Hon. Sec: A.R. Thomas. Allens House,

Nine Barrows Lane, Priddy, Wells,

Somerset.
Hon. Editor: – S.J. Collins, Lavender Cottage, Bishop Sutton,

Bristol

Editorial

Is Cave Photography Dead?

Elsewhere in this B.B. you will find an appeal by Nick
Barrington – of ‘Caves of Mendip’ fame – for photographs.  Some years ago, the B.E.C. was noted for its
high standard of cave philosophy.  We
held photographic competitions – we wrote articles on the subject – and many of
our better (and in modern terms, hairiest cavers) were also expert
photographers.

This tradition dated from the quite early days from the
quite early days of the club – with members like Don Coase, ‘Pongo’ Wallis and
‘Shorty’.  Even in later years, the
discovery of Balch Hole resulted in B.E.C. photographers descending on the cave
in droves – all banging away with flashbulbs and discussing things like the
merits and disadvantages of synchroflash versus open shutters with some heat.

It will be a pity if Nick’s latest project fails to get off
the ground through lack of suitable material. It will be sad from our club’s point of view if there are no B.E.C.
photographers included.  It would seem a
good time for some of our younger cavers to rediscover the delight and snags of
cave photography.

A.D.P.U.

For the uninitiated, it stands for ‘Abseil down – prussik
up’ – a technique which is getting rather more talked about of late.  A short symposium on the subject of
prussiking is to be held in the autumn, but the organiser is short of
speakers.  Does anyone feel he is an
expert on prussiking.  Contact Alfie.

“Alfie”

Appeal For Pics

Nicholas Barrington hopes, if a sufficient number of really
good photographs can be obtained, to produce an art book (A4 size) depicting
scenes under Mendip.

It would probably include several sections – Early Caving –
Cave Diving – Formations – Pitches, and so on. If any B.E.C. members have any top class photographs which would be
capable of being included on their own merits (they would just have captions
rather than any accompanying editorial matter) would they please contact Nick
at the Oak House, Axbridge,

Somerset
as soon as possible.  It is envisaged
that a reproduction fee will be paid per print used.

There is one category of print where prints less than top
quality will be accepted, and that is of any photos showing ‘news type’ shot –
e.g. the first trip down Cuthbert’s.

Also, if any member has good prints of any formations on
Mendip which have since been destroyed or damaged (e.g. the ‘streaky bacon’
curtain in Rod’s Pot) could they please contact Nick so that the print may be
included in a further edition of a revised ‘COMPLETE CAVES OF MENDIP’ to punch
home even further (Nick, note clever avoidance of split infinitive compared to
original! – Ed.) the high rate of despoliation of our limited number of caves.

The final prints will be reduced to 4 inches across with a
maximum height of 6 inches, but larger sized prints for reduction would be
appreciated.  Postage and cost will be
refunded, and the greatest care taken of all originals.

PLEASE ACT NOW AND CONTACT NICK STRAIGHT AWAY.  SEND YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS TO
N.
BARRINGTON, THE OAK HOUSE, AXBRIDGE, SOMERSET.

The Fixed Tackle Question: Yes, But

Let me say at once that I thought Tim Large’s article from
Cuthbert’s was very good, and I think that the Committee did the right thing by
endorsing the Cuthbert’s Leaders decision. If it comes to a straight “Yes” or “No” on taking out the tackle, then,
from what I’ve heard, it’s “Yes.”

On the other hand, I find myself not quite in agreement with
some of the thinking behind Tim’s article, and wonder if my point of view is
shared by anyone else.  At ant rate, I
hope that Tim and his colleagues will find my arguments understandable, if not
acceptable.

