UBSS Monthly Newsletter - September 2019

Welcome to our September monthly newsletter! It's been a busy summer for caving and the new term has kicked off in style with the Welcome Fair for new students. Our stall received a visit from the Lord Mayor of Bristol and loads of people signed up to say they're interested in caving, so our aim now is to convert as many of these as possible to club members and cavers! Alumni, please keep an eye on the events mentioned here as there will be calls for help with trips and events! And please keep contributions coming! They can be as short or long as you like, so if you have anything for future newsletters, please let me know. And don't forget to send us some Memories for the 100 Memories project.

I'm absolutely delighted to say that we now have material in hand for future newsletters, so if your contribution doesn't appear this time, it's not because I've accidentally filed it in the box in the basement marked 'beware of the leopard', it's because we're already at capacity this time or you;d be here reading for a month. And there's a mystery prize to be won by the first person who spots where I nicked that quote from!

Back issues of this newsletter can be found here.

Linda Wilson

WELCOME 2019!

Left to right: committee members Lauren, Jenny, Henry.

The Welcome Fair was held on the Downs again and rainstorms quickly turned the ground into a mud bath suitable only for cavers in full kit!

The stall was set up and staffed by Henry Morgan, Lauren Manton and Jenny Rodgers who talked to people until they were hoarse, handed out booklets and fliers and tried to convince as many people as possible to take an interest in caving. A record number of expressions of people signed up who expressed and interest in getting to know more about us - 110 - comfortably beating last years' 70. Linda Wilson shamelessly blagged free pizza followed by pastries and coffee from the VIP tent and the stall even had a visit from Bristol's Lord Mayor, caver Jos Clark!

Lauren, Jos and Henry. The next challenge is a caving trip for the mayor in slightly different kit!

There's a huge programme of socials and caving trips planned, so welcome one and all to the club! If you haven't already joined, please head over to the Bristol SU societies page and sign up as full members. It's only £5 for student members, which isn't much more than the price of a pint of beer in Bristol, so come on in and get ready for a year of socials, caving games and CAVING!

It's not all about mud and tight spaces; as a caver, you'll see things that most people in the world will never get to see. You'll literally be seeing the landscape from the inside out. It's beautiful and fun, it can be challenging if you want it to be, but we have trips to suit all levels and interests. The Mendip Hills are only 35 minutes south of Bristol, and we have a fantastic caving hut in the woods with hot running water and all mod cons such a woodburning stove. So come along to a social, meet people, have fun, GO CAVING!

AUTUMN TERM - SOCIALS AND CAVING

New sail banner designed by Helen Frawley.

Tuesday 1 October - Chilli, Caving Games and Welcome Talk!

We do sometimes use chairs for sitting on, honest! Helen Frawley in a 'now how do I get out of this?' situation...

Join us at the Stables for 7:30PM (this is our Bristol base where the UBSS museum is also located) for an opportunity to meet members of the society and to find out what caving is really about. There will be ample free chilli (Veggie avaliable!) and beer (etc.) all provided.

We'll have a short talk explaining what caving is all about, with a chance to chat to members of the society, which will surely be followed up by some drunken caving games (didn't you want to be stuck in that bench?!).

To find the Stables, locate 21 Woodland Road, BS8 1TH, then follow the internal access road to the right of the building following signs for Prayer Room. You will go under a pedestrian glass walkway and you'll then see the Prayer Rooms ahead. To the left of that building is a large covered bike shed. The Stables is the small building to the left of that. There is no name plate on the building, but the door will be open and you'll see the light on and there will be cavers, food and drink inside! There will also be some signs on the night to help you find your way there but if it's wet and windy they might disappear, so follow these directions and you'll find us..

Friday 4 October - Pre-lash Goulash and pub crawl

Meet at the stables at 7PM (behind 21 Woodland Road, see above) for a chance to talk to members of the society and get to know people. We'll have some food (Goulash!) before getting ready for a PUB(SS) Crawl around Bristol leaving at roughly 8PM.

Be prepared for a Pub Crawl with a difference - we'll be attached together using the harnesses and ropes we use in caves!

