In the Newsdesk we have reports of a giant sinkhole that opened up on a football pitch, the 14th International Cave Rescue Meeting and Floyd Collins, the musical heading to Broadway.

In Regional News: several finds in Scotland, including a Blue Hole. Little Waterfall Swallet in the Peak District has been extended and the Forest of Dean has a new roadside pot called Hole in the Verge. There are plans to create a cycle route through Abernant Tunnel in South Wales and a probable first sport climbing ascent of an aven in Yorkshire’s Dentdale.

Our first two features concern a major UK breakthrough and it is rare in the digital age for such things to remain secret, but we’ll not say any more here as we still hope that Descent can occasionally offer the element of surprise. There is also a detailed report of North by North End Pot, a Yorkshire dig that has broken into the Three Counties system.

The complicated legacy of Eric Holland is explored, as is the story of a hotel and its owner who have been hugely important in caving expeditions to Meghalaya. Martyn Farr concludes his two-part article on the magnificent caves of Brazil and we have memories of a jungle rescue by Dave Gill, plus an account of SRT from 1971.

The Cover photo by Jon Pemberton features Fabian Ehlers climbing up Brooklands Straight in Little Waterfall Swallet.

Chris Scaife, Editor – Descent Magazine