The Hut at the end of the working weekend, June 2022. It's amazing what a
lick of nasty, foul-smelling black stuff can do for the exterior. Don't
try this at home, children!
|
|
Another
academic year draws to a close! Blimey, where did the time go? There's
been loads of caving during the year and loads more to come over summer,
with trips to France and Co. Clare. Thanks to everyone who's sent in
trip reports, long and short, and other articles. We've now managed to
keep the monthly newsletters going for three and a half years without a
break and without running out of material or resorting to writing the
whole thing ourselves, and Zac hasn't yet had to fill it with (un)cool
computer science stuff, so thanks for that, too!
If you're graduating this summer, please make sure that we have a
non-university email address for you so we don't lose touch, and please
stay a member! If you're receiving this newsletter because you expressed
an interest in the club last year at the Welcome Fair but haven't yet
managed to join us for a trip, make sure you sign up with us in
September, and if you're around over summer, there's still time to get
underground.
Many thanks to Tim Atkinson and Nigel Wallace for the generous donation
of material to the library. The NSS Bulletins and a back set of
Proceedings (always sought after, particularly the older ones) were much
appreciated!
We hope to get use of the Stables back over summer. The latest estimate
from Estates is that they hope to start work in the next couple of
weeks. We know we've heard that before, but in their defence, they've
had to prioritise a lot of problems elsewhere, all made worse by labour
shortages as a result of covid and the dreaded B word.
Have a great summer, and keep those reports and articles coming in! If
you'd like to do a report catch up on our brand new report form (see
later) then we might even offer a prize for the most caving trips done
by one person in the last three months. We'd also like to issue a
challenge to you all ... it's time to get out of your armchair and start
visiting some of Mendip's lesser known delights, so each month we're
going to issue a Caving Challenge! The idea is that we pick a cave, you
do it, submit a report on the form, preferably with photographic
evidence and we reward you with applause (and maybe a pint, if we're
feeling generous. Some of the caves will be small and grotty, some of
them will be more impressive, most of them will be obscure. So who's up
for the challenge?
The July Challenge Cave is Read's Grotto. Have fun!
As mentioned in the last newsletter, paying your tackle fees has now got
a lot easier, as we have a card reader in the Tackle Store! So pay up,
or face the wrath of the Tackle Warden aka Henry Morgan.
You can find all the back issues of the monthly newsletter online.
Zac and Linda
|
|
WORKING, YEP, REALLY WORKING!
OK, we lied, there's no work going on here.
This is the Tween Twins party having breakfast before setting off. It
actually took another hour of faff before they finally headed off.
Our beloved hut played host to a
hard-working group in June organised by Hut Warden Haydon Saunders, who
had along list of tasks including plumbing, creosoting, and wood
chopping. For once there was no farmer-drama (at least none that
involved our members) and a busy Saturday was rounded off with an
excellent barbecue and drinks. Many thanks to the Oliver Lloyd Memorial
Fund for ensuring the working team was kept well fed and happy! So,
without further ado, we bring you a diary of the weekend told in
pictures and (in)appropriate captions by our designated camerawoman ...
Buff Fresher of the Year 2022, Guy Maalouf, living up to his title and eschewing any mod cons when it comes to wood chopping.
Jakob emptying a bucket of leaves over his head while Kat, Elliott and
Ash try to work out what's going on. Bryn, less principled that Guy when
it comes to wood, is using Haydon's natty little battery operated saw.
The amount of wood we started the weekend with. Please note that the
logs are stacked four rows deep. This is as full as we normally manage
to get the store.
This part of the roof is exactly one standard Elliot length high. At
this point, Linda and Elliot were engaged in engineering works to keep
old and new stacks separate and needed pit props to help hold up the new
stack.
A well-earned rest for most people. Watching others (Guy, Haydon, Clive
and Bryn) is always relaxing. We were grateful for the diligence of
others.
Bryn creosoting the exterior while Merryn makes admiring (and wholly
non-critical) noises. Bryn claimed repeatedly that he enjoyed
creosoting. The rest of us stayed well away as it stunk to high heaven,
but when he got as far as the woodstore it became impossible for those
of us inside to avoid it!
Merryn and Jakob proving that the old double-handled saws still work.
Zac and Haydon playing walk on parts in this action sequence.
Joint Hut Warden Liz hard at work strimming the lawn while Merryn works
equally hard raking. It is said that to make a perfect lawn, you have to
tend and cut the grass for 200 years, so we only have another 97 to go
before we can play croquet on it.
Arty shot of the botanical garden growing on the old, rotten log from
the fire circle, left in situ so things can grow on it and look pretty.
Not that we're saying Ash in his pink teeshirt isn't pretty ...
The wood store as full as I've ever known it in 40 years! The stack on
the left is three stacks deep, which is as much as we can fit in and
still move around. The pit props work nicely. Memo to everyone using
wood, please take firewood for inside the hut from the stack at the
back, not the stack along the side, as the wood at the side needs to
season for two years before use.