Tuesday 8 October - Pub Wide Game

Meet at the Stables for 7PM. We'll then head out into Bristol for a wide game! We'll explain how this works at the time, but expect challenges (alcohol not obligatory!), riddles and route finding!

Bring some money as we'll be going to pubs en route!

We will also need some alumni members to sit in a pub for the evening to man the challenged. If you think that you could manage the hardship of sitting in a pub drinking beer, then please let us know!

CAVING - 12/13 October - Mendip Weekend

Floor, who needs floors?

This is a great opportunity to come along to a weekend and give caving a go!

Everyone meet at the Students Union on the Saturday morning at 9AM where we will sort out caving gear for everyone, and transport. (Let us know if you drive!)

We'll then head out to our own caving hut in the Mendip Hills (about 20 miles from Bristol) and cave on Saturday and Sunday, staying the night at our hut. We aim to be back in Bristol on Sunday afternoon.

More details on what to bring in the freshers handbook (Link on our page on the SU website) and in an email we will send out closer to the time! Or contact us if you have any queries.

The total cost of the trip is £20 including transport, accommodation, kit hire and food but bring some cash in case you pop into a cafe or pub!

To find the meeting point near our tackle store go around to the back of the Richmond Building on Richmond Hill Avenue and look for the loading bay. There will be people there to meet you.

CAVING - 18/20 October - South Wales Weekend

Another great opportunity to get underground and explore some of the finest caves the UK has to offer in Wales!

A different style of cave to what you'll typically find on the Mendips, expect large chambers and bigger passages!

This weekend is another great one to try caving for the first time on. We will head out from the Students Union on the Friday afternoon, (time depending on when people can make it, so let us know!) where we will sort out equipment and transport, and spend two nights in the South Wales Caving Club.

We'll aim to be back in Bristol by Sunday afternoon, and expect this trip to cost around £35 at most. If you have any queries, don't hesitate to drop us a message.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

29 October - Caving Talk

We'll be having a slide show and caving talk in the Stables. More details to follow by email.

2/3 October - Bonfire Weekend at our Hut

Barbecue, bonfire, fireworks and caving!

9/10 November - Travels Beneath the Earth - UBSS Symposium and Field Trips

UBSS President Elaine Oliver on expedition in Clearwater Cave, Mulu. Photo and poster by courtesy of Chris Howes..

In 2019, the UBSS, one of the oldest caving clubs in the country and the oldest society in the university with a continuous existence, celebrates 100 years of cave and archaeological exploration and research. On the 9/10 November, to mark the occasion, the society is hosting a weekend of talks and field trips celebrating its past, present and even more importantly, future.

UBSS member Professor Rick Schulting from the University of Oxford, will give the keynote lecture as part of a day of talks on 9^th November, entitled: “The darker angels of our nature: a butchered prehistoric human bone assemblage from Charterhouse Warren, Somerset.” This will tell the story of the butchered Bronze Age remains of over 40 men, women and children recovered from the cave at Charterhouse Warren in the 1970s.

Rick says: “Steven Pinker’s 2011 book ‘The Better Angels of Our Nature’ reflects on the decline in violence over the course of human history. The site of Charterhouse Warren in Somerset reveals the darker side of our nature. Excavated in the 1970s, and dating to the Early Bronze Age, ca. 2200 BC, the scattered remains of at least 40 men, women and children were found in a 20m-deep pit. This largely unknown assemblage is striking for the sheer number of cutmarks indicating dismemberment, alongside perimortem fracturing of long bones and injuries to skulls. While evidence for violence is not unknown in British prehistory, nothing on this scale has been found, and the site joins a small number of Continental Neolithic and Bronze Age sites showing extreme violence and postmortem processing of human remains. This presentation provides an overview of the new research being undertaken on the assemblage, documenting and characterising the extent of the injuries, investigating who these victims were, and understanding the site’s place in the wider context of the European Early Bronze Age.”

