Descent 285 will be out soon so take a moment a moment to check your subscription is up to date and if not, head over to Wildplaces Publishing and the nice folks there will sort you out.

As ever, there’s a lot on offer! Even a global pandemic hasn’t managed to dampen cavers’ enthusiasm at home and abroad. Catch up with over two years’ exploration in Matienzo’s stunning underworld where big things have been happening. Two expeditions to Myanmar have exposed members of the Shepton Mallet Caving Club to a new culture and new caving experiences, including what appears to have been an impressively posh hotel!

Closer to home, cavers have at long last entered the Stoney Middleton Master Cave. Read an account of the discovery with a survey of the catchment area showing its caves in relationship to each other.

The world of cave archaeology took an exciting turn with a significant discovery at Sherford Cave in Devon. This stirred up a lot of media interest with an online petition to save the cave, situated in the middle of a housing development site.

Anyone who has had to place hangers in cavers will be aware of the problems of holding a heavy drill in an extremely awkward position, but what if you could lighten the load by removing the battery to a separate harness? See what you think of this idea.

Accidents can happen to the best of us, so we can all take the opportunity to learn from last year’s rescue statistics, including what went wrong, what went right and what to avoid.

In the Write it down! spot, Peter Towndrow talks about a trip underground in the 1960s that hooked him on caving.

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 stunning photos. Don’t miss out, so to check whether your subscription is up to date or to take one out now, head over to Wild Places Publishing, who’ll be delighted to welcome you on board!