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…
Due to the large volume of recent rainfall in the region, information has been received from Welsh Water/Dwr Cymru that a planned release of water from an upstream dam will start on 1st November and will continue for several days. This will affect the River Mellte and the cave of Porth yr Ogof. The effect…
The BCRA’s 30th annual science symposium took place at Keyworth,hosted by the British Geological Survey. I attended the Saturday session and was impressed by the depth and variety of scientific work being undertaken by British cavers. The morning session kicked off with a description of palaeokarst features found in the Pielkhlieng Pouk-Krem Sakwa system in…
NWAS asked for assistance in finding someone (f, 62) believed to be at risk, having walked on to Barbon Low Fell. The missing person was found very easily, assessed by a paramedic team member, then accompanied down to the road-head. She was kept warm u…
Two Three Peaks walkers became crag-fast while ascending the rock scramble above Humphrey Bottom, on Ingleboroough. One (f, 31), became very cold in strong winds and low cloud, so could neither continue nor retreat. After being assessed by a team docto…
A walker (m, 69) experienced a dizzy spell, fell and sustained a head injury on the limestone pavement, at the top of Malham Cove. Air ambulance paramedics, arriving first, assessed the patient, then walked him to the aircraft, as team members were bri…
Descent 270 has now arrived! 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 get one from them. As we always say, we think Descent is great, and we want to…
A walker (f, 60) sustained an ankle injury on the descent from Whernside to the Craven Way green lane and there was concern that she might do more damage if she continued walking. Team members met at Ribblehead and most drove up to the Force Gill aqued…
In 2019, The University of Bristol Spelaeological Society (UBSS), one of the oldest caving clubs in the country, celebrates 100 years of cave and archaeological exploration and research. On the 9th/10th November, to mark the occasion, the society is hosting a weekend of presentations and fieldtrips celebrating its past, present and future. UBSS member Professor…
Three Three Peaks Walkers reported themselves lost, but uninjured, on Ingleborough. In the dark, their one torch and two mobile phones had died and their third phone – the sole means of navigation – showed only 17% battery. NYP were able …
Following a number of 999 calls, reporting ‘a body in the river’, just below Pecca Falls, personnel from CRO (including the Swiftwater Team), North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service, Yorkshire Ambulance Service and…
Identifying geological features in a densely vegetated, steep, and rough terrain can be almost impossible. Imagery like LiDAR can help researchers see through the tree cover, but subtle landforms can often be missed by the human eye.
A walker (m 64) slipped on wet rock whilst getting a drink from Fell Beck near to Gaping Gill on Ingleborough. He fell into the water and was reported to have hit his head on rocks. His companions helped to get him out of the beck and called for help. …
CRO were called to assist Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) and Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) with a casualty (m 67) reported to be unconscious having sustained a head injury during a significant fall on rock bands near to the summit of Pen-y-ghent. YA…
Bob Hall, on behalf of SWCC and the Ogof Ffynnon Ddu Cave Advisory Group, has sent the following information: Changes to the Administration of Access of the Ogof Ffynnon Ddu System Background The Ogof Ffynnon Ddu cave system lies within a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest administered by Natural Resources Wales who own the…
Descent 270 is about to be posted so to make sure you get your copy take a moment to check whether your subscription is up to date! And if not, contact the nice folks at Wildplaces Publishing. The caves of Tresviso do not reveal their secrets easily, though another expedition has made significant gains ……
Two walkers were attempting to complete the 3 peaks walk; with Pen-y-ghent to be their last summit of the day. Due to delays experienced earlier in the day, they found themselves approaching Pen-y-ghent at dusk. After it became dark they reported thems…
Three cavers were reported overdue from a trip down Jean Pot, Gaping Gill. When CRO’s Duty Controller contacted the informant to get more information, he was told that one of the cavers had just returned to Clapham village and had reported that h…
The British Cave Research Association is pleased to announce details of the 30th Annual Cave Science Symposium. The Symposium will be hosted by Dr. Andy Farrant of the British Geological Survey (BGS), Keyworth, Nottingham, on Saturday 19th October, 2019. The symposium will feature a keynote lecture by Dr. Peter Wynn (University of Lancaster) dedicated to…
Three walkers (f, f, f) were reported overdue on the Three Peaks Walk, possibly on Ingleborough. With no instructions on what to do and the only phone they knew about going to voicemail, relatives did an internet search and found a commercial walking g…
The 2019 British Cave Rescue Conference will be hosted by Mendip Cave Rescue at Priddy on the 6th – 8th September. This event, a regular, biennial, one in the caving calendar, is being held on Mendip at Ebborways Farm, Pelting Road, Priddy, BA5 3BA. Participants in the gathering of British cave rescue volunteers (and others…
A walker (f, 36) was reported overdue on a walk over Ingleborough. However, as the Duty Controller was speaking to NYP, they heard that she had turned up, safe and well. No action required.