There will be other talks on archaeology, history, exploration, speleogenesis and palaeoclimate research, which is a particularly hot topic at the moment! There will also the an opportunity to take part in a variety of field trips on Sunday 10th November in Bristol and on Mendip. Please keep an eye on the UBSS symposium webpage and Facebook pages as trips are being added to this all the time, but remember, places are strictly limited to symposium attendees and for each trip, places are limited.

The symposium is free!. For all bookings and enquiries, please contact the organisers. The talks on 9th November are being held in the School of Geographical Science, University of Bristol, University Road, Bristol, BS8 1SS.

Registration will open at 8.30 for tea/coffee and book sales. Welcome and housekeeping will be at 9.15 and the talks will start at 9.30. There will be ample breaks and time to view the poster presentations during the day. The symposium will end with a wine reception (free) at 4.15pm, to include the launch of the society‘s new guidebook, The Caves of Mid-West Ireland.

19 November - Caving Talk

UBSS President Elaine Oliver will be giving an illustrated talk in the Stables on caving in Mulu.

CELEBRATING IN STYLE - THE PRESIDENT'S BIRTHDAY PARTY AND BIRTHDAY CAVING TRIP

What the well-dressed caver is wearing....

Our President had Big Birthday this year and decided to celebrate in style with an party underground in Read's Cavern near the UBSS Hut.

Loads of UBSS gathered at the Hut and went underground to the bar set up for the occasion. No caves were harmed and all party stuff was duly cleared away!

Main chamber, Read's Cavern

But not content just to party, there had to be a caving trip the next day. Elaine takes up the tale....

For my birthday this year, I decided to treat myself to something that's been on my wish list for a while. Not a Scurion, nor a new pair of wellies - but a Swildon's Long Round trip. Ash had been harbouring similar desires, so on the morning of my birthday, after the usual faff of finding descriptions and drinking tea, and a second breakfast of Lauren's rather excellent snickerdoodles that she'd baked for my cave party the preceding Saturday, the two of us struck out for Priddy.

Ash set a cracking pace down the cave and just half an hour saw us rigging Shatter ready for our return, before we continued along the Short Round, down Blue Pencil and into the Swildon's 4 streamway in search of the sump.

I find the best way to overcome intimidating obstacles is to get them over with as quickly as possible - too much thinking about it tends to make me more nervous. So once we had passed underneath the final Priddy Green Sink pitch, we took only a brief moment to check the sump, don our neoprene hoods and reconfirm our rope signals before each taking a deep breath and going for it.

A few good kicks and pulls saw us through into what for both of us was a brand-new part of Swildon's. We felt very pleased with ourselves, and even more pleased to find the water low enough for Sump V to be an easy, straightforward duck (deep gloopy mud and strange diesel/metallic smells aside). A quick run up the Damp Link to get the first siphon going, then we were off to investigate Sump IX. We began to notice signs of slightly elevated CO2 in the VI bypass, but other than that the way on was straightforward - a few clambers up and down piles of boulders, a squeeze or a duck here and there and I was soon standing in Sump IX with a piece of birthday cake that Ash had carried all the way there for me!

Returning to the Damp Link we found Gloop Sump with plenty of airspace, so we began the long and rather breathless wriggle to Grit Sump. This we siphoned and bailed with enthusiasm, and after only about 10 minutes I deemed it low enough to not bother hanging around any longer. More wriggling, more CO2, a misunderstanding of how long the book said the next crawl would be ("what do you mean, 500m?!"), and we popped out of the end of Causer's Calamity and, for Ash, back to familiar territory. Trying not to look at all the chip marks in the calcite from falling rocks, we gingerly picked our way through and were soon passing a surreal looking duck decked with botryoidal stal - a bit like sliding through a cold, wet Dali painting. Another (rather less appealing) duck, what felt like a Sisyphean effort on a muddy slide, and there at last was the ladder!

Although we were definitely feeling the effects of the longish trip and the poor air, we decided that completing the Short Round as well would be the done thing, so it was off up the Greasy Chimney once again to make the figure of eight. This time round, the Zig Zags seemed longer than ever and we were relieved to finally break the monotony by me almost falling down Blue Pencil again (having just joked about exactly that). Ash sang Happy Birthday as we passed the Birthday Squeeze then we enjoyed a gleeful slide down from the Landing before splashing our way back towards the surface.

