The new guidelines introduced this week make it clear that the roads and fells are open and so are most caves, but the suggestion is fairly clear – “you can cave – but please don’t, just yet”. Cave and mountain rescue teams across the country, many caught by surprise after the Prime Minister’s announcement on…
BCA Ballotcast – or Ballotgate?
If you’ve received an email from Matt Ewles, BCA secretary, entitled BCA Ballot – Vote Now, you may have been a little surprised at the lack of information about the changes. So what are we being asked to vote for? Previous ballots have been criticised with claims that BCA failed to supply members with sufficient…
Why mines are secured against entry and why you should help keep it that way.
Earlier this year, Pete Knight, Derbyshire Caving Association’s projects officer published an open letter detailing damage to gates and the consequences including the risk to long term access. Despite this damage has continued, and most recently all the locks on Homebank Chert mine have again been removed. In an attempt to highlight the problem and…
Access news: Parking no longer allowed at High Birkwith Farm
Council for Northern Caving Clubs (CNCC) has announced that parking will no longer be allowed at High Birkwith farm, meaning cavers will need to park further back down the road and access the caves on foot, although the landowners have no wish to restrict access to the caves and no permission is required For many…
Breaking news: Josh Bratchley safe and well after Tennessee cave rescue
Numerous reports from the US confirm that Josh Bratchley returned to the surface safe and well around 7pm local time last night after being trapped in Mill Pond Cave near Nashville in Tennessee for over 24 hours. Josh was part of five-man team exploring the cave when he failed to return to the surface on…
Cave rescue teams celebrate £30,000 donation
Derbyshire Cave Rescue Organisation are this week celebrating after receiving more than £30,000-worth of life-saving gas detection equipment donated by Honeywell Analytics. The equipment, including four and five gas personal monitors and calibration equipment, was donated when DCRO’s equipment officer, Pete Dell, contacted them trying to source replacement sensors for their old equipment and the…
Latest Eurospeleo newsletter now available
The European Speleological Federation have just released their December 2018 newsletter including news of Hirlatzhohle extensions in Austria, new board appointsments, the 2018 Italian cavers meet which attracted 2490 cavers, next year’s 13th Eurospeleo Forum in Bulgaria and much more. You can download the English version from their website or simply read it below: Hint:…
Warning – access to caves around High Birkwith Farm in doubt
High Birkwith Farm is now under new ownership and potentially this could cause problems for access to Calf Holes, Browgill, Old Ing, Birkwith, Dismal Hill and other smaller caves in an area used quite heavily for novice trips by clubs and outdoor groups. One caver who has met the new owner explained that that he…
How to check caving conditions from the comfort of your bed!
Why not check out Dales water levels before you decide whether to get up? Craven Pothole Club have gone live with a River Ribble monitoring webcam in Horton. Anyone viewing the sites will be able to view live feeds of river conditions to give an indication of how high water levels are.
The BCA is missing you – here’s how to get the newsletter!
Last night the latest BCA newsletter should have popped into your inbox, but the chances are it didn’t. Despite earlier appeals here and elsewhere only 8% of the BCA membership are currently signed up to receive the newsletter by email – some 520 members. The good news is caving clubs are doing rather better, with 170 so far signed up. If you didn’t receive it and would like to in future read on.
Hang Son Doong- the cave that built a village
Veteran caving film maker Sid Perou has teamed up with photographer Ryan Deboodt to produce a compelling thirty nine minute film about the discovery of the world’s largest cave passage in Han Son Doong cave in Vietnam, the resulting development of tourism in the area and the beneficial affects not just for the local population but also for conservation.
Shot on location earlier this year the film follows the impact of the area of the Vietnam war, early discoveries by British and Vietnamese cavers and includes stunning footage of the cave.
Watching the film it’s hard to believe Sid’s contribution to the film, comprising over 50% of the footage, was shot using just a £400 handy-cam and a zero budget!