At long last we get to burn things!!! A traditional UBSS pastime dating back over 100 years.
Haydon enjoying a well-earned drink in a hot bath. Sadly, we don't have a
photo of the way he stuck two forks into the end of his drill and used
them like a food mixer to whip up the bubbles in the bath to preserve
his (lack of) modesty.
And just in case the message about which wood to burn first got lost
amidst this visual feast of loveliness, we left a little note on the log
stack. Please feel free to add to the graffiti wall.
Many thanks to everyone who helped on a great weekend. Most people made
it into the photos somewhere apart from Stu Walker and Chris Pepper, so
thanks to them too for all their hard work with a chainsaw. Giang was an
amazing dog walker looking after Gwen and Trigger for me, as well as
cooking delicious sweetcorn on the barbie. Thanks also to the Wills
Estate for permission to take down some small ash trees already
suffering from dieback.
Linda Wilson
|
|
TWEEN TWINS, BURRINGTON
Tween Twins, Burrington. Photo by Clive Owen.
On the recent working weekend at
the hut, a small group got to visit one of Burrington's less well known
delights and saw what the other caves would have been like many years
ago, as Zac Woodford explains ...
I didn’t know much about Tween Twins going into this trip, only that it
was a pretty cave in Burrington (what I didn’t immediately clock was
that this would mean that, like Pierre’s, a lot of crawling would be
required).
Clive led the trip (as the cave is gated and requires a leader) with me,
Merryn and Meg in tow. Having just been in Aveline’s, we strolled up
the combe to find the entrance, a small muddy hole up a steep slope on
the southern side.
The entrance is a short muddy crawl to the ladder pitch which slopes at
just the right angle in a confined space to be bloody irritating. At the
bottom of the ladder is the dig, a tiny squeeze through to the pretty
bit. Here we disrobed and continued in socks and under-suits so as to
preserve the pretties.
Someone appears to have stolen the cavers. Bottom of the pitch. Photo by Clive Owen.
I’m going to be brutally honest here, the
pretties (for which the cave has so much protection) aren’t the
prettiest. However, as Clive pointed out, they aren’t the prettiest BUT
they are fascinating to see because they show what many of the caves in
Burrington would have looked like before early exploration and the
destruction that’s been wrought over the years.
And the chances of this surviving in
Burrington without an access system? Answers on a postcard, please. Zac,
looking clean. Photo by Clive Owen.
We clambered to the end of the pretty
section, careful to not break anything or get too dirty (Clive promised
us a lift back to the hut if we were clean enough). Plenty of pictures
were taken for your viewing delight.
What the well dressed caver wears under their muddy outerwear. Megan and Merryn also looking clean. Photo by Clive Owen.
We powered out quick enough, the trip in
its entirety was only about an hour long. While waiting at the entrance
for Clive to emerge a bat flew past in the middle of one of the sunniest
days of the year.
Overall, I’d say Tween Twins is an esoteric trip, not very long or
sporting and also not the prettiest but interesting for gaining context
around what the rest of Burrington would have looked like.
Zac Woodford
|
|
TOP TO BOTTOM IN OFD
What's everyone looking at? Photos by Gabriel Littler.
On Sunday 19th June, Merryn
Matthews, Zac Woodford, and Gabriel Littler forwent the usual Father’s
Day celebrations of telly and making their parents a roast and instead
headed underground. Gabriel tells their story ...
We took a day trip to the lovely OFD,
intending to take the classic through-trip from Top to Bottom, hopefully
without getting lost. Already we had sadly lost our well-travelled
guide, Elaine, due to COVID, so we had to rely on good old route
descriptions, surveys, and the occasional draught as none of us had made
the trip before.
A package is delivered feet-first towards OFD 1 Photo by Gabriel Littler.
We set off from the SWCC just after 12 noon
and entered at 12:30 sharp, with our call-out set for 10:30om. We were
expecting a few wrong turns en route and didn’t want to race if we had
to turn around or bail out at Cwm Dwr. In actual fact, we didn’t get
lost once! With solid route-finding from all and a speedy exit through
OFD 1 due to Zac’s seemingly photographic memory, we made it out in
great time, including some stops for photos and see-saws along the way.
Zac in Marble Showers committing something to memory. Photo by Gabriel Littler.
Once we entered the Top Entrance, we had
the familiar journey down past The Trident and Judge to the main
streamway via Salubrious Passage. The weather had been beaming sunshine
for the past week, and the water was reassuringly low, so onwards we
went into the main streamway. Romping downstream, with the occasional
splits over a water-filled pot, took us quickly to the Great Oxbow,
entered via a short climb, which was quickly passed to take us back into
the meandering but thankfully calm streamway. Pushing on led us along
the pot-filled twists and turns and towards the Marble Showers, which we
reached in a remarkably dry state. We stopped to take some photos in
front of the beautiful marble veins that course through the black
limestone of OFD here; the passage is truly striking and has to be some
of my favourite cave passage that I’ve seen so far (sorry
Mendips!).
