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…
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…
, If you want to know why a couple of Aussie cavers have had two new species of cave spider named after them get your mitts on the new issue of Descent, which brings you caving news from around the world. Descent 280 should now have reached you by now, but if not, it’s time…
It is an honour to have been given the opportunity to review Aquanaut, and to immerse myself in Rick Stanton’s account of his numerous cave diving exploits, and his unique perspective on the now universally acclaimed 2018 rescue of the Wild Boars from Tham Luang Nang Non in Thailand. Book reviews are not generally at…
Another excellent issue from the Descent team is packed with interesting and exciting content including a trip in the “world’s largest cave”! As is so often the case now, Newsdesk starts with items about the current pandemic, including a catch-up on its effects on caving in the UK alongside some news about the international research…
Descent 277 is now here. It’s yet another great issue from the Descent team with interesting and exciting content, including some great exploration stories. There is so much to tell that this issue has eight extra pages! We start with Newsdesk where, of course Covid-19 gets a mention or two. Probably the most useful is…
Alan Jeffreys dips into his bookshelf again to take a look at another caving classic. Back in the day when I was just starting out on a speleological career, seeking books from public libraries almost inevitably involved reading French authors. Although there was a smattering of British volumes, most of them dated from the turn…
This is the second volume of a planned four volume set covering the caves, mines and associated features of the county of Somerset. Volume 1 was published earlier in 2020 and features Bristol, Broadfield Down, the Bristol Channel and West Somerset. Volume 3 will cover Central and South Mendip, and Volume 4 will complete the…
Naughty boys, grand follies, an underground control centre for a railway and a Quaker congregation falling through the floor into the cellar … Peter Burgess gets to explore Dorking below the surface in a book that went underground in his own house for a while! It is with some embarrassment that I am finally writing…
Dave William Gill (not to be confused with Dave ‘Icarus’ Gill) will be known to many cavers in this country – and abroad – as one of our leading ‘expedition’ speleologists. His CV reads like a Rider Haggard adventure story, embracing first descents into some of the earth’s most challenging and spectacular caverns and explorations…
As I type, the Craven Pothole Club (CPC) is well into its 91st year. The founder member in September 1929 was Albert Mitchell, FRGS, who sadly passed away in October 1985. He was a prolific writer on caving and many other subjects. His early career as a reporter for the Craven Herald was partly why…
A report on the big river caves of Papua New Guinea in the Nakanai Mountains and one on harvesting swiftlet nests in Sarawak by David Gill form a large part of this issue of Cave and Karst Science, along with reports on subjects as diverse as Northern Pennine maze caves and the hydrological significance of…
It is impossible to either ignore or underrate this fine book, which is part of my triumvirate of classic cave writing dating from the 1950s, alongside Underground Adventure and Subterranean Climbers. Like many of its contemporary companions, the narrative relates how a group of adventure-seeking friends came together to explore caves and stumbled, almost by…
If you’re anticipating having a lot of time on your hands and wondering what on earth you are going to do with your time during what could be a protracted period of social distancing, then look no further! Here we review a book, full of interest to any caver, longer than a good few classic…
Following Alan Jefferys’ review of Concrete Evidence by Victor S Wigmore, Darkness Below heard from Jim Pennington who came across another novel by Wigmore. Jim now takes up the tale … Adventures Underground grabbed my attention in an Oxfam shop – it carried a politely salacious inscription: “To Marjorie, With many thanks for ‘services rendered’….
