Trips & Reports 2006
Adrian wrote...
Could we possibly have faffed any more?!?!? After getting up at 6:15 to meet at the container at 7, we realised it was a bit wet and dug out ropes for cow pot. Arrived at the dales after swearing at all the weekend drivers (yes they are out that early ;@) and had breaky followed by a trip to White Scar to see if we could go down it. The White Scar guy laughed at us saying... read more
Neil wrote...
Ok start with the FAFF is it possable to faff more than what we did?? i don't think so, HOW LONG DID IT TAKE US TO GET TO THE CAVE? never mind actualy into it. After driving to and from burnies (and a beer shop) to caves and back sevral times we final decided to go caving, :) , Got to the cave and thought we had better test wet suits out by playing in the river and good game... read more
Matt wrote...
Exactly as Neil and Ade describe it! A supurb water slide... we were able to negotiate about 50m upstream against waist-deep fast flowing water, until it became too strong to proceed. We were able to take the high level traverse another 20m or so before jumping in and going weeeeeeeeeeeee all the way down to (but not into) the sump. I slipped and fell in on the traverse bit and got swept away, which was great fun :-)
Gary wrote...
What can I say? The most fun had in a cave ever! They really should build a water park based on Valley Entrance. Hard slog up the streamway then weeeeeeee :p
Kevin wrote...
Pooh Sticks! This was great. I may have enjoyed the stream before hand a little more than the cave. Still didn't actually want to leave the cave though. After my initial jitters I could have quite happily played there all day. Who says you shouldn't go into caves when they are flooded?!?
James wrote...
I camped on my own near Grassington the previous night due to a lack of anything better to do. Perhaps around 11 o clock I eventually got up, packed away my tent and drove in the direction of Bernies with the aim of buying a cup of coffee. On arrival I was somewhat surprised to discover a group of YUCPC cavers there, given it was now close to lunch time. I therefore elected not to buy a coffee but instead to... read more
Matt wrote...
A fun, fairly short SRT cave, and a great one as my first full rigging experience (since Bar Pot, but we don't talk about that...) You're more or less constantly on a rope with the exception of a short crawl through muddy water. Was great to get to the bottom and to stand by the side of the sump, where lots of divers gear was. Couldn't help but wonder what's down there (Rowten and other caves somewhere)! Would highly recommend... read more
Kevin wrote...
It was great!!! Thank you everyone for coming!!! (not too sure it counts as a club trip though :p)
Nicola wrote...
I want a boat :)
James wrote...
Rigging practice for Debbie. I sat around in the sun for a bit, then I sat around half way down the cave for a bit, then I went to the bottom, and then I derigged. It was the first time I have actually bottomed Jingling, last time I went with people doing rigging practice I gave up due to boredom. It is a big hole. It is a good cave for rigging practice. There is not much else to say... read more
Matt wrote...
Mechano passage! No way! Very tight connecting passage between Hillocks and Knotlow, almost suicidally tight! Would require a very slim and bendy team indeed. We weren't!
Matt wrote...
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmUD!!!!! :o :o :o
Gary wrote...
I've wanted to go back to Vesper for about 3 years! I didn't make it to the bottom last time so was glad to this time, but we must remember that as of today, the last pitch isn't p-hangered!! Thankfully we managed to knock up some rigging with some odd spits that Gover had and one I randomly found on a rock. This was helped by the spanner we also found on a rock!!
Debbie wrote...
Well I've never done a handstand in a cave before so that was quite amusing!! Head first in the entrance, fun fun fun!! Fairly tight bits at the beginning which were obviously made all the more enjoyable by the tackle sacks, but nothing too dramatic i dont think - although i've never heard matt swear so much in my life! There were also some really beautiful bits of cave formations and decorations etc high up on the... read more
Matt wrote...
It was only a handful of tastefully utilised swearwords. And only in the tightest parts. I'm not as bendy as the rest of you remember! Tight entrance for 5m then flat out crawl for 20m and then a bit more spacious though some interesting contortional passages to negotiate. Really enjoyed the trip, which was my intention as last time I came, I didn't enjoy it at all, so I'm gradually coming round to liking tight caves.... read more
Andrew wrote...
Very straightforward and uneventful descent. Only got interesting on way out. Derigging was enjoyable, carrying the bag out was a pleasure. As always, caving is boring if you don't get involved in the rigging, only when you contibute to the work is it rewarding. (Is he being genuine or is he trying to scam freshers into carrying all the tackle sacks??!!!)
Gary wrote...
First trip this year that we actualy got changed in bright sunshine! Only thing is... don't walk up a hill in a wet suit - its bloody hot! No real problems, the normal Long Churn fun. Loads of other people down there as expected on a bank holiday weekend. We met a really nice guy from Red Rose CPC who was chatting to us about a new dig they were doing in Lancaster.
John wrote...
Super fun trip. We emptied thousands of litres of water from the cave. Hope the iron stains will come out of my clothes. Dom slid down the bank and I hoofed a load of shale off my shovel at him (sorry didn't mean to). We need to get some wide bore flexible pipe so we can siphon the rest of the water out as the entrance as the floor is too hard to lower any further.... read more
Andy wrote...
Best trip ever. Ever. (we played underground rounders)
Natasha wrote...
not sure 'best trip ever' is appropriate but was a fun little jolly. riducuolous amounts of water prevented more hardcore trips. The guide talks complete horseshit when it says abseil 9m to a rift going off to the right. the rift is 4m down if that. After some preliminary faff and swingage to get to the start of the 'technical' route was straight forward rigging down to the scrotty bottom (beware dead sheep). Another thing learnt is that cave rounders (played with... read more
Matt wrote...
A rather rainy day!!! We parked as for Little Neath, and the streamway was already gushing. It took around an hour to walk to Pant Mawr, along the pathway as far as the concrete bridge over the stream, and then bearing left along the line of trees. Garys GPS then took us the remaining 0.5km or so to the pothole, which is surrounded by a fence. I rigged the entrance which has a fun large Y-hang, and we... read more
37 photos by Gary...
Gary wrote...
Emma is slighly mad in a night club! Much dancing fun, a great addition to a caving week in wales!
Adrian wrote...
Sooooooooooo pretty!!!!
Matt wrote...
A nice walk from Pont-ned-fuchan (or wherever it's called) up the river towared Ystrafellte. Along route we passed the old Silica mine workings, which were fallen down old stone building, surrounded by lots of rusty rock and slag heaps, and numerous evidence for former workings. In fact, we found the building where they probably did the melting part of the extraction, and if you run your finger roughly against the blackened stone, some soot comes off, and is smells of... read more
Oliver wrote...
Well, no one else seems to want to document this trip... A complete cock up. Lessons: Take a watch.
Matt wrote...
Thoroughly enjoyable fun cave. Though I was rather annoyed that after the first 10 minutes my brand new wetsuit had developed a tear! Was treading rather cautiously after that which spoiled enjoyment slightly. ALWAYS WEAR AN OVERSUIT OVER A WETSUIT... WETSUITS ARE NO MATCH FOR A JAGGED ROCK!!! It's easily repairable however :-) The water levels were fairly low I reckon. After the first 15m or so, the entrance crawl narrows and stooping through a low... read more
Kevin wrote...
Dinosaurs! SRT! Not so clear clear pools! Fizzy Pop!