Hon. Sec: A.R. Thomas. Allens House, Townsend, Priddy,
Wells,

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

Bristol

Editorial

Out Of The Red

A year ago, after the A.G.M., some of us thought that it
would be possible to raise enough money to get the new Belfry built – although
possibly at the cost of driving the club into debt for many years.  Even the most optimistic people thought that
the club was in for a few years financial stringency.  The idea that, within a year it would not
only be paid for, but that there would be a small surplus would have been
dismissed as quite incredible.

At the A.G.M. just over, questioners were told that, after
paying completely for the new building including paying back all the loans, the
club had a surplus of about two hundred pounds. A formal vote of thanks to the Treasurer was deflected by him to include
all those who had helped to produce this happy state of affairs.  Without in any way being smug about it, we
have cause to congratulate ourselves and each other on this fine achievement.

The End of The Sixpence

Whatever happens nationally to the sixpence, our own
Thursday sixpence that Bob has wrung from us for so many years at club bow
ceases to be extracted.  The new club
committee has implemented Bob’s suggestion (see Hon. Treasurer’s Report) that
it should be dropped.  When it was first
introduced to help club funds, it bought half a pint of bitter.  Now it buys considerably less.  Still, we shall miss trying to avoid paying
it in the future!

“Alfie”

A hundred and fifty seven people were counted at the club
dinner by the management of the Wookey Hole Restaurant.  The Hon. Treasurer’s books count a hundred
and fifty two as having paid.  If you are
one of the missing five people, please get in tough with Bob and settle up with
him.  The alternative is for us to have
tickets printed next year, which are bound to add to the cost of the dinner.

Club Officers

Club officers and committee members as at present elected
are as follows: –

Members of Committee

R. Bagshaw; S. Collins; N. Petty;
A. Thomas; P. Franklin; R. Wickens; T. Large; T. Hodgson and P. Ham.

Club Officers

Committee Chairman, A. Collins;
Hon. Sec, Alan Thomas; Caving Sec, T. Large; Hon. Treasurer, R. Bagshaw; Hut
Warden, P. Franklin; Tacklemaster, N. Petty; Belfry Engineer, P. Ham;   Minutes Sec, R. Wickens;   B.B. Editor, S. Collins; B.B. Printer; B.
Wilton; B.B. Postal Dept, J & V Ransom; Editor Caving Publications, G. Tilly;     Caving Publications Sales, B. Ellis;     Hon. Librarian, D. Searle.

 

Penyghent Pot

by Martin Huaun

One can almost hear the groans!  But wait! Read on!  Saturday, 27th of June
saw a party of nine B.E.C., Shepton and Grampian members preparing to descend a
somewhat well known hole.      Those in
the party were A. Jefferies, B. Craig, B. Cross, B. Mahew, B. Woodward (what a
lot of B’s – Ed.) M. Webster, M. Huaun and T. Large.  The sight of nine naked bodies leaping over
the fells would surely corrupt anyone’s mind, but to those more acquainted with
caver’s way, it would not be an uncommon event – they would realise that it was
a certain group of hard men trying to keep their feet dry!

An advance party comprising A. Jefferies, R. Bennett, B.
Cross, and M. Huaun preceded the divers in an attempt to ladder the pot, so
making delays as small as possible. However, the divers and sherpas caught the advance party up at the
fourth pitch,  From here on, one just
slid down the rifts leaving someone else to ladder it.  At the sump, M. Webster and B. Woodward
kitted up.  Webster won the toss and was
given the privilege of diving first. After a couple of minutes, Martin returned saying it was still
going.  Brian dived next, but the diving
had to stop owing to some faulty equipment. The divers then packed up, and R. Bennett; B. Craig and A. Jefferies
proceeded out carrying the bottles (diver’s – not alcoholic!)

Then the floods came.

Flood waters first hit Bennett and Co. in the Main
Chamber.  They hit the other party a
couple of minuses later below the sixth pitch. We first became aware of the rise in water level when a bewildered B.
Cross and M. Huaun failed to locate a climb up. No wonder!  The climb, which had
been dry on the way in, was now a roaring
Niagara.  The pitch turned out to be very aqueous.  Once out of this, we found a large ledge
where we could have a rest and no sooner had we sat down than the main flood
waters arrived in a peaty brown tidal wave. The hours were helped along by various verses from ‘We are the
exploration club’ and ‘I am a music man.’ The credit for the last feat must go to Bob cross.  Mind you, at the end we weren’t sure which
was worst – the floods or Bob’s singing. When the waters first arrived, a marker stone had been placed in a
cull-de-sac so that we could tell if the waters were rising or not.  Every now and then, someone would go and have
a look at the next pitch to see what it was like.