Breaking News: British cave divers also rescued four trapped Thai rescuers in Tham Luang Cave
When Rick Stanton and John Volanthen surfaced in Chamber 3 of Tham Luang Cave on day 6 of the rescue to find four people waiting for them they first thought they’d somehow found the boys of the trapped Wild Boar team. In fact they’d discovered four lost Thai rescuers who had been trapped by the rising floodwaters. In the chaos of the early days of the rescue the absence of the men had been unreported and so had not been noticed by the Thai authorities and or the outside world. What followed was a dramatic and unparalleled “snatch” rescue mission perfectly conceived and executed as they dived the four men through three sumps to safety.
Site news: Sign up to receive email alerts each time we post a new article
We’ve just added a new feature to the site. Email alerts are a quick and easy way to get an email notification each time we publish a new article. If you’d like to try them you’ll find the sign up box at the side of every article. Simply add your name, if you wish,…
Hidden Earth 2018 – Meet the Darkness Below Team
The Darkness Below team will be out in force at Hidden Earth 2018 in less than two weeks time, and we’d love to meet as many of you as possible and get your feedback on the site, and of course we may try and persuade you to help us with contributions in the future! Over…
Training: Cave Surveying Group Therion Training Course
The BCA Cave Surveying Group have just announced an Intermediate Therion training course. The scope of this training course is to improve the skills of people who ideally as a minimum have attended a CSG Paperless Surveying training course or are currently using Therion for their mapping projects. The course is not aimed at people…
Thai rescue update – two more British cave divers en route to Tham Luang cave as part of larger team
Photo courtesy of Chris Jewell Two more British cave divers, Chris Jewell and Jason Mallinson are joining the ongoing rescue effort in Thailand, along with around 500kg of additional equipment including rebreather sets, drysuits, cylinders, Sofnolime and A clamp adaptors to allow the UK divers to use Thai Navy cyclinders. The two reportedly left…
Missing Thai boys and coach found alive – rescue moves to next stage
It’s probably fair to say that people across the world, not just cavers, are breathing one the largest collective sighs of relief for many years as the regional governor, Narongsak Osottanakorn, breaks the news that twelve boys aged 11 to 16 and their 25 year old coach, all members of the Wild Boar soccer team,…
News: British Cave Divers join Thailand cave rescue
In a race against the clock three British cave rescue divers and their equipment left Heathrow just after 9pm last night on a flight to Thailand to join the search for thirteen people trapped in Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai province. The British contribution includes four Heyphones supplied by Derbyshire Cave Rescue Organisation (DCRO), a…
The ‘Definitive Opinion’ on CRoW and Cave Access
This article first appeared in the South Wales Caving Club newsletter for April 2018 and is reprinted here with kind permission from the author Gary Vaughan and the South Wales Caving Club. Gary wishes it to be known that the views expressed in this article represent his own personal views and not necessarily the…
Appeal: Missing Caver – your help needed!
Cavers and walkers across the UK, particularly in the Yorkshire Dales Three Peaks area, are asked to be especially vigilant over the coming days after Greater Manchester Police at Bolton South issued an appeal for a missing caver and walker, Michael Wood, also known as Squirrel. Friends have confirmed that despite his mobility problems he is…
Happy Birthday (or is it anniversary?) – to us!
