Phil gets a little hotter in Otter

Phil requested a trip in to the stunning Otter Hole a while back and so a trip was booked. The team would comprise of Jess, myself, Phil, Mike & Kay.

We met our leader, Adrian at the car park at 7.15am kitted and ready to go. Jess had sent out a couple of emails warning that this would not be an easy trip and as we walked to the cave entrance people muttered about just the walk back up the hill would be strenuous enough!

We entered in to the flat out mud wallowing our way through. We kept a good pace, reaching the sump in 45mins, to find it wide open. The next leg of the entrance series begun to wear down Phil, who had not caved since Christmas and by the time we reached the breakthrough he was really feeling the pace.

Mike and Kay were eager to reach the end of the cave and so we discussed options. It was decided we would do the honourable thing.....ok maybe not.....we abandoned Phil with his camera to take a breather and play with photo's and video and headed on through the cave.

Otter hole has a reputation for being breathtakingly decorated and does not disappoint. I had not been further than Long Straw Chamber before and so was surprised as we reached the junction to see Tunnels Left changing character to phreatic boulder strewn passage.

We took a quick look at the final chamber and sump and then headed back toward Phil taking a couple of quick photo's as we went.

Once we reached Hall of 30 and rejoined him we again took a couple more shots before heading out.

Again Phil was feeling the pace so we took it nice and easy to exit at about 6pm.

Unfortunately my camera lens had given up by the time we exited and so we are without the usual mud covered exit shot, but the pic of the suits awaiting to be cleaned gives a good flavour of what we would have looked like :)

Adrian near the hall of 30

Adrian in Tunnels Left

Mike in Tunnels Left

Phil near Hall of 30

Kay in Long Straw Chamber

His and hers matching suits

The new meander suits are no match for Otter Hole!

Present: Mike Bonner, Kay Wood, Jessica Burkey, Phil Lester, Mark Burkey & our leader Adrian Fawcett

Here's to mud in your eye! The Dudley Otter Hole Trip 2014

A tired looking Dudley bunch met at the 365 steps car park at 8am. The night before had seen the worst thunderstorms and heavy rain of the year and no one had managed much sleep.

Ian our trip leader arrived at 8.40 to find us all changed and raring to go. As we made our way through the woodland the tired faces were replaced by excitement at the thought of what was in store.

After a quick shot of the team whilst still clean we signed the logbook and headed in. 

The entrance series is immediately flat out and muddy and everyone squealed with delight as we slipped and slid our way through the crawls. We soon made our way over Pyramid Step, down Breakdown Passage to the tidal sump where there was plenty of air space so we quickly paddled our way through, up the ladder and through choke 1.  The traverse proved no problem for anyone and we were soon stomping up stream to the 2nd choke. 

After taking some time to wash ourselves off thoroughly we headed in to more muddy passage in the Link Crawl where Mel approached the rift at an odd angle and made getting through slightly more work than necessary :)

Reaching ‘The Extension’ we were immediately wowed by the pretty formations before us. Every corner we turned seemed to impossibly become prettier than the last until the huge stalagmites and stalactites of the Hall of 30 loomed in to view to take our breath away. We could have happily spent the entire day with the formations already passed, but there was still more to come. We continued on to ‘Long Straw Chamber’ passing more beautiful curtains, stal’s and columns of colours varying from Black to pure white dripping from ceilings that at one point became the brightest of reds. Then on to Tunnels Junction. At this point Becca went with Ian to the Sump in Tunnels Left whilst the rest of us pottered back taking a few pictures as we went.

The outward trip was uneventful, though everyone was feeling the pace on the return, and we arrived to find the sump high enough to be a duck on our exit. Well chilled we soon warmed up as the flat out mud crawls are up hill on the way out!

Paul Taylor was filming for his sequel to his otter hole video at the wash off point, fortunately Mr Edwards has taught us well and Mr Taylor was very pleased with the quality of his actors.

The Rest of the Dudley Forest of Dean weekenders met us as we washed off in the bath tub and we were soon back at the cars munching cake and planning our next adventures.

The team before entering Otter Hole

Rich in a grotto off the main passage

Chloe in Gour passage

Mel admiring formations near Tunnels Junction

The team on exit!

Present: Becca Kirkpatrick, Mel Bell, Rich Gibbons, Chloe Burney and Mark Burkey

Otter Hole 40 Years On - 1970 to 2010

A small team from DCC attended the second public showing of Paul Taylor's Otter Hole Video at the Palace Cinema in Cinderford.  It was filmed last May when Dave 'Sparky' Parker went to see the formations for the very first time - 26 years after he first visited the cave and at the age of 73 .

