OFD3: "Nobody Died or Nuffink"

Apparently Aristotle once said: “those who overcome their fears will truly be free.” When he spoke those words, I doubt he was thinking of the fear that comes from finding yourself leaning at full stretch over a yawning abyss. Or having found yourself in that position, the fear that the sagging at your stomach might outstrip your slow, painful inching towards safety, with the inevitably unpleasant (albeit mercifully brief) result. No, I'm fairly sure he wasn’t thinking of that kind of fear. That's the sort of fear you don't want to be free from, because it stops you doing daft things.

Maybe the Dudley are just a bit soft in the head. After all, the reputation of OFD3 is well known in the club. The “head-banging” traverses are documented in the club blog, as are photos of cavers stretched over seemingly impossibly-wide traverses. Yet I still found myself suggesting a trip there, and Bartek and Jas found themselves readily agreeing that it was a good idea.

Of course, it’s all Jas’ fault really. Recently he confessed - with great embarrassment - that he is daunted by my physical prowess. (At least, that's what I told him, and after he finished laughing so hard that he choked, he admitted that this is indeed the case). Maintaining my reputation for great physical ability is no mean feat. This must explain why I suppressed a perfectly sensible fear, and clicked “send” on that daft email invite. And that is how - of all the places we could be - Jas, Bartek and I found ourselves on the infamous OFD3 traverses, along with a couple of non-Dudley colleagues.

The first traverse set the tone well for what was to come. Here leaning across the chasm with feet on the ledges on one side and hands on the opposite wall was the way to proceed. A cheeky little foot-swap halfway along added a bit of spice. There was nothing too bad here.

The second traverse was much longer, and was negotiated by bridging with hands and feet on opposite sides of the rift. The ledges were of decent size, however, and offered good foot placements; or at least they did until they became too steep, forcing a drop down the rift for a few feet onto larger ledges. It’s interesting how a manoeuvre that you'd do without a second thought becomes ten times harder over a deep drop. Nevertheless, all members of the party executed it without undue fuss. Again, there was nothing too bad here. In fact, there may even have been a hint of exhilaration creeping in!

Arriving at the third traverse, it was clear that we’d reached a fairly major crux: a wide rift requiring a full body bridge. Martin (our leader and OFD aficionado) showed us how this was best done, before inviting us to follow. At this point, Bartek uttered the words: “oh wow, this is a bit committing.” Hearing this from the mouth of someone who chews up and spits out the nastiest cave trips for breakfast did not make me feel good about what was to come. For a moment, I seriously doubted that I would make it across, and I had visions of me plunging head-first towards the ground at break-neck speed. (Incidentally, I also had visions of Jas making a similar plunge, but for some reason these were far less disturbing.)

One by one we nervously placed our hands on one wall while lifting a foot to brace against the other. Balancing on one leg on a pile of rocks above a huge drop isn’t the most soothing of experiences. Fortunately, to quote the wily cave wizard: “nobody died or nuffink.”

After negotiating this fear-inducing move, we reached the safety of some jammed boulders. From there on, things were easy: a slither down a rift, a very tight squeeze up through boulders, a balancing act on a scaffold pole above the streamway and the eventual climb down into the stream itself. Half an hour or so of wading up the stream ensued before we arrived in Smith’s Armoury. We didn't stop here as we were worried we'd be pushing our call-out time; instead we commenced the return trip by heading rapidly back down the streamway.

On completing the traverses for the second time, we agreed that they were much easier in reverse. (Actually, they weren't that bad at any point, really, with the exception of the heart-in-mouth committal to starting the third one). Nonetheless, there was still occasion for nerves to be tested, as having crossed the big traverses, Bartek managed to slip on a much shorter one (though still above a big drop). Fortunately, his feet only slipped a couple of inches before he found his grip again. After another couple of hours we found ourselves at Top Entrance and started the trudge down to Penwyllt.

So, having conquered our fears, did we find freedom? I can't speak for Jas or Bartek (in fact I doubt either of them were afraid because they're not wimps like me), but I don’t think I'm free. I hoped I could lay to rest the nagging thought of having to conquer all those exposed free-climbs, but now someone (Mr Burkey!) has suggested the Midnight Traverses 😡. I've always said there's no way I’d do those, although I think a trip just to take a look might be in order…

Anyway, now we've done battle with the traverses, I prefer the words of the wily cave wizard over Aristotle’s: “remember, we do these caves so you don't have to.” If only he'd said that about OFD3!

Cavers: Bartek, Jas and Dave (plus Mitch and Martin)

Photos: Bartek

Trip report: Dave

7 awesome YouTube channels for cave, rock and fossil fans

While checking out my socials recently I came across this post from Stump Cross Caverns. I was flattered to see that my YouTube channel features in the list and I smiled when I discovered what is their favourite Caver Keith video. Can you guess what it is?

