Welcome to the November newsletter, your first collaboration (of many) between yours truly, Grace Smith and Linda!
This term has almost come to a whirling end, between gripping caving, the yearly Bonfire night, establishing the terms of UBSS’ pregnancy and the subsequent birth of its first child, weekly SRT training, museum visits and the buzzed socialising of CHECC, it’s been a packed one!
We look forward to taking you through this issue, as once again we’ve gone from the usual hustle of requesting write ups, to a variety of caving experiences that have left us nothing short of amazed.
And what’s left to end the year, more caving (of course), the Christmas Dinner and the illustrious longest standing tradition of UBSS… the New Year’s Eve Dinner at the hut! An unbroken tradition that started in 1919, when UBSS was born. If you would like to come along, please message Linda so that we can gauge numbers!
On another exciting note, we are currently in the process of compiling a UBSS caving logbook, to summarise the first term of this year! From fresher to alumni, Mendip to Yorkshire, if you have done any caving trips or training, please don't hesitate to message Grace or Linda, with your trip’s members, date and cave!
If you want to check previous issues, you can find them here. In addition, all of our paper issues, dating back to 1919 here!
Grace and Linda
PS As ever, if the text is in blue and underlined, it's a clickable link.
- Diary Dates
- EGM - Thumbs Up!
- South Wales Weekend
- Bonfire Weekend
- Big CHECC 2025: Out in Force & Leader Training
- UNESCO Inbternational Day of Caves and Karst
- Museum News
- Croatia - A Great Place for a Holiday
- Holiday Caving in Mallorca
- Stay Warm, Fluffy McFluff Face!
5.12.25 - Wine and cheese night. Details to be announced.
7.12.25 - Annual Christmas dinner.
8.12.25 - BCRA Online Talk at 7pm by Zoom, given by UBSS member Mark Tringham on the work in Redhouse Lane Swallet, the new 'very big thing' in the Forest of Dean. "The Symonds Yat Cave System, Forest of Dean; initial scientific findings in the recent Redhouse Lane Swallet discoveries." The link to join the meeting will be found here.
31.12.25 - New Year's Eve dinner at the UBSS Hut 8pm. Contact Linda if you're coming. Numbers needed for catering. Let us know any dietary needs, otherwise it's turkey etc.
24/25.1.26 - Burns night at the UBSS Hut. Details to be announced.
Linda Wilson gives details of the EGM held on 19th November 2025.
Members present: David Richards, Graham Mullan, David Mead, Clive Owen, Tim Hill, Zac Woodford, Sharon Wheeler, Linda Wilson, Steve Warr, Kit Eaton, Kenny McIver, Julian Walford, Elliott McCall, Jan Walker, Dan Runcan, Adam Henry, James Hallihan, Imogen Clement-Jones, Sally Britton, Emily Wormleighton, Stanley Lewis, Grace Smith, Andy Farrant, Simon Hadfield, Richard Rossington, Dan Rose, Ben Morgan, Liz Green, Merryn Matthews, Elaine Oliver, Stuart Alldred, Sioned Haughton, Joe Bidie, Jacob Podesta, Helen Rossington, Dylan Tooley, Joshitha Sivakumar, Mowgli Palmer, Freya Bearn, Willem Glass, Leila Nicholson.
Also present: Peter Green
Apologies from: Haydon Saunders, Dick Willis, Henry Morgan, Kat Osei-Mensa, Andrew Atkinson, Mia Jacobs, Gabriel Littler, Billy Evans, Bob Churcher, Steve Hobbs.
The reason for the EGM as to discuss the proposed structural changes consequent on the SU's decision to remove the option of associate member of student societies for non-students, as although strictly speaking UBSS never had members in this category, the changes made our constitutional model untenable for the future. After discussions with both the SU and the university, it was agreed that a separate student caving club, Bristol Caving, would be formed, leaving UBSS to seek appropriate incorporation if it wishes. The stucture under consideration at the moment is that of a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
Graham Mullan and Elliott McCall have been working on a draft constitution which has been included in the last newsletter, and subsequent to that, Sally Britton, who has extensive experience of working on governance matters for charities has also offered her help with this, which has been accepted with grateful thanks.
