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 can tempt you to start now.

In the next issue, you can do some armchair caving in the north in the Turbary Connection, the new through trip from Turbary Pot to Swinsto Cave. It’s long been known that an inlet an inlet in Swinsto carried water from Turbary Pot, and now there’s a caveable connection, too.

Max and Stefanie Wisshak share a chapter from their new book about caves and karst in New Zealand, portraying the country’s famed glowworms. These are incredibly hard to photograph, and Max has done an amazing job. Copies of his book will be available from Wildplaces Publishing.

Two expeditions to Laos have produced some excellent results in the sort of stomping passages that most cavers dream of. And talking of dreaming, cavers are also endlessly optimistic about pushing new leads, and closer to home, work is being done to push an untapped aven in Peak Cavern by bolting and climbing.

Sadly, caving has once again lost one of its great characters, the much-loved pioneer Fred Davies, who coined what has become a well-known Mendip saying: ‘Caves be where you find ‘em.’

Here Be Dragons? In Armenia, anyone taking on the challenge of finding caves might find themselves facing porcupines, snakes and … perhaps, dragons. At least in most places in the UK, all we have to contend with are fat brown spiders and the occasional dead sheep.

So You Want to Make a Video? If you haven’t taken to making sourdough bread during lockdown, maybe you’re thinking about doing something new, and when it comes to shooting film underground, one name always springs to mind: Sid Perou. In the latest issue, he offers some advice for up-and-coming film-makers.

Remember that Descent magazine is run by cavers for cavers and that your subscription means a lot in these difficult times. Every issue is packed with caving news and features, accompanied by great photos. Head over to Wildplaces Publishing, who’ll be delighted to welcome you on board.