7 awesome YouTube channels for cave, rock and fossil fans

David and the Wolf: A Cautionary Tale

In days of old, when knights were bold
And monsters didst abound;
One spirited squire, to glory aspired
And thought to seek it underground.

Though eager, tis true, the squire he knew
To rush in upon dangers beneath
Would swiftly wend to a most sticky end
So he first sought out Caver Keith.

That wizened enchanter, was not enthused by this banter
(He was cosy at home, in his slippers
And had no desire to be torn from his fire
By unseasoned, unwary day-trippers.)

But the squire persisted until Keith desisted
And consented - upon the conditions -
That the nagging would cease; he would be left in peace
To reminisce with his fellow magicians.

Keith’s first cunning scheme to subvert this mad dream
Was to conjure a kit list of length:
No mere man could sustain the tackle sack’s strain
Surely the squire would not have the strength?

Though the weight was colossal, the squire was no fossil
(And he had eaten his Weetabix for breakfast)
So through the iron doors, into OFD’s jaws,
They delved deep into the darkness at last!

As a second stratagem, this quest to condemn
Keith had invited along the squire’s missus
Their pace thus affecting for she was six months expecting
So went slowly with wheezing and hisses.

Keith started to send his charge down dead ends
In the hope that he’d grow weary or bored
But each time the squire returned still a’fire
For monsters to despatch with his sword.

The wizard, now much vexed, contemplating what next
Recalled a contrivance compelling:
“Now, If you still dare” (he thus laid his snare)
“There’s a fiend most foul smelling, dwelling in a lair quite repelling - in dire need of quelling – ideally expelling:
And this origin of a thousand conspiracy theories
Can be found in the depths of the Prokofiev Series!”

“Lead on!” urged the squire, his ambition soaring higher
At this prestigious path to elation.
So by a circuitous way, ne’er suspecting foul-play
He followed Keith to that perilous location.

He fought through the squeeze, slightly skinning his knees
Then balanced across the crevasse
Till he came to a cliff: a climb indeed stiff
But there the squire met with impasse:

For from the top of the climb there came a fell whine:
A hideous, blood-curdling screech!
The squire’s knees trembled, his bowels disassembled
And he hurried back over the breach.

So adventurers be warned – tis better to be scorned
As a coward than to come face to face
With the demonic queries of the Prokofiev Series
And the cave-wolves that lurk in that place.

Cavers: Keith, Anne and Dave
Photos: Keith
Trip report: Anne
Photos: Keith

In which Dave finds himself in a tight spot

 "Show me the route into the Prokofiev Series", he said.

Return to Aquamole - Hidden Earth 2024 Video Salon Winning Film

This 10 minute edit of my film Return to Aquamole was placed first in the Video Salon at Hidden Earth 2024. The complete film was premiered in the Underground Session at the Kendal Mountain Festival on Friday 22nd November 2024.

In 1974 legendary cave diver Geoff Yeadon was the first to pass the 168 metre sump upstream from Rowten Pot in Kingsdale Valley. He discovered the impressive 40 metre high Aquamole Aven.

Geoff retired from cave diving in 1997.

In the winter 2000 Rupe Skorupka and Martin Holroyd scaled Aquamole Aven to a height of 50 metres. It pinched out, but they were able to gain access to a second series of inlet passages, the top of which was radio-located to a point 10 metres below the surface.

Rupe was joined by Bob Jacklin and members of the Northern Speleological Group and work started in January 2002 to dig out a surface shaft. Aquamole Aven was finally connected to the surface in June 2002.

A trip beginning by descending Aquamole Pot, as it is now named, to exit at Valley Entrance is now a classic through trip for cave divers and is considered to be a somewhat of a right of passage for the new generation of underwater cave explorers. In spite of his underground discoveries in Kingsdale Valley it was a trip that Geoff Yeadon had never done.

However, on Sunday the 6th August 2023, Geoff supported by a team of over 20 cavers and cave divers, was persuaded out of retirement to complete for the first time this classic descent and cave dive.

OFD1: Round Trip and Waterfall Series

The plan for today was to do the OFD1 Round Trip, with the Waterfall Series tacked on for good measure. Having done most of her caving in Yorkshire, this was to be Phoebe's second trip to South Wales. As a classic introduction to OFD, this trip seemed to fit the bill nicely.

Plodding through the entrance series we quickly reached the Step in the streamway and found water levels to be nice and low. We stomped up the streamway over the pots and into Boulder Chamber via Upper Flood Passage. Here we took the exposed traverse up to the start of the Waterfall Series, where we soon found ourselves bridging across a deepening trench with the Wet Way entering after a short while on the right.

