lost in the Western Inlet, and not only that but we were cutting our call out time to within a hair’s width. And then the bombshell dropped. Jake at the front called it. It was a dead end. After all the crawling, all the holes and all the wet awful bone pinching jars, we had failed to find the promised land.
There is a deep seated almost primal part of human nature that demands that if you watch a man try a door knob that he finds locked, some overwhelming instinct tells you that this man is an idiot, surely, surely he just twiddled the knob the wrong way? Perhaps he didn’t wiggle it with the correct intensity of northern gumption? And so Eva climbed up the sheer face near the inlet terminus and after a couple of tense seconds where we considered turning back, disaster struck again… The way had been found…
Once again I had to suffer more rock and holes. Why did I agree to this? Why did I think caving was a good idea? Not only this but why were there so many bats everywhere? Not only do I have to worry about being trapped underground but now I might get rabies or bat ebola? This evening was shaping up indeed. We plunged up and forward dangled over a 5(ish) metre free climb and dived head first through the final hole and found the not so forbidden Hanging Gardens! Little white crystal worms sprouted out of the rock like growing fingers of pearl to a backdrop of stalactite and stalagmite formations, it was picture time.
After attaining spiritual enlightenment by looking upon the Hanging Gardens we belted out of the cave in record time to make call out. After a few helping hands climbing down the rock faces and a particularly nasty squeeze that Jake enjoyed, we were birthed again under open sky and, according to Eva, this was the first time I smiled.
Simon Payne
DAREN DREAMS
Does this looks like your ideal cave? If so, therapy is available on request.
A detraction or an attraction? The Daren Cilau entrance crawl is the marmite feature of this classic Welsh cave. Some people love it, others hate it. Read on to see what Daniel Rose thinks.
After insomnia dashed December’s Daren dreams, Dan, Claire, Billy and I resolved to return on January 20th, setting off from the tackle store at 10:15, determined to brave the infamous 517m entrance crawl and witness the idyllic calcite crusted passages that lie beyond.
Once in Wales, we parked at the cave, changed into our kit, and bumped into a party containing UBSS extraordinaire James. After a friendly nod, wave and greet combo, we trekked the 15 minute walk to the entrance, discussing the task ahead in anticipation and wondering whether the crawl was the ordeal some made it out to be.
As it turns out, the entrance, so long as you know what you’re getting yourself into, isn’t bad at all. Aside from a few tight squeezes here and there, (the Vice being particularly rib pressing), it’s smooth sailing. I only had one kneepad, so suffered from knee pain inequality throughout, but nonetheless we unanimously agreed that the entrance was a highlight – not a detractor – of the overall cave experience. We managed it in 55 minutes, a time Billy and I agree can be significantly improved upon.
Following that, we walked through the relatively uneventful Jigsaw Passage, pushing through The Wriggle without much fuss, getting lost only at small, short lived intervals thanks to Dan’s exceptionally soothing, musical readings of the route description he had appropriately laminated and rehearsed.
Nope, this pair are not coming to the annual dinner!
After some further scrambling over boulders we reached Epocalypse Way where we found two blow up dolls waiting next to the logbook. Eying us intently, we felt their ominous presence radiate against the cavern walls surrounding us. The dazzling White Company formations following this kept our motivations high as we paused for pictures, taking special note of the sea urchin calcite spikey balls dotting various walls, Billy taking care to pose and point out what was formation, and what was wall. An important distinction.
Shortly after, we reached Antler Passage to see the famous formations, helictites growing horizontally that spindle off in different directions, like antlers growing from a deer’s head, or tapeworms bursting from an unwilling host.
If UBSS had discovered this, Daniel is right, it would no doubt have been named Worm Passage!
Taking time to marvel at the magnificence surrounding us, we climbed up – then down – a duo of ladders, dropping into Busman’s Holiday which then led us to Price’s Prophecy to commence the last section of the trip, a shortish exit crawl, which, due to our already battered knees, constituted solid type two fun. We then exited out of Ogof Cnwc, completing our through trip, and bidding farewell to this excellent cave, surely to be back again at a later date.
Does this looks like your ideal cave? If so, therapy is available on request.
A detraction or an attraction? The Daren Cilau entrance crawl is the marmite feature of this classic Welsh cave. Some people love it, others hate it. Read on to see what Daniel Rose thinks.