From this, we quickly descended further to reach The Confluence, where
we exited to dry land, with actual navigation to be done. After a few
passages and a short climb, we reached the Divers’ Pitch and ascended
the hemp rope to the short crawl onto the Letter Box. After posting
ourselves out towards OFD 1.5, we climbed down and pushed on down to
Pwll Twll, then to The Connection and the boulder choke under Starlight
Chamber. The Connection featured some lovely formations, which Merryn
got a shot of for the album.
Twinkling stal in Starlight Chamber. Photo by Gabriel Littler.
Once in OFD 1, good and proper, Zac was in
his element, and we gleefully went on towards the Step to verify that
the water was indeed very low. In no time at all, we found ourselves
back on the surface, well caved but with an annoyingly long walk back up
to the SWCC (why can’t you find a Voi when you need one?).
Three happy cavers. Photo by Gabriel Littler.
Overall, we all had a great time, practised
our route-finding together before heading to France this summer and
took a couple of photos for posterity. A great trip and an awesome day
out!
Gabriel Littler
|
|
TRIP ROUND-UP
Welcome to our new shorter reports
section! We're trying to capture as much activity as possible here, and
Zac has even put together a form that you can use to send in short, or
even long, reports for inclusion, so do check out his handiwork here. Any photos can be sent to either Zac or Linda on Facebook or by email if you have any. Note/disclaimer
for future club historians: some dates haven't been recorded or might
have been slightly scrambled. The editors accept no responsibility if
none of this makes sense in relation to a calendar in 100 years time!
SWILDON'S HOLE
13.5.22 Henry Morgan and three UBMC climbers. Report by Henry Morgan
7/10
DAREN CILAU
27.5.22 Lauren Francis, Henry Morgan, Elliott McCall, Sorcha Heatlie. Report by Elliott McCall
A long crawl, a lot of faff belaying, getting tired, through trip, the other way out is just as crawly!! 8/10
GB CAVERN
David Hardwick, Tim, Steve and Ben Fowkes. Report by David Hardwick.
Good to be back in GB. Haven’t been in for years.
This was a trip for myself and the Fowkes brothers Tim and Steve plus
Steve’s son Ben, all Hades CC members but borrowing the UBSS key as
guests (with permits and having paid fee etc). Thanks to Linda and
Andrew for the help in arranging this at short notice
Trip was a fairly standard one crossing the Bridge and taking the White
Passage loop down to the sump and back out via the Balcony. This was of
course my first time in since the collapse and for those who haven’t
been in recently, the Waterfall route is taped off very clearly at top
and bottom.
It isn’t really possible to see the collapse clearly from anywhere
outside the tapes (which we respected) but from the balcony looking down
there does appear to be a clean side wall, which is presumably where it
peeled off. Those who know the Gorge will be aware that there are
multiple places where the sides show the remains of a washed away floor,
most notably the Bridge which is part of the earlier floor. It looks as
if all that has happened is that part of the remaining edge has fallen
away rather than there being any inherent instability (at least no more
than normal!!)
The current closure is presumably more to allow it to be monitored for
any more changes and to show sensible proactivity to the landowner.
Hopefully, if nothing else moves the tapes will be a short term addition
although even without climbing the waterfall it remains a great evening
trip.
SWILDON'S TO SUMP 9
Ashley Gregg, Sioned Haughton, Report by Ashley Gregg.
We set out to do a Swildon's Long Round Trip, kitted up in our wetsuits
in preparation for Sump 4. We made good time through the Upper Series
and down the ladder, soon leaving the streamway behind. Briefly stopping
to ladder Shatter, then down Blue Pencil to Sump 4. Sioned hadn't done
the sump before, but had watched some YouTube videos in preparation.
Fortunately it wasn't too bad, just a bit of scraping along the roof and
then through to the many ducks of Sump 5.
Things had been going well until confusion in the Sump 6 bypass ensued.
After retracing our steps and then repeating them we had gone the right
way, the route had just completely silted up at a low crawl. We
dedicatedly dug our way through with our hands, eventually scooping out
enough sand to squeeze through. From here it was a case of
following our noses over big boulders and through the other bypasses to
end up at Sump 9.
We then returned back to the start of the Damp Link (where we'd started
the siphons as we passed) to find that after about an hour, the water
level hadn't dropped significantly. So it was a case of returning back
out the way we came. We'll have to go back and attempt again soon!
SWILDON'S SHORT ROUND TRIP
12.6.22 Ash Gregg, Zac Woodford, Jakob Annerdal, Merryn Matthews. Report by Ben Alterman
My first sump (a bit nervous but a piece of cake) - the ducks (sad to
see no real ducks) - finally promising to myself that I will buy
kneepads - getting a very tiny little bit lost and Ash not helping at
all. Rating: 10/10
YORKSHIRE
Linda Wilson and Graham Mullan went
up north for the Jubilee weekend to help with a weekend on recording
historic graffiti organised by the British Cave Research Association. A
longer report is planned for the next newsletter. Report by Linda Wilson.