Continuing to the end of the trench, a tight squeeze up through boulders led to the Dry Way and before long we arrived at the climb up to West Leg. Here we went up a somewhat exposed and polished 4m climb, with me reassuring myself that we didn't have to come back this way. Soon I found out that we did have to come back this way, as I’d misread the survey and led us straight past the connection to Highgate and Crystal Pool Chamber.

Nevermind; we reversed the climb down and soon found ourselves tackling the short - but fun - climbs up to the rift that leads into Crystal Pool Chamber. Having finished our business with the Waterfall Series, we headed back to Upper Flood Passage, this time climbing down the Waterfall rather than the exposed traverse into Boulder Chamber. But before doing so, I couldn't resist having a peek down the passage at the entrance (exit?) to the series that takes you high above Upper Flood Passage. This section of cave was very short, but led to a spectacular position; possibly a good place for a future photograph?

Before long we were climbing up into Lowe’s Passage and then up into the Rawl Series. Towards the beginning of this, a short, polished step up led to a long crawl that quickly gained height above the main passage below. We didn't follow this, but looking at the survey, I think this was Don’s Crawl that leads to Starlight Chamber. I was quite excited about identifying this, as I've seen impressive photos of the chamber and want to visit at some point.

Carrying on, we made progress to Roundabout Chamber, Shale Crawl and eventually Pi Chamber, spotting the squeeze down into the Subway en route. From Pi Chamber, things got really exciting, with the slither down the Elephant’s Arse to the start of Bolt Traverse over the main streamway. This is another spectacular position, accessed by a ladder and then a slide over the top of a large boulder suspended between the two sides of the canyon that takes the stream. This slide is a little awkward and exposed, and turning to Phoebe to advise her of this, I found that she had squeezed through an impossibly small hole between the boulder and cave wall. The benefits of being small!

After the Bolt Traverse, Phoebe opted for the Maypole Wire and chain back to the streamway rather than the Dugout. After a short walk down the streamway, we again found ourselves at the Step where we made our way back to the entrance series. Shortly after the Toast Rack I saw a side passage that looked like it needed exploring and dived down this. I dived a little too eagerly, however, as I quickly became separated from Phoebe. Several minutes later, after we had both wandered around shouting to find the other person, we met up and headed out of the cave.

All in all this was a fun trip, with Phoebe giving it a 7 out of 10. Although I've been in OFD1 several times before, I can't tire of the streamway, and the Waterfall Series and Round Trip are as enjoyable as they were the first time around.

Cavers: Phoebe and Dave
Pictures and report: Dave

The Geryon

The original plan for today was to go down Nettle Pot in Derbyshire. Unfortunately, Dave J (who was due to collect the tackle from the mill) had come down with the lurgy, and as I didn't have the time to get it myself a rethink was in order.

In the end, George and I decided to revisit Draenen and push to see the Geryon. This had been our plan a few weeks back, when - along with Mel, Loz, and Paulina and Bartek - we had attempted this trip for the first time. Unfortunately, difficulties with route-finding had put paid to our plans that time, so armed with greater knowledge we set out to complete some unfinished business.

We made rapid progress, popping through the u-bend in the Last Sandwich into MSAD in far less time than we did last time. From here, fairly straightforward navigation saw us through to The Hall of the One and the start of Luck of the Draw. After the interminable crawling in the Last Sandwich, the boulder-hopping and walking that characterised these sections of cave were quite pleasant.

Once in Luck of the Draw we began to see some intricate cave formations before too long, including boulders coated in pure white calcite. Despite many caving trips, I had not yet seen whole boulders coated this way, and “breathtaking” would not be too strong a word to describe them. However, things got better with the arrival of Medusa’s children. Here the passage is liberally decorated with formations in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Columns, helicities and more white boulders abound, and everywhere we looked there was something to marvel at. In fact, it was hard to know whether to sit back and try and take it all in, or zoom in and observe the sheer intricacy of individual formations. Eventually, we pushed on knowing that we would stop for photos on the way out. We also didn't want to get distracted from our main objective: the Geryon.

Soon after leaving Medusa's children, the passage lowered to a crawl. Judging by the description, we were on the cusp of the Geryon’s Lair. Shortly afterwards, we found ourselves in Cantankerous Surveyors’ Passage and after a couple of minutes, we were climbing up a slope into the Lair itself. There were two things that were enjoyable about being there. Firstly was seeing the Geryon itself! It truly is a remote wonder: intricately formed and tucked away in its own elusive chamber. Secondly was seeing the logbook entry from Keith, dated 2010!

After marvelling for a good while, we started the long trudge back out. This was interspersed with various photo opportunities, and I'm quite pleased with how the photos of Medusa’s Children turned out. Although, they're so impressive, it's almost impossible not to get a good photo! Eventually, after plenty of crawling, boulder-hopping and plodding, we emerged into the evening gloom and started the trudge back to the cars. This was an excellent trip and one that will have to be followed up with a visit to Circus Maximus!