After insomnia dashed December’s Daren dreams, Dan, Claire, Billy and I resolved to return on January 20th, setting off from the tackle store at 10:15, determined to brave the infamous 517m entrance crawl and witness the idyllic calcite crusted passages that lie beyond.
Once in Wales, we parked at the cave, changed into our kit, and bumped into a party containing UBSS extraordinaire James. After a friendly nod, wave and greet combo, we trekked the 15 minute walk to the entrance, discussing the task ahead in anticipation and wondering whether the crawl was the ordeal some made it out to be.
As it turns out, the entrance, so long as you know what you’re getting yourself into, isn’t bad at all. Aside from a few tight squeezes here and there, (the Vice being particularly rib pressing), it’s smooth sailing. I only had one kneepad, so suffered from knee pain inequality throughout, but nonetheless we unanimously agreed that the entrance was a highlight – not a detractor – of the overall cave experience. We managed it in 55 minutes, a time Billy and I agree can be significantly improved upon.
Following that, we walked through the relatively uneventful Jigsaw Passage, pushing through The Wriggle without much fuss, getting lost only at small, short lived intervals thanks to Dan’s exceptionally soothing, musical readings of the route description he had appropriately laminated and rehearsed.
Nope, this pair are not coming to the annual dinner!
After some further scrambling over boulders we reached Epocalypse Way where we found two blow up dolls waiting next to the logbook. Eying us intently, we felt their ominous presence radiate against the cavern walls surrounding us. The dazzling White Company formations following this kept our motivations high as we paused for pictures, taking special note of the sea urchin calcite spikey balls dotting various walls, Billy taking care to pose and point out what was formation, and what was wall. An important distinction.
Shortly after, we reached Antler Passage to see the famous formations, helictites growing horizontally that spindle off in different directions, like antlers growing from a deer’s head, or tapeworms bursting from an unwilling host.
If UBSS had discovered this, Daniel is right, it would no doubt have been named Worm Passage!
Taking time to marvel at the magnificence surrounding us, we climbed up – then down – a duo of ladders, dropping into Busman’s Holiday which then led us to Price’s Prophecy to commence the last section of the trip, a shortish exit crawl, which, due to our already battered knees, constituted solid type two fun. We then exited out of Ogof Cnwc, completing our through trip, and bidding farewell to this excellent cave, surely to be back again at a later date.
Daniel Rose
And if you'd like to watch a short film of the trip, you can head over to Daniel's YouTube channel!
MINES, MINERALS AND SPELEOGENESIS
A patch of big fluorite crystals showing their characteristic cubic habit. Photo by Mark Tringham.
Mark Tringham recently attended the British Cave Research Association Science (BCRA) Symposium held in Leeds and has written up the weekend of talks and the field trip.
This year’s event comprised a day of talks at the University of Leeds, hosted by BCRA in conjunction with the Leeds Geological Society. This was followed by a full day’s field excursion to mines and caves in the Nidderdale area, about one hour’s drive from Leeds. The talks were available online for those unable to attend in person.
As usual, the talks included a diverse mix of speleological topics ranging from cave archaeology to biology, hydrology and speleogenesis. Ones of particular interest to me included a talk on UK-wide speleothem radiometric dating to determine glacial and non-glacial periods here over the last 300,000 years and another talk on karst development in the Burren, Co. Clare Ireland. The latter was presented by Rob Watson who was one of the Bangor club who came down Otter Hole with me a few months ago. Other interesting topics included two talks on hypogenic cave formation in the UK, one concentrating on Derbyshire, the other by UBSS member Andy Farrant reviewing recent work which shows that hypogenic caves are likely much more common in the UK than previously thought. Andy’s list included several Mendip cave sites as well as Miss Grace’s Lane Swallet in the Forest of Dean.
The talk session was followed by an optional group Indian curry meal just a short walk away. The Leeds University venue in the School of Earth and Environment was excellent and attendance was free, so you can’t complain! Around 25 people attended in person and approximately a further ten joined online.
The mine entrance (centre) and remaining building. Photo by Mark Tringham.
The field excursion started at Greenhow located an hour’s drive NW from Leeds. The group went into Gillfield Level which is a disused lead and fluorite mine that was a big lead producer through the 1800’s but which produced fluorite until quite recently. Following the recent very wet weather the drainage adit entrance was up to knee deep in water, but after a short time, Phil Murphy, our guide for the day, showed us up into two stopes where some of the vein mineralisation is still visible as well as some mining artefacts.
