The BCRA Cave Science Symposium and AGM is taking place on 21st and 22nd October 2023 in Leeds.
The 2023 BCRA Cave Science Symposium – 21st – 22nd October
Book Review: Hidden Realms
Cave diver and photographer Martyn Farr has produced a tempting array of descriptions and photographs of 100 cave and mine sites. Hidden Realms aims to shine a light into some of the most alluring caves and mines in Great Britain and Ireland. One hundred sites have been chosen, in keeping with the recent vogue for…
Volunteers needed, get involved!
The British Caving Association eAGM is being held at 10.30am on Sunday 11 June 2023 on Zoom. Details of how to join the meeting or watch the livestream can be found on the BCA website. In addition, the BCA is looking for volunteers to help run the organisation. BCA chair Russell Myers has the following…
The Tratman Award for 2020 goes to ….
The end of an era … and a new one begins
After 34 years and 204 issues, Chris Howes and Judith Calford are handing Descent on to new management. Descent was launched in January 1969 by Bruce Bedford as a small-format black and white magazine. In 1979 it moved to the current A4 format and in 1983 Bruce handed over the publication responsibilities to Ambit Publications,…
Descent 288 is coming soon and maybe things aren’t so F*ing Hopeless, after all!
The time has come, the caver said, to talk of many things: of kit and digs and caving trips, of places we have seen, so make sure your subscription is up to date, as otherwise you might miss out on all the big news! Descent has been on quite a journey over the years, with…
BCRA Cave Science Symposium, AGM & field meeting, 8th – 9th October 2022
BCRA Cave Science Symposium 2022 hosted jointly with the Manchester Geological Association Symposium – Saturday 8th October, 2022 Field-trip – Sunday 9th October, 2022 Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Manchester SECOND CIRCULAR The British Cave Research Association and Manchester Geological Association are pleased to announce details of the 33rd Annual Cave Science…
WARNING: Rockfall in Eastwater Cavern, Mendip
WARNING: EASTWATER CAVERN, MENDIP. There has been a rock fall in the rift connection between the bottom of Dolphin Pot and the chamber before Dolphin Pitch. A section of the roof and some of the left-hand wall (looking down the rift) had become detached. CSCC Conservation and Access Officer, Wayne Starsmore, spent time dealing with…
BCRA honours David ‘Deej’ Lowe
BCRA Council has awarded Honorary Membership of the Association to Dr David J ‘Deej’ Lowe. The award is in recognition of his outstanding service to the science of speleology and his service to BCRA. The former is evidenced by his many publications including contributions to papers on the hydrogeology of the Peak District and most…
Thirteen Lives – limited cinema sceenings on 18th July 2022
Thirteen Lives, the Hollywood film of the Thai cave rescue, hits selected cinemas on Monday 18 July. The long-awaited Hollywood film directed by Ron Howard, starring Viggo Mortensen as Rick Stanton and Colin Farrell as John Volanthen, is receiving its first ‘special screening’ in Soho, London on Monday 18th July 2022. At the same time…
BCRA Cave Science Symposium, AGM and field meeting, 8th – 9th October 2022
The 33rd BCRA Cave Science Symposium, hosted jointly with the Manchester Geological Association Symposium – Saturday 8th October, 2022 Field-trip – Sunday 9th October, 2022 Venue – Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Manchester First Circular and Call for Abstracts The British Cave Research Association (BCRA) and Manchester Geological Association (MGA) are pleased…
Cleaning up!
The Speleological Union of Ireland (SUI), have been very active over the years with major cave conservation clean-ups, and they’ve been hard at work, this time in Carren Mine in co. Clare. The cave clean-ups started again with the Student Forum in 2019. The SUI received a heritage grant from Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) which…
Descent 287 is coming soon, with huge holes, new caves and more …
Summer appears to have finally arrived, so instead of getting even hotter by pulling on grubby caving kit, why not relax in the sunshine with a cold beer – or your chilled tipple of choice – and catch up on all the latest at home and abroad with the latest issue of Descent. Josu Granja…
Honorary degrees for Thai cave rescue divers
Two of the cave divers who pulled off the remarkable rescue of 13 people from a flooded cave system in Thailand have been given honorary degrees by the University of Bristol. The operation led by John Volanthen, from Bristol, and Rick Stanton, from Coventry, has been described as one of the greatest rescues of all…
Have your say!