3.6.22 Jubilee Caves, Attermire. Mostly modern stuff in the right hand cave. Some older stuff in the left hand one.
3.6.22 Victoria Cave, Attermire. Loads of interesting inscriptions, many dating to the earliest explorations in the 1800s.
4.6.22 Attermire Cave, Attermire Scar. When I was 15, I
didn't even blink at the narrow approach and the long drop down to the
valley. Now, I kept my eyes firmly ahead! Again, lots of interesting
stuff.
5.6.22 Dead Man's Cave, Giggleswick. Oh yes, we found something very, very interesting here! More next time ...
THE RIFT/MYATT'S MINE, MENDIP
25.6.22 Linda Wilson, Tony Boycott (plus Alan Grey, Chris Richards, Lofty and Aaron). Report by Linda Wilson
A long, steep, very picturesque walk up Axbridge Hill to an obscure dig
Tony's been involved in for years in a long, deep rift dug by ochre
miners in the 1800s. As Tony was about to enter his third week of radio
and chemotherapy, he wasn't expecting to make it as far as the dig as
it's probably the longest walk to any dig on Mendip, at about a mile
from the parking place near the A38, but he surprised everyone by
stomping up the hill at a rapid pace and getting all the way to the dig.
He then spent a couple of hours being leaned on by Gwen the Greyhound
while Trigger the Lurcher covered his trousers in white dog hair. I
helped carry and empty 65 bags of very claggy mud. Next time, I'll go in
full kit. Sounds a very interesting dig.
SWILDON'S HOLE
7.6.22 Jakob Annerdal, Kat Osei-Mensah, Jakob's brother Johan. Report by Jakob Annerdal
This was Johan's first ever caving trip,
after having listened to me go on and on about caves for years, he
finally got to go on a trip. We made it to Tratman's Temple
(Significantly better caver than my mom who also went on her first trip
the week before. (See below, albeit she is 62 and Johan is 23). Anyway.
We also, crucially, made it out just in time for his first proper west
country cider! 8/10
GOATCHURCH
28.6. 22 Henry Morgan, Rosie Jones and Alex Little (climbers). Report by Henry Morgan
UBMC come caving. A very tight squeeze that Rosie (small) managed and none of the rest of us could! 8/10
TRIP REPORT GENERATOR If there are any fields you would like us to eg Quote of the Trip, Most Embarrassing Moment or whatever, let Zac know!
|
|
NO ROCKS OR MANNEQUINS WERE HARMED …
Cave rescue practice or carboot sale?
On a fine Sunday in mid-June, David
Hardwick, in company with a cast of thousands, see above, practised
hauling a dummy masquerading as a casualty out of Slaughter Stream Cave
aka Wet Sink on a major rescue practice.
At less than an hour from central Bristol, the Forest of Dean is not
much further than the Mendips but is not as often visited, despite it
having some really good caves.
With having membership of both Hades and UBSS, I have done quite a bit
on the opposite side of the river and I am also a warden with the
Gloucestershire Cave Rescue Group (GCRG). The second Sunday in June was
time once again for the quarterly practice session. On this
occasion the location was Wet Sink (Slaughter Stream Cave) in the Forest
of Dean.
As can be seen from the photo there was a large turnout with GCRG
members keen to forgo the glorious weather and to use their ever
increasingly expensive petrol not for a car tour around the forest
(although one or two did that by accident!!) but to park in a field near
English Bicknor and to head underground.
The purpose of the day was to practice rescues on the initial entrance
pitches. For those who don’t know the cave, the entrance consists of an
initial 5m shaft, leading to an awkward slot before reaching another
similar shaft both of which would no doubt have been rigged as SRT
pitches in Yorkshire with the associated topos/rigging guides etc, but
here they have fixed ladders. This is due to the fact that all of this
is part of an extensive dig (as is the passion of the Forest
cavers) which took around 40 years before breaking into the main
Slaughter Streamway cave - oh yes, for the confused it is the usual
terminology to talk about the cave as the "Slaughter Stream Cave" with
this entrance being the "Wet Sink" entrance since there is potential for
various other entrances into the system. At the bottom of the second
laddered shaft a short crawl leads first to Balcony Pitch, 4 metres
(13 ft) which is immediately followed by the largest of
the pitches, which according to Wikipedia is 10 metres
(33 ft) deep although my 35ft ladder only just reaches the
floor when put in using a long wire tether rather than a standard
spreader, I guess it depends where you measure it from. There is a
further 4 metres (13 ft) of free climb down to the crawl which
leads into the main stream cave so arguably the pitch is even
longer. There are also actually two different routes down the main
bit and plenty of P hangers to choose from with even more fixings put in
for hauling at Sunday’s practice.
The main stream near Cross-Stream Junction, Slaughter Stream Cave. Photo by Mark Tringham.
One group was assigned the task of rigging
and hauling a stretcher up the bottom two pitches. A second team, the
one which I was part of, rigged and hauled the second of the pitches
with the fixed ladder (i.e. the one after the awkward slot) which I now
know is actually called Mouse Aven. The final group rigged
both the first of the ladder climbs and a surface haul to raise a
stretcher out of the depression.