I chaired the Zoom meeting, as our president, Elaine Oliver, was on the call on her phone from a car, which would have made it hard to manage the meeting. And even from a laptop it was challenging at times, especially when Zoom failed to acknowledge hands raised by moving the person requesting to speak to the top left of the screen as it usually does! Once I worked that out, I was able to monitor raised hands through the participants list, apart from when the chat box was in use, which obscured my view. Ah, the wonders of technology, but at least it was easier to handle than a large meeting on Teams!
The meeting largely took the form of a Q&A session where, assisted by Graham and Sally, I attempted to go through as many questions and comments from members as possible. Whilst none of us would have sought the changes imposed by the SU, it was made clear that these changes were not optional, so a way had to be found of making the new arrangements work.
The level of debate and discussion demonstrated the thought members have put into the need for change and their very obvious care and commitment to the society as a whole. We had members present from seven different decades, all of whom are determined to make any new arrangements work, keeping students and non-students working together as we have always done.
There are still plenty of things that need to be worked through, including the name of any new entity, as the Charity Commission might have issues with our use of 'The University of..' in from of our name, although as Sally pointed out, we could simply be UBSS, as many charities now use acronyms.
At the end of the session, while there was no formal proposal to vote on at this stage, I asked whether the meeting wished us to continue our investigations and recommendations, with a view to bringing a formal proposal either to the AGM or another EGM, depending on which timing proved more appropriate. The response came in the form of a series of thumbs ups and other reactions (including several that looked like cones of chips!). Unfortunately, the Zoom recording doesn't capture these, so I can't provide a screen shot. There were no thumbs down emojis, so on that basis, it seems safe to say that we have a mandate to continue to explore the merits of a new incorporated structure for the society.
There is still a lot of work ahead of us, and any members who can offer expertise or help with this are invited to contact Graham Mullan, who is taking the lead on this.
I'd like to thank all the members who attended! You all made handling a meeting of that size a lot less challenging than it might have been, although monitoring the screen, the participants list and the chat did mean I was prostrate on the fainting couch afterwards with a large gin.
PS In some cases, multiple people were present on the same screen, so if you were there but we haven't got you listed above, please let me know and we'll add you.
The latest issue of the Society's annual journal has been published and is now available on our website. It contains the annual reports and a series of fascinating papers:
Some Caves on Worlebury Hill, North Somerset: C.Richards, J. Lewis, V. Russett, N. Richards and G.J. Mullan
This paper examines the cave systems of Worlebury Hill, North Somerset, drawing on an unpublished manuscript by the late Christopher Richards. It documents archaeological and palaeontological discoveries from sites such as Doorbar's Swallet and Worle Quarry, revealing evidence of Pleistocene fauna and prehistoric activity. By integrating historical records, fieldwork, and overlooked sources such as local newspaper reports, the study highlights the value of diverse archival materials in reconstructing the region's karst landscape and its archaeological significance.
The Bracelet from Bracelet Cave: G.J. Mullan
A gold bracelet excavated from a cave near Ebbor Gorge in 1955 was found not to be Treasure Trove, and was retained by the landowner, Wing-Commander Gerard Hodgkinson of Wookey Hole and passed down his family after his death. Sadly, it was later lost once more and its current whereabouts are unknown.
A Recent Geospatial Survey of Church Hole Cave, Creswell Crages, Nottinghamshire: G.H. Nash, A. Beardsley and S. Herrod
Church Hole Cave is one of nine caves situated within the Creswell Crags Gorge, located along the boundary between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. This gorge has been a focal point of archaeological research for over 160 years. The cave itself was first subjected to scientific exploration in the summer of 1875. Following this initial investigation, extensive excavations were conducted, during which significant quantities of faunal remains and lithics, as well as significant geological deposits beneath a calcite floor, were removed.
In 2003, an Anglo-Spanish research team uncovered engraved figurative rock art within the cave, contributing to its scholarly importance. Additional discoveries were made by one of the authors (GHN) in 2022 and 2023, during which potential painted imagery was identified in the rear section of the cave. At the time of these discoveries, the cave lacked a detailed survey plan, thereby restricting the accurate plotting of these new discoveries. In early 2024, a team from Terra Measurement Ltd, commissioned by the Creswell Crags Museum & Heritage Centre, undertook a detailed topographic survey of the cave.
This paper outlines the methodologies employed during the survey, presents the findings obtained, and explores the broader implications of such surveys for the study and interpretation of other caves within the gorge.