The mineral deposition here and in neighbouring mines was concentrated in the core of an anticline within the Craven Fault Zone. This major fault boundary separated a shale-rich Carboniferous basin to the south from shelf carbonate deposited to the north and this boundary formed the focus for deep hydrothermal fluid movements carrying mineral rich fluids upwards and outwards from the basin. The group was shown some large fluorite crystals and well as traces of galena, the main lead sulphide ore present.
The first stope visited with the floor at drainage level (left). A haulage wagon and part of a rail track (middle). The second stope visited at a higher level (right). Mike McHale in photos by Mark Tringham.
The stopes were an impressive size, with some timberwork remaining in places showing the ascending ‘overhand’ method of working at successively higher levels.
After lunch, the group drove for about 20 minutes through Pateley Bridge and Lofthouse to the area of the Goyden Pot system in Nidderdale. We met up with local expert and enthusiast Chris Fox, who had given a presentation on the speleogenesis and exploration history at the symposium the previous day. Water levels were high making some of the swallets very impressive and Goyden Pot main entrance inaccessible.
The raging torrent going into Goyden Pot. Photo by Mark Tringham.
However Manchester Hole, the furthest upstream part of the system, was accessible and the group went a hundred metres or so inside to see various points of interest. Afterwards the group was shown around on the surface, examining many sinks and cave entrances and Chris highlighted in particular the dynamic nature of the hydrology with a lot of changes to the cave system caused during annual floods even to this day. The cave has an interesting geology and speleogenesis, being formed in the ~25m thick Middle Limestone of the Carboniferous Yoredale sequence, which overall comprises alternating limestone, shale and sandstones. Most parts of the ~8km cave system are concealed beneath a roof of these other lithologies. The entrances of Manchester Hole and Goyden Pot are located in a small fault and dip bounded limestone inlier, while New Goyden Pot entrance is in a separate even smaller inlier.
Andrew Mcleod inside Manchester Hole streamway with eroded and fallen stalactites. Photo by Mark Tringham.
The spelogenesis appears to be linked to the erosional unroofing of the limestone and subsequent water ingress during post-glacial times. Exploration of the system is still ongoing and many parts of the system have been joined up underground bit by bit and many new entrances located from the inside out. Many large passages are present but some are largely choked with sediment infill. The downstream part of the system is largely underwater and divers are still exploring to try to forge a link between the known resurgence cave down the valley and New Goyden Pot.
The dry river bed above New Goyden Pot exposing the Middle Limestone. Photo by Mark Tringham.
The afternoon session finished about 4.30pm completing a fascinating day in the field both above and below ground and a very interesting and fun weekend overall. Thanks to the BCRA for laying on this symposium so capably and to the local experts for their organisational skills and knowledge sharing, both at Leeds University and in the beautiful Nidderdale area. Having attended the last three annual BCRA events I can recommend them for their general caving scientific interest and friendly atmosphere.
A patch of big fluorite crystals showing their characteristic cubic habit. Photo by Mark Tringham.
Mark Tringham recently attended the British Cave Research Association Science (BCRA) Symposium held in Leeds and has written up the weekend of talks and the field trip.
This year’s event comprised a day of talks at the University of Leeds, hosted by BCRA in conjunction with the Leeds Geological Society. This was followed by a full day’s field excursion to mines and caves in the Nidderdale area, about one hour’s drive from Leeds. The talks were available online for those unable to attend in person.
As usual, the talks included a diverse mix of speleological topics ranging from cave archaeology to biology, hydrology and speleogenesis. Ones of particular interest to me included a talk on UK-wide speleothem radiometric dating to determine glacial and non-glacial periods here over the last 300,000 years and another talk on karst development in the Burren, Co. Clare Ireland. The latter was presented by Rob Watson who was one of the Bangor club who came down Otter Hole with me a few months ago. Other interesting topics included two talks on hypogenic cave formation in the UK, one concentrating on Derbyshire, the other by UBSS member Andy Farrant reviewing recent work which shows that hypogenic caves are likely much more common in the UK than previously thought. Andy’s list included several Mendip cave sites as well as Miss Grace’s Lane Swallet in the Forest of Dean.
