Crystal pool, OFD Top. Photo by Linda Wilson.
Well, yet again we've gone from staring forlornly at our mostly empty inboxes and wondering how we're going to fill a newsletter to muttering, "Blimey, we need to hold a couple of pieces over to next month or no one will ever get to the end!" So, thank you to everyone who rose to the occasion and produced trip write ups, demonstrating yet again how much is going on, despite term being over and people scattering to the four winds over summer.
We're also grateful to non-UBSS friend Mark Burkey, an excellent cave photographer who kindly let us use some of his photos to illustrate articles on Upper Flood Swallet and Agen Allwedd.
We will continue to produce newsletters over summer, so please keep articles coming in! We certainly want to hear about any of your underground activities at home or abroad.
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.
We're also grateful to non-UBSS friend Mark Burkey, an excellent cave photographer who kindly let us use some of his photos to illustrate articles on Upper Flood Swallet and Agen Allwedd.
We will continue to produce newsletters over summer, so please keep articles coming in! We certainly want to hear about any of your underground activities at home or abroad.
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 Billy
FAREWELL TO TONY BOYCOTT
Linda Wilson pays a personal Tribute to UBSS member Tony Boycott who died on 7th June 2024.
Tony came to Bristol in 1969 to study biochemistry but after a year, he changed direction to study medicine. He joined UBSS in his first year and remained a member ever since. His first caving trip (other than various showcaves with his parents, Brian and Marjorie) was on 4th October 1969 when he went to Sump 1 in Swildon's with Oliver Lloyd, Pete Standing, Nick Dallman and Terry Brown.
While a student, Tony also took up cave diving as part of the exploration in Little Neath River caver. He remained an active caver and digger all his life even after he was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2022. On Tony's last caving trip in June 2023 down Upper Canada Cave on Mendip, he enthusiastically pointed out the entrance scaffolding that he'd worked on and despite having undergone surgery to remove the tumour, followed by radiotherapy and eight months of chemotherapy, he still insisted on crawling and wriggling almost to the end of the cave, while describing its interesting geology and mineralogy and insisting that the squeeze wasn't really worthy of the name.
Tony climbing his favourite scaffolding in Canada Combe Cave. Photo by Linda Wilson.
I first went caving with Tony on 4th October 1980 in my second year at Bristol on a trip to Bat Passage in GB. At the time, he was a hosital doctor in Swindon. I started caving regularly with him in January 1982 after he returned from Bristol to become a GP in Bedminster. After that, Graham and I caved regularly with him and soon started to holiday together in Co Clare, Ireland nearly every year. We also went on regular trips abroad together including to France, Belgium, Slovenia, USA.
It's no exaggeration to say that Tony was one of the kindest, nicest people I've ever known. He was an active member of Mendip Cave Rescue and was regularly called on for incidents in South Wales, including a two day rescue of an injued caver from the far end of Southern Stream Passage in Aggy. Tony's competent pragmatism meant that he was always in demand as an expedition doctor, going on many trips to places like Megalaya in India and the Blue Holes of the Bahamas. Charlie Self nicknamed him AB(Dr) and that stuck, as you can see from his helmet in the above photo.
Tony in Canada Combe Cave. Photo by Linda Wilson.
He was interested in all aspects of the natural world and was an inveterate collector of interesting rocks and anything else that attracted his attention. His down-to-earth attitude to medical matters meant that he could often be found sticking needles into people's bums in pub toilets when they needed protection against varous exotic diseases before caving expeditions. He wasn't too keen on toes, although Nick Patrick does recall an evening in the 1980s when Tony dashed into our then pub, Crockers, very pleased that he'd actually managed to cure one of his patients - of an ingrowing toenail!
Tony's caving logs run to several volumes in which he lists all his underground trips, many of which involved the use of explosives in search of new cave passage. He was involved in numerous breakthroughs, including to the Frozen Deep in Reservoir Hole, and he remained an enthusiastic digger throughout his caving career.
Tony was UBSS Librarian and Sales Manager for many years, looking after the library through several moves and working almost singlehandedly to assemble the vast number of Ikea Billy bookcases in the stack room in the Stables. Tony also handled sales of Proceedings and mailings to members and in 2019 he was made an Honorary member for all his work for the club. His legacy will live on through a very generous bequest in his will to the Oliver Lloyd Memorial Fund.
Tony faced a diagnosis of incurable brain cancer with typical pragmatism, continuing to dig as often as hecould, working on Axbridge Hill in a deep, ochreous rift, and also at the various dig sites on Bleadon Hill. It was a privilege to known him for so long and to have been at his side for the past two years. I was with Tony when he died peacefully in St Monica's Care Home.
UBSS members have always stuck together in difficult times, and Tony's many friends in the caving community rallied round him. Thanks in particular go to Graham Mullan, Jan Walker, Helen Rossington, Wanda Owen, Clive Owen and Sally Britton.
Tony's funeral is taking place on 8th July at Canford Crematorium in Bristol, followed by a celebration of his life at Oatley House in St Monica's at Cote Lane, to which you are all invited, wether you knew Tony personally or not. Tony asked for no flowers, but donations can be made in his memory to Brain Tumour Support who provide much needed assistance to patients and their families at a hugely daunting and difficult time.
Linda Wilson pays a personal Tribute to UBSS member Tony Boycott who died on 7th June 2024.
Tony came to Bristol in 1969 to study biochemistry but after a year, he changed direction to study medicine. He joined UBSS in his first year and remained a member ever since. His first caving trip (other than various showcaves with his parents, Brian and Marjorie) was on 4th October 1969 when he went to Sump 1 in Swildon's with Oliver Lloyd, Pete Standing, Nick Dallman and Terry Brown.
While a student, Tony also took up cave diving as part of the exploration in Little Neath River caver. He remained an active caver and digger all his life even after he was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2022. On Tony's last caving trip in June 2023 down Upper Canada Cave on Mendip, he enthusiastically pointed out the entrance scaffolding that he'd worked on and despite having undergone surgery to remove the tumour, followed by radiotherapy and eight months of chemotherapy, he still insisted on crawling and wriggling almost to the end of the cave, while describing its interesting geology and mineralogy and insisting that the squeeze wasn't really worthy of the name.
Tony climbing his favourite scaffolding in Canada Combe Cave. Photo by Linda Wilson.
I first went caving with Tony on 4th October 1980 in my second year at Bristol on a trip to Bat Passage in GB. At the time, he was a hosital doctor in Swindon. I started caving regularly with him in January 1982 after he returned from Bristol to become a GP in Bedminster. After that, Graham and I caved regularly with him and soon started to holiday together in Co Clare, Ireland nearly every year. We also went on regular trips abroad together including to France, Belgium, Slovenia, USA.
It's no exaggeration to say that Tony was one of the kindest, nicest people I've ever known. He was an active member of Mendip Cave Rescue and was regularly called on for incidents in South Wales, including a two day rescue of an injued caver from the far end of Southern Stream Passage in Aggy. Tony's competent pragmatism meant that he was always in demand as an expedition doctor, going on many trips to places like Megalaya in India and the Blue Holes of the Bahamas. Charlie Self nicknamed him AB(Dr) and that stuck, as you can see from his helmet in the above photo.
Tony in Canada Combe Cave. Photo by Linda Wilson.
He was interested in all aspects of the natural world and was an inveterate collector of interesting rocks and anything else that attracted his attention. His down-to-earth attitude to medical matters meant that he could often be found sticking needles into people's bums in pub toilets when they needed protection against varous exotic diseases before caving expeditions. He wasn't too keen on toes, although Nick Patrick does recall an evening in the 1980s when Tony dashed into our then pub, Crockers, very pleased that he'd actually managed to cure one of his patients - of an ingrowing toenail!