‘Caves is like nature makes ‘em.’  Well this is certainly true – up to a point,
but not by itself a very valid reason for the removal of fixed tackle.  The trouble with most slogans is that they
are black and white statements, whereas the real Cuthbert’s, as nature made it,
had an entrance rift so narrow that only Viv Brown and Roy Bennett were able to
descend it at the time, just to quote one example.  Leaning the odd bit of ‘iron oxide’ up
against the odd rock means that at any time, the removal of the iron oxide will
at once restore the cave to its virginal or pristine state – whereas the
breaking off of stal, through clumsiness, vandalism, or some good reason like
the opening up of more cave, or putting in the odd rawlbolt is an irreversible
process.

In our day (as ‘Butch’ or ‘Milch’ would say) we were very
keen to keep caves as near as possible to ‘like nature made ‘em.’  Tim’s expression deserves to go alongside
Fred Davies’s famous dictum – but with certain mental reservations.  There are due to the fact that cavers are
also as nature made ‘em.

These two facts must be taken together.  If Tim’s saying be taken too literally, then
no caver who cannot negotiate the entrance pitch in its original state has any
real right down Cuthbert’s.  This would
have ruled out people like Don Coase and the Wig to start with.  On the other hand, we would be daft to try to
make all cavers fit all caves.  If nature
has made a caver seven feet tall, or twelve inches thick, or even sixty year
old; then nature has played the bloke a dirty trick and there isn’t much we can
do about it.

In this context, Tim’s assertion that cavers have changed
must mean that caves should change to fit them – or at least the fixed aids in
the caves should change.  This is natural
and quite as it should be – you can’t expect anything to stand still for
ever.  Many years ago, there was a very
great difference in outlook between cavers and climbers (or at nay rate between
Mendip cavers and climbers).  Climbers
would argue for hours about artificial aids. Most climbers of those days were all for pitting their wits against a
climb with the absolute minimum of aids of any kind.  They maintained that the use of pitons was only
permissible on the odd occasion when a perfectly good climb contained one small
section not possible without one.  They
talked with scorn about the ‘dangle and whack’ boys who bashed up impossible
climbs by sheer weight of ironmongery and maintained that you might just as
well run scaffolding up a rock face and call it a climb.  Cavers, on the other hand never argued about
artificial aids at all.  The more the
better was the accepted idea.  They
maintained that the object was to get down the cave and do things – like
photography, surveying or just plain sightseeing – not to perform fancy tricks
on the way.  These tricks were better
left to climbers who, after all, had nothing better to do – because you don’t
climb up a rock face just to see it.  You
can do this much better from the bottom with a good pair of binoculars.  On the other hand, you can’t see a cave
except by going down it and thus, so the argument ran, the important thing was
to get down there rather than to argue about how you should do it.

Since those days, both caving and climbing have
changed.  Climbers, wanting new routes to
do (after all, you can’t discover a whole new mountain in Britain today) tended
to accept aids rather more than they once did as cavers, adopting many climbing
techniques, needed the fixed aids put in by an earlier generation less and
less.

Good.  So let’s take
out most of the fixed tackle and let modern cavers really get to grips with the
cave!  Let us not forget, though, that
caving does not entirely consist of purely sporting caving.  There are other things to be found
underground besides the ‘port and challenge’ mentioned by Tim.  Cave photography is one, and there are many
more – and they cannot be done satisfactorily by climbing up and down fire
escapes!

In fact, the ‘sport and challenge’ argument is not a very
good one.  I once went down Goatchurch
with Noel MacSharry, who took me over a route which he had sorted out which
made parts of the cave surprisingly hairy and just shows what can be done in an
easy cave by using imagination.  If sport
and challenge was the only criterion, one could find them equally well by
climbing the Martyr’s Memorial in

Oxford
without bothering to go underground for them at all.