Cave Notes: Coolagh River Cave 2024/2025: D. Runcan and A. Gregg
This report details the work done towards the re-survey of the Coolagh River Cave in Co. Clare, Ireland by members of the Society in September 2024 and September 2025. Surveys and descriptions of parts of Polldonough West Entrance, Upper Bedding Cave, West Inlet, West Series, Column Hall, Polldonough South and the Mud Branch have been produced or expanded upon, building on previous work. This facilitates further work in the cave leading to the end goal of a full re-survey of the whole system. Additonally, a further part of Cullaun Zero has been added to the survey.
Paper copies, for those who have requested them, will be available shortly.
Top left: A Bear, Billy Evans showing of his new hair, Freya Bearn in a pot, Billy and Emily Wormleighton cosplaying Mellors and Lady Chatterley; bottom: left, more potting; right Dan Rose, Emily and Billy. Photos by Ben Pett, Tom Headington and Leila Nicholson. Composite by Linda Wilson.
Filled with a spooky spirit the South Wales fresher weekend was a blast. Between the Halloween costumes and SW caves, the possibilities were endless… so here we go, above and below, with this spooky weekend’s digital documentation!
All photos by Jess Brock. Composite by Linda Wilson.
Bonfire night at the hut was a fantastic whirl of caving, stories and singing round the fire, dancing and fireworks. It was a magical weekend filled with lots of fresher trips to Goatchurch, Sidcot and Swildons, with some freshers even practicing their navigation skills!
Above and below are the chaotic autumnal photos from the perfect witchy weekend away in our beloved hut.
Both compiled from photos by Jess Brock, Tess Hope, Molly Foster. Tom Headington, Aki Kondo, Stanley Lewis and Grace Smith.
Feeding the horde. Beans cooked by Joshitha and Grace.
Big CHECC was big in more ways than one this year, with 40 UBSS members heading off into the wilds of Wales for a weekend of car breakdowns, training events, works and partying. Did we mention partying? Yes, there might have been some of that. Kenneth McIver and then Mowgli Palmer give us a flavour of the weekend ...
OUT IN FORCE
A record number of UBSS members attended CHECC, held once again at the ever-forgiving Dolygaer Outdoor Centre in mid-Wales. Over 40 of our members traipsed en masse to the flood-ridden lands of Merthyr, unhindered by the growing number of UBSS vehicles that lay out of service at the side of the road in Bristol. Although the treacherous roads of Wales did increase this number by one, all parties made it to CHECC with only their caving prospects that day damaged, thanks to a last minute intervention by Oscar Doyle’s Land Rover.
UBSS made up the largest contingent at CHECC by far, with many getting involved with training in SRT and navigation, and two of our own staying up through the night on Friday to cook breakfast in the morning.
We were ever present on the dance floor, and CHECC was regaled on Saturday night with a performance from what’s become known as the UBSS band, powered by Ben Marks’ newly recovered (and now freshly soiled) audio gear. As always, caving prospects were slim with the draw of training and, more prevalently, drinking competing for attention, but an unusually damp trip to the logbook and back in Daren led to a record time being set for the crawl – 30 minutes from our very own Joe Bidie.
Our barrel of Butcombe (Mendip’s finest) made the bunkroom a universally popular place to be, well worth the fording acquiring it had led to and the inevitable chasing for funds (pay me back, or else!). 
Once the injuries (whether to ribs or egos) have subsided, I hope we can repeat the gargantuan attendance again for SCHECC in spring.
Kenneth McIver
LEADER TRAINING
Tom Headington and I side-eyed each other at the long breakfast table in the dinner hall.
Violently hungover and regretting that last beer from the night before we got up and staggered towards our meeting point as the clock struck 10. Aiden and Ali Gott (the CHECC Trainers) met us along with four other wannabe leaders from a smattering of clubs: Plymouth, Kent, Bangor and our neighbours from across the bridge, Cardiff.
The leaders told us we were heading for Aggy. And asked if any of us had checked the weather.
I thought back to 15 minutes ago when I had just about stumbled out of the bunk room to breakfast on time.
No. I had not checked the weather.
Aiden made some great points about safety and meteorology and, after running through some more basic admin for the day, told us to get kit ready. Kit went in cars and directions were given out.