Tony's caving logs run to several volumes in which he lists all his underground trips, many of which involved the use of explosives in search of new cave passage. He was involved in numerous breakthroughs, including to the Frozen Deep in Reservoir Hole, and he remained an enthusiastic digger throughout his caving career.
Tony was UBSS Librarian and Sales Manager for many years, looking after the library through several moves and working almost singlehandedly to assemble the vast number of Ikea Billy bookcases in the stack room in the Stables. Tony also handled sales of Proceedings and mailings to members and in 2019 he was made an Honorary member for all his work for the club. His legacy will live on through a very generous bequest in his will to the Oliver Lloyd Memorial Fund.
Tony faced a diagnosis of incurable brain cancer with typical pragmatism, continuing to dig as often as hecould, working on Axbridge Hill in a deep, ochreous rift, and also at the various dig sites on Bleadon Hill. It was a privilege to known him for so long and to have been at his side for the past two years. I was with Tony when he died peacefully in St Monica's Care Home.
UBSS members have always stuck together in difficult times, and Tony's many friends in the caving community rallied round him. Thanks in particular go to Graham Mullan, Jan Walker, Helen Rossington, Wanda Owen, Clive Owen and Sally Britton.
Tony's funeral is taking place on 8th July at Canford Crematorium in Bristol, followed by a celebration of his life at Oatley House in St Monica's at Cote Lane, to which you are all invited, wether you knew Tony personally or not. Tony asked for no flowers, but donations can be made in his memory to Brain Tumour Support who provide much needed assistance to patients and their families at a hugely daunting and difficult time.
Linda Wilson
BOG OFF!
A peaceful scene with one person working (Felix) and others lounging around.
The traditional Hut Working Weekend was held at the beginning of June. Linda Wilson tells the tale.
The time for this year's Hut working weekend was fast approaching when an unexpectedly large job was added to the To Do list. Zac Woodford ably summed up the situation during the following conversation in the committee WhatsApp chat:
So, we had our major project for the weekend. This was quickly delegated to newly-appointed Hut Warden, Ben Alterman, while the rest of us metaphorically sauntered off, whistling casually and looking the other way.
The weekend quickly rolled around with little or no preparation, other than the Oliver Lloyd Memorial Fund very kindly agreeing to underwrite the cost of food and suitable refreshment for the workers. The usual amount of Epic Faff followed.
Graham and I both went to the Pit to pick people up. I drew the short straw and drove the Shopping Party, consisting of Megan Malpas, Dan Hill and Merryn Matthews to Asda to pick up supplies. The UBSS motto of 'Never Knowingly Undercatered' was liberally applied and somehow we managed to fit large amounts of food and drink into an already nearly fully loaded car while Graham and Mia headed off to the tackle store to collect Felix Arnatovich and Dan Runcan. At the same time, Ben Alterman and Ben Morgan went off to buy wood and assorted bits and pieces for the renovation of the condemned loo.
Not long after we arrived, Chris Pepper turned with his chainsaw and soon set to work cutting up a selection of the vast amount of fallen wood behind the hut from the area traditionally scavanged by UBSS for fuel, both internal and external. I decided to deal with the large pile of brash near the door to the woodstore that's been there for ages with grass growing through it, while Mia swept the roof and some of the others cleared the gully around the back that keeps the worst of the damp out and started the usual monumental task of cleaning the roof and walls inside the hut, as well as thoroughly sweeping the floors.
Simon gets on with the job while Felix, Dan and James take a break.
Most of the wood I was relocating went into the bonfire circle while James Hallihan and Felix made a start on chopping logs, aided later by Simon Payne's sterling axe work. Mia and I started work on the usual reorganisation of the internal woodpile so that older wood was moved to the back in an attempt at stock rotation. Anyone staying at the hut now please note that wood for the stove should now be taken from there, as the new wood has been stacked on the left hand side as you enter from the door at the front. This should be left to season for preferably two years so it burns more efficiently.
Handy graphic!
While we were all beavering away around the hut, further down in the woods, the work to dismantle the existing toilet shack was taking place, with the two Bens hard at work along with Merryn and Jess Brock. Soon, new decking started to bridge the hole, resting across top of the earlier wood laid by Bob Churcher in a solo effort many years ago.
Left to right: Jess Brock, Megan Malpas, Ben Morgan, Merryn Matthews, Dan Hill.
One that was in place, seated safely on solid ground all around the hole, work began on new uprights for the shelter, built along the same lines as the old shelter. Once this was in place, the toilet was replaced, a new tarpaulin went over the top, held down by the old wiggly tin and anchored in place and partially camouflaged by the old tarp covers.
The new structure starts to take shape.
To our surprise, most of the work was finished by the time James started on the barbecue, leaving only the finishing for the following day. Simon Payne produced an absolutely excellent potato salad to go with everything James was cooking and Jess and Megan were even able to coax a pile of damp wood into light for the traditional bonfire.
Jess (left) and Megan (right) celebrate their achievement.
List of jobs done: hut roof swept; gully cleared, paths cleared of leaves, shower cleared and swept, grass strimmed, wood cut, chopped and stacked, new toilet floor laid, new toilet shelter constructed and weatherproofed, hut thoroughly cleaned and swept.
Many thanks to everyone for all their hard work and to the Oliver Lloyd Memorial Fund for providing food and drink for the weekend!
A peaceful scene with one person working (Felix) and others lounging around.
The traditional Hut Working Weekend was held at the beginning of June. Linda Wilson tells the tale.
The time for this year's Hut working weekend was fast approaching when an unexpectedly large job was added to the To Do list. Zac Woodford ably summed up the situation during the following conversation in the committee WhatsApp chat:
So, we had our major project for the weekend. This was quickly delegated to newly-appointed Hut Warden, Ben Alterman, while the rest of us metaphorically sauntered off, whistling casually and looking the other way.
The weekend quickly rolled around with little or no preparation, other than the Oliver Lloyd Memorial Fund very kindly agreeing to underwrite the cost of food and suitable refreshment for the workers. The usual amount of Epic Faff followed.
Graham and I both went to the Pit to pick people up. I drew the short straw and drove the Shopping Party, consisting of Megan Malpas, Dan Hill and Merryn Matthews to Asda to pick up supplies. The UBSS motto of 'Never Knowingly Undercatered' was liberally applied and somehow we managed to fit large amounts of food and drink into an already nearly fully loaded car while Graham and Mia headed off to the tackle store to collect Felix Arnatovich and Dan Runcan. At the same time, Ben Alterman and Ben Morgan went off to buy wood and assorted bits and pieces for the renovation of the condemned loo.
Not long after we arrived, Chris Pepper turned with his chainsaw and soon set to work cutting up a selection of the vast amount of fallen wood behind the hut from the area traditionally scavanged by UBSS for fuel, both internal and external. I decided to deal with the large pile of brash near the door to the woodstore that's been there for ages with grass growing through it, while Mia swept the roof and some of the others cleared the gully around the back that keeps the worst of the damp out and started the usual monumental task of cleaning the roof and walls inside the hut, as well as thoroughly sweeping the floors.
Simon gets on with the job while Felix, Dan and James take a break.
Most of the wood I was relocating went into the bonfire circle while James Hallihan and Felix made a start on chopping logs, aided later by Simon Payne's sterling axe work. Mia and I started work on the usual reorganisation of the internal woodpile so that older wood was moved to the back in an attempt at stock rotation. Anyone staying at the hut now please note that wood for the stove should now be taken from there, as the new wood has been stacked on the left hand side as you enter from the door at the front. This should be left to season for preferably two years so it burns more efficiently.
Handy graphic!
While we were all beavering away around the hut, further down in the woods, the work to dismantle the existing toilet shack was taking place, with the two Bens hard at work along with Merryn and Jess Brock. Soon, new decking started to bridge the hole, resting across top of the earlier wood laid by Bob Churcher in a solo effort many years ago.