The BCA Newsletter 37 – February 2020 is now available. Editor David Rose has put out a bumper edition which is both visually attractive, thanks to laying out work by Matt Ewles and Gary Douthwaite, and packed full of BCA news and other features. There are two main feature articles – a piece by Andy…
The Mendip Cave Registry and Archive (MCRA) are pleased to announce the launch of Volume 1 of ‘Somerset Underground’, at the Hunters’ Lodge Inn at 8 p.m. on Saturday 7th March. Costing a rock-bottom bargain price of just £10, Volume 1 comprises 275 pages and contains details of more than 750 natural caves, sea…
UBSS, Bristol. 2019. 364pp, 20 colour photographs, 136 maps and surveys. Hardback, 180mm × 248mm. £20 ISBN 978-0-9545850-1-3 In one sense, Caves of Mid-West Ireland is the fourth edition of this caving guidebook, while in another it is the first. That is, the University of Bristol SS has a longstanding and well known intimate…
Alan Jeffreys recently came across a curious manuscript entitled Concrete Evidence, a speleo novel by Victor Stephen Wignore and reviews it here for Darkness Below. Squirrelled away amongst the papers of Eli Simpson and the now defunct British Speleological Association is a typed, carbon copy manuscript on quarto paper of a ‘thriller’ amounting to some…
Descent 269 should now have landed on your mat, making an even heavier thud than usual with eight extra pages this issue! If a copy hasn’t reached you, it’s time to head over to Wildplaces Publishing to subscribe now or if you’re lucky enough to have a caving shop anywhere near you, call in and…
A young woman is so savagely beaten that it’s impossible to work out her identity. Becca thinks she knows who the woman must be, but the police aren’t convinced by her claims. But someone is determined to silence her … Jared Godwin is addicted to caves and mines, as well as dark, secret places where…
Swildon’s Hole and a terminally bad experience in Sump 1 feature in our latest look at caving fiction. I’ve followed Damian Boyd’s West Country police series on and off over the years but managed to miss out on Death Sentence, which features caving as part of the plot, so I’m grateful to Bob Mehew for…
Descent 268 is now available! If a copy hasn’t arrived with you, it’s time to head over to Wildplaces Publishing to subscribe now or if you’re lucky enough to have a caving shop anywhere near you, call in and get a one from them. Descent is the best way to stay in touch with what’s…
As the cover states, Underground sets out to tell a human history of the worlds beneath our feet. As a caver, I approached a book on the underground written by an ‘urbexer’ with some trepidation as in some quarters of the caving world, urban explorers have a somewhat dubious reputation for trespassing. But I tried…
Reports on amphibians and reptiles in caves, 3-D cave mapping, and racial segregation in a South African cave are among the features in the April issue of Cave and Karst Science. There are five main articles in Volume 46, Number 1, as well as some shorter pieces in the Forum section. The first is a…
The June issue of Descent is about to land on your mats, so take a moment to check whether your subscription is up to date! The issue covers the thorny old problem of how to get insurance for caving expeditions. At long last, the BCA has a scheme in place to help with this. For…
Alan Jeffreys enjoys a caving classic even if he doesn’t entirely approve of the author’s somewhat cavalier attitude to risk … Ernest Baker was well known in his day as an indefatigable climber, rambler and caver, whose activities embraced Alpine ascents as well as many cave explorations in Britain and Ireland. As a teacher of…
Kate Mosse is better known for Labyrinth and other books, but Alan Jeffreys recommends taking a look at her novella, The Cave, set in the Pyrenees Quick Reads, as outlined on the publisher’s promotional blurb, are ‘bite-sized books by bestselling writers … for people who want a short, fast-paced read.’ Novellas by authors as diverse…
It’s birthday cake plus cheese and pineapple on sticks all round this issue as Descent 266 celebrates 50 years in print. And it’s a visually stunning issue to mark the special anniversary. Caving hut clubs and student bedrooms are likely to be decorated with the gorgeous double-sided poster that’s the free gift with this issue…
BCA Newsletter no 37 for January 2019 is now available. Editor David Rose has produced a bumper issue starting with a few words from him as well as from BCA chair, Les Williams, who recently represented the BCA at a reception in London in the Speaker’s residence in the Houses of Parliament to honour the…
