Vince, Jon, Jake, Tav, and Nick A damp morning but, thankfully, the bags remained mostly dry. Packed bags ready for refilling while waiting for the others to arrive. All assembled headed underground, Jon leading the way to the AUD area where digging would take place today. Before digging got underway a brief discussion with Jon … Continue reading “5th July”
Solo After fiddling about with a few rocks and stone on the western spoil heap extension wall thought I had better get myself underground and get on with the main objective for the session. Quickly along to the AUD/BTOT area to continue with the excavation of faunal remains. Once settled, began to carefully excavate around … Continue reading “2nd July”
The team were called by Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team (BPMRT) to assist them with an ongoing search for a missing person (f,68) in the Hornby area. CRO Swiftwater technicians were tasked with searching the River Wenning downstream of Hornby Bri…
The team were called by Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team (BPMRT) to assist them with an ongoing search for a missing person (f,68) in the Hornby area. CRO Swiftwater technicians were tasked with searching the River Wenning downstream of Hornby Bri…
Today’s trip was to be a fairly tough one, involving roughly three miles of varied caving, reported to take 10 hours. This included the infamous Daren Entrance Series, the ladder up into Higher Things and a few “Velcro-mud” belly crawls for good meas…
The team were called by Yorkshire Ambulance Service to a walker (M 75) who had fallen and hit his head on some rocks in the vicinity of Gaping Gill. The first team members set off in CRO 4, our Honda Pioneer ATV, followed closely by more members in CRO…
The team were called by Yorkshire Ambulance Service to a walker (M 75) who had fallen and hit his head on some rocks in the vicinity of Gaping Gill. The first team members set off in CRO 4, our Honda Pioneer ATV, followed closely by more members in CRO…
As the vehicles returned to base from Incident 55, with Incident 56 ongoing the team received our fourth call of the evening, from North Yorkshire Police, alerting us to a party of three cavers (F 39, F 29, M 26) overdue on a trip through Long Churns d…
Whilst the Duty Controller was starting incident 55, a second call came from North Yorkshire Police (2 seconds between the police messages on the log!) requesting assistance to investigate a report of an injured walker (F) heading very slowly towards H…
As the team were returning to base from the previous incident one of the Assistant Controllers (Underground) who was staying at the Red Rose CPC hostel, at Bull Pot Farm, alerted the Duty Controller that a party of four cavers (all M in 50s) were overd…
The Team were called by North Yorkshire Police to assist with a visitor (F, 24) who had slipped whilst on the Waterfalls Trail and hurt her ankle. She was unable to put weight on the ankle or continue her walk. After an assessment by team RRMTs (Casual…
Vince, Jake, Jon, Nick, and Mike An early start (underground before 09:00) to carry out some “rock-bothering” before the rest of the team arrive. Before starting on the boulders in Can of Worms continued on to AUD area to install a M6-size eyebolt above the location of the faunal remains (STN.1) so enabling a plumb-line … Continue reading “28th June”
Vince, Jake, Jon, Nick, and Mike An early start (underground before 09:00) to carry out some “rock-bothering” before the rest of the team arrive. Before starting on the boulders in Can of Worms continued on to AUD area to install a M6-size eyebolt above the location of the faunal remains (STN.1) so enabling a plumb-line … Continue reading “28th June”
Due to pregnancy I missed the Dudley’s recent excursions into Draenen. Keen to put this right, I joined Dave and Loz for the Short Round Trip. It’s called “short” but compared to other round trips (e.g. in Aggy) it certainly felt long. I’m not sure…
The team were called by North Yorkshire Police to a report of a walker that had fallen and injured themselves on the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail. As the Duty Controller was making initial enquiries with staff at the Waterfalls Trail they confirmed that t…
The team were called by North Yorkshire Police to a report of a walker that had fallen and injured themselves on the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail. As the Duty Controller was making initial enquiries with staff at the Waterfalls Trail they confirmed that t…
Solo Spent the morning at home pottering around getting a few things together ready for a ‘Bear hunt’. At the farm dithered a bit with ‘this and that’, chatted with the farmer, and so was a little later underground than anticipated, no matter! Today’s objective (beyond Trick or Treat/AUD area) was to have a closer … Continue reading “25th June”
Vince, Roz and Sara Just for a change, a tourist trip into Hallowe’en Rift. Route from entrance via Merlin’s, Tuck Shop, An Emotional Journey to An Unexpected Development involves quite a lot of crawling. Dragged along a ladder and rope to descend the rift in AUD with Sara (Roz stayed at the top) followed by … Continue reading “23rd June”
The team were called by Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) to assist with a visitor (f,28) who had fallen on the footpath downstream of the waterfall. It was reported that she was suffering neck and lower limb injuries and was having difficulty with bre…
The team were called by Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) to assist with a visitor (f,28) who had fallen on the footpath downstream of the waterfall. It was reported that she was suffering neck and lower limb injuries and was having difficulty with bre…
Vince, Jake, Jon, and Nick As seems to be usual I arrived at the cave with time to spare so occupied myself fettling walls and packing bags until the team assembled. Jon has returned from injury although the story we had fabricated was more imaginative, Nick was [almost] recovered from a long bike ride, Lôn … Continue reading “21st June. Solstice!”