The talk session was followed by an optional group Indian curry meal just a short walk away. The Leeds University venue in the School of Earth and Environment was excellent and attendance was free, so you can’t complain! Around 25 people attended in person and approximately a further ten joined online.
The mine entrance (centre) and remaining building. Photo by Mark Tringham.
The field excursion started at Greenhow located an hour’s drive NW from Leeds. The group went into Gillfield Level which is a disused lead and fluorite mine that was a big lead producer through the 1800’s but which produced fluorite until quite recently. Following the recent very wet weather the drainage adit entrance was up to knee deep in water, but after a short time, Phil Murphy, our guide for the day, showed us up into two stopes where some of the vein mineralisation is still visible as well as some mining artefacts.
The mineral deposition here and in neighbouring mines was concentrated in the core of an anticline within the Craven Fault Zone. This major fault boundary separated a shale-rich Carboniferous basin to the south from shelf carbonate deposited to the north and this boundary formed the focus for deep hydrothermal fluid movements carrying mineral rich fluids upwards and outwards from the basin. The group was shown some large fluorite crystals and well as traces of galena, the main lead sulphide ore present.
The first stope visited with the floor at drainage level (left). A haulage wagon and part of a rail track (middle). The second stope visited at a higher level (right). Mike McHale in photos by Mark Tringham.
The stopes were an impressive size, with some timberwork remaining in places showing the ascending ‘overhand’ method of working at successively higher levels.
After lunch, the group drove for about 20 minutes through Pateley Bridge and Lofthouse to the area of the Goyden Pot system in Nidderdale. We met up with local expert and enthusiast Chris Fox, who had given a presentation on the speleogenesis and exploration history at the symposium the previous day. Water levels were high making some of the swallets very impressive and Goyden Pot main entrance inaccessible.
The raging torrent going into Goyden Pot. Photo by Mark Tringham.However Manchester Hole, the furthest upstream part of the system, was accessible and the group went a hundred metres or so inside to see various points of interest. Afterwards the group was shown around on the surface, examining many sinks and cave entrances and Chris highlighted in particular the dynamic nature of the hydrology with a lot of changes to the cave system caused during annual floods even to this day. The cave has an interesting geology and speleogenesis, being formed in the ~25m thick Middle Limestone of the Carboniferous Yoredale sequence, which overall comprises alternating limestone, shale and sandstones. Most parts of the ~8km cave system are concealed beneath a roof of these other lithologies. The entrances of Manchester Hole and Goyden Pot are located in a small fault and dip bounded limestone inlier, while New Goyden Pot entrance is in a separate even smaller inlier.
Andrew Mcleod inside Manchester Hole streamway with eroded and fallen stalactites. Photo by Mark Tringham.
The spelogenesis appears to be linked to the erosional unroofing of the limestone and subsequent water ingress during post-glacial times. Exploration of the system is still ongoing and many parts of the system have been joined up underground bit by bit and many new entrances located from the inside out. Many large passages are present but some are largely choked with sediment infill. The downstream part of the system is largely underwater and divers are still exploring to try to forge a link between the known resurgence cave down the valley and New Goyden Pot.
The dry river bed above New Goyden Pot exposing the Middle Limestone. Photo by Mark Tringham.
The afternoon session finished about 4.30pm completing a fascinating day in the field both above and below ground and a very interesting and fun weekend overall. Thanks to the BCRA for laying on this symposium so capably and to the local experts for their organisational skills and knowledge sharing, both at Leeds University and in the beautiful Nidderdale area. Having attended the last three annual BCRA events I can recommend them for their general caving scientific interest and friendly atmosphere.
Mark Tringham
A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
Mike Bertenshaw, left, and Adrian Wilkins, right, at Little Neath River cave.
Our 100 Memories Project returns, with a tale of 'what can go wrong will go wrong' on a long ago diving trip in South Wales told by Mike Bertenshaw.
Nothing to do with the Lemony Snicket books, TV series and film but, instead, the saga that unfolded during a cave diving trip in Little Neath River Cave in 1973. Julian Walford has asked me on a number of occasions to write this up for his amusement, so here we go…
When I moved from Manchester to Bristol in the early ‘70’s to study Geology and Chemistry, I’d already been caving for a number of years with Derbyshire Caving Club, including two expeditions to Italy. One of the reasons I chose Bristol was that I was eager to visit caves in unfamiliar areas outside of the Pennines, i.e. Mendips, Devon and South Wales. On realising that many of the caves in these areas have extensive horizontal development full of water, it didn’t take long before I was introduced to Oliver Lloyd and the Somerset section of the Cave Diving Group.