Cavers: George Tolley and Dave
Trip report: Dave
Photos: Dave

The Time Machine

This was my third attempt at reaching the Time Machine in Daren Cilau. The first attempt was aborted at the bottom of the ladder up into Higher Things (when Anne got very cold) and the second was a non-starter, as George did his back in a week before the planned trip. However, it was third time lucky as Jas was both free and willing to do the trip.

The entrance series went fairly quickly; in fact I was pleased that it took just over an hour, and that was pushing a bag the whole way. I was less pleased that Jas didn't fall for my trick of trying to get him to go under a boulder at the end of the crawl rather than over. This boulder has caused me some difficulties in the past, when - crawling with my head down - I have failed to see the obvious route and instead ended up in a very tight squeeze. Sadly Jas made no such mistake!

After the entrance series, we made rapid progress through the boulder choke into Jigsaw Passage and eventually to Big Chamber Nowhere Near the Entrance. From there, Eglwys Passage, Five Ways Chamber, Valentine's Chamber and Preliminary Passage all followed quickly and without difficulty.

Before long it was time for the infamous ladder climb up Welly Boy Aven. Everyone we had spoken to said how hard this climb is, mostly for different reasons! These included: a) the ladder being overhanging, b) the rungs being spaced too far apart, c) it being hung upside down meaning bits of it catch on your caving suit, and d) it being bolted to the rock really awkwardly at the ledge halfway up. All of these reasons were at least partially true, but it wasn't as bad as I'd feared. In fact, pulling the lifeline through the figure 8 as Jas climbed the pitch proved harder work than the ladder itself!

Having conquered Welly Boy Aven, we cracked on with the traverse over White Passage (a nice bit of exposure!) and the two climbs with handlines down into the passage itself (easy but serious given the consequences of a fall). From there, a few minutes’ walk led us to the Time Machine which really was impressive for sheer size. After stomping along it for five minutes or so, and the obligatory photo, we turned round and headed back towards Big Chamber. Jas found downclimbing the ladder much harder than going up it. As he went down each rung, his kneepads would catch and he would have to climb back up to free them. Nonetheless, even with this difficulty he was quicker than me and it wasn't long before we were back at the logbook.

Here I was relieved to hear that Jas thought the through trip would be a good option, as I really didn't fancy reversing the entrance series! The through trip went without incident, with the exception of a minor navigational error in Antler Passage, which was quickly corrected. There were a couple of moments in Busman's Holiday where we had to guess the way on, but before long we saw the reflective sign for Cnwc which showed us that our guesses had all been right.

In Cnwc, Jas saw what he thought was a handline, but in fact was an SRT rope. He decided this was the way out rather than the passage ahead of us, even though it involved a horribly sketchy, overhanging climb into a hanging rift several feet off the ground. Being in awe of his machismo (and also because it was quite funny!) I let him get a few feet off the ground before telling him I’d take the easier route out. While it may have been easier, it was still not easy, but after a bit more squeezing and crawling, we eventually exited Cnwc into the evening gloom. And I had the satisfaction of finally getting to the Time Machine!

Cavers: Dave & Jas
Trip Report: Dave
Photo: Jas

Dudley members - Bartek, Graham, Jess, Keith, Loz and Paulina were involved in this film project. Not only is it being screened on Friday 22nd November at this year's Kendal Mountain Festival, it has also been selected for the International Film Competition.

The film documents Geoff's Yeadon's return to cave diving after a break of 26 years.

Geoff is a legend in British caving diving. Geoff and his diving partner Oliver “Bear” Statham are famous for undertaking a world record-breaking cave dive of 6,000 ft (1,800 m) from West Kingsdale Master Cave, in North Yorkshire to Keld Head. The dive was documented in a Yorkshire Television production called the Underground Eiger which was first broadcast on 21st February 1979 to an audience of 20 million viewers.

In 2020 Geoff was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to cave diving.

Ogof Draenen: a failed trip to the Geryon

The Dudley chose Ogof Draenen for their September trip, with Mel, Loz, George, Paulina, Bartek and Dave on the roster. The Geryon was our proposed destination, however after route-finding problems, slower than anticipated progress, and losing Bartek between Snowball Passage and the Last Sandwich, we decided we would turn back and leave it for another day.

Not to worry; we still enjoyed plenty of great caving, with the beautifully decorated midwinter chambers and the Snowball being particular highlights. Wyvern Hall was also impressive to see, and a visit there helped cement a little bit of knowledge of the long round trip.