From us to you – a very big thanks! No cake, although maybe we should take a leaf out of the Dudley Caving Club’s book and arrange for some! November marks the second anniversary of Darkness Below going live, and we’d like to mark the occasion by thanking every single person, caver, mine-explorer or cave…
News: Northern England Caving Awards for Exploration Announced
The Northern England Caving Awards For Exploration (NECAFE) have been announced. For the first time cavers in the North of England are being invited to enter, with cash prizes for first and second place. The award has been funded for a ten year period by an anonymous donor. The awards will be presented annually to any…
News: Cambrian Mines Trust To Host NAMHO 2019
Cambrian Mines Trust will be hosting the NAMHO 2019 event in association with Dr Peter Claughton as lecture programme organiser. Peter has extensive experience in organising events and the trust is extremely grateful for his expertise. Cave Access Ltd will be providing access to mines on land owned by the Welsh Government. The theme of…
News: Update on Cwmystwyth Lefel Fawr works
Roy Fellows has sent us an update about the the underground works in Cwmystwyth Lefel Fawr. These are now completed and the Steel Road which replaced the second (awkward) tube is now open. The truck which was right up against the new roadway is currently being relocated further in, it has now moved back about…
News: British Caving Association on Facebook
If you’ve been watching carefully you’ll have noticed over the last couple of months that the BCA have set up a Facebook page, and have begun to announce news via it. Judging by the number of “Likes” the page has received though not many of us have been watching too carefully! If you haven’t…
News: Suicide Cave Update
We recently reported that a loose section of wall in Suicide Cave posed a potential risk. Pete Knight has been in touch again with an update to the situation. A chain barrier has been installed in the cave just prior to the scramble up to the first pitch. The work was carried out in consultation…
Warning: Suicide Cave Winnats Pass
Correspondent: Pete Knight There has always been a nasty bit of rock on the wall at the far pitch in the roof of Suicide Cave. Last night (9th October 2017) we attempted to remove this once and for all which successfully redistributed about half a tonne to the floor. Unfortunately removing this section revealed a…
News: BCA Ballot Result Announced
The BCA Chairman Andy Eavis has announced the ballot result today via the BCA’s Facebook page. In summary all four proposals have been approved by the ballot of members. Andy states that it had been planned to announce the results at the BCA council meeting on Saturday 7th October, however the executive decided it…
The Darkness Beckons Tour
To accompany the launch of his latest book, The Darkness Beckons, cave diver and explorer Martyn Farr went on tour with a series of exclusive articles. You can join him here in the following articles… Darkness Below: Read about some of Martyn’s close shaves (and learn how to avoid them!). Click-Dive: Find out who…
Earby Pothole Club on bikes for charity!
September 30th will see members of the Earby Pothole Club joining friends to raise money for the Preston based Specialist Mobility Rehabilation Centre (SMRC) in a ride that starts in Preston, stopping overnight in Clapham in Yorkshire before returning the following day. SMRC is part of Lancashire NHS and donations will go to a trust…
BCA Ballot – a landowners view
We’ve been approached today by Ashford Price and asked to publish the following statement. Ashford Price owns land in South Wales under which a number of well known caves can be found, and is also a BCA individual member. The statement makes clear that the BCA’s actions and the ballot underway now does risk…
The BCA Ballot Explained
If like many cavers in the UK, and some abroad, you have just received an eight page ballot paper either by post or email and are wondering what to do next we thought we’d try and help with a little extra information and background, which hopefully will assist some readers to make a more…
BCA email poll – have you received your email?
The British Caving Association are about to conduct a postal and email ballot of all members and in advance of this have emailed those members whose email addresses they have permission to use in attempt to verify as many addresses as possible. Emails to members which bounce will allow them to issue those members…
News: Northern Caves – new guide coming soon!
For those of us that remember rushing to Bernies or Inglesport to get our copy of Northern Caves 3 back in 1994 it’s been a long awaited event. After much hard work by all involved Sam Allsthorn has been in touch to announce that the updated and revised Northern Caves, The Three Counties System and the…
News: Awards and High Speed Internet at Bullpot Farm!