Caving is liking caves, no matter why.  I would sooner see our caves full of people
who really liked being in them – for whatever reason, as long as it was not
anti-social, than to see too tigerish a spirit dominate our pass time.  One of the beauties of caving is that it can
offer such a diversity of activity to such a wide range of people.  In this context, I take issue with Tim on his
assertion that nobody should ‘see the pretties’ until they had earned this
right by their physical fitness alone.  I
am not advocating the carting down of loads of semi-invalids into Cuthbert’s to
see the Curtain, Cascade etc., but I do assert that the ability to get there
without tackle should not be the sole criterion by which their right to see
them should be judged.  By all means, let
us make those who need it take tackle with them – after all, modern tackle is not
all that heavy or bulky – but let discrimination stop there unless the man is
obviously unfit to be underground at all. As an example, we all owe the caves we enjoy to those people who dug
them out, often with none of the subsequent limelight.  Nobody, for example, would question John
Cornwell’s decision to put a railway into Rhino while it was a dig.  If he had sine wanted to put in a few fixed
ladders – or a winch or something, he would have more right, for my money, than
most.  If a famous artist wanted to paint
a scene in Cuthbert’s which stood a good chance of becoming an internationally
famous picture, and one of great value to caving and to posterity, I can’t
really see us refusing to lend him a helping hand on the way there and back.

In conclusion, by all means let us make the cave tougher and
more natural for those who can gain from this move – but don’t let us refuse,
or even look down our noses, at the is idea of reasonable trips with tackle for
experienced cavers who are fully aware of the limitations imposed by age,
temperament or physique and who are fully prepared to cave responsibly within
those limits.

“Senex.”

*****************************************

PLEASE NOT:  Tim Large
– our Caving secretary – now lives at: –

39 Seymour Avenue
Bishopston

Bristol

Notice

Oliver Lloyd will be holding his 60th Birthday Party in the
Old Grotto, Swildons on Wednesday, August 4th 1971 at 7 pm.  There will be sherry and cake.  Any members are invited to attend.

Letter

Editor’s
Note:    It is always nice to welcome a
new writer.  Chris has taken up the
challenge about cavers not being literate as climbers.  He explains this in the letter below before
showing us what he can do in the way of caving in the article that follows his
letter.

Dear Alfie

When Tim Large and oi were at Belfry t’other noight we wur
aving a nosh when oi did zee a vurry thin book loing on the table loike.  Oi did ztart to read thik book (cos even an
old B.B. wur better than watching thik large feller feed is foice) when oi did
come across thicky harticle by some cxloimer feller.  Oi seed thy note as ow thewe do not think
them cloimers be more literate loike than us coivers and oi think that these
should know that oi thinks thee do talk a load of cobblers, so please do ‘ee
vind with thicky-yer note, a harticle on coiving.

oi opes thee don’t moind as ow it wur written by a
non-member.  This is coz oi aint hasked
anyone to second my happlification yet an oi aint done that fer as ow oi aint
got money fer me subscerition.  oi did
think as ow thee be thee always be zaying as ow thee be short of harticles and
thee moight find it worthwhile fer to vill some zpace.

Oi do rekon thik reason as why coivers doesn’t writ is coz
un do hunderhestimate the hinterest of what un do do.  –Moind ‘ee, not as ow oi can zee hayun being
worried as ow us did get ter zump one an back. Alzo, oi done zee as ow thur be hanything much about muddy zumps wot can
be maid ter zound all poetical loike – after all, us don’t zee un zticking up
out of layers of cloud loike, do un?  (If
thee knows of un that do, make sure thee tell oi mind, coz oi’d loike to see
un?).

ztill, loike oi do say, oi suspose thur must be fellers what
aint bin zome places other volks ave, so maybe as ow us can hinterest they
volks after all with summat loike thick-yur harticle what do feller.

Porth yr Ogof

By Chris Howell

Although it is one of the smaller Welsh caves, Porth-yr-Ogof
can provide an entertaining couple of hours caving of a type which cannot be
found on Mendip.  I do not propose to try
to provide a complete description of the cave, since this has already been
undertaken by Standing and Lloyd (U.B.S.S. Proceedings, Vol 12, No.2
1970).  Their account, together with a
grade 4C survey, can be obtained for a few pence as an off print of the main work.  The numbers and letters in brackets in my
account which follows refer to the U.B.S.S. survey.