A less delightful part of the trip was The Last Sandwich. Although it wasn't that bad at all, it was more miserable than I remember from last time. The rock seemed particularly painful on the knees, and it was hard, dry work that felt somewhat interminable. However, once we arrived in MS&D, I was buoyed by the thought that it was time to turn around and start making our way out.

As is often the case, Bartek was our photographer extraordinaire and decided that getting an interesting shot of the Snowball was necessary. To this end, the following conversation took place:

Bartek: “Dave, I need you to lie flat on those rocks over there.”

Dave: “you mean the sharp, jagged ones?”

Bartek: “yes, those are the ones.”

Dave: “why?”

Bartek: “so I can get a picture of your head on top of the snowball. You'll look like a snowman.”

Dave: “I see. Can't someone else lie on the sharp, jagged rocks?”

Bartek: “no, it has to be you.”

Dave: “why?”

Bartek: “because in Poland, a snowman is someone who's an idiot. You fit the bill perfectly.’

Dave: “ah, I see. Hang on while I get into position…”

Despite this cruel abuse, this was another thoroughly enjoyable trip. There remains much for us to explore in Ogof Draenen, and I'm sure club members can look forward to several return trips.

Trip Report: Dave
Photos: Bartek
Cavers: Bartek, Paulina, Loz, Mel, Dave, George

Yorkshire Weekend: Shuttleworth Pot & Mayday

Shuttleworth Pot: Trip Report by George Tolley

I met Dave and Anne in Ingleton and we had a quick bite to eat in Inglesport cafe. We then made our way to leck fell. Where we parked in a lay by.

We made our way across the fell in lovely weather, following a stone wall on our left, over a little mound, then you start descending the hill and the cave is across to your right.

The trip started with a short descent down the manhole into a very wet puddle. Then out into the cave where we carried on down to the bottom of pitch 1.

Then a short hands and knees crawl over loose rocks to the top of pitch 2. This pitch consisted of a few small drops then a nice final descent to the cave floor, a fixed hand line helps to pull yourself up a loose rock bank.

We de-kitted from our srt gear and followed the passage leading to another crawl, along a mud floor passing some beautiful formations, of straws and helictites. Popping out in a large chamber, winding our way through with high mud banks either side of us. We come to a fork with the left path leading up for a short way until stopping. The right path takes you past some straws and then into a very muddy passage which comes to the end of the passage.

We then turned for home and made our way back to the surface, to find the weather was still lovely so a nice stroll back to the cars.

A very good trip, thanks Dave and Anne.

Mayday: Trip Report by Dave

Our second trip in Yorkshire was to be a major step up in terms of difficulty. Roo had suggested Mayday Hole as a way to test ourselves, and particularly my rigging skills. So after the obligatory breakfast at Inglesport, we started the trudge up to the entrance, carrying some planks for a dig a little further on that Roo is involved in.

The entrance into Mayday was blummin awkward: a tight squeeze down to the first pitch head, with very little room for a tackle sack. After getting in a twist, I eventually managed it and dropped down to the start of a tightish rift (Razor Traverse). Thrutching along the rift whilst rigging was interesting but short lived, and finished with a nice y-hang that allowed quick progress down the second pitch. This was swiftly followed by the third pitch (called The Nipper) which was the tightest of the whole lot. Gravity obviously helped on the way down, but George nonetheless made the comment that perhaps Roo’s recommendation of cave reflected a certain dislike of us!

A short crawl later saw us to the top of Doughnut Pitch. Coming down this, George had an interesting fight with a tackle sack. The tether snapped, and - fortunately for my head - the bag got wedged. After retrieving it, we all grouped together at the bottom, and here Anne decided that she was too tired to go any further.

Leaving Anne to have a rest, George and I cracked on with Frank's Pitch, and then Baby and Boom pitches. These last two in particular were very fine pitches. The cave changed character and became much more spacious, and easy rigging and abseiling quickly led to the boulder choke right at the bottom of the cave. All that remained now was prussiking back up 120 metres, and the first 70 odd meters (back up Boom and Baby) were very pleasant indeed.

In fact the whole outward journey wasn’t too bad, although managing the rope to avoid it snagging took some thought. At least the outward journey wasn't too bad until we got to the Nipper. After hearing Anne grunting and struggling with this, it was my turn to face it. It was pretty hard work, with one large bulge (ahem, I'm referring to the shape of the cave, not my physique) causing particular difficulty. At this point, I decided that George was wrong: Roo didn't dislike us, he hated us! To make things even worse, the tackle bag weighed a tonne, and decided to snag and catch on everything. Nonetheless, a good struggle later, and there was only the second and first pitches to go.

These passed without too much difficulty, and the nice dribble of water down the first pitch was very refreshing. Finally, all that remained was getting out of the cave. This proved as difficult as getting in, but fortunately George helped by taking the tackle sack off me.