I underwent some basic instruction in the Students’ Union swimming pool with a subsequent night dive through oil drums submerged in Fishponds Lido which, looking back on it, was somewhat surreal with night-club lighting all around the pond. After practice dives in Whiteladies and Wookey, I was asked by my mentor, the late Aldwyn Cooper, to accompany him on a self-carry trip into Ireby Fell II where he wanted to push the second sump which was heading for (and subsequently connected to) Notts Pot. Although it has subsequently been bypassed, sump 1 was a good introduction to how squalid things can get with me groping my way along a flat-out passage with zero visibility. After a pleasant romp down the impressive Duke Street, Aldwyn set off into the equally impressively large tunnel that is sump 2 whilst I awaited his return. He did manage to extend what I recall was Mike Wooding’s line, but without breaking the surface.
Just to prove that students posed for awful pictures of themselves in the '70s, too, this is the late Charlie Self outside Little Neath.
The possibility of exploring totally new cave passage was the main reason I took up cave diving, so I had no hesitation in joining Adrian Wilkins when he asked me to accompany him on a trip in Little Neath River Cave to follow up an open lead left by Bob Churcher’s solo trip into sump 6a/7. The plan was for Adrian and I to enter and exit via Bridge Cave and meet up with Charlie Self and one other on the far side of the sump for assistance with the carry down to sump 2. I was initially puzzled to find no weights in Bridge Cave until Adrian instructed me to crawl to the sump pool then plunge in head first and walk along the roof as soon as the floor dropped away. This seemed to work.
Little Neath River Cave. Photo copyright Mark Burkey, and used with his kind permission.
After more than 20 trips into LNRC, Adrian was able to move swiftly ahead and when I caught him up at sump 2 he was just pulling up his wetsuit after an urgent bowel evacuation. I wasn’t convinced when he suggested that I’d get better visibility if I dived first, but in I went anyway, keeping an eye out to dodge any floaters. Visibility wasn’t good and became much worse when I paused at the bottom of the exit slope to move the line across to a larger section of passage. Silt (plus whatever Adrian had deposited) overtook me and I was soon scraping my helmet on the roof while the purge button on my mouthpiece blew bubbles as it ground into the floor. I thought I should stay calm, back off and move further to the right. This seemed to work.
Adrian took the lead in sump 3 but, instead of a tug on the line to signal he was through, he reappeared to report the line had been cut and he needed to swap his “tad” for a 40 cubic foot cylinder (in those days it was normal and acceptable to use only one regulator even if carrying two or more bottles). After swapping bottles, I was somewhat alarmed to hear a loud bang when he turned on the air signifying a blown valve diaphragm. This presented an interesting situation regarding who should go for help and who should sit it out and await rescue, but remarkably Adrian produced a spare regulator from a small kit bag that I was carrying so the show could go on.
After Adrian had laid a new line through sump 3, we proceeded through sump 4 without further incident except for noticing I was negatively buoyant and having to work quite hard to prevent myself sinking into deep underwater pits. Evidently, I hadn’t properly accounted for the two NiFe cells hanging from my belt when attaching the lead weights. Blind white fish appeared out of the gloom to keep me company during my slow progress.
There’s a good length of streamway between sumps 4 and 5 so it was off with the fins and back into wellies, a procedure then reversed for sump 5 and repeated again to reach sump 6a. This is reached after a short climb up the right hand wall before Lake Chamber and the proper entrance to sump 6. A ledge above the streamway seemed a good place to dump all of my kit whilst Adrian prepared himself for the dive. Unfortunately he couldn’t find the way on due to poor visibility (perhaps sump 2 effluent had overtaken us by then) so he soon reappeared and we readied ourselves for the journey back.
At this point disaster happened when I accidentally knocked my mask off the ledge and it plopped into the fast-flowing streamway and down a waterfall into Lake Chamber. I thought this is it, I’ll never get out without a mask. My eyesight was bad enough without glasses anyway. Adrian was still kitted up so he went swimming and to my complete amazement managed to find my black mask amongst the black boulders on the floor of Lake Chamber.