In his quest for vintage caving books, Alan Jeffreys has delved into his bookshelves again, and has come up with a northern classic from the early 1960s … Following the publication of‘Underground Adventure in 1952 there was something of a hiatus in northern cave literature. Specialist titles from various clubs and societies kept cavers informed…
Alan Jeffreys continues his look at classic caving books with a review of a classic text that captures the excitement of underground exploration in the 1930s and 1940s as war raged and some of those involved were fighting on a secret front. Occasionally a writer with deep spiritual affinity for his subject produces a work of almost lyrical…
As part of our ongoing series of reviews of classic caving books, Alan Jeffreys looks at the groundbreaking Pennine Underground. With the plethora of UK caving guides at present available, it is easy to see a pattern of presentation common to all which is now taken for granted. What is not generally appreciated, however, is…
The December 2018 issue of Caves and Karst Science is now available. Volume 45, Number 3 carries six articles. The first is a report on the distribution of deposits of cool freshwater tufa, which are ubiquitous on the calcareous island of Lismore in Loch Linnhe, Argyll. Tufa deposits are rare in Scotland but at this…
Mike Moore reviews a valuable addition to any mine explorer’s book collection. This new book is a detailed study of the lead, silver and zinc mines of the Cwm Rheidol and Ystumtuen orefield, covering the history of all 40 mines in the valley, with archaeological descriptions of the surface and underground workings, and is supported…
If it looks like you’ll be restricted to armchair caving over the festive season, make sure you get the latest copy of Descent to keep you in touch with the underground world. And congratulations are due to editors Chris and Judith, as October marked 30 years since they started editing the publication, and 20 since…
As part of a new series on classic caving books, both fact and fiction, Linda Wilson reviews Styx, a 1982 adventure novel with a surprisingly up-to-date twist … Two Japanese geologists on a visit to the Yugoslavian karst stumble on the find of the century, a previously unknown cave containing a roof decorated with what…
As part of a new series on classic caving books, both fact and fiction, Alan Jeffreys takes a look at Underground Adventure by A Gemmell and JO Myers. Before the Second World War, the quantity of British caving books was minute: several volumes penned by Herbert Balch and Ernest Baker attempted to provide narratives to…
Descent 264 is now available! If a copy hasn’t arrived with you, it’s time to head over to Wildplaces Publishing to subscribe now or if you’re lucky enough to have a caving shop anywhere near you, call in and get a one from them. As we’ve said before, we think Descent is great, and we…
By way of preface to Archaeology of the Caves of Ireland in 2012, archaeologists Marion Dowd and Robert Hensey brought together a number of specialists to discuss in conference the impact of darkness found in caves (and artificial spaces such as souterrains) on the development of human history. The results were subsequently published in this…
TV archaeologist Nolan Moore is in search of a mysterious cavern in the Grand Canyon, discovered in 1909 by Kincaid, a man who returned with fabulous tales of an immense cave, decorated in places with what he described as hieroglyphs which hint at a more ancient occupation of the Americas than has always been believed….
Descent 264 will be with you very shortly! If you’re not up to date with your subscription don’t forget that the lovely folks at Wildplaces Publishing will be delighted to welcome you back into the fold. And if you’re new to caving, Descent will provide you with news, photos and the best possible introduction to…
The August 2018 issue of Caves and Karst Science is now available. Volume 45, Number 2 carries five main articles; the first being a subjective summary of the history, activities, publications and some of the characters of the former CRG and BCRA Hydrology Groups (1964–1999) written by John Wilcock. John hopes that current BCRA members…
Descent 263 is now available! If you’re not already got your copy, we hope this short round up will tempt you to subscribe now, so head over to Wildplaces Publishing or if you’re lucky enough to have a caving shop anywhere near you, call in and get a one from them. As we say every…
Descent 263 will be out soon so now’s a good time to check if you’re up to date with your subscription! The hard-working folks at Wildplaces will be delighted to welcome you back into the fold if yours has lapsed. Descent will provides news, photos and features both at home and abroad, all stunningly illustrated….