To sum up, Roo’s recommendation was very good and Mayday Hole definitely didn't disappoint. It was testing but great fun. Had I realised how testing, I would have chosen another cave as it was only George's second SRT trip. Nonetheless, he did a great job, meeting every obstacle head on and making them look a lot easier than me!

Daren Cilau Through Trip

A repeat of the Daren through trip was high on Anne’s to do list (or at least a visit to the Urchins was) and foolishly I agreed to go with her. The entrance series was as tortuous as ever, particularly as I was carrying a bag this time. However, by cracking on we made reasonably light work of it and the calcite squeezes weren’t nearly as bad as I remember. There was an incredibly tight squeeze towards the end of the crawl which played the xylophone on my rib cage. I was about halfway though and on the verge of becoming stuck when Anne popped her head over and asked why I had gone under rather than over? The answer being that I was so used to putting my head down and squeezing that I hadn’t looked up to see the obvious (and spacious) route over the top. Fortunately I was able to push through and squeeze out the other side, which is just as well as going back would have been very, very difficult.

Once out of the crawl we made quick progress to the first boulder choke, making a quick detour to see the dried out crystal pool towards the end of the old main chamber. This was very impressive and well worth the five minutes it took to view it.

We wriggled through the first choke out into Jigsaw Passage where nice easy caving brought us to Big Chamber Nowhere Near the Entrance. More easy caving down Epocalypse Way took us to the White Company where we stopped to get a couple of photos of these very beautiful formations. Carrying on we managed to mistake the entrance to Urchin Oxbow, do a complete 180 and end up back at the White Company! This was no hardship as they are very beautiful 😊

We did a better job second time around and clambered up the climb into Urchin Oxbow where another couple of photos were in order. Shortly thereafter the long trudge along Antler Passage started. Antler Passage is rather interminable with lots of boulder hopping and regular obstacles to climb up and through, including 4 laddered sections.

Just before one of the climbs we passed a handline coming down from Man in the Roof. This is a route I’d like to go and see at some point, however making the exit using just the handline looks like sheer lunacy. It must be 6 to 7 metres high with just a thin cleft in the face of the rock for footholds. This route may require some planning, and going with someone who has prior experience of it…

We ploughed on and eventually reached the fourth laddered climb (with a very slippery approach!) which took us up into Busman’s Holiday. Thereafter easy caving took us through Prices’ Prophecy to the exit via Cnwc. While Cnwc is tight and crawly it is nothing in comparison to the entrance series and before long we arrived at the gated exit and emerged to a beautiful sunny afternoon.

Total time was 6 hours, which isn’t bad as my first attempt took over 7 hours.

Cavers: Dave & Anne
Trip Report & Photos: Dave

Ogof Craig a Ffynnon

Having missed the Dudley’s July trip to Craig a Ffynnon I was keen to finally make it through to the elusive Helictite Passage.

Water levels were extremely low; the first choke was dry and Gasoline Alley a mere puddle. But the second choke was as muddy as ever, and a very slippery corkscrew climb had to be squirmed up with great difficulty. This was by far the most arduous part of the route in, but a delight to slide down on the way out!

The entrance to Travertine Passage provided a few more specimens of mud (who but cavers truly appreciate the wide variations in mud?) with the treacherous welly-eating squelchy mud, fun mud-slide mud and just enough caked on mud to make boulder hopping a precarious pursuit. Travertine Passage and the Hall of the Mountain King were as stunning as ever, but we pressed on into Hurricane Highway (initially a slippery mud but increasingly more Velcro mud), and were back at the fourth choke where the navigation had defeated us on our first trip. The way on was embarrassingly obvious when you know where…

Then finally, into Helictite Passage! It was certainly worth the mud, the squirming and the squeezing. A stunning array of formations. I particularly appreciated the pom-pom. Definitely a must see for any calcite enthusiasts out there. 😊

On the way back we made use of the low water to wade through to visit the crocodile in North Western Inlet. He was cheerful as ever, welcoming unwary cavers in with gently smiling jaws. Needless to say we backed off hastily.

Back at the car park, we had the usual conversation with a passing motorist who couldn’t understand why anyone would choose to go caving. I’m sure if more people were introduced to the joys of calcite, and mud, mud, glorious mud, it would all make much more sense!

Trip Report: Anne
Photos: Dave

Peak Cavern: White River Series - Attempted

Today's trip was meant to be to the White River Series. On the roster were Mark, Jess, Mel, Johnny and Dave and after setting off we soon find ourselves deep in the bowels of the Devil's Arse. Jess chose to emphasise each hop, skip and jump between boulders in the Upper Gallery with a dainty “ooh”, which added some amusement, as I had visions of her dancing between the boulders like a ballerina. Before long, we were into the trenches which were thick with mud and very slippy. Here Jess’ dainty “oohs” were replaced with a less dainty “phwurgh” (you're not meant to drink the mud, Jess!) before we squeezed through a constriction to arrive at the start of Colostomy Crawl.