Luke (Bangor) and I revved up the small tarmac slope leaving behind CHECC central operations with his Vauxhall Corsa skidding on some loose gravel. We were off to become leaders.
First we would have to find our way to the cave entrance. After a close call at getting lost whilst navigating down some forsaken farm tracks we arrived at CSS Whitewalls caving hut. Outside were Aiden, Ali and the gang beginning their faff to get kitted up and ready.
Aggy is a dry cave. This didn’t stop one ‘leader’ from wearing a wetsuit into it. He must have been sweating his nuts off being in there whilst hanging. Once kitted up, we clustered around the back of Aiden’s wagon and he got out some toys. Instruction on when and how to use some basic metal work and help tying key knots was run through. Ali also suggested bringing a compass into the cave as a good back up option in case of getting lost.
Luke meanwhile chomped through a half pack of ginger nuts. Hungry boy.
Cave snacks dutifully distributed by Aiden to those in need meant we were ready to set off on the walk to Agen Allwedd’s entrance.
I chatted to Aiden (ex-Bangor) and he recounted expedition experiences from Dachstein (Austria). As we traipsed through the temperate rain-forest of Wales, my eye was drawn to a succession of species: Bearded moss on top of Sphagnum moss on top of Lichen. All growing whilst clinging to the branches of beautiful Hawthorn trees with their vibrant red berries. Nestled between branches were spider webs, with plenty of rainwater caught on strands, glimmering. It was a bit of a magical experience. The temperature meanwhile was a perfect cool, tempering my hangover.
The cave entrance had its door firmly padlocked shut. Good job Ali had the key. The trainers ran through some key things like setting call-outs and explaining the ways of looking out for your fellow cavers and providing reassurance to freshers. Then we were ready to go in.
I followed Ali through the small entrance crawl then we waited for the others in a small chamber. Survey descriptions were distributed, three different ones all giving a slightly different account of the pathway forward. Some dilly-dallying over who would lead first resulted in Tom heading(ton) up the proceedings. We forged on. Staying left.
A few changes of leader later and, after about an hour had passed, we made it to the main chamber. We continued on and sank down into a small streamway, after first crawling underneath a tiny well-hidden gap.
Snack time. I inhaled my two double-deckers and guzzled some water that had been handed out. For the next half hour we ran through various bits of kit to aid basic rescue techniques, some of which were familiar ones I had seen our own Ben Morgan demonstrate before in the Richmond building SRT sessions.
The navigation back out of the cave was speedy, Tom and I both led for large parts. Soon we were pushing open the small cast iron doorway.
We trekked back towards the CSS Whitewalls hut. Soon enough, damp oversuits were traded for joggers and jumpers and we were sitting in cars with aircon whirring full blast.
Hurtling along the Heads of the Valley road, Luke and I made a quick detour to Tesco to do a resupply on box wine on our way back.Once at Parkwood Centre, I said farewells to Luke and the others and found the committee hanging out in the bunk room. Excitedly, I recounted my day.
Grace blinked back at me with bleary eyes as I told her about it. She had just got up.
Mowgli Palmer
Postojna Jama, Slovenia. Photo by Linda Wilson.
Caves and karst have finally got the international recognition they deserve!
At the 43rd Session of the UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the date of the 13th September (and ongoing each year) was designated as the UNESCO International Day of Caves and Karst. The proposal, submitted by the Slovenian Government, was developed by the International Speleological Union, and supported by the WCPA GSG Caves and Karst Working Group.
This gives us as cavers a fantastic opportunity to showcase caves, caving and karst generally to everyone we know, and raise the profile of the activity we love to everyone we know and don't know! BCA and BCRA are already considering ways in which this can be done, and as the date next year falls on a Sunday, that gives us as a club the opportinity to come together in some way, have fun, and join in an international celebration both in person and online. We've got nearly a whole year to plan for this, so let's get thinking! And if you have any ideas, let us know by using the reply link at the end of the newsletter.
Artist Andy Grey at work in the UBSS museum. Photo by Linda Wilson.
Linda Wilson covers what's been happening in the UBSS museum this month.
On the 17th November, Graham and I spent a day with our museum mentor, Kate Iles from Bristol City Museum and Tim Burge, a museum consultant who we are working with to advise on how we can work towards meeting the various standards for the Arts Council's museum accreditation scheme. I am very grateful to my fellow trustees in the Oliver Lloyd Memorial Fund for covering the costs of the initial stages of Tim's work with us.
