Other Sites and Blogs – Darkness Below

We can’t hope to bring you every story, but there are plenty of caving and mining blogs out there you can browse at your leisure – so have a read through some of the best! If you know of a blog you’d like us to add to this page please let us know.

Clicking on a story will open a new tab and take you to the original story.

1st February

Vince, Tav, Nick, Mike, Jake, and Jon Bags packed ready to be refilled, all underground. Tav digging at the NE extent (beyond Trick or Treat in the An Unexpected Development area, ToT/AUD), I was clearing away the filled bags he generated, plus a few bags of my own (improving a skip route), and some rocks … Continue reading ...
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Rigging Practice at Wookey Hole, 27th January 2025

On 27th of January 2025, members of the MCR rigging team held a rigging practice session at Wookey Hole, along with some members from our neighbouring cave rescue teams GCRG and MCRO. The scenario covered rigging a tyrolean traverse over Wookey chamber ...
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Rescue Practice at Sludge Pit, 18th January 2025

On 18th of January 2025, 30 MCR members held a rescue practice at Sludge Pit in Priddy. The scenario covered all aspects of a complex cave rescue, with Command & Control (based at the nearby Wessex Cave Club headquarters), underground and surface c ...
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INCIDENT 12/2025. JAN 27th MON. 18.23hrs. PEN Y GHENT, NORTH YORKSHIRE

A walker, descending from Ingleborough to Horton in Ribblesdale, told NYP that he had seen triple flashes of light repeatedly for 15 minutes from the summit of Pen y ghent. Small groups of team members walked the paths to and over the summit in rain an ...
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25th January

Vince, Jake, Tav, Nick, Jon, Brockers, and Mike Replaced the surface hauling rope, packed bags ready to be refilled, time to get underground with a full squad assembled today! Jake digging beyond Trick or Treat (or, nearer to An Unexpected Development, really) assisted by Tav. I hauled the spoil up the slope and handed it … Continue reading ...
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OFD 1.5: Confusing and Tight

One of the downsides of getting older, is that it really doesn't take much to get confused. This is probably why I like things to be simple, but I'm fast realising that OFD isn't simple in any way! Take OFD1.5, for example. I thought this was the ...
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OFD 1.5: Confusing and Tight

INCIDENT 11/2025. JAN 19th SUN. 12.27hrs. DICCAN POT, SELSIDE, HORTON in RIBBLESDALE, NORTH YORKSHIRE

A caving group reported that one of their number was on the first pitch (100 ft / 30 m) of Diccan Pot when they heard a bang. When they pulled at the rope, they found that it was taut. Diccan is part of the Long Churn Cave / Alum Pot system and access ...
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18th January

Vince, Jon, Jake, Nick, and Tav Yesterday I had made a new hauling bucket and spare skip ready for putting into use at HR (thanks to the Wessex CC for drums). Got to the cave ahead of the team and proceeded to open the cave and pack the very dry bags to be filled again … Continue reading ...
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Upper Oxbow

For The Dudley’s first official meet of 2025, we decided on a trip that was not too taxing and which took us to a beautiful section of OFD: the Upper Oxbow Series, via the Skyhook Pitch. Bartek, Paulina, Mark, Jess, Jonny, Phoebe, Anne and myself all ...
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INCIDENT 10/2025. JAN 13th MON. 1456hrs. CAM HIGH ROAD, WIDDALE, NORTH YORKSHIRE

The team were asked by North Yorkshire Police (NYP) to assist a Safety Team on the Montane Spine Race with a runner who had sustained a lower leg injury and required evacuation from an isolated location on the course, above Hawes. The location was actu ...
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INCIDENT 09/2025. JAN 12th SUN. 09.57hrs. STORRS COMMON, INGLETON, NORTH YORKSHIRE

A dog-walker (f, 50) slipped on ice on the riverside path at the bottom of Storrs Common, suspecting that she had broken an ankle. (After a very slight thaw, the path had a thin covering of water on the ice, making it even more hazardous.) A YAS ambula ...
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INCIDENT 08/2025. JAN 11th SAT. 16.18hrs. GREAT CLOSE SCAR, MALHAM MOOR, NORTH YORKSHIRE

Having rescued a number of sheep from easier places, himself, a farmer asked for CRO’s assistance in rescuing three sheep from ledges on Great Close Scar, overlooking Malham Tarn, as he could not do this, alone, in safety. The following morning, ...
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INCIDENT 08/2025. JAN 11th SAT. 16.18hrs. GREAT CLOSE SCAR, MALHAM MOOR, NORTH YORKSHIRE

INCIDENT 07/2025. JAN 9th THU. 00.58hrs. NEWBY, NORTH YORKSHIRE

Following a fire at premises in Newby, local firefighters tried to source a suitable Acrow prop to support stonework, temporarily. When this could not be arranged through local builders at that time, CRO was asked to help and a member obliged, deliveri ...
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11th January

Vince, Jake, Jon, and Brockers Arrived at the cave a little ahead of the team thinking that the lock might have frozen in the recent cold snap, it had not, so got on with packing the now ’freeze-dried’ bags ready for use underground later. About done when the rest of the team turned up. It … Continue reading ...
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INCIDENT 06/2025. JAN 8th WEDS. 20.48hrs. SCOTSTHROP MOOR, SETTLE, NORTH YORKSHIRE

The Team were asked by North Yorkshire Police to assist with rescuing two women whose car had become stuck fast in a snow drift on the minor road across Scotsthrop Moor, above Settle. Neither the police, nor any recovery organisation were able to help ...
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INCIDENT 05/2025. (SAME DAY). 09.50 A FARM Nr HORTON IN RIBBLESDALE

Returning from the previous incident, team members were asked to assist when someone suffered a medical incident, at their home, but believed to be inaccessible to a road ambulance, near Horton in Ribblesdale. Members stood by, as a precaution, until t ...
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