Whilst it is possible to explore a large part of the cave
with only normal caving gear (as the expense of wet feet) the most worthwhile
trip, from the main entrance to the resurgence really requires a wet suit and
confident swimming, or else a rubber dinghy.

The usual approach to the cave is from the car park situated
at SN.928124 (1” O.S. Sheet 141) by crossing the style and following the steep
footpath down to the grassy bank beside the river Mellte.  “River” might almost seem to be a misnomer
for, at this point, except in very wet conditions, the river bed is normally
dry – the bulk of the water having already sunk in its bed at Church Sink, half
a mile upstream.  To the left can be seen
the rocky gorge leading into the tremendous arch of the Main Entrance (E) and,
immediately in front one stands at the bottom of the path, are several small
resurgences which unite among the boulders and flow into a deep pool alongside
the rock ledge which leads to the cave.

Turning back to the right, a few steps over a grassy bank
towards the cliff leads to a low entrance just inside of which the underground
course of the river can be seen and heard as it emerges from a sump (3) on the
left.  The underground watercourse at
this point is substantially accessible only to divers on the upstream side, and
for a description, the reader should refer to the Standing/Lloyd publication.

Inside the entrance, the stream can be followed along a well
developed passage with prominent scalloping, which is one of the most
noticeable features of the entire system. After about a hundred and seventy feet, the stream can be seen to
disappear down a roomy tube on the left of the main passage, and a stooping
crawl along this leads to a small chamber where the passage sumps (4).  Except in very dry conditions there is a
considerable volume of water and consequently strong current through this sump
and the writer considers that there is a strong possibility of making an
unintentional trip through the submerged section, which is about four feet long,
unless some care is exercised.  The water
deepens in the last few feet before the sump, and a body lowered into the sump
is forcibly drawn through.  There is NO
guide wire, but a light directed into the pool on the far side of the sump can
be seen through the submerged arch, which appears to be quite roomy.

Returning to the main passage, one can turn left and quickly
reach the downstream side of the sump, where the water wells up in a small
chamber separated from the main passage by a rock flake.  Under the conditions in which I have seen
this sump, it would not be possible to pass it in an upstream direction on
account of the current.

Having passed several small passages on the right, all of
which connect with the cave just inside the Main Entrance, one finds deep water
and a gradually descending roof which heralds the arrival of another sump
(5).  Under dry conditions, Standing and
Lloyd state that it is an awkward duck with a small airspace, although I have
always found this section to be submerged. The stream steam flows through the sump into a section of deep water
passage before falling a few inches into the lake just inside the Main
Entrance.  The sumped section is about
nine feet long, but a much longer dive should be allowed for because of the
restricted airspaces on both sides. Again there is NO guide wire.

A return tom the Main Entrance can be made either via the
sump or by using one of the side passages already referred to.

‘Imposing’ is not too strong a word to use in describing the
Main Entrance of Poth-yr-Ogof.  When the
stream is in flood, the sink is unable to take the full flow of the river,
which then continues along the normally abandoned river bed before entering the
cave, where it may fill the full width of the entrance chamber to the depth of
a foot or more.  It need hardly be said
that unless one has experience of the cave under these conditions, it should be
left well alone, with the possible exception of the right hand (dry) series.  Fortunately, if one is in doubt about the
advisability of making the trip through trip, two collapsed entrances and the
resurgence itself can be visited to obtain an idea of the conditions within the
cave, before embarking on any ‘one way’ voyage of discovery!

The Main Entrance is reached along a wide ledge beneath the
cliffs with a deep pool on the right hand side. Below the entrance arch, a boulder floor fills the full width of the
cave with a small stream flowing along the right hand wall.  Straight ahead, large tree trunks serve to
remind one of the power of the river in flood. (A more odorous reminder can be provided form time to time in the form
of farm animal carcasses).  The writer
has a particularly unpleasant memories of the remains of a small cow which
lingered for some months in the stream way several years ago.