Following the British Caving Association’s AGM on Saturday, BCA members can now vote in the online ballot, open until 23.59 on Sunday 26th June 2022. Full instructions on how to case your vote can be found on the BCA website. If you missed the AGM but want to watch this before casting your vote, this…
Descent 286 coming soon, with bones, big stuff and more …
Descent 286 will be winging its way through the post shortly so take a moment to check whether or not your subscription is up to date and if not, check your subscription is up to date and if not, head over to Wildplaces Publishing and the nice folks there will sort you out. With summer…
BCRA Cave Archaeology Group – Recording Historic Graffiti & other markings, 4th/5th June 2022
The BCRA Cave Archaeology Group is holding a weekend field meeting on Recording Historic Graffiti & other markings in the Yorkshire Dales, based at Lower Winskill Farm, Settle on the weekend of 4th/5th June 2022. Friday An informal evening get-together for any early arrivals. Saturday Morning session: Introductions and information, talks and presentations. Lunch: 1200hrs…
New UIS statement on Russian invasion earns thanks from Ukrainian cavers
The International Union of Speleology (UIS), who were last week condemned by the Ukrainian Speleological Association and the international caving community for their original statement on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have now reconsidered their position and issued a revised statement. The new statement is reproduced below: UIS President George Veni has urged members…
BCA and BCRA react to the Russian war on Ukraine as Ukrainian caver Alexander Klimchouk accepts offer of honorary membership of BCRA
The British Caving Association (BCA) and the British Cave Research Association (BCRA) have issued their own open letters after widespread condemnation of the statement by the International Union of Speleology (UIS) on the Russian war against Ukraine. And Ukrainian cave explorer and cave scientist Dr Alexander Klimchouk has been made an honorary member of the…
Ukrainian cavers demand ‘honest’ statement from UIS
The International Union of Speleology (UIS) has been swiftly and widely condemned in the caving community for not taking an unequivocal stand in its statement against Russia’s war on Ukraine. This was swiftly denounced in an open letter from the Ukrainian Speleological Association to UIS delegates, speleologists and karst researchers in which they accuse…
Descent 285 coming soon, with discoveries at home and abroad!
Descent 285 will be out soon so take a moment a moment to check your subscription is up to date and if not, head over to Wildplaces Publishing and the nice folks there will sort you out. As ever, there’s a lot on offer! Even a global pandemic hasn’t managed to dampen cavers’ enthusiasm at…
BCA needs you!
The deadline for nominations and proposals for BCA’s upcoming AGM is fast approaching as BCA Chair Russell Myers explains:
BCA offer grants for young cavers to attend International Congress in France 2022
The BCA’s Youth and Development team have announced the availability of two grants of £500 to help groups of young cavers attend the 19th International Congress of Speleology being held this year in Savoie Mont Blanc, France. Applications are invited from groups of three or more young cavers who meet the following criteria: the groups…
BCRA Cave and Karst Ramble to the Upper Dove Valley – 19 March 2022
An introduction to the geology, hydrology and landforms of the upper Dove Valley. This is one of the best places in the country to examine the influence of geology on the evolution of the landscape and the formation of karst features. The field trip will start at the British Caving Library, Glutton Bridge at 10:30am…
Descent 284 coming soon, with an extra eight pages on the OFD rescue
The first issue of Descent for 2022 will be out soon so take a moment to check your subscription is up to date and if not, head over to Wildplaces Publishing and the nice folks there will sort you out. Very few cavers can have been unaware of the serious accident in the Smithy area…
Waterwheel Swallet gate vandalised
Following recent vandalism to the gate on Waterwheel Swallet, Mendip, the CSCC Conservation and Access Officer, Graham Price has issued the following information. “Waterwheel has recently been broken into and the gate vandalised. The gate has been removed for repair/replacement and the entrance has been secured with a non-removable grill. Everyone will appreciate that it…
BCRA Cave Science Symposium, 15th January 2022, and other BCRA news
On the afternoon of 15th January 2022, the BCRA is hosting their 32rd Cave Science Symposium, a series of online talks postponed from November 2021 due to extreme weathers. The afternoon of talks on conservation, biofilms, speleothems, water tracing and speleogenis, includes presentations from Jo White on biofilms of British caves and mines, Bethany Fox…
Descent 283 coming soon … with the Grand Traverse, The Rescue documentary and more!
Christmas is coming and as a present from the lovely folks at Wildplaces Publishing, there’s an extra eight pages this issue! Do take a moment to check your subscription is up to date and as if not, head over to Wildplaces Publishing and they’ll be delighted to help you out. And maybe think about taking…
A few words from the new BCA chair
The first ever contested election for the post of chair of the British Caving Association resulted in a win for acting chair and former BCA secretary, Russell Myers. In response to comments by contender Rostam Namaghi on the UKcaving forum, Russell has the following message to cavers …
BCRA Newsletter and AGM details
In this newsletter: BCRA Cave Science Symposium. Saturday 27 November 2021, BCRA AGM. Saturday 27 November 2021, BCRA Annual Review for 2020, December Seminar, BCRA Council Officers for 2021. BCRA Cave Science Symposium. Saturday 27 Nov 2021 If you have registered to attend the Science Symposium, you should have received a copy of the programme….
