22nd August 2016: Cheddar Gorge. NGR ST 475 543 [centre] Perhaps one of the best known limestone karst features in the country with many excellent exposures of the Carboniferous Limestone, including Clifton Down Limestone, Cheddar Oolite, Cheddar ...
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That's a bit brown is that riverThis is my penultimate tour, three days off after this one and then the final tour of the year. The river in Phong Nha was brown and in flood, but not too bad.Jungle fruits, not edibleAs this is a photography tour we car ...
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With Jake and Alex. Me digging, Jake clearing and Alex doing the haul and shuttle to the entrance. We started off by clearing the loose rock debris from last weeks 'capping'. Jake's hands are a blur as he shifts back the loose rock debris! Th ...
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Whilst Incident 66 was still in progress, another call was received from North Yorkshire Police, reporting a walker doing the three peaks overdue. The reporting person was concerned that the lone walker (f,33) was an hour and a half overdue at Horton i ...
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A call was received from Yorkshire Ambulance Service to a walker (m, 35) involved in a fall on Whernside, about 1.5 miles from the Hill Inn. Unable to re-contact the caller to clarify the exact location and nature of the injuries, the team responded to Bruntscar, and from there made their way up the east flank of Whernside. Weather conditions were very poor, with high winds, heavy rain and a… ...
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A man (56) was reported to be immobile (possible medical emergency) on the river-bank, below Ingleton viaduct. Ambulance Service paramedics and a small group of CRO members were able to assist him to a road ambulance for assessment and transport to hos ...
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A caver (f, 54), walking up to Gaping Gill, sustained an ankle injury on the path just beyond Clapdale. Her leg was splinted and she was carried to a CRO Land Rover, then driven down to Clapham for transfer to a road ambulance and the trip to Royal Lan ...
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A walker (f, 59) was reported to be ‘collapsed, dizzy, vertigo’ on Ingleborough and both road and air ambulances were en route. CRO’s SARLoc was used to confirm the location (below the Swine Tail) and the patient’s companion was asked about level ground where the the air ambulance might land. CRO members waited at the road-head and then stood down when the air ambulance was seen to be able to… ...
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Yorkshire Ambulance Service requested assistance, following a report that a boy (10) had collapsed with a medical condition. Location was very vague and by the time it was confirmed the patient had been moved to the main Falls car park, to meet the roa ...
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Portable Espresso machineJust four tours left after this one, and I'm down to do two of them (at the moment). I always see something new on each trip, this one was no exception as I've never seen a portable espresso maker before! Made for good coffee a ...
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With Jake and Tav. Jake digging, Tav clearing away, me on the haul and shuttle. Digging was fairly steady so had a little time to mess around with the new camera. The Tissue ( Triphosa dubitata ). This species is often seen in caves and is a regul ...
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Sunny weatherMy last Tu Lan four day tour, after this I have just three Son Doong tours to do.Tree skirtThe day was fine as we walked to Rat Cave and then on towards Gibbon Cave. Although there were some clouds on the horizon and I thought it would rai ...
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Arrived Tuesday 2nd August via flying from Manchester to Bilbao

Wednesday 3rd August
Via Ferrata in Ramales
Expedition Meal



Thursday 4th August
Mostajo tourist trip
Crane near Ramales

Scott, Mostajo

Charlotte, Mostajo



La Grúa

Friday 5th August
Fresnado II with James Carlisle

We got to "The Howling" mud duck in record time (every bit as lovely as it sounds!), and on to where the current survey ends to start new exploration and surveying. Crawled into a small yet high chamber, which initially looked to have good potential with ways on. James climbed the C.10m loose boulder pile while I hid under a ledge avoiding any likely rock fall. Once James was up, I crawled out and found a short climb down into a lower section, and heard water. I shouted up to James that I had a streamway in a rift and was climbing down to it. The rift passage is very loose in chossy limestone, I started chimneying down to the streamway, around 8-10 metres or so below. I gingerly placed my toe on a boulder wedged in the rift, which started moving so started backing up looking for a better place to climb down, when suddenly without any warning the boulder came crashing down and the whole passage collapsed around me. At this point James had climbed back down the boulder pile, deciding it was unsafe to continue alone, and he found me climbing out of the streamway looking and sounding rather shaken. Fortunately I came out of the fall with a couple of scrapes only.