Proceeding into the cave, deep water is reached near the
edge of the dark zone.  Across the lake
(known variously as Llyn-y-baban – the baby’s lake, or White Horse Pool) can be
seen the calcite pattern which has been responsible for one of the alternate
names of the cave – White Horse Cave.  It
is possible to identify a rather lean looking horse, facing left, with
peculiarly long front legs.

A scramble round the left hand ledge of the lake gives
access to the passage along which the river flows from the sump (5) and the
Upper Stream Passage.  It was in deep
water in this passage that we recently spent some chilly moments watching some
quite sizeable, pale fish.  From their
size and shape they must have been trout and they seemed quite unconcerned by
our lights, even when we submerged headsets in an attempt to avoid reflection
off the surface while watching them.

The main stream passage beyond the lake contains deep water
for a hundred and fifty feet – it cannot be bottom walked in its entirety as
far as I know, although I have never made the trip with anyone over six feet in
height!  If one is a strong swimmer, it
is possible to swim for this section, although it would be difficult to
maintain ones bearings, as the passage is wide in places and rather
featureless.  Only the right hand wall
provides the occasional good holds and underwater ledges on which to rest, and
only at one place it is possible to climb out of the stream completely.  This is more trouble than its worth, even if
one can identify the small passage several feet up on the right hand wall.

By far the best method (probably because the opportunity to
use this particular technique in caving is rare) is to embark upon an
inflatable rubber dinghy and paddle off into the darkness, leaving the hordes
of sightseers with which the entrance chamber abounds in summer, agape with
admiration or something.  It is a
pleasantly lazy way to do ones caving – the more so if one does not bother to
take a paddle, although this method of progress is very slow indeed, and one is
likely to end up revolving slowly in the middle of the passage, with no obvious
progress being made – the dinghy hissing ominously – and the walls receding
rapidly on each side whilst frantically threshing the water with very
ineffective hands.

Probably the best compromise is to have a couple of people
in the dinghy, and a couple outside who can hang onto the wall.  This permits those outside to pull the dinghy
along, and also to obtain support where there are no holds.  It also permits a form of alternating
one-upmanship as the dinghy occupants can jeer at the swimmers (or, better
still, non-swimmers) as they drift out of reach of the wall, to be followed by
abuse of the swimmers as the latter do their best to capsize the boat in their
efforts to regain a hold on the wall.

It should be possible in normal water conditions, given a
strong head, to make one’s way along this section with the aid of holds –
swimming or floating across the odd few feet where holds are scarce or
non-existent.  A watch should be kept for
sudden changes of level of the ledges beneath the surface.  Unless one is a strong swimmer, some
additional form of support is probably a big psychological advantage.

The deepwater section is soon passed, and the river flows
over a boulder strewn floor with a large sandy bank on the right hand
side.  At the back of this bank, passages
link with the dry series, so providing by-pass to the river section.  One of these passages – The Canyon – is
particularly worthy of note on account of its regularly developed form and
scalloping along the bed of the shallow tributary stream, which flows along its
length.

The main cave at this point has been given the name ‘The
Great Bedding Cave’ and the full width of the almost flat and totally
unsupported roof span is very impressive. Here, and at two further points downstream, abrupt changes in the roof
level indicate the collapse of successive beds in the limestone.  The bedding planes are clearly seen, as is
the amount of debris adhering to the roof. The cave probably sumps completely more frequently than one would
imagine.

In springtime, the sand bank provided a seed bed for
numerous seeds washed in by the river and these sprout to a few inches in
height in the total darkness, before being washed out by successive flooding.

Following the river along its course, one reaches the first
(I) of two collapsed entrances to the cave, situated alongside two avens.  As mentioned previously, theses entrances
provide a ready means of ascertaining the depth and force of the water in the
main stream passage.  The stream here
flows over areas of exposed bedrock before rounding a lengthy left hand curve
with the entrance to an oxbow in its outer wall, and reaching the second
collapse entrance (J).

Beyond this point, the stream drops slightly; to flow into a
pool across which daylight from the resurgence can be seen.  A large, usually just submerged, boulder
marks the beginning of deep water and at this point on the right can be seen
the other end of the oxbow.