Whilst busy with the previous 2 incidents, the Team received a call from North Yorkshire Police concerning a lone walker (F, age not known) who had become separated from her group whilst doing the 3 Peaks Walk. She had apparently descended into the wro…
Whilst busy with the previous 2 incidents, the Team received a call from North Yorkshire Police concerning a lone walker (F, age not known) who had become separated from her group whilst doing the 3 Peaks Walk. She had apparently descended into the wro…
A number of Team members were assisting with a local fell race on Pen y Ghent, near Horton in Ribblesdale. This is an annual event for our local fell running community, at which we are always pleased to help. The race had largely gone well but unfortun…
The start of a busy afternoon for the Team! We were alerted to an incident by our colleagues at Kendal Mountain Rescue Team, which had been misdirected to them by Cumbria Police. The incident was very near the border of our two Teams, just above Dent….
Vince, Brockers, Jake, Nick, and Tav A mindful gathering to celebrate Global Wellness Day! An early start for me to replace a couple of skips (thanks to John Cooper and Wessex for supply of drums) before returning to surface, where I was joined by Brockers, we packed bags until the team arrived. A slight change … Continue reading “14th June”
A walker (m, 72) became unwell after climbing almost to the top of the steps up the side of Malham Cove. After assessment by YAS paramedics, he was walked very gently back down with support from team members. Accompanied by the paramedics, the walker w…
A walker (m, 72) became unwell after climbing almost to the top of the steps up the side of Malham Cove. After assessment by YAS paramedics, he was walked very gently back down with support from team members. Accompanied by the paramedics, the walker w…
Vince, Jake, Nick, and Tav Another earlier arrival at the cave packing bags until the rest of the team turned up. When all were assembled the small team deployed to Can of Worms where Nick was upfront digging. While Jake cleared away the filled bags I went on to AUD to retrieve the strips of … Continue reading “7th June”
The team were called by North Yorkshire Police to assist a local farmer with a sheep trapped in a small pothole. A small team met the farmer at the location to be confronted with a large sheep that was firmly wedged in a narrow shaft. After two hours o…
The team were called by North Yorkshire Police to assist a local farmer with a sheep trapped in a small pothole. A small team met the farmer at the location to be confronted with a large sheep that was firmly wedged in a narrow shaft. After two hours o…
TitanIt was a long-awaited trip to Titan for the four of us who had never visited it before. Since we weren’t planning to go far into the system but were only doing a bounce trip with a potential look into the connection, we weren’t in a rush to …
Anyone who heard that the Dudley were planning a weekend trip to “Parys” might have envisaged us all drinking wine by the Seine. No such luck this time: this was an excursion to “Parys” not “Paris”. But what an amazing trip it was!
A handful of …
Anyone who heard that the Dudley were planning a weekend trip to “Parys” might have envisaged us all drinking wine by the Seine. No such luck this time: this was an excursion to “Parys” not “Paris”. But what an amazing trip it was!
A handful of …
Vince, Jake, Nick, and Tav An earlier start for me as I wanted to continue preparing the ground ready for extending the spoil heap wall on the western side. That done got on with packing bags just as the others arrived. A smaller team assembled today so the digger, Tav, chose to excavate in Can … Continue reading “31st May”
Ever wondered where the water comes from to make your cup of tea or give you that hot shower after caving, then read on…and don’t say the tap!Over the weekend of May 23rd-25th members of SWCC and Wealdon CC came together to help carry out repairs to t…
Ever wondered where the water comes from to make your cup of tea or give you that hot shower after caving, then read on…and don’t say the tap!Over the weekend of May 23rd-25th members of SWCC and Wealdon CC came together to help carry out repairs to t…
A local farmer contacted one of the Assistant Controllers to request assistance with one of his lambs that had fallen down a small pothole off Horton Scar Lane. After alerting the Duty Controller, the Assistant Controller went up with the farmer to ass…
North Yorkshire Police asked the team to help with a call reporting concerns for the welfare of a person in the vicinity of the Gaping Gill winch meet. Whilst initial enquiries were being made by the Duty Controller the person in question was assisted …
The team was called by North Yorkshire Police to a missing three peaks walker who had got seperated from his friends on the descent from Ingleborough. Whilst the controllers were making initial enquiries and meeting with the reporting party to get more…
[A similar version of this report was published in Caves & Karst Science, Vol.48, No.3, p.95-96. 2021. Transactions of the British Cave Research Association] Abstract: During 2011, a small-scale excavation in Toil and Trouble, located in the lower series of passages in Hallowe’en Rift, recovered a single animal bone from the fine sediments. The bone […]
Solo What better place could I be on a rainy day forecast than underground in HR carrying out some “rock-bothering”. Spent a couple of hours or so reducing the collection of conglomerate boulders put to one side on Saturday into more manageable pieces ideal material for wall-building. The rocks broken up, kit packed away, the … Continue reading “27th May”
Solo What better place could I be on a rainy day forecast than underground in HR carrying out some “rock-bothering”. Spent a couple of hours or so reducing the collection of conglomerate boulders put to one side on Saturday into more manageable pieces ideal material for wall-building. The rocks broken up, kit packed away, the … Continue reading “27th May”
Vince, Tav, Nick, Jake, Brockers Got up to the cave early with a variety of tools to clear the ground of brambles and other vegetation so another section of spoil heap wall can be added. When that was completed started to pack bags ready for refilling later. The rest of the team arrived, bags were … Continue reading “24th May”
The team were called by North Yorkshire Police to a report of a sheep that had fallen down Gritstone Pot. When the duty controller spoke to the reporting person it transpired that there was also a second sheep down Boggarts Roaring Hole, but some caver…
An early start was in order to start the walk up ingleborough to the GG winch meet.