We started surveying the small chamber, and then both climbed up the boulder pile one at a time. At the top were two big slopes, slippery looking and very loose, it reminded me somewhat of the slopes filled with deads I have seen at Nenthead. James started climbing/crawling up the first one, and was almost at the top when he shouted "BELOW LAUREN MOVE" or something to that effect. I jumped out of the way in time to look up and watch a TV sized boulder come rolling and sliding down the slope, with all the loose sandy stuff running in behind it. It tumbled down the boulder pile we had just climbed up, and took some of it out on it's way. After obtaining a survey point, James told me to come up, as it was safer up there. At the top we were presented with a large chamber, and more loose climbs. We decided it was too much like "death on a stick" and cautiously climbed back down the pile, and went back to survey the streamway passage. This proved quite difficult as everything seemed to be on the move, and we did our best before calling it a day, and started heading out. The way out proved to be a lot more difficult than the way in, once covered in mud from The Howling duck, there is no dry sand on the other side to roll in and get the mud off, as is the case on the way in. The protected traverse was a comedy act of slippery feet and hands, then a long slog out with a stop for some food and water in the "Ecstasy Chamber". Once out we met everyone at Bakers before a quick shower and typically fantastic meal at Bar Tomas.

Saturday 6th August
Walk with Pete Oneill, Phil Papard, and Hilary Papard to look for previously found, but unexplored shafts in the hillside.
Site 3627 partially descended by Pete Oneill, decided a ladder and some gardening was needed.
I looked down a couple more holes nearby that we found along the way to site ????
Phil put a bolt in the top, and I was first to descend the rather beautiful shaft.

New Cave, First Down

Sunday 7th August
Swimming in the Rio Ason near Riva de Ruesga

Crystal Clear

Monday 8th August
Beach day at Noja
BBQ at the Apartment

Tuesday 9th August
Walk with Pete Oneill, Phil Papard, Pete Clewes and Tom Howard to drop the shaft we found on Saturday. Various other holes found and investigated.

Wednesday 10th August
Ramales with Liz
Meal at Bar Tomas

Thursday 11th August
Home!



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11th August 2016: with Roz Simmonds. Duncan Price and Tom Chapman were in the also cave surveying from Chambers 9 to 20. Tried out the new camera - Olympus TG-4 - but only quick point and shoots, it really requires a dedicated photo trip to try it ...
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The Cave Rescue Organisation would like to express its thanks for the generous donation of replacement equipment, from both Lyon Equipment and Heightec,  to replace the stolen items from the KMC traverse line. This has saved us a considerable expense and helped to put us quickly into a position where we can re-tackle the route for the Eurospeleo event, should it be needed on a rescue. A spokesperson for Lyon… ...
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Where to begin! It's been a very busy few weeks, what with film crews, evening trips and club meets. The late May Bank Holiday weekend saw Celestine, Steve, Michael, Damien and Phill head off for a over the tide trip in to Otter Hole. Fo ...
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Following reports received over the weekend, CRO members went to check on a ‘highline’ traverse which the team has rigged in Kingsdale Master Cave, in preparation for any possible incident during the upcoming European Speleological Congress (EuroSpeleo 2016). The high line traverse enables safe access and exit in the event of a major flooding event in the Kingsdale system. Upon inspection, it was found that a substantial section of the… ...
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Three walkers (f37, f33, m33) having completed Ingleborough as part of a “3 peaks” walk, reported themselves lost in darkness, rain and low cloud during their descent of the hill. They had strayed a little way off the path near to Sulber, but were found by a CRO team at 1.00am and escorted to their own vehicle parked at Horton in Ribblesdale. Volunteer hours: 20 ...
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