Left to right: Jess Brock, Megan Malpas, Ben Morgan, Merryn Matthews, Dan Hill.
One that was in place, seated safely on solid ground all around the hole, work began on new uprights for the shelter, built along the same lines as the old shelter. Once this was in place, the toilet was replaced, a new tarpaulin went over the top, held down by the old wiggly tin and anchored in place and partially camouflaged by the old tarp covers.
The new structure starts to take shape.
To our surprise, most of the work was finished by the time James started on the barbecue, leaving only the finishing for the following day. Simon Payne produced an absolutely excellent potato salad to go with everything James was cooking and Jess and Megan were even able to coax a pile of damp wood into light for the traditional bonfire.
Jess (left) and Megan (right) celebrate their achievement.
List of jobs done: hut roof swept; gully cleared, paths cleared of leaves, shower cleared and swept, grass strimmed, wood cut, chopped and stacked, new toilet floor laid, new toilet shelter constructed and weatherproofed, hut thoroughly cleaned and swept.
Many thanks to everyone for all their hard work and to the Oliver Lloyd Memorial Fund for providing food and drink for the weekend!
Linda Wilson
NEWSFLASH - OGOF TARDDIAD/OGOF DRAENEN
As many cavers will remember there have been many access and other problems over the years concerning Ogof Draenen in South Wales. Clive Owen, Our representative on the Pwll Dhu Cave Management Committee which controls the gated entrance on behalf of the landower reports on the latest potential issue to have arisen.
The latest edition of Descent includes an article about Ogof Tarddiad, which has recently been extended to join up with Ogof Draenen. This has therefore created another entrance to the Draenen system, joining the cave in the same area as the current gated entranceentrance, for which UBSS has a key.
The approach and entrance to Ogof Tarddiad are within a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and this has led to complications over access that the article does not address. Until these issues have been resolved please do not endanger caver relations with the landowner by attempting to enter Ogof Draenen through Ogof Tarddiad.
As many cavers will remember there have been many access and other problems over the years concerning Ogof Draenen in South Wales. Clive Owen, Our representative on the Pwll Dhu Cave Management Committee which controls the gated entrance on behalf of the landower reports on the latest potential issue to have arisen.
The latest edition of Descent includes an article about Ogof Tarddiad, which has recently been extended to join up with Ogof Draenen. This has therefore created another entrance to the Draenen system, joining the cave in the same area as the current gated entranceentrance, for which UBSS has a key.
The approach and entrance to Ogof Tarddiad are within a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and this has led to complications over access that the article does not address. Until these issues have been resolved please do not endanger caver relations with the landowner by attempting to enter Ogof Draenen through Ogof Tarddiad.
Clive Owen
PORK PIES AND BRUISED KNEES
The Duck Pond. Photograph copyright Mark Burkey. Used with his kind permission.
There's no better way to cure a hangover than a decent caving trip, as Dan Hill demonstrated after the recent hut working weekend!
After completing an amazing job fixing the toilet at the hut and taking part in a well earned night of mead and debauchery with Cambridge and Cardiff at the Shepton Hut, myself and the two Bens (Alterman and Morgan) awoke on Sunday morning with a top class headache and not at all in the mood to cave, but we had a meeting to make and there was no backing out now. Our destination was Upper Flood Swallet, famous as the prettiest cave on Mendip.
It was a beautiful morning as we drove down to the MCG (perfect for going underground) to meet our leader, Tim Francis, a true upper flood veteran. On the walk to the cave, we got a full guided tour and history lesson, from the cave’s discovery back in the great flood of ’68 to all the potential inlets where current digging was taking place.
We left the warmth and sunshine and descended the ladder (which was covered in dozens of slugs) into the darkness and any hangovers were soon cured. I had my worries about the brutal crawling I’d heard was ahead of us, but it didn’t turn out to be too gruelling, especially with kneepads (a luxury Ben M was unfortunate enough not to have). The crawl was followed by some squeezy boulder chokes, netting some bruised knees and ribs with only a few pretties to show for it, but it was worth the wait.
The Departure Lounge. Photograph copyright Mark Burkey. Used with his kind permission.
On our wriggle through the choke, we heard the story of Tim’s 2006 breakthrough into the following chamber along with Julie Hesketh, mum of our very own Eva. On the night of the breakthrough, Julie had to make a quick exit to catch a flight, giving the passage its name - Departure Lounge.
The passage really was pretty; as we walked, we ducked to avoid curtains and stalactites, and the walls were covered by flowstone which was almost scarlet from the iron in the area. Thankfully, after much squeezyness, we were now in easy walking along a streamway. Continuing on, we started to come across detonation wires and enormous drill-bits for bang charges. Talking so much about explosives and blowing stuff up even started to make digging seem slightly less boring.
Descending deeper into the cave, the formations got prettier and prettier. We passed a low passage (that I can’t remember the name of) which was so full of pristine, snow-white formations that it was completely impassible and we instead had to circle round to the other side. Soon, we were approaching the pork pies, the end of our journey. As we got close, the path itself became so full of delicate white crystal that the mud from our oversuits became a hazard; we stripped down to our furries before continuing. Though my wet-socks provided some cushioning, the crystals still offered a spiky walkway.
The pork pie formations. Photograph copyright Mark Burkey. Used with his kind permission.
The pork pies lay at the end of a stunning passage of floor-to-ceiling bright white stal. One at a time, we crawled up a slope and took a peek. In the pool ahead were a series of formations like I’d never seen before; perfectly circular cylinders up to a couple of feet wide dotted the pool in front of us. They really did look like giant, white pork pies, but also like strange, alien sea-anemones. Last in line was Ben M who, crawling up the slope, gave us a full view through the huge rip in the back of his undersuit, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. Mercifully, we were soon back in our oversuits.
Going was slower on the way back, especially after Ben A’s right kneepad fell off, resulting in him having to hold it on manually through the entire crawl (which felt much longer the second time around). It felt good to finally break out into the evening sunshine after a cave full of (mostly) 1st degree fun and hands-down the prettiest formations I’d ever seen. We ended the day with a hot shower, cup of tea and yummy pub dinner. Thanks to Tim for being a top-notch leader!
The Duck Pond. Photograph copyright Mark Burkey. Used with his kind permission.There's no better way to cure a hangover than a decent caving trip, as Dan Hill demonstrated after the recent hut working weekend!
After completing an amazing job fixing the toilet at the hut and taking part in a well earned night of mead and debauchery with Cambridge and Cardiff at the Shepton Hut, myself and the two Bens (Alterman and Morgan) awoke on Sunday morning with a top class headache and not at all in the mood to cave, but we had a meeting to make and there was no backing out now. Our destination was Upper Flood Swallet, famous as the prettiest cave on Mendip.
It was a beautiful morning as we drove down to the MCG (perfect for going underground) to meet our leader, Tim Francis, a true upper flood veteran. On the walk to the cave, we got a full guided tour and history lesson, from the cave’s discovery back in the great flood of ’68 to all the potential inlets where current digging was taking place.
We left the warmth and sunshine and descended the ladder (which was covered in dozens of slugs) into the darkness and any hangovers were soon cured. I had my worries about the brutal crawling I’d heard was ahead of us, but it didn’t turn out to be too gruelling, especially with kneepads (a luxury Ben M was unfortunate enough not to have). The crawl was followed by some squeezy boulder chokes, netting some bruised knees and ribs with only a few pretties to show for it, but it was worth the wait.
The Departure Lounge. Photograph copyright Mark Burkey. Used with his kind permission.