While this by no means lived up to the “colostomy” part of its name, it certainly lived up to the “crawl” part! Here bags that were being dragged got stuck in various rocks and in various crevices, and it was with great relief that we arrived at the fixed ladders leading down Egnaro Aven. Having all arrived at the Lower Bung streamway, we made quick progress via the bypass to the start of the White River Series.

First up the initial pitch was Mark, followed by Mel and then Jess, while Jonny and myself waited at the bottom. After a while, we saw people coming down again; unfortunately Mel's mind had decided (not unreasonably!) that dangling from a piece of string, over a huge void, several hundred metres underground was not a particularly sensible thing to do. This was a good thing in the end. While we may not have seen the White River Series, we did manage to be out of the cave in time by turning back, and this definitely wouldn't have happened had we pushed on.

However, we now had the delights of Colostomy Crawl to repeat! Fortunately, it was much easier in reverse as it sloped downhill, making dragging the bags much easier. Before long we were through the Trenches, Upper Gallery, Mucky Ducks and the Wallows, and back at Buxton Water Sump. Here the obligatory wash and scrub down saw us fit to exit the cave, and a quick trudge back to the TSG led to showers and then a pub meal. Both of these were a welcome end to a muddy, tiring trip, but one that was well worth it nonetheless!

Cavers: Mark, Jess, Mel, Johnny, & Dave
Trip Report: Dave

In Search of the Dragon

Our grandchildren (Ian and Keith that is) like caving. However, it's getting increasingly difficult to find new places to take them. They are now getting quite experienced so we need trips that will challenge them but don't involve anything too hazardous. We have done Goatchurch, Eglwys Faen, OFD (to the Trident and Judge) and Aggy. Ian suggested Ogof Craig A Ffynnon but I thought the pitch could over face them so I suggested we tackle North West Inlet.

Now those of you who have done this trip will know that the water is numbingly cold and one is in the water for quite some time, so we made sure everyone was wearing a wetsuit. To tempt our young explorers through this moist passage, I told them that the cave was home to a rare breed a caving-dwelling dragon.

This short film tells the story of the trip.

OFD Through Trip

Faced with the onset of the hottest week of the year, the only sane course of action was to seek respite underground. We'd been hoping to do the OFD through trip (bottom to top entrance) for a couple of years, but never quite got around to it. However, a quick email later, and we had Bartek and Paulina on board. Their stories about the Ario expedition made the trip seem incredibly tame, but also a much nicer (read less tight and committing) experience!

Water levels in the streamway were well below The Step, and Anne appreciated being able to make progress without falling over or fighting for balance (short people problems!). After stomping up the streamway and going through the choke into the Connection, Bartek decided it was time for a spot of photography and took several snaps of the impressive mini formations in the passage. We then remembered the right-hand turn by an obvious formation, and popped out into a chamber with a few options for ways on.

Here our satisfaction at remembering the nav ended, and Bartek had to come to the rescue by sniffing out the tube that was the way on. After this we made quick progress to the Letterbox, with only one further nav mistake, that Bartek and Paulina again corrected. At this point, Bartek shot off ahead, and we waited a while for him to return. This not happening, Dave decided to climb up to the Letterbox and yell for him to come back. Bartek, however, had other ideas. Pretending to be a vampire, he had perched out of sight just before the Letterbox and thought it great fun to make Dave jump as he climbed upwards. His cruelty continued, as on arrival at the streamway in OFD 2, he forced Dave to jump in and out of potholes so he could take photos. This was under pain of not telling him how to find his way out of the cave. Justice was done, however, as Paulina quietly filled his wellies with stones whilst he was engrossed in taking more photographs near top entrance. What was most impressive was the fact that he walked halfway back to the cottage before realising and emptying a handful of large rocks out of his boot (then discovering even more later).

The biggest highlight of the trip was definitely Marble Showers, where the combination of black limestone and calcite veins / swirls was stunning. Overall this trip was well worth waiting for and is definitely one to repeat before too long.

Cavers: Bartek, Paulina, Dave & Anne
Trip Report: Dave
Photos: Bartek

DRAENAN ENTRANCE IV – A NEW HOPE

DRAENAN ENTRANCE IV – A NEW HOPE

Part One - “Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny,

consume you it will”

A long time ago in a cave passage far, far away…

A group of cavers

including Keith and Jess

endeavored to reach a beautifully decorated chamber

in the far reaches of Ogof Draenan…The trip entailed light years of

stumbling over greasy boulders…millenniae of thrutching, over sticky mud floors…many

tears and groans of agony and vain attempts to use the force…This mission was completed

in no less than 13 HOURS by the intrepid explorers, making it the longest caving trip and

hardest physical feat EVER in the life of poor Jess…

A few lightyears passed…

Lulled into a false sense of security by Mark,

(Who said he found our lack of faith disturbing)

Jess, Mel and Joe agreed to embark on a little “routefinding trip” into Draenan.