July 12th was a bright and sunny day on Casterton Fell Good job as it was a publicity day for Red Rose Cave & Pothole Club at Bullpot Farm. We were presented with our cheque for our Sustainable Development Grant from Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority by the Park Chair, Carl Lis OBE. This covers…
Remembering Mossdale fifty years on
On Saturday 24th June 1967 a strong team of ten cavers led by Dave Adamson entered Mossdale Caverns on a beautiful summers day intending to blast and excavate at the southern end of Mud Caverns. Four of the team exited safely later in the day after a shorter trip but the remaining six continued into…
Adventures Underground – book signing at Clapham
The Clapham Bunk, Cafe and Bar is the venue this Saturday (8th April) for a book signing by Adventures Underground author Dave Haigh. Dave explains he’ll be available from midday in case anyone wishes to call in the afternoon, with the main event starting around 5pm. This being a caving book signing the Bunkhouse has taken…
Cwmystwyth Lefel Fawr -Urgent notice from Cambrian Mines Trust
UPDATE: 6th April 2018 – the work described below has now been completed. Roy Fellows has been in touch with the following notice: Cwmystwyth Lefel Fawr Please be advised that the route through the second tube is temporarily closed, don’t try it unless you want steel RSJs down on your head! A diversion route to…
Kan-i-Gut Expedition – an open invitation
Kan-i-Gut is a natural cave that has been extensively extended by miners over the centuries. The cave is located in the northern foothills of the Turkestan Range in the Batken region of south west Kyrgyzstan. The cave is being explored by the Kyrgyz based Foundation for the Preservation and Study of Caves, who…
Robbie Shone on National Geographic Live
Most British cavers, and many more around the world, will know or have heard of Robbie Shone and know his work. The National Geographic live site now features a lecture by Robbie, in which he reveals more about his career and showcases many of his superb shots. When we spoke to Robbie he explained “Last November…
CNCC Individual Caver Representative Wanted!
At the CNCC AGM on the 11th March the organisation will for the first time be electing a representative for individual cavers, rather than just club representatives and they are looking for someone to fill the role. Anyone interested must be either a BCA DIM or CIM member – in other words a direct…
Viewing Caves on Google Earth – a quick guide
Mendip Cave Registry, Derbyshire Cave Registry and CaveMaps have done a great job of gathering cave data together but not everyone will have realised some of the benefits. Over the years most of us have probably used Google Earth at some point, so we thought some readers might appreciate a quick summary to using Google…
News: Iranian cavers discover one of the world’s deepest shafts
Story and photos courtesy of Yousef Sorninia and Sadat Lotfizadeh A large team of Iranian cavers led by Yousef Sorninia have discovered the second deepest shaft in the world. It is located in the Parau massif near Kermanshah in Iran, and less than 6km North of Ghar Parau. The area is in the west of Iran, around…
Has your Descent subscription run out? Be quick….
Coming Soon – Descent 253 The latest edition of the caving magazine Descent will be coming soon! Have you remembered to renew your subscription? Head over to the subscriptions page of Wild Places Publications excellent website and for less than the price of a couple of pints of beer per issue, you can have Descent…
CRO Tackle Theft Update
The Cave Rescue Organisation have tonight issued the statement below and ask that this information be circulated and shared as widely as possible to cavers and climbers: “PLEASE WATCH OUT FOR STOLEN KRABS Next week, the Dales area hosts the 5th European Speleological Congress at the Dalesbridge Centre, near Austwick. Thirty pot-hole systems are rigged…
Cave Rescue tackle stolen from Kingsdale Master Cave – updated
The Cave Rescue Organisation have condemned thieves who have stolen a recently installed traverse line and karabiners from the high level traverse in the Kingsdale Master Cave yesterday. The high line traverse had been installed in advance of Eurospeleo 2016 and enables access and exit in the event of a major flood in the system. A…
Event: Gaping Gill August Winch Meet
As many cavers know, Gaping Gill is open to the public twice a year. This summer it’s the Craven Pothole Club’s (CPC) winch meet and anyone making the walk up from Clapham village is welcome. The winch is open to the public from the 20th to the 28th August 2016 and until noon only on the…
EuroSpeleo last call for Salon entries
EuroSpeleo have asked us to remind everyone that the last call for Salon Competition entries is now 1st August (not 23rd July as shown on their web site) which is fast approaching. The Art Salon has several prizes, for paper and digital work. The Photo Salon offers prizes in categories including colour, monochrome, digital, best…
Caving in Derbyshire – DCA Cave Registry now online
The Derbyshire Caving Association have launched an online guide to Derbyshire caves in the form of the DCA Cave Registry, a new resource which builds on earlier work by John Beck, among many others, and software from the Mendip Cave Registry and Archive, by kind permission of Matt Voysey. You can find the main search page…
Do BCA have your email address?
