Descent 264 will be with you very shortly! If you’re not up to date with your subscription don’t forget that the lovely folks at Wildplaces Publishing will be delighted to welcome you back into the fold. And if you’re new to caving, Descent will provide you with news, photos and the best possible introduction to the fascinating world of caving both at home and abroad.

The Thailand cave rescue is the biggest story to hit the caving world ever, and suddenly the whole world seems to want to know about what we do for fun. The massive rescue was reported in Descent (263) which went to print just as the operation concluded. Now Descent continues its coverage of this incredible achievement.

For 50 years, cavers have been digging on northern moors, seeking the lost river of Ingleborough. Find out what’s been happening down Long Kin West…

Sea caves are often overlooked as sites to explore in the UK, but there are some pretty big ones out there simply demanding to be measured! But scanning on a swell certainly isn’t easy. And speaking of not easy, the quartzite caves in the mountains of eastern Zimbabwe are remote and difficult access, and then there’s the requirement for armed guards, as you’ll find out in So Let Me Get This Straight …

Two major caving events were held this summer: the EuroSpeleo Forum in Austria and the NSS Convention in Montana. Descent has the details. Clive Keen describes what caving is like in the Canadian Rockies. It’s cold and there are bears (and anyone who went to Hellie Adams’ session at Hidden Earth will know about the part bears will be playing in the future of British caving) … but there’s plenty of limestone. The Bear Necessities has a great story to tell in Write it Down!

This issue’s Descent Competition, Mine to Mountain, is a challenge to descend to the lowest publicly accessible point deep underground in the UK, then climb to the top of a mountain in one day – and you can win two tickets for the trip.

All this and more for only the price of a couple of pints of beer per issue. We’ll be bringing you a full report as soon as Descent lands on the mat, but in the meantime, we hope the above is enough to whet your appetite and send you over to the Wildplaces Publishing subscriptions page to ensure your subscription is up to date so you don’t miss out!