On our wriggle through the choke, we heard the story of Tim’s 2006 breakthrough into the following chamber along with Julie Hesketh, mum of our very own Eva. On the night of the breakthrough, Julie had to make a quick exit to catch a flight, giving the passage its name - Departure Lounge.
The passage really was pretty; as we walked, we ducked to avoid curtains and stalactites, and the walls were covered by flowstone which was almost scarlet from the iron in the area. Thankfully, after much squeezyness, we were now in easy walking along a streamway. Continuing on, we started to come across detonation wires and enormous drill-bits for bang charges. Talking so much about explosives and blowing stuff up even started to make digging seem slightly less boring.
Descending deeper into the cave, the formations got prettier and prettier. We passed a low passage (that I can’t remember the name of) which was so full of pristine, snow-white formations that it was completely impassible and we instead had to circle round to the other side. Soon, we were approaching the pork pies, the end of our journey. As we got close, the path itself became so full of delicate white crystal that the mud from our oversuits became a hazard; we stripped down to our furries before continuing. Though my wet-socks provided some cushioning, the crystals still offered a spiky walkway.
The pork pie formations. Photograph copyright Mark Burkey. Used with his kind permission.
The pork pies lay at the end of a stunning passage of floor-to-ceiling bright white stal. One at a time, we crawled up a slope and took a peek. In the pool ahead were a series of formations like I’d never seen before; perfectly circular cylinders up to a couple of feet wide dotted the pool in front of us. They really did look like giant, white pork pies, but also like strange, alien sea-anemones. Last in line was Ben M who, crawling up the slope, gave us a full view through the huge rip in the back of his undersuit, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. Mercifully, we were soon back in our oversuits.
Going was slower on the way back, especially after Ben A’s right kneepad fell off, resulting in him having to hold it on manually through the entire crawl (which felt much longer the second time around). It felt good to finally break out into the evening sunshine after a cave full of (mostly) 1st degree fun and hands-down the prettiest formations I’d ever seen. We ended the day with a hot shower, cup of tea and yummy pub dinner. Thanks to Tim for being a top-notch leader!
Dan Hill
HOW TO TAME YOUR HORSE
Simon Payne waxes lyrical about the new friends he met in a Mendip field, followed by underground photos courtesy of Merryn Matthews.
While waiting for Claire and Merryn to arrive for a G.B. trip, we punctual three (Ben and Duncan from Southampton) (or rather I) became immediately beguiled by the herd of horses neighing between us, the cave entrance and destiny (maybe that explains the odd marrow bone occasionally seen underground).
After lots of Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar out of the car speakers to keep our cave energy pumped (followed eventually by horse noises to try to communicate with the skittish dandies), the women had still not arrived. Given this we (I) immediately began to Google search on my phone “How to tame your horse”. Making doubly sure that safe search was switched on, I proceeded to discover absolutely nothing as the two minutes of “horse search” accompanied by another encore of Lavender Haze (arguably the best of TayTays contemporary works) dished out but the merest drop of dopamine for yours truly before one was compelled to pace about and eventually approach the horses/ponies/majestic animals/2013 Tesco burgers.
Hush their furry ears! Simon did NOT mention burgers.
After naming each of the horses (from largest to smallest) Luke, Alex, Esme and of course Julia, Duncan immediately pointed out with energetic horse enthusiasm that Esme “looked very pregnant”. Before one could contemplate what a “foal-pah” that would have been if horses could understand English and before one could decide which “good” Christian name to baptize the unborn foal with, the women finally did not, not, not, not, not finally arrive and instead texted us they’d be another 20 minutes. Upon diligently taking in this critical piece of information the men immediately underwent a standard UBSS visualization exercise in order to preplan our route, as safety, (especially on the way to and from caves) is of course in the upper two-thirds of the club's hierarchy of priorities.
We didn’t need to go into GB to enjoy it, why we could simply enter the cave using our minds; of course before we could embark on such an “outer body” experience we had to of course change into our caving gear, as the more neuro associations to being in a cave we could recreate without actually going inside, the more effective the visualization experience would be.After this out of body experience we all decided that yes, we were indeed going to use the main entrance.
Out of body or out of focus? You, the audience, must decide.
Then, at last the other members of our group arrived, they of course arrived with us in spirit in the form of another text. However what if we could tame two of the horses in the field? We could rename them Merryn and Claire, develop a rudimentary means of communication, then pursue a course of neuro linguistic conditioning, then the horses could eventually believe they were the missing members of our group! Perhaps finally for the first time a group of five, three humans and two horses could go caving! Perhaps this was the beginning of an interspecies cave-rescue initiative! No more would horse bones be ominously found in Mendip Caves as our friends in Cave Horse Rescue could support their fellows and - but before I had the time to finish such a completely normal thought, the final members of our group arrived…
And there it was, guarded behind a fey fog wall of a lock, key, licence and cave rescue insurance, the entrance to G.B stood before us; anyway we dived in and started caving. Our route looked something like this: yellow in, red out.
Dropping ourselves beneath the block house and 30 metres or so later we reached the First Grotto where we had a choice of route, the ladder or not the ladder, my ADHD brain immediately went, ladder lmfao let's go, obviously this led to a slightly more difficult free-climby route later on but we all survived; it was totally character building. We proceeded in via the Devil’s Elbow unto a crawl from the Upper Grotto post-ladder whereupon we reached a 4m upward chimney. We kept going, reaching a partially choked tube where our first cave snaps of Ben were taken.
The aforementioned Ben.
After some standard caving we eventually came to a bit of the cave where we had to free climb down an awkward 3m drop where I definitely thought I was going to die. Eventually we reached a 4m pot with three narrow rift entry points at different elevations breaking into the head of the dramatic gorge passage. Merryn took two lit photos of me, knew the way and spotted the hairy climbs, hell yeah.
Claire doing a sweaty palms climb down a 4m drop.
Any way there was some more caving, lots of big gorge action. Oddly enough there were plenty of rocks, it all looked lit and we got a decent workout out of it.
One of the big bits.
A great rocky bridge in a vast chamber arched over a significant height; after a pitstop and photo-op we crossed over to the right hand side of this large chamber which led into the White Passage.
Yep, lots of pretties.
We briefly explored the West and East Extensions before descending back down the sloping White Passage to check out the Rift and Bedding Chambers, here we descended through the Loop passing by the entrance to Bertie's Pot and passing the Hall on our way through the Oxbow where we reunited with the terminus of the Gorge.
The ponies would have liked this.
Here we checked out the sump which was completely dried out, looked at the Ladder Dig climb wistfully before walking all the way up the Gorge and enjoying a mild climb up the streaming waterfall (which at this point remembering the dry sump was nothing more than a bit of a dribble). All in all a spectacular cave and we made it back to Bristol for around 10pm.
Simon Payne waxes lyrical about the new friends he met in a Mendip field, followed by underground photos courtesy of Merryn Matthews.
While waiting for Claire and Merryn to arrive for a G.B. trip, we punctual three (Ben and Duncan from Southampton) (or rather I) became immediately beguiled by the herd of horses neighing between us, the cave entrance and destiny (maybe that explains the odd marrow bone occasionally seen underground).
After lots of Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar out of the car speakers to keep our cave energy pumped (followed eventually by horse noises to try to communicate with the skittish dandies), the women had still not arrived. Given this we (I) immediately began to Google search on my phone “How to tame your horse”. Making doubly sure that safe search was switched on, I proceeded to discover absolutely nothing as the two minutes of “horse search” accompanied by another encore of Lavender Haze (arguably the best of TayTays contemporary works) dished out but the merest drop of dopamine for yours truly before one was compelled to pace about and eventually approach the horses/ponies/majestic animals/2013 Tesco burgers.
Hush their furry ears! Simon did NOT mention burgers.