Massive effort underway to rescue injured caver.
A massive effort is underway to rescue a caver injured in a fall on Saturday in Ogof Ffynnon Ddu (OFD) in South Wales, the deepest and third longest cave system in Britain. The caver is believed to have fallen on Saturday. A fellow caver initiated the call out, and rescue teams from around the country…
BCRA Newsletter
In this newsletter: British Cave Research Association Cave Science Symposium. Saturday 27 Nov 2021, BCRA AGM. Saturday 27 Nov 2021, Volunteer needed to help with publications mailings, Cave & Karst Science mailings, back issues of C&KS and the CREG journal, The Karst and Caves of Morecambe Bay by Phillip MURPHY (ed.). BCRA Cave Science Symposium….
BCA eAGM Sunday 10th October 2021
The British Caving Association AGM is being held by Zoom (as it was last year) on 10th October 2021. There is now a link on the BCA website which enables BCA members to sign up to participate in the AGM by video-link. BCA is not able to circulate all its members directly by email because…
Descent 282 coming soon … with bolting, pushing, a special centenary and more!
Descent 282 will be out shortly, so please do check your subscription is up to date, and if you’re a subscriber in the EU and have not made contact with Descent about your delivery, please do so – the folks at Wild Places need to know how you would like your next issue to be…
Review: Thirteen Lessons That Saved Thirteen Lives
In the summer of 2018, few people in the world with access to news reports could fail to have been gripped by the story of the 12 young boys from the Wild Boars football team and their coach, trapped by a sudden flood in the Tham Luang cave in Thailand. Floods in caves rarely end…
Review: A Darker Domain
Caves turn up regularly in crime fiction, and this time it’s Scotland’s turn to see some speleological literary action. Karen Pirie, the main character in several books by Val McDermid, is a Detective Inspector in charge of investigating cold cases in Fife, eastern Scotland. In A Darker Domain, she is presented with a tempting scenario…
Descent 281 is coming soon with breakthroughs, warning signs, goon suits and more!
With things getting back to normal in the UK and caving well underway again, keep an eye out for the latest Descent and take a moment to check whether your subscription is up to date and if not, head over to Wildplaces Publishing and the nice folks there will sort you out. In the…
Events round-up: Hidden Earth cancelled, BCRA talks/AGM and a case of possible cannibalism in South Gloucestershire
Covid continues to create certainty for events organisers, with some cancelled and others moving online, but there might be light at the end of the tunnel … unless it’s a caver coming the other way. Hidden Earth: the National Caving Conference The following announcement has been made by the Hidden Earth team: “We are sorry…
Access to Singing River Mine, Mendip
The following information has been provided by the Council of Southern Caving Clubs regarding access to Singing River Mine on Mendip.
Coming soon … Aquanaut by Rick Stanton
The Thai cave rescue had everyone on the edge of their seats as what might have been the grimmest reality TV show ever was played out in the full spotlight of the world’s media. In Rick Stanton’s eagerly awaited autobiography, you can now read the inside story of the rescue and understand how Rick’s caving…
Digging deep … Descent 280 is coming soon!
Descent 280 will be on its way shortly, so you’ll be able to relax after a caving trip with a beer and something to read. And take a moment to check your subscription is up to date! If you don’t already read Descent, we hope we can tempt you to start now. Finding cavers supporting…
Descent 279: Underground, overground and even some womblingly!
It’s time to catch up with caving news from around the world again. There’s even a trip to Mars … Descent 279 should now have reached you by now, but if not, it’s time to head over to Wildplaces Publishing to subscribe or if you’re lucky enough to have a caving shop anywhere near you,…
Warning – Further rockfall in G.B. Cavern, Mendip
Following the earlier report of a rockfall in the area of the Waterfall Climb in G.B. Cavern, Mendip, the following information has been received from Charterhouse Caving Company Ltd. Following the rockfall notified and publicised in early February, a further inspection trip was scheduled for 6 April, following the relaxation of covid restrictions. On 5th…
Warning – Collapse in Wretched Rabbit, Yorkshire
Yorkshire CRO have warned of a potentially lethal rockfall in Wretched Rabbit on Casterton Fell.
