Cupp Coutunn/Promeszutochnaya is the longest limestone cave in the (former) Soviet Union. The cave is part of an extensive area of palaeokarst, perhaps of Middle Cretaceous age, rejuvenated by tectonic movement in Neogene times. During the Middle Quaternary the cave was invaded by thermal waters which deposited calcite, fluorite and metallic sulphides. Post-thermal and modern re-working of these deposits has produced a stunningly decorated cave, with a unique mineral assemblage. The quality and unusual nature of these speleothems matches that of any cave in the world. In 1991, the caves were placed on the Global Indicative List of Geological Sites (GILGES) by a working group of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.

The existence of the Stratford Lane Road was first suggested in 1906. Opinions have differed firstly as to its course from the Mendip Hilltop into the Chew Valley and secondly as to its function. This road and some Medieval routes in the area which might have Roman or earlier origins are examined in detail in this paper which also queries the theory that the River Chew was used to transport Roman lead. Fieldwork was aided by the study of documents dating from the sixteenth century held locally and in the United States of America. Fresh information on some archaeological sites on Mendip is given, including newly identified round-barrows, old boundary stones, a pillow mound and the boundary of a medieval warren.

King Arthur’s Cave was first excavated in 1870-1, when Palaeolithic artefacts were found in association with remains of extinct Pleistocene mammals, and again again in the 1920s when the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society discovered stratified Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic lithic industries. This paper presents new evidence for the formation of the cave and its deposits, including soil micromorphology and mammal faunas, and for their dating; and it reassesses the excavations in the light of further investigations since 1952. A visit by Middle Palaeolithic Hunters in the early Devensian was followed by further visits by earlier Upper Palaeolithic Lincombian and Aurignacian hunters in a mid-Devensian interstadial. Two successive Later Upper Palaeolithic ‘Creswellian’ phases, ascribed to the ‘Shouldered Point’ and ‘Backed Point’ complexes, are attributed to the late-Devensian Windermere Interstadial and there were also Later Mesolithic and Beaker occupation.

An account is given of the discoveries made by the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society expeditions to the Totes Gebirge, Austria, in 1989 and 1990. The most significant find, Organhöhle, is described. This is an extensive, precipitous, cave which at the end of 1990 had reached a depth of 303 m, with a plan length of 235 m.

Major extensions were made to this cave in 1989 by the Wessex Cave Club, bringing its total length to 127 m. The cave is an abandoned swallet cave showing three consecutive water table levels. It was probably formed during the last interglacial.