After some hours of waiting, it was noticed that the waters
were going down, but by looking at the marker stone, we could detect no
change.  No wonder!  For the last couple of hours we had been
staring at a pool!  As we set out, we met
some C.R.O. blokes above the fifth pitch. With the extra sherpas, the journey out was a lot quicker.  Some of the pitches proved to be very
interesting.  Coming through the canal,
one could not fail to see the foam compressed against the roof.  All of us were out by 1 or 2 o’clock in the
morning and so ended 13 hours of unforgettable caving.  Full credit must go to the C.R.O. blokes who
turned out, fearing the worst.  The next
morning we had a whip around and produced £10. This was doubled by the addition of Bennett’s and Craig’s fees for
appearing on TV.

 

Expanded Polystyrene

If any members have supplies of this material – particularly
in the form of apple boxes – could they please donate it to the Belfry, where
it will be used for insulating the roof? Please bring any supplies to the Belfry and dump them in the loft.

Rescue Practice

There will be a full scale practice rescue from St.
Cuthbert’s on DECEMBER 8TH.  Meet at the
Belfry at 11am.  If you have not been on
a practice before, please try to turn up, as it is a most useful and valuable
experience.  If you have been on rescues
before, please turn up and lend your expertise to the exercise.

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

Although the B.B. is not too badly off for articles at
present, it is the usual custom to print a bigger B.B. for Christmas.  This has to be planned well in advance to
avoid putting too great a load on the B.B. staff.  PLEASE send in anything you might feel could
be used for the Christmas B.B. as soon as you can.  Humorous articles etc. are accepted for this
number.  Why not see if YOU can make us
laugh?

Letter from the North

by Steve Grime

Editor’s
Note:    This article was, in fact,
written as a letter to the Editor, but it seems better presented in article
form.  I hope that Steve will not mind my
choice of title, as it seems to describe his various activities….

Some two years have passed since the last letter from the
north hit the pages of the B.B. but I will try to contribute more regularly in
the future.  In this letter, I will give
just a brief resume of the events and go into some of them later in rather more
detail as separate articles.

During April 1969, Mike Luckwill and I had our Easter meet
in

Scotland
again.  After an early start from my
house in
Fife, we arrived in Glen Coe at 8 am
and set off to do Deep Cut Chimney (five hundred feet of grade 3) on Codre nam
Beith, but the seemingly unsupported tongue of ice protruding from it dissuaded
us from starting up the thing.  This was
very fortunate, as I later discovered that my super new Grivel ice axe was not
sharpened.

On returning to the Glen, we decided to head for Skye, as I
was keen to do the ridge – having been repulsed the previous September by lack
of training and a broiling sun.  We
arrived at Mallaig too late to catch the ferry, so we went and camped on the
shores of Loch Morar –

Scotland’s
deepest loch whose maximum depth is 1,017 feet. It was very pleasant there and I can really recommend it to members with
a couple of days to spare on a Scottish tour.

Clear blue skies above us as we finally pitched our tents in
Glen Brittle on Monday morning and the whiled away the day with a mixed snow
and rock ascent of Sgurr Alasdair by

Collies
Route (800 feet diff.) followed by a short
excursion along the ridge and then a return to the glen by the Sgurr Alasdair
snow chute.

That night, a bunch of guitar playing yobs from

Edinburgh
University kept us awake for hours.  The next day, we tried to blast a way to the
ridge in the region of the Bhasteir tooth, but got hung up on a very steep
series of iced up slabs and had to give up or we would have been
benighted.  An exhilarating glissade –
standing; sitting; rolling; in that order – took us down to the glen whence we
hitched a lift back to the car.  The Slig
ran out of draught that night, so we boozed in Portree in a spit; sawdust;
darts and telly bar.

The next day, we left Glen Brittle in a hurry as rain had
set in and I still hadn’t done the ridge.

Summer holiday, 1969 was rather unique as I spent a week
with the wife, baby and dog strolling round Perthshire camping and pram
pushing.

In September 1969, I managed to get the job up at this
school and have done quite a lot of climbing since then.

During January this year, I spent ten days in the Cairngorms
and had a hell of a hairy time skiing on frozen sastrugi-like stuff on planks
with no edges!  We, my colleague and I,
did all the four thousands on ski where possible, in twenty four hours; climbed
steep wind slabs in gale force winds; got lost on the top of Cairn Lochlan and
nearly took the headwall off Corrie Cas straight!  We also snow holed in Garbh Chaire and
plopped off on Grade fours.