Stories in Stone, the start of the CDG and more, coming soon in Descent 279 …
Descent 279 will be on its way shortly, and with some light at the end of the tunnel, this is a great time to catch up with news at home and abroad so get ready for an excellent read, and take a moment to check your subscription is up to date! And if you don’t…
Size matters, so does depth …
Descent 278 will be out shortly, and although we’re back in lockdown again, there’s plenty to read about so do make sure your subscription is up to date! And if you don’t already read Descent, now is a really good time to start! In this issue there’s more news of the major breakthrough in Cussey…
BCRA Newsletter
In this newsletter: BCRA Caves and Karst online seminars, Publications, Membership Renewals, AGM Report, Cave Studies Booklets, BCRA’s Facebook page. BCRA Caves and Karst online seminars BCRA is arranging a series of monthly online seminars for 2021 in support of the International Year of Caves and Karst (IYCK). IYCK is an initiative of the International…
In the News 2020
Despite the worldwide challenges of covid-19, 2020 was a busy year for caving news. We published four news round ups throughout the year, linked below, and here’s the last one for 2020. If you see anything you think we might have missed, do drop us a line. Many thanks to Herman de Swart for his…
Dig, dig, dig …. Descent 277 is coming soon!
Descent 277 will be on its way soon, and despite a second lockdown, there’s plenty of news plus reports of some very significant breakthroughs around the country so check your subscription is up to date! And if you don’t already read Descent, now is a really good time to start! In Derbyshire, exploration has…
BCRA Cave Science Symposium and latest newsletter
The BCRA Cave Science Symposium is being held by Zoom on Saturday 14th November. You can still register for free. BCRA Newsletter In this newsletter: Cave Science Symposium – how to register, Annual General Meeting – how to register, BCRA Review 2019 – now published. Cave Science Symposium Our annual cave science symposium will be…
Council of Southern Caving Clubs and Mendip Cave Rescue issue joint statement regarding new lockdown
Following the announcement of the new lockdown measures, the Council of Southern Caving Clubs (CSCC) and Mendip Cave Rescue (MCR) have issued a joint statement to southern cavers. This statement has also been endorsed by the Charterhouse Caving Company Ltd and the Fairy Cave Quarry Management Committee.
BCA 2020 ballot results announced
The results are in! No, we don’t mean the results of the US elections, we mean the results of the 2020 BCA AGM voting and ballot. Before the BCA’s recent online AGM it was announced that all elections and subsequent ballot on proposals and constitutional amendments would be dealt with by electronic voting after the…
Newsflash: Voting extended on BCA AGM ballot
At 6pm on Saturday 1st November BCA’s webservers were taken offline for essential maintenance by their web hosting provider. This included the voting website for the online ballot, and so BCA have extended the voting deadline by 24 hours to midnight tonight, Sunday 1st November (23:59, 01/11/2020). BCA will also delay the results release by…
BCRA Newsletter
In this newsletter: Cave Science Symposium, Annual General Meeting, BCRA Review 2019 now in press. Cave Science Symposium Our annual cave science symposium will be an online event this year, taking place via Zoom on Saturday 14 November. Details are being finalised and will be posted to our social media outlets as soon as possible….
Cheddar caves closed to both tourists and cavers
The Cheddar caves, owned by Longleat Enterprises Ltd, are currently closed to visitors. Following this, a statement just issued by the Council of Southern Caving Clubs (CSCC) informs cavers that the caves in the gorge on Longleat land are also closed to cavers, although access discussions are now under way with CSCC. The closure of…
BCA AGM – a letter from the chair
The BCA AGM is fast approaching and acting Chair Phil Rowsell has written to all members encouraging participation in the first online AGM.
BCRA Newsletter and AGM details
In this newsletter: online event, Connecting with Cave Research – Advice for Student Researchers, BCRA Review 2019 available for pre-order now, and details of the Annual General Meeting. Connecting with Cave Research – Advice for Student Researchers ONLINE WEBINAR: Monday 19 October, 19:00 to 21:30 BST This is an online webinar, hosted…
Online event: Monday 19th October 2020, Connecting with Cave Research – Advice for Student Researchers
To sign up for this event, please follow the link here, and please pass details of this to your club and any students you know.
BCA AGM details and your chance to stand as a group representative on Council
The BCA AGM is taking place on Sunday 11th October from 10.30 am on Zoom. The details of how to register to attend and speak can be found on the BCA website. In addition, the AGM will be livestreamed on the BCA Facebook page and anyone can watch this. However, if you would like to…
Descent 276 is coming soon with porcupines and maybe even dragons …
Descent 276 will be on its way soon, and although caving is slowly getting underway again, things are certainly not back to pre-covid levels, so do settle down for a good read, and take a moment to check whether your subscription is up to date. And if you don’t already read Descent, we hope we…
