The Speleological Union of Ireland (SUI), have been very active over the years with major cave conservation clean-ups, and they’ve been hard at work, this time in Carren Mine in co. Clare. The cave clean-ups started again with the Student Forum in 2019. The SUI received a heritage grant from Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) which…
Descent 282 should have reached you by now, but if not, it’s time to head over to Wildplaces Publishing to subscribe or if you’re lucky enough to have a caving shop anywhere near you, call in now that shops are open again, and get a one from them. Newsdesk contains a variety of short items, starting…
Bored with the rain and fancy some armchair caving instead of a wet walk to get underground? Then settle down for a good read, with news, views, digs and more! Descent 281 should now have reached you by now, but if not, it’s time to head over to Wildplaces Publishing to subscribe or if you’re…
ATLAS (the Association of Thrupe Lane Advanced Speleologists) are planning a maintenance session at Thrupe Lane Swallet and are keen to get some help. You can also have a barbecue and catch up with friends as well!
The latest issue of Cave and Karst Science opens with a comparison of straw stalactites in caves and those beneath bridges and buildings. Later papers include work on conservation in the tropics, bears in late-glacial Yorkshire and an account of early speleobiological work. The issue contains four major papers. in the first, Garry K. Smith…
Irish cavers have cleaned up, thanks to a grant from the Geological Survey of Ireland – and may also have found new access points to a cave. The Speleological Union of Ireland (SUI) was awarded the cash to promote cave conservation, which allowed them to support the Student Forum with a conservation theme and organise…
The Council of Southern Caving Clubs (CSCC) are changing the locks on all of the caves for which they administer access. The previously used locks are now no longer available and so a new lock has been sourced and a new stock of locks and keys obtained. All member clubs are being issued with at…
Following recent reports of the opening of a new entrance to Ogof Draenen and the statement from the Trustees of the Pwll Dhu Cave Management Committee, additional information has been received from Cadw who have confirmed that the hole that was excavated to open a new entrance to Ogof Draenen has been dug through, and…
Ogof Draenen in South Wales has once again been plunged into an entrance-related controversy following a connection made to the surface from inside the cave. This leads to the main cave via a series of short pitches equipped with fixed ladders, and there is also a rope traverse and a free-hanging pitch to negotiate. Rumours…
After the break-in in 2015 when archaeological bones and artefacts were damaged and stolen, the site has been restored with much help from the Natural History Museum.
CNCC’s Cave Conservation Volunteers have been hard at work in the Ingleborough area during the last 18 months. A total of 78 individual volunteers have contributed to 11 separate conservation projects. These varied from cave graffiti removal, entrance rebuilding, tree planting, backfilling abandoned digs, clearance of farm waste from shakeholes, scrap metal hauling from -100m,…
When someone new to caving starts to make enquiries about how to get involved, and what is the best way to gain some experience, one of the more common responses is to suggest joining a club. That way, the helpful respondent states, you can learn how to cave in a structured environment and with more experienced…
Statement from the Association of British and Irish Showcaves. The Association of British and Irish Showcaves ( ABIS ) is the lead body representing all the showcaves in Britain and Ireland. At their recent AGM in Ireland it was unanimously agreed that any alteration to the existing interpretation of the Countryside and Rights of Way…
A major breakthrough has been made in Tween Twins Hole, Burrington Combe, Somerset. Darkness Below has received the following report from the diggers: After many years of work a team of Wessex Cave Club diggers have made an interesting discovery at Tween Twins Hole in Burrington Combe, Mendip. Tween Twins, known to members of the…
A report has just been received by Darkness Below of deliberate vandalism to Hunters Lodge Inn Sink on Mendip. We are sad to report that Hunters Lodge Inn Sink will be closed for at least a month while we attempt to repair, clean up and re-tape after what appears to be some deliberate vandalism to…
The old Farleigh Down Quarry workings in Wiltshire have been the target of some serious vandalism recently, and also some controversy over what to do about it. It is therefore heartening to see members of the Devon and Cornwall Mine Explorers’ Group make the effort to restore one of the vandalised features: a square well. On…