Descent 262 should have landed on your mats and in the shops by now! If you’re not a subscriber, we hope this short round up will tempt you in and send you over to Wildplaces Publishing to get your copy, or if you’re lucky enough to have a caving shop anywhere near you, call in…
Special Offer! The CDG publication WOOKEY HOLE tells the story of the pioneers and their cutting edge approaches to exploratory diving at one of Somerset’s best-known caves over the last 75 years. The book covers two periods: 1935 – 1985, and then 1986 to its publication in 2010. The introduction is by Jim Hanwell and…
Descent 261 should have reached subscribers and shops by now! If you’re not a subscriber, we hope this short round up will whet your appetite and send you over to Wildplaces Publishing to get your copy, or if you’re lucky enough to have a caving shop anywhere near you, call in and get a copy…
The April 2018 issue of Caves and Karst Science is now available. Volume 45, Number 1 carries six main articles, starting with an appreciation of Dr Trevor R Shaw, speleo-historian extraordinaire, to celebrate his 90th birthday. There are contributions from many of his friends, including those from the Karst Research Institute in Postojna, Slovenia, with…
Respectable patent lawyer Peter Hamilton is found dead at a spot known as The Devil’s Dice, a remote crag in the Peak District which houses a vast network of caves known as The Labyrinth, feared for their complexity and dark reputation. The caves, now gated, have long been known as a suicide spot. The legend…
In today’s Information Age we’ve all become used to having what we want to know at our fingertips – literally! At times it seems as though everything we want or need to know is available online, but most of us probably mainly use the internet to argue with strangers and watch videos of cats! I…
A new print run of Rhosydd Slate Quarry, by M.J.T. Lewis and J.H. Denton, is now available. In 1974, the list of available literature covering mining history of any kind was not particularly long. In Cornwall, The publication of numerous popular books by Bradford Barton on the mines of S.W. England was well-established, but by…
The December issue of Caves and Karst Science is now available. Volume 44, Number 3 carries four main articles, starting with a paper on Karst conduit complexity by John Gunn, demonstrated by a dye tracing experiment from Rowter Hole, Castleton in Derbyshire, one of the most intensively investigated karst areas in Britain, with over 40…
Descent 260 should by now have landed on mats all around the country! If you’re not a subscriber, we hope this short round up will whet your appetite and send you over to Wildplaces Publishing to get your copy, or if you’re lucky enough to have a caving shop anywhere near you, call in and…
Descent 259 is now available! Newsdesk’s five pages will bring you up to date with news at home and abroad and even outer space, with the report that more holes have been found on the Moon! Rumour has it that applications to the Ghar Parau Foundation are now being prepared…. A new caving award has…
The internationally renowned Underground Worlds calendar for 2018 is now available from Wild Places Publishing, better known to most of us as the publishers of the cavers’ magazine, Descent. The calendar contains 12 beautifully printed A3 pages (plus the cover) featuring caves from around the world. Not only that, the final page has a bonus…
The October edition of Wales Underground, the Newsletter of the Cambrian Caving Council is now available. The newsletter leads with news of the discovery of a new entrance to Ogof Draenen, opened from inside the cave, after dangling bracken roots gave a clue to how close to the surface that area of the cave lay….
Cave and Karst Science’s August 2017 issue is now available. Volume 44, Number 2 carries six main articles, starting with ‘Deeply submerged speleothems in Keld Head, Kingsdale, Yorkshire’ by John Cordingley, David Lowe and Tony Waltham, which examines the significance of a deposit of laminated flowstone lying at a depth of 9m, 550m into the…
When I first began caving, I eagerly worked my way through as many of the caving classics as possible. Most of the ones I was able to get hold of were about exploration in France, a country whose caving regions I now know well. It was with great delight in the 1980s that I came…
Descent 258 is now available! As ever, Newsdesk will bring you up to date with news at home and abroad. A new world depth record has been set in a cave in the Western Caucasus in Georgia. The latest volume in the hugely popular Northern Caves series is now available. Two stunning new calendars are…