Since last year the BCA newsletter has only been distributed by email and BCA online are again appealing to cavers via Club Secretaries to help with building their database of members email addresses and getting permission to email members. BCA is a separate organisation to your club so even if your club has passed on your email address…
Notice: 27th British Cave Research Association Cave Science Symposium
27th British Cave Research Association Cave Science Symposium, Saturday 22nd October, 2016 Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford Call for Abstracts The response to the first call for abstracts has been very positive and it already looks like we will have a fascinating collection of talks on archaeology, biospeleology and hydrology. We still welcome…
Site News: Errors after update
Apologies for the error messages you may have seen earlier at the top of the page. An update this morning led to these appearing. The problem seems to be solved, thanks for your patience!
Haggs Brow Cave Excavations, Lower Winskill
Haggs Brow Cave Excavations, Lower Winskill Yorkshire Dales National Park. May 2016. A personal account by Vince Simmonds. Looking down the track to Lower Winskill. Introduction: Haggs Brow Cave is located on the Haggs, an area of former managed woodland or wood pasture at Lower Winskill Farm, near Settle. Haggs Brow Cave is…
News: Showcaves Closed To Cavers In Protest Against BCA CroW Campaign
Statement from the Association of British and Irish Showcaves. The Association of British and Irish Showcaves ( ABIS ) is the lead body representing all the showcaves in Britain and Ireland. At their recent AGM in Ireland it was unanimously agreed that any alteration to the existing interpretation of the Countryside and Rights of Way…
Update: Still time to join cave excavations at Lower Winskill
Back in April we reported that Tom Lord was inviting people to join the upcoming excavation of Haggs Brow Cave, at Lower Winskill near Settle. Tom has just sent us more information including details of an open day for visitors so we thought it was time for a quick reminder that work starts this Friday May…
News: Tratman Award 2015
The Tratman Award, 2015 The Tratman Award has been awarded annually since 1979 to a caving-related paper-based publication in memory of E.K. Tratman, who died in 1978. It covers books, journals and articles published in a calendar year and is administered by the Ghar Parau Foundation, but judged by independent cavers; for 2015 these were…
Equipment: Do You Use a Croll Ascender?
Do you use a Croll ascender? If so, we strongly advice you to take a look at this recent information release from Petzl for your own safety and reassurance, as some recent returns from cavers who reported significant wear on their ascenders have highlighted safety concerns for worn devices. The report gives Petzl’s recommendations for…
Why the BCA should listen to show cave owners.
A recent article in Descent based on a letter from Ashford Price, member of the Association of British and Irish Show Caves (ABIS), expresses the Associations strong objection to the BCA proposal to alter the present CRoW Act and states clearly that in their opinion any “amendment or change of interpretation of the CRoW Act” to…
Birks Fell Cave breakthrough – 48 years ago
Story and photos courtesy of Howard Beck – www.howardmbeck.co.uk Not every day is it that the average person is given opportunity to walk where no other human has ever set eyes—and at risk of being clichéd by saying so, take one giant step for mankind—but barring the extreme depths of the oceans or the frigid…
News: Descent 249 Now Available
Descent 249 is now available! Catch up with caving and mining news from around the regions. Features in this issue include: a fascinating article on the loss of Penderyn Cave mentioned in the previous issue (248); a description of the at times hair-raising Croesor-Rhosydd traverse through a mountain in north Wales, complete with some excellent…