A very productive day with each group achieving their objectives. The
group I was in initially practised by raising a stretcher loaded
with rocks before the stretcher with the dummy arrived from the lower
team which we then duly hauled out. My role was to SRT
alongside the casualty as Jockey Boy, which actually entailed partially
using the ladder to climb and some free hanging SRT work near the top.
Because of the practices with rock loaded stretchers, I actually went up
and down this pitch three times and no rocks or mannequins
were harmed in the process. We also successfully passed both
stretchers through to the top team to take them out of the cave. NB -
Having witnessed how the stretcher needs to be taken through the
slot it is a really good advert for caving safely!!!!
Nick Mullholland (Hades CC Treasurer) was in the team at the top of the
cave and one of his ulterior motives for attending was to return the
club's 65m SRT rope which had been used previously in Yorkshire on
a couple of trips the weekend before. As Nick had to travel from
Berkshire to Bristol to collect the rope, I had managed to persuade
(trick, con etc) him into joining Andy Brander and I on a Fishmonger’s
Swallet photography trip for photos for the Alveston History display. At
least on that trip he got further underground than on the GCRG practice
where he spent much of the day at the top of the first fixed ladder a
matter of a couple of feet into the cave. Given that this was the
second time he had travelled from Berkshire and as he hadn’t been in
Slaughter before I felt it only right to offer to join him for a
slightly longer trip - after all we did have the rope to rig the pitches
After the GCRG debrief and suitably logged out, whilst everyone else
made their way home we headed back down to the entrance. Our trip
was a fairly standard jump down the main stream to Bottom
Bend, which is where the stream disappears into a sump and Kuwait
Passage heads off into the distance. Slaughter is not a small cave. The Royal Forest of Dean Caving Club website says the cave is 11km long but Mark Tringham’s article in UBSS Newsletter for March 2021
says it is 13km. I am assuming that this is due to additional bits
added as a result of Mark’s current resurveying exercise. I have joined
him on a couple of trips in connection with that and yes…. I did
drag him down Fishmonger’s to do some geology and surveying there.
The trip to Bottom Bend is one of several evening trips that are
possible in this cave and the streamway is really quite nice. It is easy
enough to pick up a key on the way and if anyone fancies an evening
trip into Wet Sink or whilst it is dry into neighbouring Redhouse please
let me know.
FOOTNOTE: - In searching the internet for a suitable image of the
Slaughter streamway Google took me to the March 2021 UBSS Newsletter and
Mark Tringham’s update on the stuff he has been doing in the cave. In
the same newsletter is an item about St Vincent’s Spring, which I have
also been involved in and another article about the rock fall in GB
(where I had just been and had been discussing with Linda).
Why have I not read that Newsletter before?? How did I miss it???
Read it right to the end so felt obliged to email the editor to say I
had done so …. Do I qualify as the slowest person to read to the end???
[Editors’ note – yes you do, you idle bugger, but you have now
redeemed yourself and won the Stale Biscuit Award from Cool Dude Dog.
See below. We’ll now expect a timely note from you every month, as a
thank you.]
David Hardwick
|
|
A TALE OF TWO COCKTAILS
Julian Walford in Poulnagollum. Photo by Clive Owen.
In his write-up of a recent visit
to Co Clare, Clive Owen demonstrates that it's important to keep a sense
of perspective when on holiday.
Back in the pre-Covid days of spring 2019 there was a County Clare trip
as part of the Society’s centenary celebrations, including a dinner held
at Ballynalacken Castle. Several of us stayed in a very comfortable
holiday cottage near Kilfenora. In May this year we decided to reprise
our visit, including the dinner.
Julian and Carol Walford, Steve and Sheena Warr, Clive and Wanda Owen,
Bob Churcher, and a charming American lady called Jen made up the party.
The tone for the holiday (we made no pretence of it being a working
trip) was set immediately by a distribution of gin and tonics on
arrival. After shopping the next day, more ambitious projects became
possible. Steve and Sheena mixed cranberry juice, lime juice, vodka and
Cointreau to produce professional standard Cosmopolitans for our
pre-prandial cocktail. Depending on the recipe, the ratio of vodka to
Cointreau varies between 6:1 and 2:1, so if you start with the same
sized bottle of each you should always run out of vodka first. But it’s
not the expected that happens (in this sort of story at least), for
someone discovered that Cointreau is very palatable in coffee and can
also give a lift to your breakfast cereal.
Julian on the entrance climb into Poulnagoullum pothole. No cocktails anywhere in sight. A sad omission. Photo by Clive Owen.
We very soon had to find an alternative
cocktail. Examining the remaining duty-free stocks, it was apparent that
rum was now the basic ingredient of choice, so we switched to Mojitos
for the remainder of the week.
We did make an effort to get underground and Julian and Clive went down
Coolagh River Cave and Poulnagollum, the latter in fairly high water.