Two people (m, m) were reported overdue on the Three Peaks Walk, having been seen last on Whernside at 16.00 hrs. When questioned by NYP’s Force Control Room staff, the caller admitted that the pair had ‘no plan – not sure appropriate…
A walker (m, 31) was reported to be having a fit, then breathing but unconscious, just above the upper tier of rocks on the ascent of Pen y ghent. When he regained consciousness, his companions and a passing doctor moved him to the shelter of the ridge…
Scientists, studying evidence preserved in speleothems in a coastal cave, illustrate that more than three million years ago — a time in which the Earth was two to three degrees Celsius warmer than the pre-industrial era — sea level was as much as 16 …
The historic permit system for the caves on Leck Fell, which was discontinued a few months ago, has now been replaced by the online booking system. This system, in use for the caves of Ingleborough Estate since November, now also allows landowner-consented access to Leck Fell caves to be booked with minimal fuss with no…
Reports on huge closed depressions in China, maze caves and bones from a site in the north of England are among the features in the latest edition of Cave and Karst Science. There are six main articles in the volume 46 number 2, as well as some shorter pieces in the Forum section. The first…
A visitor (f, 56) slipped on wet rocks, at the edge of Malham Beck, close to Malham Cove, landing on her face, gashing her nose and dazing herself. When YAS paramedics and CRO members arrived, she had recovered sufficiently to walk, with assistance, to…
In this newsletter… Cave Karst Science Cave & Karst Science 46(2) has now been mailed and should be with UK subscribers by now. It is also available online. Hidden Earth After some problems finding a venue, Hidden Earth is being held on 27 – 29 September 2019 in Wrexham in North Wales. Details can be…
Two mountain bikers (m, 37; m, 34) hit a large rock, almost simultaneously, and were unseated near the westernmost point of the Settle Loop of the Pennine Bridleway. One appeared to have a shoulder injury and the other was confused after a blow to the …
A visitor (m, 79) was reported to have collapsed on the outward leg of the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, near Pecca Falls, although later information as to location appeared confused. A ‘hasty party’ of CRO members located him and after assess…
Guest contributor Becky Morris provides some thoughts on how the effects of mining on the planet can be minimised. Becky is a content and digital marketer working on behalf of Mineco. She specialises in creating inventive and engaging articles, blog posts and graphics. Becky has a high level of knowledge within the mining industry. As…
We have been asked by Matt Ewles, the BCA Secretary to publish the following statement from BCA Council:
A caver (f, 34) walking in Wellington boots from Gaping Gill back to Clapham, slipped on the rocky path above Trow Gill, sustaining a painful ankle injury. The initial call-out message suggested that the casualty was at the entrance to Ingleborough Cav…
Following a report of someone in the River Kent, near Sedgwick, five members of CRO’s swiftwater rescue team and the Duty Controller went to assist Kendal MRT (as did corresponding members of Duddon and Furness MRT) in supporting the statutory em…
A caver (m, 20) was reported by Craven Pothole Club (operating the GG winch) to be hung up on the rope in SE Pot. He had gone too low on a re-belay and had been unable to return. However, he was rescued by CPC members, escorted to the Main Chamber and…
A walker (m, 61) reached the top of Malham Cove, but, immediately on arrival, slipped on the wet limestone pavement, injuring his hip or upper leg in such a way that he could not stand. Immediately after a CRO controller and YAS ambulance personnel arr…
A walker (f, 70) was reported to have sprained an ankle and gashed her head in a fall on the limestone pavement at the top of Malham Cove. On arrival, team members found that the slight scalp wound had been covered and all that was required was a stret…
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…
A walker (f18) was struggling to find her way down steep craggy ground off Giggleswick Scar. Whilst trying to descend she tripped, twisting her ankle and banging her chest on a rock. She was unable to bear weight on her foot and became benighted. Yorks…
Four cavers were reported some 3 hours overdue from their expected return from a trip down Curtain Pot on Malham Moor. The informant had become more concerned due to the onset of a thunderstorm with heavy rain. Whilst CRO were mobilising a rescue respo…