The resurgence (N) can only be passed by swimming, or using
a dinghy as the water is over fifteen feet deep for most of the distance.  The main difficulty is the lack of headroom
just upstream of the exit.  Only once has
the writer gone through on a dinghy, and then only after partially deflating
it.  Attempts to float through – one on
either side of the boat can be complicated by the restricted width of the
available headroom and one or other of the party are liable to find themselves
being forced below the water surface. The best method seems to be to go through with someone at the head and
stern of the boat, and with only one person at the side.  Control is usually rather awkward but with a
bit of co-ordinated thrashing and poking at the roof and walls on the odd
occasions when they drift into reach, some results are usually obtained before
the swimmers leave hold through exhaustion.

If the water level is high, care must be taken to avoid
being swept of a small fall following the resurgence pool and out into the
river – although the hard men are likely to undertake a trip under those
conditions and hardly likely to need the advice of the likes of the writer!

The return to the entrance is best made by climbing up the
left hand bank and walking back along the old abandoned streamway to cross the
road to the car park.  On the way, note
the collapsed entrances and small entrances (F, G, H etc.) on either side of
the path.

The only substantial part of the cave left to describe is
the dry series, entered by a passage on the right of the entrance chamber.  The passage leads to a complex three
dimensional series, inevitably called ‘The Maze’.  Two climbable shafts lead to the surface (D1,
D2) as do two ladderable avens (G, H). Further passages connect with the Great Bedding cave, and with the
Canyon, via a muddy pool called the Creek.

Contrary to what has been printed elsewhere, Hywel’s Grotto,
with its formations, is easily found by taking the last passage on the left
before the Creek when approaching from the canyon side.  A flat out sandy crawl leads to the Grotto
which is quite extensive and contains some remarkably unspoilt formations,
including attractive pools.  The Grotto
offers some scope for photography, as indeed does the whole cave.

A visit to Porth-yr-Ogof would not be complete without a
walk to view the scenery downstream.  The
left bank of the Mellte brings one to the Upper, Middle and
Lower
Clun-gwyn falls.  The former
two are most impressive in flood with falls of 40 – 50 ft.  A track over the shoulder of the ridge to the
left of the

Lower
Falls leads to the right
bank of the river Hepste, and on to Sewd-yr-Eira falls and on to farm
Caerhowel, near Penderyn. The return to Ystradfellte can be made by following a
signposted minor road.

Then caving and walk together provide a pleasant day out,
being only a couple of hours drive from

Bristol.  Ystradfellte is easily reached from Hirwaun
on the ‘Heads of the valleys’ road, by taking the A4059 (Brecon) road from the
roundabout, and then following the signposted road beyond

Penderyn
Village.  Liquid refreshment is available, by courtesy
of Rhymney Ales in the village itself and is very welcome after the long haul
back on a warm evening.  Campers may like
to note that the landlord has a campsite not 50 yards from the bar, but food is
not available in the village in great variety or quantity.

Monthly Crossword – Number 12.

Across:

4. Rung, long ago. (3)
6. 8 out of 12 for this cave. (6)
7. Found in places galore on Mendip. (3)
9. See 12. (3)
11. N perhaps? (4)
12. 10across it, apparently (Horizontally of course). (4)
13. Unusual meet (1,1,1)
15. Has its reverse nearby as a rule. (3)
18. 1 down is its usual result (6)
19. Tome previously in Sago’s Pot. (3)

Down:

1. See 19 across. (3)
2. Might be felt at end of underground route (3)
3. Tackle is, in caves. (4)
5. Taken by lines. (6)
8. Gin sir? No water. (6)
9. Water?  Not likely! (3)
10. Holds its liquor? (3)
14. Proceed to ancient city for cave formation. (4)
16. Something that clings to a wall. (3)
17. Cave navigation aid in Wookey eight. (3)

Solution To Last Month’s Crossword