On reaching the makeshift town, we started to form a plan. My mom and dad would be descending the winch at 12:30 so the plan was to meet them in the main chamber fo…
When your son tells you he’s taking you on a “gentle introduction to caving”, you imagine something along the lines of a casual wander underground, perhaps a bit of scrambling, nothing too dramatic. What I didn’t expect was to find myself soaked to t…
Solo Spent a pleasant couple of hours or so “rock-bothering” in the AUD area. Moved the resulting pile of debris along to the skip ready for removal at a later date. While I was underground and had some time took a closer look in Can of Worms. The current dig is in a circa north/northwest … Continue reading “23rd May”
A member of the public alerted North Yorkshire Police to a lamb that had fallen to the bottom of Hull Pot, on the side of Pen-y-Ghent, who then requested the team’s assistance to rescue it. As the lamb was in no immediate danger it was decided to…
British National Grid ST 5353 4811 [A similar version of this report has previously been published in Caves & Karst Science Vol. 52 (1), 2025, p.27-31. Transactions of the British Cave Research Association (BCRA)] Abstract Excavation for speleological purposes is an intrusive process and as such it is vital that sediments and other deposits contained […]
Vince, Jake, Jon, Brockers, Nick, and Tav An earlier start for me to carry out some ‘rock-bothering’ in the AUD area where there are a couple of large conglomerate boulder requiring some reduction in size to be more manageable. Underground by 09:00 with drill and plugs/feathers packed. The rocks were dealt with producing quite a … Continue reading “17th May”
North Yorkshire Police asked the team to assist with a report of two cavers significantly overdue on a trip into Stile Pot. As the Duty Controllers placed underground members on standby and gathered further information, NYP called back to advise that …
North Yorkshire Police asked the team to assist with a report of two cavers significantly overdue on a trip into Stile Pot. As the Duty Controllers placed underground members on standby and gathered further information, NYP called back to advise that …
[A similar version of this report was published in Cave & Karst Science, Vol. 52 (1), 2025, p.32-34. Transactions of the British Cave Research Association.] Quarter Way Up Hole (QWUH) is a small cave in Fairy Cave Quarry, Mendip Hills, Somerset (NGR ST 65529 47500). It is being dug actively by cavers in an effort […]
The Team were called by North Yorkshire Police to assist with an injured walker (M, 85) on the Waterfalls Trail. He had slipped down a bank and sustained injuries to his face and hands. Members of the public had helped him back up to the path when team…
The Team were called by North Yorkshire Police to assist with an injured walker (M, 85) on the Waterfalls Trail. He had slipped down a bank and sustained injuries to his face and hands. Members of the public had helped him back up to the path when team…
The Team were alerted by North Yorkshire Police, requesting assistance with a walker (F, 54) who had sustained an ankle injury whilst descending the summit ridge from Whernside. The walker was unable to bear weight on the injured leg, and could not con…
Vince, Brockers, Jake, Jon, Nick, and Tav Underground, Brockers digging in An Unexpected Development area (Jake had given up his turn in favour of Brockers this week), Jake cleared away filled bags and rocks, I was hauling the spoil up the slope and passing it on to Jon, who took it across the chamber in … Continue reading “10th May”
The Team were called by North Yorkshire Police to assist with an injured walker (F, 22) who had slipped whilst on the Waterfalls Trail. Team members treated the injury then stretchered her a short distance to the team Land rover. She was then driven to…
With Jake, Brockers, Jon, Nick, Mike, and Luke (Nick’s nephew) Got to the farm early to deposit the tools recovered from Wookey Hole on Thursday evening in the shed for use whenever required. The ‘mini-sledge’ and pack of empty bags were taken up to the cave. There seems to be some renewed vigour in the … Continue reading “3rd May”