Apart from a couple of sallies in the Black Corries at Bein
Bhan, five miles from my house, I didn’t do anything until mid February when I
set off with one of my friends from London – one Terry MacManus from Glen
Brittle – to have a go at a winter traverse. We managed a five hundred foot v. diff. but the ridge didn’t go as there
was heavy powder snow on hard ice covering the rock.  Back at work in March, we managed to get to
Skye with the boys and walked them into the Corries.  They were suitably impressed.  Since then, I have been strolling along at
three thousand feet in an electrical storm shepherding fourteen year old

Glasgow schoolgirls.  I have also been ‘caving with the lid off’ in
semi-flood conditions as well as running before God knows what force winds in
the boat – a thirty two foot dipping lag cutter and trying to push routes up
the magnificent buttress of Coire Mhi Fearachear on Ben Eighe in Torridon.  This last is a mere hour by road and then a
further one and a half hours walk from my house.  The other attractions round here are the
Corries at Ben Bhan just an hour away and a magnificent rock buttress A’Cioch –
a thousand feet and again, just an hour away. We have some Darness Limestone fifteen miles away and I think it might
be worth investigating as I noticed a few resurgences when I was there in March
but there was a heavy covering of snow so the sinks were less easy to
spot.  We were snowed in for four months
last winter by the way.

If anyone fancies a trip up here in winter – or any time for
that matter – we will be very pleased to see them.  Just give us plenty of warning, as the
nearest supermarket is eighty miles away in
Inverness.

 

Caving Publications Report

This year has been a dormant one for publications; partly
due to other activities at the Belfry, and partly because of my four month –
now increased to six months stay in the

U.S.A.  The manuscript for Roma Mines has now been
edited an prepared for publication and should be in Gordon Tilly’s hands next
week.  The Cuthbert’s Report is plodding
along slowly – too slow for some; but Rabbit Warren, Rabbit Warren Ext, and at
least two other parts are nearing publication stages.  Dr. Derek Ford promises to let us have the
MSS for the geomorphology in the next few weeks.  Except for the water tracing and the flora
and fauna, all other parts are being worked on by several people in the club.

Sales for the year have been down quite considerably on
1968-69 but the reason should be obvious to all – the lack of cavers at the
Belfry site during the building period – particularly guests who are our
greatest purchasers.

Since leaving

England, Gordon Tilly has taken
over the series, and I expect he will be able to answer any further
questions.  It just leaves me to say that
I hope this meeting is a good fiery one and that all enjoy a good dinner this
evening.

Dave Irwin, Caving
Publications Ed.

This report, and that received from the Hon. Librarian were
both presented at the A.G.M. but were received too late for inclusion in last
month’s B.B.  All that is wanted now is
the report from the Climbing Secretary, which we hope to be able to print
soon.  Latest news from “Wig” is that he
expects to be back in time for Christmas. Editor.

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

The Westland Caving and Rock Climbing Club have hired three
French Caving films, one of which has an English commentary.  B.E.C. members are invited to attend if they
so wish…at… Westland Sports Club, Westbourne Grove, YEOVIL,
Somerset….on…Thursday, 12th November 1970…at…7.30 for 8pm.

Notice

Members who bought part one of the Spelaeodes may well be
wondering when they are going to see parts two and three.  Owing to Dave Irwin’s sudden and enforced
departure to the States on business, records of sales of the first part are not
yet in, and the club committee could not thus see its way clear to authorise
the production of the next part. However, an offer has been made to the club to print the spelaeodes
commercially as a single volume including all the material which the club was
going to print.  This offer has been
accepted by the committee and members will be able to purchase the complete set
after December 1st in George’s Bookshop, Bryants, etc.  Copies will be available to club members at
some discount and the details will be announced later.  In view of this offer, it was felt that
members would rather have the opportunity to buy the complete volume, which
will have a colour cover, than carry on with the club’s scheme.

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

Articles Response
for the appeal for more articles has met with SOME success.  In particular, Steve Grimes has sent in some
useful material.  We could do with more
so that we can keep the B.B. up to date. How about it?

 

Second
Tier
Cave

by Bob White

High up Cheddar Gorge, along a thorny, grassy, ivy clad,
slippery ledge – partially concealed by a small tree, is the new club
discovery.

Originally found and investigated by Arthur Cullen and Derek
Targett two years ago whilst looking for a new route, it recently became the
subject for an enthusiastic digging team consisting of Zot, Pope and White.