Paul obviously has a sense of occasion as he met us suited and complete with red bowie tie.

The hour long video was taken 'as it happened' and obviously there no way of going back for a second take.  Paul has made a first class job of editing the clips together to make a video which holds the audience and tells a real story.  The showing was well attended with an audience of around 80 people - the premier attracted an audience of 120.  All proceeds from the showings have been donated to the Gloucester Cave Rescue Group.

However the surprise of the evening was that our very own Mike Clayton was a member of the caving team and was even interviewed in the cave after the tidal sump.  I'm sure he will be available for autographs.  So what's all this about him not liking Welsh caves?  Me thinks he doth protest too much!  So I'm now arranging trips for him into such Welsh classics as Ogof Cynnes and Ogof Rhyd Sych.

Attended by: Dave Bowley, Emme Porter, Mike Clayton, Bartek and Paula Biela, and Keith Edwards

Stal Cleaning in Otter Hole

As a talented cave photographer with thousands of great pictures to his credit and whose pictures have appeared in books and magazines, Brendan had never photographed Britain's best decorated cave, so this was going to be his big opportunity.

Also at almost the eleventh hour it was dropped on us that 2010 is a conservation year for Otter Hole and all over-tide trips were expected to help with stal cleaning.

Over-tide trips are long trips without a cave photographer in the team. Over-tide trips are very long trips without stopping to scrub stal. So with photos to take and stal to shine this was set to be an epic. Epic trips require a decent brekkie and much discussion took place about where to stop. Eventually those of us who like a good breakfast before a caving trip, i.e. Brendan, Chris and Keith, chose the recently re-opened Pencraig Diner. Out genial host asked if we would like toast or fried bread. For a trip of this magnitude there was only one possible answer, but we won't make that mistake again! The fried bread consisted or two thick crusts each and we all had to admit defeat which prompted out host to ask if anything was wrong with the meals.
We met with Andy, Mel and our guides on the Otter car park where for reasons that Andy himself cannot explain he decided that in spite of Otter being on his 'must do' list for over a decade he wouldn't be coming into the cave with us.
Over-tide trips in Otter are strenuous without carrying tackle. Carrying a large Pelican Case loaded with a heavy camera and flash guns through Otter's tortuous squeezes, climbs and rock-strewn passages must be purgatory, but such is Brendan's dedication to his art that the case was transported without complaint, although the look on his face told another tale.
We made good time through the muddy entrance crawls, through the very muddy tidal sump (which was empty with the stream free flowing when we passed through), through the first choke, across the traverses and to sump two where we stopped to scrub the caked mud of our over-suits before proceeding to the extensions. We made slow progress though the magnificently decorated passages leading to and through the Hall of Thirty so that we could stop and admire the formations. Brendan was anxious to start snapping but decided to wait until the way out when we would be stal cleaning and he would have more time.
After a short break at the camp we made our way on through Long Straw Chamber towards Tunnels Junction.
Just before turning back we visited a well-decorated grotto on the left of the passage. Brendan could resist no longer. The camera box was flipped open and he reached for camera and flash guns, however as the box was opened Brendan's face dropped. There was water in the case. Undaunted he dried off the gear and started the ritual, "Stand there", "Hold this", "Look at me", "Let me focus on your lamp" and so on, but the damp flash guns stubbornly refused to cooperate so no photos were taken and the box had to be abandoned. Brendan was not happy! He went very quiet and it was the closest any of us have ever experienced to Brendan having a sulk.
We turned back at Tunnels Junction and I took a few minutes of video on the very back to Long Straw Chamber.
Back at the camp we filled water sprayers and spent the next hour or so cleaning mud of the formations.
The way out from here didn't seem so long as on the way in and we got back to the tidal sump before it had completely emptied.
From here the pace of the party slowed considerably as the tired team made its slow way out through the muddy entrance crawls.
I was first out and it was about twenty minutes later that Chris finally surfaced. He was completely spent, totally knackered, done in, and the famous grin was conspicuous by its absence. I thought that there was a real possibly that we had broken him at long last but the following week he was off again caving.
Finally the walk uphill back to the car park nearly finished me too.



The Video


Present: Keith Edwards, Brendan Marris, Mel Wakeman and Chris Webb

Otter Hole Near Chepstow

A over-tide trip to the camp beyond the Hall of Thirty for members that had not visited the cave before - so why was Keith on the trip?  Well the 4th place was reserved for Jason, but in order to get out of the trip Jason deliberately broke a finger karate chopping a piece of wood.  What some people will do to get out of a caving trip.  A very enjoyable, but very exhausting trip.

Present: CJe, KEd, BMa & CWe