Whilst responding to incident number 64, CRO were called to assist Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) with a second incident. A young boy walking round the waterfalls trail at Ingleton tripped whilst stepping over a large lump of protruding bedrock that…
A young person walking along a bridleway near to Catrigg Force fell and dislocated her knee cap. Possibly due to excitement caused by the arrival of Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA), the young person may have inadvertently straightened her leg and found t…
A walker (f 50) participating in a 3 peaks charity walk developed pain in her right hip and knee during her decent from Ingleborough. On route to Horton in Ribblesdale, in the vicinity of Nick Pot, she was unable to continue walking. CRO team members a…
Researchers from four international universities have returned from an expedition to a remote area of north-east Greenland where they broke two records. The team, comprised of researchers from the Universities of Innsbruck, Akron, Oxford, and Sheffield, documented and explored more than 30 caves that had never previously been visited. In doing so, they broke their…
My workplace annual leave is a precious resource, and I try to use it sparingly and wisely. In respect of this year’s NAMHO Conference, I think I made a good decision, extending the weekend on which the conference presentations took place by three days, so I could also attend some field trips. The organisers, the…
A family’s 5-year old German Shepherd went just off the path, slipped down the slope, then plunged into the river, just below Pecca Falls. It was last seen just above Pecca Bridge. CRO was called via North Yorkshire Police and team members atten…
Two of last summer’s Thai cave rescue heroes have been awarded honorary degrees from UK universities. Rick Stanton is to receive the award from his old university, Aston in Birmingham. The 58-year-old started his cave diving career as a member of Aston Diving Club during his time at Aston University between 1979 and 1982. He…
Descent 269 is about to land on your mats, so take a moment to check whether your subscription is up to date! In store for you in this issue is the story of Higher Education, a huge climb in Lechuguilla. It was a long way, it took a long time … but the team involved…
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…
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…
Mike Bedford talks about cave radios, cave communications and much more in the annual report of the BCRA’s Cave Radio and Electronics Group. Our decision, a few years ago, to broaden our remit to cover other areas of cave technology than our initial emphasis on communications and electronics has been evident during 2018. In one…
Three inexperienced walkers, attempting the Three Peaks, reported themselves lost, but uninjured on Ingleborough. The Phonefind app showed them to be on the Swinetail, from where they were advised by phone to return to the summit shelter. This they did…
North Yorkshire Police contacted CRO regarding a report of a Three Peaks walker who was ahead of someone else, but had not arrived at his car when the second walker arrived there. Seven minutes later, a further message was received from NYP ‘Re …
One of a group of three adults rang North Yorkshire Police for Mountain Rescue assistance at the top of Malham Cove and a small group of CRO members was turned out to help. Two members of the walking group were experiencing difficulty on the limestone …
North Yorkshire Police (NYP) requested the help of CRO to search footpaths between Settle and Malham for a local missing person. As CRO team members were mobilising the missing person was found safe and well by NYP officers. Volunteer hours: 10
A local farmer reported that one of his sheep and her two lambs were stuck on a ledge at the former quarry at Meal Bank, near Ingleton. He had spotted them there on Saturday and hoped that they would be motivated to find their own way down when they ha…
New samples taken for DNA analysis from human bone from Aveline’s Hole by Natural History Museum researchers have thrown up surprising results. Graham Mullan reports on their findings. Aveline’s Hole, Burrington Combe, Mendip, contained the largest assemblage of Mesolithic human remains yet found anywhere in Britain. The cave was excavated in the 1920s by the…
A young person was attempting the 3 peaks walk with a school group when he developed pain in his right upper leg and found himself unable to continue walking beyond the summit shelter on Ingleborough. Two teachers waited with him while the rest of his …