There was the traditional visit to Ailwee Cave and we also decided to
see how Doolin Cave was looking. The last time any of us had been down
there was when it was called Pol-an-Ionain and involved 150m of
miserable crawling. Nowadays you descend a spiral staircase down what
looks like a vertical metro tunnel. This intersects the crawl and a
mined tunnel (which was apparently drilled and feathered rather than
blasted) leads to the main chamber where the Soggy Dishcloth is
tastefully illuminated.
Nope, not Pol-an-Ionain at all. Julian Walford in the unspoilt Coolagh River Cave. Photo by Clive Owen.
Before dinner at the Ballynalacken Hotel we
went for a tour of the castle, guided by the owner. It was as awe
inspiring as ever. The dinner was excellent, too.
After a fabulous week of activity and indulgence we returned home
feeling very satisfied. Then came the phone call: “Hello, I thought I
ought to tell you, I’ve just tested positive for Covid…”
Clive Owen
|
|
BABY CAVING
Mother and baby. Showing off the new Mothercare clothes range for intrepid offspring.
With the expansion of Caving Clan
Henry, Adam gives an account of new arrival's formative experience
underground, proving that you're never too young to start caving.
At the ripe old age of four months, it was time to take our newest
family member on his first caving trip. Following a 30th (ish, may have
been delayed by some time due to that what shall not be named) for
UBSS’s finest token Welshman, Dickon, the option of a baby friendly
caving trip was about the most ambitious option floated for Sunday
caving.
The happy group. Team Henry and friends.
Goatchurch Cavern. Team Henry feat. The
three year old and the four month old plus their proud parents, with Rob
Adams, Oli Dawson & the marshmallow skewer.
In the old showcave entrance, finding anything that could be offered as a
slide to gee up the Edster. We heard a noise of something in the cave
passage ahead of us. Was it a Dragon? Maybe a Gruffalo? No, it was a Rob
who had run back to the Belfry after leaving his helmet behind!
Excuse us while we melt with the cuteness. This has to be the nicest family portrait ever!
It didn’t take long, or the promise of many
chocolate raisins, to get Eddie racing off through the passages, up the
rocks and over the boulders.
Through the upper series, down to the Boulder Chamber and back up again,
we managed to run around for 1.5hrs without really feeling the
struggle.
Eddie leading his family back into outside world.
Despite such an epic trip, there isn’t
really much more I can waffle on about the trip. What makes it for me is
the pictures of the happy muddy three year old, and a baby enjoying his
first trip! Time to create an UBSS family membership, Graham?
Adam Henry
|
|
PARENTAL CAVING
Entering the underworld ...
On the 29th of May, Jakob Annerdal
took him mum (60) and dad (64) on their first caving trip. And it sounds
like they'll be back for more, proving that you're never too old to
start caving!
The pothole of choice was, of course, Goatchurch - as it offers all
sorts of fun including some proper ol' bedding planes, spiders, bats,
sporting tunnles, bat shit, mould and ample opportunity to sit down and
turn of everybody's headtorch and sit in the dark.
Kat Osei-Mensah came along as second. With Jakob's parents dressed in
his old torn up suits and wellies, the party set of from the UBSS hut.
Arriving at the cave we held the obligatory freshers' talk.
We proceeded past the stairs where Victorian ladies and their big
dresses would have pootled along long ago and upon reaching the Giant
Steps, initially, Dad thought I was kidding when I proclaimed where we
must go next.
We made it as far as the Boulder Chamber before we had reached mom's
'out-of-comfort-zone' limit and turned around for a swift exit through
the Tradesman's Entrance.
The day ended with a pint and pie at the Queen Vic. I think they'll be back for more.
Jakob Annerdal
|
|
NEWS ROUND-UP
Linda Wilson brings us up to date with both national and local news.
THAI CAVE RESCUE FILM TRAILER NOW OUT
The trailer for the long awaited Hollywood
blockbuster on the Thai cave rescue is now out! The film, directed by
Ron Howard, stars Viggo Mortensen as Rick Stanton and Colin Farrell as
John Volanthen.
You can watch the trailer for Thirteen Lives here.
In other news, Rick and John are receiving honorary degrees from the
University of Bristol on 6th July 2002. They were nominated for their
heroism on the rescue by Linda Wilson and Dick Willis. Professor Mike
Benton has kindly agreed to do the oration for them.
BRITISH CAVING ASSOCIATION (BCA)
Linda Wilson brings us up to date with both national and local news.
The BCA AGM was held by Zoom on 12.6.22 and, in comparison to some dire
performances in person in past times, was a remarkably civilised and
pretty rapid affair, chaired by Russell Myers. I forgot to make a note
of the numbers present, but there were enough people to make it quorate.
I think there were approximately 20 people online.
The chair is exploring ways that UK cavers can support cavers in the UK
(beyond the obvious routes of making donations to appropriate
organisations etc) and it seems it might be possible for UK cavers to
show support to their counterparts by joining the Ukraine Speleological
Association for a modest fee. Watch this space!