Some gentle exploring around the entrance, we thought! Tucking a choc bar and a capri sun

into our suits, we set off. 16 HOURS LATER we emerged into early morning daylight, with

broken bodies, bleeding knees and murder in our hearts. Mark had failed to mention that

the “routefinding” was to the Gerion – pretty much the same trip that Jess had done a few

years before (and sworn never to attempt again). Unprepared as we were, without any

dihydrogen monoxide, we had been reduced to drinking sludgy cave water, and eating some

weird thing made of sugar and peanuts, that Mel had brought back from some foreign

planet, just… to… survive.

So …

you can imagine my trepidation

when, after months of almost no caving at all,

my foray back into this dark world was to be another trip into Draenan…

I HAD A BAD FEELING ABOUT THIS…

Part Two - “These are not the entrances you’re looking for”

Jedi masters,

Bartek and Paulina

came up with a plan to find the new entrance,

(Ogof Tarddiad Pwll Du) mentioned in Descent Magazine,

go into the main cave, then go out via the traditional entrance. Maps were consulted and

terrain was surveyed. Teams were chosen and soon we were heading to parts unknown.

“This is the Way” called Mark,

and descended down a steep ravine, through dense vegetation,

only to be met at the cave entrance by those with a GPS and an obvious path.

Once inside, there were crawls – but nothing too terrible, and soon we were in bigger

passage, with conservation tape. Obviously we were in known passage…but just where?

Bartek, Paulina and Dino were in Draenan for the first time, and Loz, Joe and I had been

there only a few times. Out came the surveys, descriptions and compass, but to no avail. But

the force was strong with Mark, and indeed, this WAS the Way. To T Junction, anyway.

Greasy boulders to the left of us, greasy boulders to the right of us, stretching into the

distance. The potential for hours and hours of type 2 fun lay ahead. But all was not lost - An

early call-out had been set, so we could head out of the original entrance with heads held

high. The mission had been accomplished!

Draenan Entrance IV – A New Hope

CREDITS

Directed by Paulina and Bartek

Written by Jess

Locations Mark

Associate producer Dino

Soundtrack Loz

Archive material Joe

Photography Mark and Bartek

Starring Paulina, Jess, Dino, Loz, Joe

Dranen entrance passages. Photos Bartek Biela

White arch chamber. Photo Mark Burkey

Ogof Tarddiad Pwll Du entrance ladder. Photo Mark Burkey

Caving Trip to Agen Allwedd in South Wales

Before embarking on our caving adventure to Agen Allwedd, also known as ''Aggy'', a renowned cave in South Wales, we spent days planning and deciding which section to do. There was six of us with mixed level of experience, including a novice on his 3 rd. caving trip ever! Equipped with appropriate gear, food and drinks we were ready for the underground adventure. 

For a change, the weather was clear and sunny. The entrance to Aggy was reached after 20 minutes’ walk, luckily for us the key worked at first try and we descended into the darkness. 

The first section of the cave, Entrance Series, was relatively straightforward in terms of navigation, consisting of collection narrow rifts, crawls to squeeze through, climbs and boulders to hop over. We navigated through the initial passages with relative ease, the thrill of exploration driving us forward. We quickly reached the Baron’s Chamber and continue down Main Passage. We soon reached a right-hand side turn onto Main Stream Passage. Once again we navigated crawling under boulders or climbing over another. The passage seemed to go on forever. Soon we reached Turkey Pool where couple of us decided to cool down a bit and unintentionally jump in up to our chests, brrrr. The Selenite Needle Passage was another noticeable place where lots words of amazement were heard. 

Turkey Pool

Selenite Passage

We continued to complete our objective of Inner Circle, through Eastern Avenu and St Paul’s Passage with its amazing Dome of St Paul’s. Soon after we were on our way back retracing our steps, carefully navigating the tricky sections once more, our fatigue counterbalanced by the exhilaration of our adventure. Emerging into the daylight, we were greeted by the warmth of the sun, vibrant green of the surrounding landscape and midges. 

Inner Circle Chamber

St Paul's Dome

Our caving trip to Agen Allwedd was an unforgettable adventure. It tested our limits, rewarded our curiosity, and left us with memories that will last a lifetime.

Report: Paulina

Photos: Bartek

Cavers:Bartek, Paulina, George T, Becca K, Dino, Loz