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…
Roy Fellows would like the following safety advice to be published: With regard to the ladder at the top of a very loose slope of rocks on the climb up / SRT route above to skipway, please heed this advice for your safety. Following a recent incident, it is felt that there is a need…
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…
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…
Here are some brief snippets of news, courtesy of Roy Fellows. Filming for “Hidden Wales” Lazerbeam Productions has been filming surface and underground at Cwmystwyth for a forthcoming series “Hidden Wales”. Roy accompanied a filming team underground and he will probably feature quite a lot in the Cwmystwyth episode, which he hopes will provide a bit of…
Conservation work in 2003 in Goatchurch Cavern on the Mendips revealed some fine inscribed marks on calcite flowstone next to the Giant’s Steps. The marks resembled the letter W and aroused interest as the patina was considerably darker than the lighter exposed calcite nearby in graffiti dated 1704. We filed them in the mental compartment…
Two cavers (f, f) were reported to be three hours overdue in Wretched Rabbit, Easegill. Having alerted CRO, other cavers, staying at Bull Pot Farm, went to investigate and found that the two were still underground, unharmed, but moving very slowly …
A team of rope access technicians are undertaking a radical spring clean at Cheddar Gorge in Somerset. A total of 15 specialists are taking part in the £100,000 programme which aims to clear loose rock, vegetation and invasive plant and tree species from the gorge. The six-week programme will involve around 37,500 square metres of…
If you’re at a loose end from the 4th of April – 15th of April 2018, the Pod Raba Caving Club are organising an expedition to Kolkina Dupka cave, the deepest in Bulgaria, and one of the longest. The camp is located just outside of Zimevista village, some 50km away from Sofia, Bulgaria, and anyone…
Five cavers (f, 18 – m,25) were reported overdue in Providence Pot, at 21.29 on Saturday. The afternoon’s rain had melted snow, causing a rapid rise in stream levels. Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association attended and began a search of t…
Most of the popular coverage of the recent announcements about the possible Neanderthal link to parietal art in Spanish caves has, as usual, been focussing on the old paradigm of their being much less “advanced” or “intelligent” than their H. Sapiens successors in Europe. This is a view that has taken something of a battering…
On the 31st of January and 1st of February, the UNEXMIN consortium partners and advisory board members gathered in Bled, Slovenia, to discuss the current and future developments of this EU-funded project. They discussed the work carried out by each partner in the previous months, but mainly focussed on the robot’s assembly, due in April,…
The Council of Southern Caving Clubs (CSCC) are changing the locks on all of the caves for which they administer access. The previously used locks are now no longer available and so a new lock has been sourced and a new stock of locks and keys obtained. All member clubs are being issued with at…
In September, Andrew Atkinson’s article on Cave Surveying – the next steps proved to be of huge interest to readers. An open invitation was extended to cavers with an interest in surveying or geographic information systems (GIS) to attend a workshop at Hidden Earth 2017. This was very well-attended and served as an excellent demonstration…
An Italian team, Achleoos Geo Exploring, is exploring and documenting underground rivers with very high flow rates. In a series of expeditions from 2012 to 2017 they have been exploring the Aouk River System and other caves in West Papua. This system is formed from several river passages and large dolines with an average annual…
On the summit of Ingleborough, a paraglider fell about 3 metres when his parachute stalled whilst he was taking off. He suffered a suspected fracture to an ankle. Remarkably, and with the generous help of passing walkers, the injured person had the ten…
DNA work carried out by researchers from the Natural History Museum (NHM) and University College London (UCL) has shed new light on Cheddar Man, a skeleton discovered 103 years ago in Gough’s Cave, Somerset. Specialists from the NHM have succeeded in extracting viable DNA from the 10,000 year-old-skeleton, a first for a British individual of…
Bob Mehew has provided the following information with regard to the reduction in acceptable levels of exposure to radon gas, which might impact cave instructors and show cave owners. Correspondent: Bob Mehew
Following an incident on Saturday 27th January 2018, it has been reported to the Pwll Du Cave Management Group (PDCMG) that there has been some movement in the area of the squeeze in the 2nd boulder choke in the Ogof Draenen Main Streamway. It is possible that this squeeze may have got slightly tighter. Please…
Taping, for good or bad, is a vital aspect of caving that ensures most of the cave is kept safe for future generations, restricting the wear and tear from cavers to the controlled paths. In Draenen, conservation tape has been successfully used to protect the cave. However, the original tape was laid quickly, with little…
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…
The connection of two of the largest underwater cave systems in the world has produced a new record, bringing the combined length of two caves, Sac Actun and Dos Ojos, to a total length of 347 km.