We showed Tim around the museum and library, then spent the day discussing what needs to be done before we can submit of Eligibility Questionaire to the Arts Council. Before this can be done, we will need to convert to some form of incorporated status, which is already being worked on, but there is a lot of work that can be done along side this on both documentation, collections care and management. Tim has provided me with various organisational health checklists and self-assessemntment planning toolkits to work through as well as a helpful checklist of policies and procedures, much of which will also be revelant to our future organisational needs as a whole.
Andy Grey's sketch of some of our Iron Age replica pots.
This was followed on 18th by a wonderful morning hosting local artist Andy Grey who has recently been leading a series of sketching workshops in the City Museum. I've been to two of these now, along with UBSS members Jan Walker and Helen Rossington and our friend and museum volunteer, artist Jo West. On these workshops we learnt a lot about sketching techniques from Andy and put these to use in the museum galleries. On hearing that we were all involved with a musum ourselves, Andy was keen to visit and do some sketching with us in the UBSS museum.
This was a lot of fun, and although there's no way we can match Andy's gorgeous sketches, we all had a huge amount of fun. Andy worked on some preliminary sketches of some of the Iron Age pottery, we worked on sketches of monkey skulls from the comparative collection and flints from the two boxes of miscellaneous items (ancient and modern replicas) donated by the late Marjorie Crook as these provide an excellent handling collection for this sort of activity.
Andy spent the morning with us, and hopes to return again before Christmas for another session. You can find and follow Andy on Instagram and see a short reel he made of his visit. Please do share this on UBSS socials, too!
And while we're not up to Andy's standards, her's a few sketches the rest of us did ...
This kind of activity demonstrates one of the many ways in which we can demonstrate engagement with our collections and provide unusual and rewarding activities. If anyone is interested in a sketching session next term, let me know.
I am hoping to host regular work parties in the museum next term. We have some re-boxing needed (replacing old boxes with new ones) and other conservation work, as well as cataloguing and site audits.
Tufa dams at Krka National Park.
Steve Hobbs recently visited Croatia, and discovered a lot more in the way of caves and karst than he'd been expecting. He even volunteered to tell us about it. (Well, volunteered might not be a strictly accurate term, but never mind.)
As usual I organised a holiday and didn’t bother to look at Wiki beforehand – school boy error no. 1! Croatia has some gorgeous beaches, crystal clear waters, fantastic walking, breath taking scenery and ancient cities, what’s not to like? (I admit cheap flights on bright orange planes may also have swayed me a bit). Subsequently I found out that over half of the country comprises limestone and dolomite with a lot of karst topography.
Then I made my second SB error by mentioning to Linda that I had just been there. After being released from a WWF style neck hold I agreed to write “something” for the newsletter. Being fairly simple minded I opted for the “light on detail but lots of pretty pictures” approach.
After spending a pleasant week wandering around the Croatian island of Krk we headed to the mainland for a few days in the Velebit Nature Park which includes two National Parks, the Northern Velebit NP and Paklenica NP. The latter was established in 1949 and the former some 50 years later with the Velebit Mountain included in the UNESCO network of world biosphere reserves in 1978 and both of the NPs added to the UNESCO list of world natural heritage sites in 2017 for their ancient beech forests. Both parks are also designated Natura 2000 sites. Suffice to say, it is a very special area of karst.
Location map.
The Northern Velebit NP covers 106km2 and includes some glorious peaks (rising to over 1600 m asl) with excellent walking / scrambling, superb views and nearly 500 “spelaeological features”, in particular a large number of vertical or steeply tilted shafts locally termed “pits”, some of which contain cave fauna endemic to the region (e.g. Mestrov’s leach). There are also extensive areas of karren and a large number of dolines, including one very large feature which is easily accessible from the visitor centre car park.
The large doline (Hajdučki kukovi) in Northern Velebit National Park.
The Paklenica NP is some 95km2 in area with over 80 endemic plant species and is home to 24 species of bat. The park goes all out from the start with a superb gorge at entrance 1 (Velika Paklenica) which is a climbers’ paradise (over 500 bolted routes), and a path which even by my standards is graded as easy. Wander along it for about 5km (and about 500m up) and you come to a small “alpine” style cave, Manita Peć, which allegedly translates as Fools’ Oven.
