Underground Rescue Practice, Wolverley

The practice from the previous day was put into use underground, with three casualties being successfully rescued with 30 cavers involved and 1 non-caving volunteer.
Thanks to all who participated during the weekend.

Rescue Training, Ruiton Windmill, Upper Gornal

A joint "above" ground cave rescue training exercise at the Mill with 25 members of MCRO, Dudley Caving Club, GCRG and 1 guest. Three training sessions took place on communications, self-rescue and stretcher packaging and hauling. The evening ended with a curry, de-brief in the pub and a series of slide/video presentations.

Brickworks Dig, Penwyllt, South Wales

A busy weekend.  On the Saturday we replaced two of the wheels on the truck, pumped out the cave, removed the stacked bags from the cross-rift, started to permanently install the yellow pipes, placed cup-hooks down the main passage to hold up the cables and started to dig a 'sump pool' below the cross-rift.

On the Sunday we completed the installation of pipes and cup-hooks and continued to dig the sump pool.

More details on the dig page.

The dig team: KeEd, AnGr (Sat only), BrMa, GrSm, JoSm & ChWe

Ogof Arth, Great Orme, Llandudno

A very small cave above Invalid's Walk on the Great Orme. The cave consists of nothing more than a small chamber which was once lived in.

The West Shore from Ogof Arth

The Team: KeEd

Skeleton Cave, Great Orme, Llandudno

A cave I've been trying to find since I first saw it on a tourist map of the Orme in 1963. This time armed with the "Concise Caves of North Wales" and a GPS receiver I found it. Only 30ft long, but it wasn't about the cave, it was about finding it!

The West Shore from Ogof Arth

The Team: KeEd

Caving on the Gower

The day started with a full English cooked breakfast at Penwyllt promptly at 10:00am. 
The three then embarked to the Gower in glorious sunshine for a fun packed action day. We stopped off at the farm house to ask permission to visit Llethryd Swallet and after a little searching found the farmer feeding his pigs. We changed and headed for the cave. We had found a classic........ Several minutes were taken to dig away the winter flood debris from around the gate. We then spent half an hour trying to open the cave without luck. 

In final desperation we tried the key for the second location of the day - Tooth cave, the keys were on the wrong fob and we were at last able to enter. A route down through boulders (not unlike Eastwater) followed, until were were able to join the stream and follow it in its route through large boulders. Finally in water creeping with shrimp like creatures we reached the "duck" - impossible to get through without treating as a sump. I went first and check this was indeed the way on. Alas no one wanted to follow me, and so we resolved to turn around and go on to the second cave. Unfortunately the way back through the duck is much worse in the reverse direction and required going through backwards, not very nice. 

A short stroll in the sunshine took us to the second target - Tooth cave, here we found that nether key fitted the lock, so we had to abandon the days caving on Gower. 

To save the day we returned to Penwyllt and did a quick round trip in OFD1 (1 hour 30 minutes)

The Team: BrMa, MaRo & ChWe

Smallcleugh Mine to Rampgill Level, Nenthead

Four of us started in Smallcleugh and descended the very approx 30m pitch, and exited via Rampgill. 

The Team: EmPo, MiCl, Ian Cooper (SCMC) and Mike Davis (SCMC)

Smallcleugh Mine, Nenthead

EmPo and MiCl joined a trip to Nenthead, near Alston, Northern Pennines organised by John "Mole" Hine. Some of SCMC kindly took us on an interesting 6 hour venture around Smallcleugh Mine, which was originally worked for lead and later zinc, including visiting The Ballroom.

The Team: EmPo, MiCl, Steve Holding (SCMC), Ian Cooper (SCMC) and Mike Davis (SCMC)