After naming each of the horses (from largest to smallest) Luke, Alex, Esme and of course Julia, Duncan immediately pointed out with energetic horse enthusiasm that Esme “looked very pregnant”. Before one could contemplate what a “foal-pah” that would have been if horses could understand English and before one could decide which “good” Christian name to baptize the unborn foal with, the women finally did not, not, not, not, not finally arrive and instead texted us they’d be another 20 minutes. Upon diligently taking in this critical piece of information the men immediately underwent a standard UBSS visualization exercise in order to preplan our route, as safety, (especially on the way to and from caves) is of course in the upper two-thirds of the club's hierarchy of priorities.
We didn’t need to go into GB to enjoy it, why we could simply enter the cave using our minds; of course before we could embark on such an “outer body” experience we had to of course change into our caving gear, as the more neuro associations to being in a cave we could recreate without actually going inside, the more effective the visualization experience would be.After this out of body experience we all decided that yes, we were indeed going to use the main entrance.
Out of body or out of focus? You, the audience, must decide.
Then, at last the other members of our group arrived, they of course arrived with us in spirit in the form of another text. However what if we could tame two of the horses in the field? We could rename them Merryn and Claire, develop a rudimentary means of communication, then pursue a course of neuro linguistic conditioning, then the horses could eventually believe they were the missing members of our group! Perhaps finally for the first time a group of five, three humans and two horses could go caving! Perhaps this was the beginning of an interspecies cave-rescue initiative! No more would horse bones be ominously found in Mendip Caves as our friends in Cave Horse Rescue could support their fellows and - but before I had the time to finish such a completely normal thought, the final members of our group arrived…
And there it was, guarded behind a fey fog wall of a lock, key, licence and cave rescue insurance, the entrance to G.B stood before us; anyway we dived in and started caving. Our route looked something like this: yellow in, red out.
Dropping ourselves beneath the block house and 30 metres or so later we reached the First Grotto where we had a choice of route, the ladder or not the ladder, my ADHD brain immediately went, ladder lmfao let's go, obviously this led to a slightly more difficult free-climby route later on but we all survived; it was totally character building. We proceeded in via the Devil’s Elbow unto a crawl from the Upper Grotto post-ladder whereupon we reached a 4m upward chimney. We kept going, reaching a partially choked tube where our first cave snaps of Ben were taken.
The aforementioned Ben.
After some standard caving we eventually came to a bit of the cave where we had to free climb down an awkward 3m drop where I definitely thought I was going to die. Eventually we reached a 4m pot with three narrow rift entry points at different elevations breaking into the head of the dramatic gorge passage. Merryn took two lit photos of me, knew the way and spotted the hairy climbs, hell yeah.
Claire doing a sweaty palms climb down a 4m drop.
Any way there was some more caving, lots of big gorge action. Oddly enough there were plenty of rocks, it all looked lit and we got a decent workout out of it.
One of the big bits.
A great rocky bridge in a vast chamber arched over a significant height; after a pitstop and photo-op we crossed over to the right hand side of this large chamber which led into the White Passage.
Yep, lots of pretties.
We briefly explored the West and East Extensions before descending back down the sloping White Passage to check out the Rift and Bedding Chambers, here we descended through the Loop passing by the entrance to Bertie's Pot and passing the Hall on our way through the Oxbow where we reunited with the terminus of the Gorge.
The ponies would have liked this.
Here we checked out the sump which was completely dried out, looked at the Ladder Dig climb wistfully before walking all the way up the Gorge and enjoying a mild climb up the streaming waterfall (which at this point remembering the dry sump was nothing more than a bit of a dribble). All in all a spectacular cave and we made it back to Bristol for around 10pm.
Simon Payne
TOP TO BOTTOM IN OFD
Henry Morgan (centre). Elliott McCall (left and right).
Henry Morgan and Elliott McCall are the latest pair to have been lured back by the delights of South Wales, as Henry recounts ...
After what seemed like far far too long, in late June, Elliott and myself finally managed to find a mutually free weekend to get underground again and catch up after his galavanting around the world! An OFD top to bottom through trip was the plan; both of us fancied a bit of streamway and nothing too grotty so we thought we ought to make the most of the dry weather!
Smiling in the sun! Henry (left) and Elliott (right).
Elliott arrived at my house on Saturday morning and immediately dashed into the loo… things were not looking hopeful! However, we had a lovely drive over to the SWCC, reminiscing over freshers' trips heading out this way on Friday evenings after lectures and feeling very old in ourselves! On our way up to the cave we bumped into a group of D of E walkers - they were very excited at the prospect of someone exploring the caves beneath them and asked all sorts of questions!
Maypole Inlet ladder.
Into Top Entrance, where we acted like a well oiled machine, back again after a short hiatus. Maypole Inlet was located at the first attempt (get in!) and a quick bash down the streamway ensued. Elliott (always overheating!) jumped (quite literally) at the first opportunity for full submersion in one of the many pots that feature in what is surely one of the best streamways in the UK! A lot of fun and chatter ensued, as we met not a single soul the whole way!
Up into the Great Oxbow, brief silence, back into the roaring streamway through Marble Showers and then the Confluence stone.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope, it's a stone.
A quick artsy photo op here to admire this magnificent feature where the Cwm Dwr streamway meets the main one. I had been confident in the route to this stage but now the work began - navigating through Piccadilly, Divers' Pitch and the Letterbox (see photo below for Elliot’s elegant exit from this fun feature!) until we got into the Connection. Some fun crystal formations here (see photo), followed by a bit of boulder choke and we emerged into familiar territory.
Elliott's exit from the Letterbox.
A quick bash down the streamway with its beautiful calcite stripes in the floor and walls, and the four pots with their associated scaf bars for ease of traversing (they’re much softer in OFD1 than the OFD2 streamway clearly!) and we emerged from the entrance five hours after entering Top Entrance.
Elliott emerging, thankfully without having had to use his medical supplies.
Back to SWCC for showers and then the drive back home. This was a top trip and it was good to be back in good to be back in South Wales!
Henry Morgan (centre). Elliott McCall (left and right).
Henry Morgan and Elliott McCall are the latest pair to have been lured back by the delights of South Wales, as Henry recounts ...
After what seemed like far far too long, in late June, Elliott and myself finally managed to find a mutually free weekend to get underground again and catch up after his galavanting around the world! An OFD top to bottom through trip was the plan; both of us fancied a bit of streamway and nothing too grotty so we thought we ought to make the most of the dry weather!
Smiling in the sun! Henry (left) and Elliott (right).
Elliott arrived at my house on Saturday morning and immediately dashed into the loo… things were not looking hopeful! However, we had a lovely drive over to the SWCC, reminiscing over freshers' trips heading out this way on Friday evenings after lectures and feeling very old in ourselves! On our way up to the cave we bumped into a group of D of E walkers - they were very excited at the prospect of someone exploring the caves beneath them and asked all sorts of questions!
Maypole Inlet ladder.
Into Top Entrance, where we acted like a well oiled machine, back again after a short hiatus. Maypole Inlet was located at the first attempt (get in!) and a quick bash down the streamway ensued. Elliott (always overheating!) jumped (quite literally) at the first opportunity for full submersion in one of the many pots that feature in what is surely one of the best streamways in the UK! A lot of fun and chatter ensued, as we met not a single soul the whole way!
Up into the Great Oxbow, brief silence, back into the roaring streamway through Marble Showers and then the Confluence stone.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope, it's a stone.
A quick artsy photo op here to admire this magnificent feature where the Cwm Dwr streamway meets the main one. I had been confident in the route to this stage but now the work began - navigating through Piccadilly, Divers' Pitch and the Letterbox (see photo below for Elliot’s elegant exit from this fun feature!) until we got into the Connection. Some fun crystal formations here (see photo), followed by a bit of boulder choke and we emerged into familiar territory.