Gorge of the Velika Paklenica river.
After parting with some Euros you are allowed to wander through the show cave which is the only one in the NP and which is actually a couple of large chambers with some really nice flowstone, with names including the obligatory reference to various parts of a witch’s anatomy. There are some nice small flowstone dams in the cave although they (and the gorge) were dry when we visited in October.
According to online sources, the cave has a rich fauna including 52 species of invertebrates, 20 of which are true troglobites. Several bat species, but mostly horseshoes, use this cave for hibernation during the winter and the show cave shuts during the hibernation period. Endemic species of the caves in the park include a species of spider, a freshwater amphipod, and a cave beetle.
There are reported to be about 120 caves in the park, although none are particularly long (300m maximum) but can be over 500m deep.
Flowstone in Manita Peć cave.
If you want to visit Manita Peć cave it is only open on certain days, only until 13:00 and you need to pay cash to enter (about 10 euros for adults) - check online for details. The path continues beyond the cave and forms a circular route back to the car park, becoming far more fun to hike, with lots of karren and spectacular views.
View from Zoligin Kuk across Paklenica NP.
Outside the park there are lots of other limestone areas to explore. Just across the water from Paklenica NP is Pag Island where you are treated to a very bare (and very bright on a sunny day) landscape which is largely devoid of vegetation and includes the well named walk “life on Mars” with some very barren and often vuggy limestone (if you are into that sort of thing).
Life on Mars!
To the south of Pakelnica NP is Krka NP, which includes a series of cascades and waterfalls, including some superb tufa dams and another much smaller (and duller) show cave.
Vuggy limestone, on Mars.
All in all, Croatia is a great place to visit, unless you have an aversion to all things limestone !
For further information the Croatian National Park authority here are some useful online documents:
Paklenica NP
Sjeverni Velebit NP
Krka NP
Cova dels Coloms de Cala Falcó. Photo by AV Caving and used with their kind permission.
After a bit of an exhausting teaching term, Paul Savage decided to take himself on holiday to Mallorca in the reading week. Unlike Steve Hobbs (sorry, Hobbsy!), he did some research, first!
Most of the island iof Mallorca s made of Miocene carbonates, and millenia of fluctuating Mediterranean sealevel has developed some amazing caves. Many of these are now show caves – which have their place – but a lot require a bit more adventure to enter.
Paul Savage getting to the holiday mood!I did a bit of research, and found a company run by two cavers, Antonio and Vanessa, and grateful thanks are owed to them for allowing the use of their photos in this write up. AV Caving Mallorca lead proper caving trips into some of the island’s most interesting spots. They were both super-friendly and are really passionate about Mallorcan caves – including their conservation and science – and so I’d really recommend, if you’re on the island, to take advantage of one of their tours (they also provide all your gear and insurance, so there’s no excuse. They really want to show off Mallorcan caves to the world, and I’m sure they’d be very happy to chat with anyone who was interested in planning some caving trips on the island. Vanessa did say that the best time of year to go “proper” caving in Mallorca is the winter – otherwise, the walks to the caves get too exhausting!
Paul Savage, abeiling down Cova dels Coloms de Cala Falcó. Photo by AV Caving and used with their kind permission.
The cave we explored that day is called Cova dels Coloms de Cala Falcó; it has one large entrance (see photo with catamaran in front) which can only be accessed by sea. You can swim from the beach to the entrance - about 250m - or, much more fun, abeil from the cliff-top path above (plenty of fixed P-bolts to protect a single ab (on a figure-8 descender – old school! - which can then be pulled through). The ab dropped straight into a very agreeable late October Mediterranean, especially in 4mm neoprene.
Once in the water, it’s a 15m swim under the rock arch to follow the sea cave into the cliff to a narrowing; getting into the rest of the cave requires a dive under a lip (1 - 2m, loads of room, but take goggles) – or if you don’t want to go underwater, you can wait til the waves retreat and you can duck under. After this, you find yourself in a beach at the back of the tidal part of the cave, beyond which the water is still and clear.
Paul Savage, pretty as a picture in Cova dels Coloms de Cala Falcó. Photo by AV Caving and used with their kind permission.
One thing that you soon realise about caves in Mallorca is how beautiful they are. It seems like every surface is covered in different forms of speleothems; stalactites and stalagmites, stunning columns and curtains (called flags in Spanish), and huge numbers of erratic helictites. See the photos if you don’t believe me!