After removing a weight from my belt, I plunged back into sump 5 and somehow caught the quick-release buckle (that cave divers should never use) of my borrowed CDG belt on a projection and I suddenly found myself pinned to the roof. Fortunately the passage was low enough for me to be able to just reach the ejected belt and its contents, recompose myself and move on out of the cave without further incident.
So, having escaped the clutches of the evil Count Olaf (a fictional character and absolutely no likeness to Adrian intended), I vowed that was the end of my brief cave diving career!
Mike Bertenshaw, left, and Adrian Wilkins, right, at Little Neath River cave.
Our 100 Memories Project returns, with a tale of 'what can go wrong will go wrong' on a long ago diving trip in South Wales told by Mike Bertenshaw.
Nothing to do with the Lemony Snicket books, TV series and film but, instead, the saga that unfolded during a cave diving trip in Little Neath River Cave in 1973. Julian Walford has asked me on a number of occasions to write this up for his amusement, so here we go…
When I moved from Manchester to Bristol in the early ‘70’s to study Geology and Chemistry, I’d already been caving for a number of years with Derbyshire Caving Club, including two expeditions to Italy. One of the reasons I chose Bristol was that I was eager to visit caves in unfamiliar areas outside of the Pennines, i.e. Mendips, Devon and South Wales. On realising that many of the caves in these areas have extensive horizontal development full of water, it didn’t take long before I was introduced to Oliver Lloyd and the Somerset section of the Cave Diving Group.
I underwent some basic instruction in the Students’ Union swimming pool with a subsequent night dive through oil drums submerged in Fishponds Lido which, looking back on it, was somewhat surreal with night-club lighting all around the pond. After practice dives in Whiteladies and Wookey, I was asked by my mentor, the late Aldwyn Cooper, to accompany him on a self-carry trip into Ireby Fell II where he wanted to push the second sump which was heading for (and subsequently connected to) Notts Pot. Although it has subsequently been bypassed, sump 1 was a good introduction to how squalid things can get with me groping my way along a flat-out passage with zero visibility. After a pleasant romp down the impressive Duke Street, Aldwyn set off into the equally impressively large tunnel that is sump 2 whilst I awaited his return. He did manage to extend what I recall was Mike Wooding’s line, but without breaking the surface.
Just to prove that students posed for awful pictures of themselves in the '70s, too, this is the late Charlie Self outside Little Neath.
The possibility of exploring totally new cave passage was the main reason I took up cave diving, so I had no hesitation in joining Adrian Wilkins when he asked me to accompany him on a trip in Little Neath River Cave to follow up an open lead left by Bob Churcher’s solo trip into sump 6a/7. The plan was for Adrian and I to enter and exit via Bridge Cave and meet up with Charlie Self and one other on the far side of the sump for assistance with the carry down to sump 2. I was initially puzzled to find no weights in Bridge Cave until Adrian instructed me to crawl to the sump pool then plunge in head first and walk along the roof as soon as the floor dropped away. This seemed to work.
Little Neath River Cave. Photo copyright Mark Burkey, and used with his kind permission.
After more than 20 trips into LNRC, Adrian was able to move swiftly ahead and when I caught him up at sump 2 he was just pulling up his wetsuit after an urgent bowel evacuation. I wasn’t convinced when he suggested that I’d get better visibility if I dived first, but in I went anyway, keeping an eye out to dodge any floaters. Visibility wasn’t good and became much worse when I paused at the bottom of the exit slope to move the line across to a larger section of passage. Silt (plus whatever Adrian had deposited) overtook me and I was soon scraping my helmet on the roof while the purge button on my mouthpiece blew bubbles as it ground into the floor. I thought I should stay calm, back off and move further to the right. This seemed to work.
Adrian took the lead in sump 3 but, instead of a tug on the line to signal he was through, he reappeared to report the line had been cut and he needed to swap his “tad” for a 40 cubic foot cylinder (in those days it was normal and acceptable to use only one regulator even if carrying two or more bottles). After swapping bottles, I was somewhat alarmed to hear a loud bang when he turned on the air signifying a blown valve diaphragm. This presented an interesting situation regarding who should go for help and who should sit it out and await rescue, but remarkably Adrian produced a spare regulator from a small kit bag that I was carrying so the show could go on.