Elliott's exit from the Letterbox.
A quick bash down the streamway with its beautiful calcite stripes in the floor and walls, and the four pots with their associated scaf bars for ease of traversing (they’re much softer in OFD1 than the OFD2 streamway clearly!) and we emerged from the entrance five hours after entering Top Entrance.
Elliott emerging, thankfully without having had to use his medical supplies.
Back to SWCC for showers and then the drive back home. This was a top trip and it was good to be back in good to be back in South Wales!
Henry Morgan
GOING FOR A P IN OFD
The Wedding Cake. Gimme a break, it is mentioned below!
Clive Owen recently demonstrated that even after many years, it's still possible to score a first in a familiar cave.
The last couple of years have seen some improvements of belays in OFD with P-hangers replacing old spits. The Chasm is one area of the cave where this has been done. Michael Perryman had mentioned to me that he would be interested in traversing the length of Chasm Passage, so we decided to try out the new rigs, which can be seen here.
We started at the south end of the Chasm (labelled “to Wedding Cake” on the topo), where we rigged the pitch as suggested, using two very nice new P-hangers. We then returned to the Corkscrew Climb and descended to Salubrious before heading up to the bottom of the Arête and then on to the wiggly passage leading to Timo’s Table. Soon after, arriving at the north end of the Chasm, we found the pitch already rigged with a remarkably fine quality rope for one presumed to have been “abandoned”. This is actually only a handline but a very convenient one.
Continuing up and down along the Chasm we arrived back at the foot of the pitch we had rigged earlier, put on our SRT gear and ascended. It was a lot easier to pass the overhanging jammed boulder than in the old days when we either free climbed it using combined tactics or thrutched up using the bit of tat that was usually hanging there. It was a very enjoyable trip and the first time I have ever done SRT in OFD.
The Wedding Cake. Gimme a break, it is mentioned below!
Clive Owen recently demonstrated that even after many years, it's still possible to score a first in a familiar cave.
The last couple of years have seen some improvements of belays in OFD with P-hangers replacing old spits. The Chasm is one area of the cave where this has been done. Michael Perryman had mentioned to me that he would be interested in traversing the length of Chasm Passage, so we decided to try out the new rigs, which can be seen here.
We started at the south end of the Chasm (labelled “to Wedding Cake” on the topo), where we rigged the pitch as suggested, using two very nice new P-hangers. We then returned to the Corkscrew Climb and descended to Salubrious before heading up to the bottom of the Arête and then on to the wiggly passage leading to Timo’s Table. Soon after, arriving at the north end of the Chasm, we found the pitch already rigged with a remarkably fine quality rope for one presumed to have been “abandoned”. This is actually only a handline but a very convenient one.
Continuing up and down along the Chasm we arrived back at the foot of the pitch we had rigged earlier, put on our SRT gear and ascended. It was a lot easier to pass the overhanging jammed boulder than in the old days when we either free climbed it using combined tactics or thrutched up using the bit of tat that was usually hanging there. It was a very enjoyable trip and the first time I have ever done SRT in OFD.
Clive Owen
TWO GO ON AN AGGY ADVENTURE
Only two caving lights makes photography tricky!
Daniel Rose recently braved rockfalls, boulder chokes, stomping streamways and other hazards in an at times surreal experience under the Welsh mountains.
On the 14th June, my father and I made the trek from the dreaming spires and Tolkien-shires of summer shining Oxford to embark on Aggy’s Grand Circle. The round trip in the country, combining narrow rifts, tight boulder chokes, awe inspiring climbs and fantastic streamway to form one magnificent circuit. A cave compilation of movement and exploration combining to create one of the finest experiences in Wales.
The entrance series passed with relative ease. Like most caves near to Whitewalls, the cave opens with a series of narrow crawls, this time with some easy route finding nestled in. Ensuring to turn left at every junction, some sweaty wriggling soon saw us to the end of the rifts, where the cave opened up into much larger, walkable passage, before dropping down through the easily navigable first choke. After some minor route finding faff, culminating in an undramatic retracing of steps, we discovered a short climb up after the choke to find the way onto Main Passage.
Main Passage. Photo copyright Mark Burkey, used with his kind permission.
Euphorically rewarded by the emergence from tight discomfort into elephant sized passage, that gratifying feeling of fulfilled accomplishment combined with the beauty of erosive geology so characteristic of caving soon soothed our spirits. Marching on with gleaming eyes, the brutalist sublimity of drought cracked mud formations and toweringly intimidating cliffs fuelled our advance. Practically hopping, our fun soon came to an end with the introduction to Southern Stream Passage. Dropping down at the junction, sliding through a squeeze, we emerged into the unwelcoming and decidedly desolate rift of stooping, lightly dribbling ‘streamway’ that would form the bulk of the first half of the circle.
Coming upon a drinking cup, we had well welcomed refreshment, then continued our plodding. I heard a crash. Ahead? Had there been a boulder fall? My middle ear had failed me. Where had that noise come from? The continuous sound of falling rock. I discovered not through sight but through sensation, that rocks had fallen not ahead nor behind me; but above. Four rocks in quick succession onto my helmet with a visceral unpleasantness that, upon recollection, makes me cringe as I write, but at the time I felt nothing. Three more then hit me, two on the back of my neck, and one on my face. I presumed, for a moment, that the ceiling would continue to fall, buying me below, and that I would suffocate in a mutilated carcass of shattered bone and breath curdles. Yet disappointingly such a thought was emotionally unprovocative. No life flashed before my eyes, no philosophical singularity was discovered in the eternal moment preceding infinite darkness. I felt nothing aside from mild dissociation.
Once I realised that the fall had stopped and that, I had not, in fact, been buried by misfortune, I walked ahead, shouted ‘major rockfall!!’ and tried to conjure up some sort of adrenal release within myself. Surely, if I was to feel a life altering appreciation for existence through overwhelming emotional release, it would be now? But I felt little. We continued through the crawls ahead, with slight trepidation now at the insecurity of the ceiling above us. Never before had I seen such a large number of rocks fall entirely unprovoked, as if moved by the invisible spirit of karma itself. Life is fragile, and one should live it as such. I knew this already, but now had a lived experience to back it up. I flip flopped over the next few hours between convincing myself that nothing of significance had happened at all, and that I had been extremely lucky to have avoided injury. Regardless, we continued on. Reflection could wait, navigating the cave could not.
David Rose in a wet bit.
At last we escaped the claustrophobia of Southern Stream and reached an excellent traverse that makes the eyes water after time in the narrows. A grandiose, horizontally extending and vertically stimulating climb down to Main Stream Passage. A sporting descent on a handline with dents to wedge your feet dotted between periodically exposed sections. The passage ahead appears to extend into the infinite abys, the well placed turns allowing darkness to fill the horizon. A stirring sight that continues upon reaching the ground, plunging body into the rushing streamway, taking care not to slip on the strangely slippery surfaces, and clambering over Swildons-esque cascade climbs.
After ascending into Biza Passage to bypass boulders, we ate baguettes. A bougee refuel of battered bread and filling before tackling the fourth boulder choke. A blind descent down a corkscrew that requires trust in the route description and the ability to reduce shoulder width through the roller coaster inspired technique of raising both hands in the air.
Regaining the streamway, tragedy struck at the third boulder choke. Here you must continue along the streamway, stooping under a series of boulders until meeting a climb up into the choke after which it’s necessary to descend a small hole to exit the maze. For about an hour the way on escaped us. Sorely unable to locate the spot, several much tighter routes were pushed in vain, blessing us with unnecessary bruising and concerned frustration. Retracing our steps now would be tragic. The thought crossed my mind that perhaps there had been an earthquake on the surface, sealing the way on; had this perhaps been the cause of the rock fall?