Adding to the beauty of the cave was the reflection of our lights off the still water across the roof, picking out new shadows. In all sincerity, this was almost certainly the most beautiful cave I’ve had to actually *cave* into. A lot of the speleothem development occurred during the Messinian Salinity Crisis, when the Med dried up and sea levels were much lower – so following the re-flooding, much of the cave decoration is under water. This means, with a mask on, you can dive down into the beautifully clear water to seek these out, up close.
Simming in Cova dels Coloms de Cala Falcó. Photo by AV Caving and used with their kind permission.
After a round trip, featuring swimming across pools, climbing up and round gour pools and passageways, we were back at the underground beach, and sadly our time in the cave was up. A quick dive out, back into the sun, and we swam the 200m back to the beach – but not before seeking out the sealife that inhabits the cliffside with our masks and snorkels. This was all a super experience!
The Arta caves have been made accessible, and are toured, in a way that preserves the beauty of the place, and because it’s off the beaten track, it’s never that crowded. This can’t be said for the Cuevas del Hams (unfortunately). One warning sign, I think, that a show cave is going to be a little bit tacky, is the presence of fibreglass dinosaurs in the grounds.
Cuevas del Hams. Photo Paul Savage.
The cost of entry is about £15, and a tour lasts about an hour. Given its proximity to some large resort towns, it was super busy, even in October. The entrace is really atmospheric, a doline filled with trees (and a café), and some parts of the cave are really beautiful, with some really impressive chambers.
Cuevas del Hams. Purple? What's wrong with purple? Photo by Paul Savage.
However, the lighting is really garish in places, and there are sound and light shows projected on to the cave walls, included, I guess, to add value? I think it detracts from the place, really; I’ve put in a couple of photos of Hams Cave just to show you it still is really beautiful (despite the disco lighting), but, if you’re going to visit a show cave in Mallorca, head to the Coves d’Arta instead!
As it's absolutely freezing at the moment, have a white fluffy critter wrapped up warmly in a psychedelic cave. Don't ask me why, and I doubt Bing AI knows, either, but I'm not sure we'd get allocated time on the uni's much vaunted Isambard AI just so we can generate loads of cartoon critters in caves reading UBSS Newsletters, although it might be worth a try for a laugh. If anyone would like to try their hand at producing some more images for future issues, please go ahead! We don't need the month/year on there, and even the newsletter bit is option, so go wild, give it a go, using AI, drawing, painting, whatever you like.
And here's what our readers had to say about our last issue! And for the first student to respond, there'll be a UBSS buff to keep you warm over winter. To reply, hit the link below. Our October winner was Emily McAndrew!
- A very interesting read. I remember singing the Doolin song in McCarthy's cottage and in Doolin Bar in the late 1960's when measuring cave meanders in the Cullauns for my Geography dissertation! Just need to recall the tune now!!! [Eve Gilmore]
- Good newsletter as always. Glad to see student membership is going strong. [Stu Walker]
- Another good one, and very happy to read that UBSS now has more than 50 students! [Hans Friederich]
- Brilliant newsletter, as always. Some fantastic trips, and the photos are amazing! [Jan Walker]
- Lovely read as always! Especially during a lecture when I'm supposed to be focusing on other things... Fantastic photos from Zac's trip to Brazil, woah! Not so sure about the cute critters... :) [Emily McAndrew]
- I did read to the end – and sorry about the delay in letting you know that! Hopefully the attached article will put me back in your good books! [Paul Savage]
- Great newsletter. I loved the report of Zac's trip (and Brown recluse spiders aren't that big or bad) and the photo of the Cave Racer snake. Thanks for mentioning the grasscutting at the hut, and it's my Stihl brush cutter, not a strimmer! Serious stuff to chomp through brambles. I hope the pretty picture encouraged freshers to try a night in the hut. [Liz Green]
- Thanks to all for producing another great newsletter. Lovely to read the article on Pierre St Martin by James Halliwell. So I dug through the old newsletters (and in Winter 1992 Newsletter ) found the write up by Steve Cottle of the PSM trip done in Summer 1992. Wonder if there are any other trips by UBSS to PSM in other newsletters? Thanks. [Bill Miners]
Stay warm, Fluffy McFuff-Face!
THE END