The eight men trapped since Sunday in the Hölloch in Switzerland’s Muotathal valley are now free. The Schwyz cantonal police said that the men had left the cave on Thursday night. They are all unhurt, were in good spirits and have returned home. Originally it had been thought that the group of seven tourists and…
Eight men have been trapped in the Hölloch cave in Switzerland’s Muotathal valley since 21 January. They will not be released before this weekend at the earliest due to heavy rainfall. They are unhurt and are currently stuck in a water-tight bivouac. The cavers aged between 25 and 55 had entered the cave system last…
Descent 260 will be with you very shortly! If you’re not up to date with your subscription, now is the time to renew. The lovely folks at Wild Places Publishing will be very happy to add you to the subscriptions list so you don’t miss out. As ever there’ll be a packed Newsdesk to bring…
Joint Statement by the Secretaries of Pwll Du Cave Management Group (PDCMG) and Cambrian Caving Council (CCC). There is a new entrance to Ogof Draenen, excavated within a Scheduled Monument. Following recent publicity, it has come to our attention that some cavers are contacting Cadw to question the closure of Twll Du. Cadw’s position in…
New research by academics from the University of Leicester and the British Museum, working with colleagues from the British Geological Survey and Cambridge University, outlines the science behind the largest concentration of indigenous pre-Columbian rock art in the Caribbean. Exploration and surveys of around 70 cave systems — part of an interdisciplinary study of past…
Thirteen organisations from seven countries across Europe are collaborating in an ambitious project to develop a submersible robotic system for surveying and exploration of flooded mines. The €5 million project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research programme, includes the development of a Robotic Explorer (UX-1) for autonomous 3D mine mapping to gather valuable…
In the summer of 2017, I was made aware of a scheme to encourage community archaeological groups to submit material for radiocarbon dating. The scheme is known as the Community Archaeology Radiocarbon Dating (CARD) Fund, and there is a simple online application process for suggesting suitable items for dating. The Wealden Cave and Mine Society…
Information has been received from Robert Griffiths at Welsh Water/Dwr Cymru that they will be carrying out a scour test at 10am on the morning of the 24/01/2018 as part of their inspections. This may have an impact on Porth yr Ogof. For safety reasons, cavers are advised to avoid the cave and the river…
Holmebank Chert Mine Fan Entrance lock installation 9th January 2018 Today I was up at Holmebank Chert Mine near Bakewell on behalf of the Derbyshire Caving Association and the Peak Instructed Caving Affiliation. One of the access points to the …
The team were contacted by North Yorkshire Police, and asked to conduct a search of the ground, sinkholes and potholes on Scales Moor, in connection with the search for a missing person. A team member entering Ewes Top Moss Pot discovered the body of a…
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…
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…
Following recent reports of the opening of a new entrance to Ogof Draenen and the statement from the Trustees of the Pwll Dhu Cave Management Committee, additional information has been received from Cadw who have confirmed that the hole that was excavated to open a new entrance to Ogof Draenen has been dug through, and…
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…
To celebrate 50 years of pioneering British cave exploration and scientific research, renowned explorers of the subterranean world will come together to share their discoveries and experiences during 4 days at the Royal Geographical Society, London.
We have been asked by the Trustees of Pwll Du Cave Management Group to publish the following statement, which is also being published today in Descent. PDMCG have also confirmed that the Twll Du entrance is within the site of an ancient monument as we suggested in our previous article. The Trustees have informed us that Cadw are…
Liar’s Sink is the name given to an obvious sink in the burn a short distance from the Cave of the Liar, Applecross. The following account is drawn from Toby Speight’s description of its exploration between January 2016 and October 2017. The original account, along with more pictures, can be found on the cave’s dedicated…
The winner of the 2017 J-Rat digging award was announced at the Hunter’s Lodge Inn last night, 25th November. The winner is Toby Speight and the Grampian Caving Group, for finding and surveying 302.5 m of passage in Poll Breugair, Applecross, Wester Ross, Scotland. This is the second win for the GSG, but was closely…
The Ario Dream, a new film reflecting on 57 years of cave exploration by Oxford University Caving Club and the Ario Caves Project, premiered at the Kendal Mountain Festival on Saturday night and won “The People’s Choice Award” at the close of the festival. The film, made by Paul Diffley of Hot Aches Productions, follows…
Descent 259 will landing on your mats very soon! If you’re not up to date with your subscription, now is the time to renew. The lovely folks at Wild Places Publishing will be happy to add you to the subscriptions list so you don’t miss out. There’s a packed Newsdesk for you, with even more…
The deadline has passed, the figures are in and the 2017 annual J-Rat Digging Award will be announced at a gala evening at the Hunters’ Lodge Inn on Saturday 25th November. The festivities will begin at 7.30 p.m. Will the winner be from Mendip, like last year, from Scotland or from further afield? Your correspondent…
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…
I’d been caving for perhaps nine hours. We’d been going slowly, carrying a lot of equipment and I was tired. Very tired. Now I was shivering in a storm shelter at the foot of a draughty waterfall with so much flow that you could barely see where the pitch rope was. In any other circumstance…
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…
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…
Ogof Draenen in South Wales has once again been plunged into an entrance-related controversy following a connection made to the surface from inside the cave. This leads to the main cave via a series of short pitches equipped with fixed ladders, and there is also a rope traverse and a free-hanging pitch to negotiate. Rumours…
We reported last year that cryogenic cave crystals (CCCs) had been found for the first time in the UK in Wookey Hole in 2015. Gina Moseley and Mark Luetscher from Innsbruck University had been investigating CCCs for some time in the Alps and want to extend the research to the UK, and are calling for…
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….
At the beginning of the summer break of 2017, six members of the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society (UBSS) travelled to County Clare on our annual Ireland expedition. Our main objective was to continue the re-surveying of the Coolagh River cave which was started last year. We also had the secondary objective of continuing survey…
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…
The British Caving Association Newsletter for November 2017 is now available on the BCA website. David Rose has now taken on the job of newsletter editor and the editorial introduces him and his background. He hopes to use the newsletter to stimulate debate and make BCA more accessible to cavers. In the Chairman’s Piece, Andy…
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…
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…