Thankfully, the way on was eventually found. Battered but relieved, the streamway stomping resumed. Deep water was reached, where we practically swam along, hopping on the occasional rock high enough to stand on. After much of the same sporting streamway, we finally reached Northwest Junction, scaling another impressive roped climb to reach Keyhole Chamber which contained a fun traverse along an edge involving a hop across two canyons. One more straightforward boulder choke after this had us completing the circle, exiting out the entrance series and bidding farewell to the cave of the keyholes. What a trip!
Only two caving lights makes photography tricky!
Daniel Rose recently braved rockfalls, boulder chokes, stomping streamways and other hazards in an at times surreal experience under the Welsh mountains.
On the 14th June, my father and I made the trek from the dreaming spires and Tolkien-shires of summer shining Oxford to embark on Aggy’s Grand Circle. The round trip in the country, combining narrow rifts, tight boulder chokes, awe inspiring climbs and fantastic streamway to form one magnificent circuit. A cave compilation of movement and exploration combining to create one of the finest experiences in Wales.
The entrance series passed with relative ease. Like most caves near to Whitewalls, the cave opens with a series of narrow crawls, this time with some easy route finding nestled in. Ensuring to turn left at every junction, some sweaty wriggling soon saw us to the end of the rifts, where the cave opened up into much larger, walkable passage, before dropping down through the easily navigable first choke. After some minor route finding faff, culminating in an undramatic retracing of steps, we discovered a short climb up after the choke to find the way onto Main Passage.
Main Passage. Photo copyright Mark Burkey, used with his kind permission.
Euphorically rewarded by the emergence from tight discomfort into elephant sized passage, that gratifying feeling of fulfilled accomplishment combined with the beauty of erosive geology so characteristic of caving soon soothed our spirits. Marching on with gleaming eyes, the brutalist sublimity of drought cracked mud formations and toweringly intimidating cliffs fuelled our advance. Practically hopping, our fun soon came to an end with the introduction to Southern Stream Passage. Dropping down at the junction, sliding through a squeeze, we emerged into the unwelcoming and decidedly desolate rift of stooping, lightly dribbling ‘streamway’ that would form the bulk of the first half of the circle.
Coming upon a drinking cup, we had well welcomed refreshment, then continued our plodding. I heard a crash. Ahead? Had there been a boulder fall? My middle ear had failed me. Where had that noise come from? The continuous sound of falling rock. I discovered not through sight but through sensation, that rocks had fallen not ahead nor behind me; but above. Four rocks in quick succession onto my helmet with a visceral unpleasantness that, upon recollection, makes me cringe as I write, but at the time I felt nothing. Three more then hit me, two on the back of my neck, and one on my face. I presumed, for a moment, that the ceiling would continue to fall, buying me below, and that I would suffocate in a mutilated carcass of shattered bone and breath curdles. Yet disappointingly such a thought was emotionally unprovocative. No life flashed before my eyes, no philosophical singularity was discovered in the eternal moment preceding infinite darkness. I felt nothing aside from mild dissociation.
Once I realised that the fall had stopped and that, I had not, in fact, been buried by misfortune, I walked ahead, shouted ‘major rockfall!!’ and tried to conjure up some sort of adrenal release within myself. Surely, if I was to feel a life altering appreciation for existence through overwhelming emotional release, it would be now? But I felt little. We continued through the crawls ahead, with slight trepidation now at the insecurity of the ceiling above us. Never before had I seen such a large number of rocks fall entirely unprovoked, as if moved by the invisible spirit of karma itself. Life is fragile, and one should live it as such. I knew this already, but now had a lived experience to back it up. I flip flopped over the next few hours between convincing myself that nothing of significance had happened at all, and that I had been extremely lucky to have avoided injury. Regardless, we continued on. Reflection could wait, navigating the cave could not.
David Rose in a wet bit.
At last we escaped the claustrophobia of Southern Stream and reached an excellent traverse that makes the eyes water after time in the narrows. A grandiose, horizontally extending and vertically stimulating climb down to Main Stream Passage. A sporting descent on a handline with dents to wedge your feet dotted between periodically exposed sections. The passage ahead appears to extend into the infinite abys, the well placed turns allowing darkness to fill the horizon. A stirring sight that continues upon reaching the ground, plunging body into the rushing streamway, taking care not to slip on the strangely slippery surfaces, and clambering over Swildons-esque cascade climbs.
After ascending into Biza Passage to bypass boulders, we ate baguettes. A bougee refuel of battered bread and filling before tackling the fourth boulder choke. A blind descent down a corkscrew that requires trust in the route description and the ability to reduce shoulder width through the roller coaster inspired technique of raising both hands in the air.
Regaining the streamway, tragedy struck at the third boulder choke. Here you must continue along the streamway, stooping under a series of boulders until meeting a climb up into the choke after which it’s necessary to descend a small hole to exit the maze. For about an hour the way on escaped us. Sorely unable to locate the spot, several much tighter routes were pushed in vain, blessing us with unnecessary bruising and concerned frustration. Retracing our steps now would be tragic. The thought crossed my mind that perhaps there had been an earthquake on the surface, sealing the way on; had this perhaps been the cause of the rock fall?
Thankfully, the way on was eventually found. Battered but relieved, the streamway stomping resumed. Deep water was reached, where we practically swam along, hopping on the occasional rock high enough to stand on. After much of the same sporting streamway, we finally reached Northwest Junction, scaling another impressive roped climb to reach Keyhole Chamber which contained a fun traverse along an edge involving a hop across two canyons. One more straightforward boulder choke after this had us completing the circle, exiting out the entrance series and bidding farewell to the cave of the keyholes. What a trip!
Daniel Rose
OVERGROUND, UNDERGROUND
Overground caving - aka canyoning. On the bridge, left to right, Merryn Matthews, Brendan (non caver), Jake Reich, Claire Missen.
Merryn Matthews, determined to make us all jealous, has sent in a holiday report.
I'm trying out some overground caving pursuits - canyoning and via ferrata. in Italy. For those new to UBSS look these up! They are a great way to utilise some cave skills in the summer sun. I would describe canyoning as 'nice' caving, travelling down river by means of abseil, jump, or slide.
Transport in the cave.
Unfortunately, the weather round the Dolomites has been rather thundery so on a wet day we ventured into the showcave of Grotte Di Oliero. There are a few caves here and one of them is accessible to tourists by boat. We were dragged in by two strong tour guides pulling our boat against the current along a metal wire. We were informed around 10,000 litres per second were flowing out the cave, and the catchment area of the surrounding mountains is very very big (sorry, no numbers remembered).
The chamber reached is quite small on foot with the prettiest section hidden up a short SRT pitch that we tourists could not ascend.
Killian (not usually a caver).
However, the real marvel lies submerged beneath the water. The cave is famous for its many kilometres of diving passage (currently 10km+), part explored by Rick Stanton and John Volanthen, and still largely undiscovered.
This was a fun showcave to visit, and there's also a fun speleo museum where some poor olms (proteus anguinus) can be seen living in tanks.
Captive olm.
The original cave explorer Alberto Parolini introduced the olm to the cave from Slovenia in 1830, and amazingly had still been seen living in the cave in 1967.
Overground caving - aka canyoning. On the bridge, left to right, Merryn Matthews, Brendan (non caver), Jake Reich, Claire Missen.
Merryn Matthews, determined to make us all jealous, has sent in a holiday report.
I'm trying out some overground caving pursuits - canyoning and via ferrata. in Italy. For those new to UBSS look these up! They are a great way to utilise some cave skills in the summer sun. I would describe canyoning as 'nice' caving, travelling down river by means of abseil, jump, or slide.
Transport in the cave.