The Crow is Dead, Long Live the Crow. The BCA have officially thrown in
the towel on the long-running judicial review against the Welsh
Government on the advice of their barristers, who saw no realistic
prospect of success, even if the BCA took action against their refusal
to review the current position that caving is excluded from the ambit of
the Countryside and Rights of Way Act. David Rose, convenor of the CroW
working Group gave a clear summary of the position to date and why they
were advised against attempting to continue their previous action,
however, the CroW working group will remain in force, and David's view
is that the BCA need to play the long game via lobbying MPs for a change
in the law. Whatever your views on CroW and the £80,000 it has cost
British caving (no costs can be recovered in the action), I think David
is to be commended for doing his best to take the heat out of what
became a very divisive matter in the caving world.
A proposal to reduce the number of individual and group reps on BCA
Council from four to two in each category was put by Josh White. The
basic reasons for this were that a) BCA have always struggled to attract
nominations for these roles and b) if all positions were filled,
Council would be even more unwieldy than it is now. By a subsequent
electronic ballot, this motion was passed by 237 votes FOR the motion.
70 AGAINST and 86 ABSTENTIONS. Andy Eavis stood for one of the
individual rep positions and was elected by subsequent electronic
ballot. The other individual rep is Nigel Atkins. One of the two group
rep positions is held by Josh White, the other is vacant.
There are a number of other vacant positions in BCA, notably
Conservation & Access Officer and Publicity Officer. If you are
interested in getting involved in the work of the BCA, please contact me for a chat, likewise if you have any queries about BCA matters.
COUNCIL OF SOUTHERN CAVING CLUBS (CSCC)
CSCC officers are still busy dealing with
the transition to its new Conservation & Access Officer Wayne
Starsmore, who has been massively occupied picking up projects old and
new. Discussions have restarted with Longleat Enterprises regarding
access to caves and digs in Cheddar Gorge and a new gate has been fitted
to Compton Martin Ocre Mine after the old one disintegrated some while
ago, so make sure you take a CSCC key if you're planning a visit to this
fascinating site, and also make sure you clean your kit very thoroughly
afterwards as otherwise you'll leave red, ocherous mud all the way down
the next cave you visit! Trust me on this. Tony Boycott and I made that
mistake many years ago and forgot to clean our wellies, despite
cleaning everything else. It took ages for the streaks down GB to
disappear and we felt embarrassed every time we saw them.
The former C&A officer recently wrote the following description of how to find the mine: "Please
note that if you try to find the mine using the description in Mendip
Underground you are likely to have major problems. The easy route to the
mine is to take the footpath on the left hand side just to the side of
the last house at the end of the metalled road. Yes, this may appear to
be taking you away from the combe but after a short distance a less
defined path on the right can be followed up the hillside. When a flat
area before the brow of the hill is reached you can cross the fence to
the right into the wooded combe and the entrance will be found a short
distance ahead on the left."
Also on the subject of access, whilst the
club now has a key for Singing River Mine, access is not yet available
as we are trying to navigate certain difficulties with the labyrinthine
booking system, which is still under the control of the outgoing C&A
officer. Please bear with us. Likewise, the leader system for Loxton
Cavern is not yet up and running as no leaders from any of the clubs
have had the necessary familiarisation trips yet. Henry and Zac have
volunteered to be our leaders when this can be taken forward.
|
|
1950s/1960s REUNION
Cavers from the late '50s/early 60s
got together recently for a reunion meal. Thanks to Nigel Wallace's
daughter Dawn Percival for ferreting out this photo for us!
From left to right we have on the back row Tim Hill, David Mead, Annie
Mead; middle row Kit Eaton, Ann Milton, Cyril Johnson, John Worley and
front row Nigel Wallace, Pat Hill, Wendy Johnson.
|
|
HELP NEEDED
This is the place where you can
appeal for any help you need. Do you need a leader for a cave? Do you
need to beg, steal or borrow an item of kit? Do you have any kit to sell
or give away? Have you got a pet project you'd like some help with? Let us know and we'll advertise here for you. This can be both a "help needed" and a "help offered" column.
WANTED - CAVING PHOTOS
An appeal from Clive Owen ...
I have to give a talk about caving later in the summer to Bristol's
Spanish Circle. I will need some caving pictures. Obviously, I would be
particularly interested in Spanish caves, especially in the Picos.
However, more general pictures would also be useful to illustrate caving
kit, techniques and typical types of cave development. Pretty well
anything, in fact, preferably with a caption or some indication of where
and when they were taken, for the benefit of my audience.
The talk isn't until September but I need to start preparing now as it
has to be in Spanish and I need a lot of pictures to distract from my
accent!
Please send photos and captions direct to Clive!
|
|
CAN YOU HELP A WIDENING PARTICIPATION STUDENT IN EARTH SCIENCES?
An appeal from Professor Mike Benton ...