After Adrian had laid a new line through sump 3, we proceeded through sump 4 without further incident except for noticing I was negatively buoyant and having to work quite hard to prevent myself sinking into deep underwater pits. Evidently, I hadn’t properly accounted for the two NiFe cells hanging from my belt when attaching the lead weights. Blind white fish appeared out of the gloom to keep me company during my slow progress.
There’s a good length of streamway between sumps 4 and 5 so it was off with the fins and back into wellies, a procedure then reversed for sump 5 and repeated again to reach sump 6a. This is reached after a short climb up the right hand wall before Lake Chamber and the proper entrance to sump 6. A ledge above the streamway seemed a good place to dump all of my kit whilst Adrian prepared himself for the dive. Unfortunately he couldn’t find the way on due to poor visibility (perhaps sump 2 effluent had overtaken us by then) so he soon reappeared and we readied ourselves for the journey back.
At this point disaster happened when I accidentally knocked my mask off the ledge and it plopped into the fast-flowing streamway and down a waterfall into Lake Chamber. I thought this is it, I’ll never get out without a mask. My eyesight was bad enough without glasses anyway. Adrian was still kitted up so he went swimming and to my complete amazement managed to find my black mask amongst the black boulders on the floor of Lake Chamber.
After removing a weight from my belt, I plunged back into sump 5 and somehow caught the quick-release buckle (that cave divers should never use) of my borrowed CDG belt on a projection and I suddenly found myself pinned to the roof. Fortunately the passage was low enough for me to be able to just reach the ejected belt and its contents, recompose myself and move on out of the cave without further incident.
So, having escaped the clutches of the evil Count Olaf (a fictional character and absolutely no likeness to Adrian intended), I vowed that was the end of my brief cave diving career!
Mike Bertenshaw
I MADE IT TO THE END! I DID, I DID!
Here you are at the end of another newsletter! So go on, drop us a line! You know how needy we are. And if you have any suggestions for features or memories for our 100 Memories project, or even if you just want to send in a photo woth a few words, go for it. We're open to any and all submissions. The newsletter is your chance to take the piss out of your friends and have it recorded for posterity.
- Great photos from the Boothroyd. Shows what a phone can do. We now need proper cameras that can phone ... Happy new year to all! [Chris Howes]
- Thank you Linda and Alysia for another fab read! [Mia Jacobs]
- Happy New Year! [Hans Friederich]
- Wow, that's a bumper issue, matron! Reading about other people's adventures is a vicarious pleasure for those of us stuck at home. Happy new year! [Sharon and the blessed FT Bear]
- Thoroughly entertaining! The videos embedded better that I ever imagined and work great. Hopefully there will be lots more videos (and pictures) to come. [Jess Brock]
- The recent excellent Newsletters prompted me to send the below and attached article about BCRA field meeting in Yorkshire in October 2023. By chance both I and Mark Tringham attended and we had a really good day and chat on matters caving (even though I never actually met Mark whilst I was at Bristol). [Mike McHale]
I did it, Batty, I read to the end!
THE END
Here you are at the end of another newsletter! So go on, drop us a line! You know how needy we are. And if you have any suggestions for features or memories for our 100 Memories project, or even if you just want to send in a photo woth a few words, go for it. We're open to any and all submissions. The newsletter is your chance to take the piss out of your friends and have it recorded for posterity.
- Great photos from the Boothroyd. Shows what a phone can do. We now need proper cameras that can phone ... Happy new year to all! [Chris Howes]
- Thank you Linda and Alysia for another fab read! [Mia Jacobs]
- Happy New Year! [Hans Friederich]
- Wow, that's a bumper issue, matron! Reading about other people's adventures is a vicarious pleasure for those of us stuck at home. Happy new year! [Sharon and the blessed FT Bear]
- Thoroughly entertaining! The videos embedded better that I ever imagined and work great. Hopefully there will be lots more videos (and pictures) to come. [Jess Brock]
- The recent excellent Newsletters prompted me to send the below and attached article about BCRA field meeting in Yorkshire in October 2023. By chance both I and Mark Tringham attended and we had a really good day and chat on matters caving (even though I never actually met Mark whilst I was at Bristol). [Mike McHale]
I did it, Batty, I read to the end!
THE END