Unfortunately, the weather round the Dolomites has been rather thundery so on a wet day we ventured into the showcave of Grotte Di Oliero. There are a few caves here and one of them is accessible to tourists by boat. We were dragged in by two strong tour guides pulling our boat against the current along a metal wire. We were informed around 10,000 litres per second were flowing out the cave, and the catchment area of the surrounding mountains is very very big (sorry, no numbers remembered).
The chamber reached is quite small on foot with the prettiest section hidden up a short SRT pitch that we tourists could not ascend.
Killian (not usually a caver).
However, the real marvel lies submerged beneath the water. The cave is famous for its many kilometres of diving passage (currently 10km+), part explored by Rick Stanton and John Volanthen, and still largely undiscovered.
This was a fun showcave to visit, and there's also a fun speleo museum where some poor olms (proteus anguinus) can be seen living in tanks.
Captive olm.
The original cave explorer Alberto Parolini introduced the olm to the cave from Slovenia in 1830, and amazingly had still been seen living in the cave in 1967.
Merryn Matthews
ICE CAVING IN SVALBARD
Beneath the ice.
When it comes to caving in exotic places, this year's prize goes to Megan Malpas for the furtherest north a UBSS fleece has been photographed underground. And as wild as Mendip might be at times, at least we don't need to carry guns when we go caving! Megan tells the story of her icy exploits.
As some of you may know, I spent January and February this year on the windy Arctic rock known as Svalbard. It wasn’t all for nothing, however, as I did manage to get a non-zero amount of caving done whilst I was there. Here is an account of my trip to an ice cave just outside the town of Longyearbyen.
I managed to convince Franziska, the only friend I had with a gun (which you are legally required to have when leaving town for polar bear protection), that she absolutely needed to spend her Sunday afternoon trekking for hours to take me to an ice cave. We went with a group of classmates and hiked across the glacier Longyearbreen. Visibility was super poor, as it was polar night and snowing heavily, so our polar bear avoidance strategy was ‘talk loudly and hope for the best’.
An inviting entrance.
The entrance to the cave was marked with a flag and comprised of a slippery-looking ice chute that had some of the group getting second thoughts. Franziska and I, plus two others (Quentin and Laura), decided to go in first and check it out, whilst Franziska’s boyfriend dug a snow pit as shelter for everyone else waiting outside.
Megan and Franziska sampling the cave ice.
After the initial ice chute, the cave opened into a series of roomy chambers. Everywhere was covered in ice. The roof of each chamber was coated in a beautiful layer of ice crystals, and the floor was littered with broken icicles.
The most northerly UBSS fleece.
As I was the only one with caving experience, the trip was more of a slow, exploratory one, with a heavy photography focus. Quentin and Laura both brought their cameras and we played around with lighting and I got to show off my professional caving headlamp.
The ceiling looked like it was covered in thousands of tiny glass shards.
As a safety note – the cave we visited is frequently used for tourist visits by local companies and is considered acceptable for non-cavers. Everybody on the trip had received Arctic safety training and Franziska also works as a local guide.
Beneath the ice.
When it comes to caving in exotic places, this year's prize goes to Megan Malpas for the furtherest north a UBSS fleece has been photographed underground. And as wild as Mendip might be at times, at least we don't need to carry guns when we go caving! Megan tells the story of her icy exploits.
As some of you may know, I spent January and February this year on the windy Arctic rock known as Svalbard. It wasn’t all for nothing, however, as I did manage to get a non-zero amount of caving done whilst I was there. Here is an account of my trip to an ice cave just outside the town of Longyearbyen.
I managed to convince Franziska, the only friend I had with a gun (which you are legally required to have when leaving town for polar bear protection), that she absolutely needed to spend her Sunday afternoon trekking for hours to take me to an ice cave. We went with a group of classmates and hiked across the glacier Longyearbreen. Visibility was super poor, as it was polar night and snowing heavily, so our polar bear avoidance strategy was ‘talk loudly and hope for the best’.
An inviting entrance.
The entrance to the cave was marked with a flag and comprised of a slippery-looking ice chute that had some of the group getting second thoughts. Franziska and I, plus two others (Quentin and Laura), decided to go in first and check it out, whilst Franziska’s boyfriend dug a snow pit as shelter for everyone else waiting outside.
Megan and Franziska sampling the cave ice.
After the initial ice chute, the cave opened into a series of roomy chambers. Everywhere was covered in ice. The roof of each chamber was coated in a beautiful layer of ice crystals, and the floor was littered with broken icicles.
The most northerly UBSS fleece.
As I was the only one with caving experience, the trip was more of a slow, exploratory one, with a heavy photography focus. Quentin and Laura both brought their cameras and we played around with lighting and I got to show off my professional caving headlamp.
The ceiling looked like it was covered in thousands of tiny glass shards.
As a safety note – the cave we visited is frequently used for tourist visits by local companies and is considered acceptable for non-cavers. Everybody on the trip had received Arctic safety training and Franziska also works as a local guide.
Megan Malpas
SNOWY GOT THIS FAR, DID YOU?
We love getting emails from readers, so please prevent a descent into the Slough of Despond (no, we don't mean Goatchurch!) and keep them coming! We'll start dishing out some more random prizes soon, so there's an incentive to be first. To one of our lovely correspondents from last month, yes, Stanley, we're very proud. We always knew you were a person of impeccable taste and your reading habits are proof of that!
- An entertaining read as always ... [Chris Howes]
- Awesome newsletter, Stanley’s Camus quote is top notch, he was a speleonaught ahead of his time. [Daniel Rose]
- Great reports and pix. And I’m tittering loudly at some very suggestive images (ooh err, matron!) and also the thought of our esteemed editor all dressed up smart - and then getting muddy as usual! Those beneath the city caves in Bristol and Exeter sound fascinating. [Sharon Wheeler and the blessed FT Bear]
- Read to the end sat on an air mattress on Mia’s floor with a blossoming cold and a mild headache - courtesy of yet another successful maintenance weekend [Megan Malpas]
- Excellent newsletter, superb trip write-ups. I've always loved The Gambler, and Zac did it real justice with his version! Well done, Zac. [Jan Walker]
- Are you proud? [Stanley Lewis]
- More cartoons from Dan Runcan Please! The recreation of 'naked lady' made me chuckle with its accuracy - a must-see art installation of Hunter's Hole. [Merryn Matthews]
Snowy, how could you doubt me? Of course I made it this far!
THE END
We love getting emails from readers, so please prevent a descent into the Slough of Despond (no, we don't mean Goatchurch!) and keep them coming! We'll start dishing out some more random prizes soon, so there's an incentive to be first. To one of our lovely correspondents from last month, yes, Stanley, we're very proud. We always knew you were a person of impeccable taste and your reading habits are proof of that!
- An entertaining read as always ... [Chris Howes]
- Awesome newsletter, Stanley’s Camus quote is top notch, he was a speleonaught ahead of his time. [Daniel Rose]
- Great reports and pix. And I’m tittering loudly at some very suggestive images (ooh err, matron!) and also the thought of our esteemed editor all dressed up smart - and then getting muddy as usual! Those beneath the city caves in Bristol and Exeter sound fascinating. [Sharon Wheeler and the blessed FT Bear]
- Read to the end sat on an air mattress on Mia’s floor with a blossoming cold and a mild headache - courtesy of yet another successful maintenance weekend [Megan Malpas]
- Excellent newsletter, superb trip write-ups. I've always loved The Gambler, and Zac did it real justice with his version! Well done, Zac. [Jan Walker]
- Are you proud? [Stanley Lewis]
- More cartoons from Dan Runcan Please! The recreation of 'naked lady' made me chuckle with its accuracy - a must-see art installation of Hunter's Hole. [Merryn Matthews]
Snowy, how could you doubt me? Of course I made it this far!
THE END