For
Earth Sciences students, fieldwork is an essential part of their
degree. While field trips are provided free-of-charge, students still
need basic field kit such as waterproofs and hiking boots. No one can
truly make the most out of their experience when they don’t have the kit
to keep them clean and dry. By raising £3,000 we will provide students
from low-income households with essential kit, enabling them to throw
themselves into their fieldwork so they can make the most of the
opportunity.
THE PROBLEM
As
we recruit more diverse students, some cannot afford waterproof jackets
and trousers or high-quality hiking boots. This is where we need your
help. By having the right kit, these students will be able to fully
immerse themselves in their field trips on an equal footing to their
classmates. In short, you’ll ensure that these students can throw
themselves into their field experiences without worrying about staying
dry and warm.
WHY IS THIS AN ISSUE NOW?
The Earth Sciences are essential to addressing the challenges of the
21st century, from living with hazards and understanding the
biodiversity crisis to securing the water, soil and mineral resources on
which society depends. To achieve those ambitions, we must attract a
new generation of Earth Scientists from a wide range of backgrounds,
ensure they thrive during their time at Bristol, and prepare them for
careers in a competitive world.
WHAT YOU CAN DO?
If
you did an Earth Sciences degree at Bristol, it is likely that your
fondest memory is of the field work. That is still a central part of our
programme, and we are proud that we remain one of the few UK
departments that pays all field work travel and accommodation expenses
for our undergraduate students. However, it is likely that those
memories include adventures in less than ideal weather conditions.
Whether it be the wind-swept Brecon Beacons or near-freezing rain of
Arran, field work in the UK is something that is best enjoyed when you
are best prepared. And that is where we need you.
WHERE WILL THE MONEY GO?
A
donation of £50 buys field waterproofs, £100 buys a pair of hiking
boots, £200 provides all the needed kit for one student and £3,000 funds
one year worth of kit bursaries.
You can find the crowdfunding page here. All donations welcome, no matter how small!
|
|
I DID IT AGAIN, COOL DUDE DOG!! I READ TO THE END. GO ME!!
With thanks to Chris Howes for Cool Dude Dog!
Cool dude dog is here again to toss
biscuits to the kind souls who throw comments and compliments our way!
Double rations for compliments, naturally. The first biscuit goes to Jan
Walker, and there's a special Stale Biscuit Award for David Hardwick,
who caught up with the March 2021 newsletter only 14 months late! That's
definitely set a new record. His school report no doubt frequently
contained the words: Must read faster.
- Lovely stories. Auberge Le Mirandol is now on my list of places to go!
[Jan Walker] [Editors' note: as a prize for being a frequent first
responder, Jan wins lunch at the Mirandol in August! Who says we don't
hand out the good prizes?]
- Thanks once again for the Newsletter, in particular the Titan
account. Also, I like the front page picture of the GB blockhouse. It
has not changed. [Tim Hill]
- This time my favourite pics are down to the surface greens ... [Chris Howes]
- I read to the end! Great newsletter, as always! I promise
there's a Clare caving report in prep, expect it soon! [Paul Savage]
- Thanks. Doline 3 may have formed in ’68, but the mud plug
created by the landowner gave way in 1972 (I think). I was the first
person down with a couple of friends and went in via the Upper Grotto. I
got to the final step down into the Gorge and did think that it wasn’t
as far or as clean as I remembered. Dropping down to floor level, I
found myself up to my knees in mud which wasn’t terribly pleasant and
huge change from the rock-strewn surface of a few weeks before. We went
up the passage and there was clearly a connection through to the doline
but we didn’t try to pass it. I’m not sure if anyone subsequently
dropped through it from the surface. Is it still open? [ Dick
Willis} [Editors' note: No, it's not still open. There may have been an
earlier mud plug, but the one referred to in the last newsletter, when
the cars were tipped in there, was done in the early '80s.
- Loved the description of the surface around GB Cave. I spent
quite a few hours in the Gruffy Ground, measuring soil moisture, and
taking samples of soil air and water. [Hans Friederich]
- I did it, cool dude dog! I read to the end! Biscuits for me! [David Hardwick]
- So nice to finally understand the acronyms! Thanks :) [Kat Osei-Mensah]
- After my email being cruelly rejected and bounced last time, I
have dared to try again. [Megan Malpas] [Editors' note: And we love you
for it!!!]
- Got to the end of March 2021. Am I the slowest !!! [David Hardwick] [Editors' note: Yes you are, you lazy bugger!!!]
- I still need those amazon vouchers. Why haven't you replied to me?
[Fake Elaine] [Editors' note: Because you're always on the scrounge and
we don't love you as much as we love Megan.]
- I absolutely did not mistake the top entrance to the Columns for the
lower entrance! It's a scurrilous lie! And I didn't read to the end
either, I never do! [Colonel H. Saunders, OBE, DSO & Bar]
[Editors' note: Er, you forgot to put in a trip report for this, and you
mentioned it first, we didn't, so don't blame us. Or maybe someone
dobbed you in. Our lips are sealed.]
Cool Dude Dog, you hand out the best biccies! More for me, please? I did get to the end, honest!
THE END
|
|
|
|