Passing through the Old Grotto, we retrieved our victory rewards of yet more cake and a small beer apiece and proceeded to violate the no-drinking-in-caves rule with great enthusiasm, before exiting to a clear, starry night and the obligatory Hunter's dinner. Long may this continue!

LAUREN'S SNICKERDOODLE RECIPE

Taking some cave food underground will give you a great energy boost, so presented here for the first time, we have Lauren's patent snickerdoodle recipe, perfect for caves, parties and pubs! We don't have a photo as they always get eaten before anyone remembers a camera, but Elaine has written the recipe down....

These pair perfectly with your post-cave cuppa, and also make excellent pre-trip fuel for cavers who have forgotten to eat enough breakfast. They have nothing to do with Snickers bars - apparently the name might come from the German "Schneckennudel", which means "snail noodle" but is actually a cinnamon roll. Some recipes provide a more cookie-like texture, but these fat little rounds are much more satisfying.

Ingredients:

125g room temperature butter
130g sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
325g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4. Grease a flat baking tray.
2. Cream together butter and the 130g sugar, add in the beaten egg and vanilla, and beat well.
3. Mix in the flour and nutmeg to a smooth consistency.
4. Place the 2 tbsp sugar and the cinnamon on a plate and mix together.
5. Turn out your cookie mixture onto a hard surface and squash together.
Roll into a long sausage, handling as little as possible. Cut into approximately 24 pieces. Take each piece and roll it into a ball, roll it in the sugar and cinnamon, then place slightly apart on your baking tray.
6. Bake for 12 minutes. The snickerdoodles should be slightly browned.

THE 2019 WESSEX CHALLENGE

The UBSS team in action. Andrew is doing his well known 'I'm a litlle teapot' impersonation and Sioned clearly thinks the whole thing is A Very Bad Idea. Ali's views went unrecorded at this point. Photo courtesy of Graham Price of the Cerberus CC.

The UBSS fielded a short but fierce team for the famous Mendip Challenge, which combines caving techniques with sort of fun and games last seen in the Colluseum (but without the lions). Ali Moody gives an account of the most recent one...

The 2019 Wessex Challenge was included in the programme of events for RESCON, held at Ebborways Farm, Priddy. The challenge is always a good spectator sport and I for one had no intention of taking part and am certainly old enough to know better.

The Wessex, as the previous winners, were tasked with the organisation and Mike Kousiounis (Kushy) plus helpers had spent a considerable amount of time and effort building a course based on a rescue theme. A minimum of five people was needed for a team and it was disappointing when initially only two teams (BEC and MCRO) signed up for the event.

Although lurking at a safe distance, I was sought out by Sioned Haughton and agreed to be the UBSS casualty on the condition that a fifth person was found. Ian Peachey was co-opted as the final member of the UBSS team. A fourth “Amalgamated” team of Wessex plus others was also formed. The principal idea of the race was that a solo caver had entered a system and become trapped beyond a rock fall. Having called for help, the remainder of the team complete with a stretcher had to crawl under a cargo net, descend a wet plastic slope, made slippery with several months supply of Wessex washing-up liquid.

All's fair in love and caving. Photo courtesy of Pete Moody.

A squeeze through a rigid tube through which some of the stretchers did not fit) was followed by a traverse over a scaffold chasm of doom. If any of the rescue team’s feet touched the ground while crossing, they too were deemed as requiring rescuing.

Beyond this was a climb up scaffold and then down to a squeeze between the bars. The casualty (victim) was reached by clearing the boulder (logs) pile with a rope and digging boat.

The teams were divided into two heats with the BEC and the MCRO teams going first and from here things deteriorated rapidly with the contestants more intent on nobbling the other team, reputedly all started by the BEC.

For our heat against the Amalgamated team, things continued in much the same vein and as a casualty my survival in the stretcher improved once I had freed my feet sufficiently to be able to kick any opponents who got too close, although in the various log piles it was at times difficult to determine who was friend or foe, so apologies Ian.

Although winning our heat, our time was slower than both the BEC or MCRO and we were saved from having to take part in the final. This really was a free for all, ripped T-shirts, shoes flying in all directions and stretchers disappearing to the far end of the field, with even more buckets of water and hoses being turned on the contestants.

Amazingly there were no serious injuries, although I suspect some good bruises appeared overnight. Eventually the adjudicator called order and the challenge was settled by a race between Mark Burkey & Josh Bratchley. Josh won for the BEC.

Just glad to be alive! The UBSS team (from left to right) Ali Moody, Si Flower, Sioned Haughton, Ian Peachey (co-opted aka dragooned into service). Photo courtesy of Pete Moody.

My advice – always self-rescue and if taking part in a Wessex Challenge, it is tremendous fun but wear fully waterproof body armour and a helmet that fits.

Ali Moody

NEWS FROM THE SHARP END

Planning and preparation prevents piss poor performance, aka standing around and staring at kit looking puzzled. Andrew will get his teapot impersonation right eventually, honestly! Photo courtesy of Rob Harper of the MCR.

Just to prove that caving isn't all about mud and beer, the UBSS also fielded a team for the recent Mendip Cave Rescue practice. Sioned Haughton has sent in a report with a difference...

A Rescue Practice in Eastwater

Some said wonders would never cease
As we attempted to hypothetically release
Some poor sod who strayed
Beyond the 380 ft way
And got stuck in the technical masterpiece

UBSS members were there for the thrill
And the chance to develop some skill
So we donned all our kit
And were champing at the bit
When Andrew said 'Now who wants to carry this drill?'

The task fell to myself, Rosie and Ash
Who, now feeling considerably less brash
Headed underground
Accompanied by the sound
Of crash, bang, 'bollocks!', bang, crash

The passage was most definitely not broad
And we cursed the hypothetical sod
But it wasn't just us
Everyone made a fuss
So now drills that heavy have been outlawed.

The end

100 MEMORIES - HOW THINGS USED TO BE

Axbridge Ochre Mine c.1953. From left to right: Mike Ballister, Geoff Fuller and Oliver Lloyd, our former treasurer and editor who died in 1985.

As part of our centenary project to collection 100 memories relating to the UBSS, Geoff Fuller has sent in an excellent series of photos showing how things used to look. We'll feature a photo corner like this as often as we can, so please send in your old caving snaps!

Breakfast on a winter trip to Derbyshire, c.1954. From left to right: name unknown (but if anyone recognises him, do let us know!) Angus Watkins, Struan Robertson, Mike Ballister, John and Rita Squires.

Photos with grateful thanks to Geoff Fuller for sharing these. We have plenty more from Geoff to come in future newsletters.

100 MEMORIES AND THE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

The Hut c.1953, with the wt clothes store known as 'the Child' on the right. From left to right: John Squire, Oliver Lloyd, Arnold (Bridge?), Terry Piercy, Julia (?)

Our ambitious oral history project has now reached the final stages - for now.

Our History interns, Lena Ferriday and Nick Stromberg have done an amazing job, interviewing seventeen UBSS members as part of this project, supported by the Oliver Lloyd Memorial Fund and the British Cave Research Association. Lena and Nick have transcribed all the interviews and these are now in queue to be be spell-checked, otherwise we might have numerous references to Koolar River Cave and Koolorn 2. The names aren't easy if you'e not familiar with them! Lena and Nick now know far more about caves and cavers than just about any non-cavers! But it's not too late for them to go underground....

Andy Flack and I, as joint project leads, will bring you a fuller account of this project in the next newsletter, and Andy will be giving a paper on this subject at our symposium so do come along and learn what binds cavers together and why so many cavers find their life partner through UBSS, and why the Hut is so important to the society.

Huge thanks to everyone who participated, and if we weren't able to get to you due to diary constraints and the time at which projects like this can be funded, don't worry, we're already getting delusions of grandeur for future projects, so your time will come!

And if you can fill in any of the missing names, I might well be persuaded to dispense more mystery prizes....

That's all for now, folks! We have plenty of material to come, but please keep sending more stuff in. Content makes me a very happy bunny.

Linda Wilson, Editor