Tools were taken up the chute below Reservoir hole and along
the vegetated ledge, at times almost over the traffic and “souvenir souls”
creeping up the road.

The original passage was only about ten feet long and the
digging was easy in gravel except for the horizontal somewhat congested
positioned at the face of the dig itself. Rocks and gravel were soon being moved out, and great care had to be
taken to place this spoil safely on the cliff. This operation continued until a stout barrier of stal brought us to a
halt and there was no space to lever against it.

The next day, Zot and Pope chemically removed this
obstruction and the way into virgin territory was cleared.  While Zot widened the entrance to the small
chamber beyond (to assist ‘Podgy’ to get out) the system was explored.  One rift to the left, through a loose tight
squeeze (what a marvellous language English is – Ed.) seemed promising but
became choked with some gravel, loose stal and same rocks as the rest of the
cave.  The whole roof is solid, being
fluted and scalloped in places showing vigorous water action which one would
associate with larger caves.  This cave
may well be very much larger, but, unfortunately for us, it has been filled
almost to the roof with infill.  Recent
small animal and bird bones are scattered over the cave, and one bat was seen
to fly in.  The only other possible way
on is an aven, which Derek climbed for ten feet but which closed in small
inlets.  To find a cave having such
strong indications of water flow, yet to be so solidly choked is disappointing
but its an enjoyable dig with a view!

 

Editor’s
Note:    The impression is given above
that Derek was not in the digging team. This is due to the difficulty which the Editor had in deciphering the
manuscript.  A plan of the cave will be
found on the next page of this B.B.

 

Climbing Report

Editor’s
Note:    With
the publication of this report, all the Club Officers reports for the club year
just ended are in the hands of club members generally.  At the last committee meeting, it was learned
that ‘Fred’ Attwell is willing to continue as Climbing Secretary, and he has
thus been co-opted to the committee in that capacity.

The Climbing Section of the club has grown during the past
year, and now includes a good percentage of club members.

There have been many visits by the club to North Wales and
to
Cornwall with a few visits to other districts
including the Lake District, the Gower and the

Dorset
Coast.  On weekends, many members have been climbing
in the Avon Gorge and in the

Wye
Valley.  The Climbing Section also meets on the Avon
Gorge during the summer months on Thursday evenings.

Climbing tackle obtained by the club during the year
includes two Stubai ice axes and two sets of crampons.  Our thanks are due to Val Luckwill for
donating one of these ice axes and the crampons to the club.

In addition, five guidebooks are on the Lake District, two
on
Cornwall and Lundy and the remaining one on
the

Gower
Coast.

Special Notice to All Club Librarians, Archivists and the Like!!!

Owing to what can only be described as an unprecedented
clanger, last December’s B.B. – No.261, was followed by the January B.B. –
numbered 269!  This numbering with a
blank of eight missing numbers has been continued since.  We are indebted to Mr. A.D. Oldham for
pointing out this mistake to us.  Having
thought about the matter, it has been decided that the only way to avoid
creating even more confusion is to continue the wrong numbering.  The annoying thing is that the error crept in
when changing over to a system designed to prevent this type of error
occurring!  Please note, therefore, that
NUMBERS 262 to 268 INCLUDED OF THE B.B. DO NOT; NEVER HAVE, AND NEVER WILL
EXIST.  With regret, this must be added
to the list of quaint and unusual facts of Mendip caving!

 

Monthly Notes Number 36

by ‘Ben’

From the Log

As well as multitudinous caving trips on Mendip and in
South Wales, members have been pushing several sites on
Mendip with varying success over the last month or so.  Most important of these is

Second
Tier
Cave in Cheddar, where a
dig in the short, pre-existing rock shelter has revealed a small chamber and
about sixty feet of cave passage.  Work
continues with good prospects of further extension.

Some digging has also been done in St. Cuthbert’s Rabbit
Warren as well as some climbing in Pyrolusite Series.  The Tuesday evening diggers are at present
sorting out Sump I and generally cleaning up the bottom of the cave.

Members also took part in trip to Swildons.  This included Cowsh Aven, where an eventual
link with Priddy Green is hoped for, and a diving trip during which about fifty
feet of passage was found in Swildons VI in addition to a possible bypass to
Sump VII.  The latter party used air to
exit through Sump IV which is now heavily silted and dangerous to free divers
(i.e. – don’t).

North Hill Swallet.

This yielded thirty feet of caveable cave during September
and the N.H.A.S.A. team are optimistic about further progress.

Cuthbert’s Leader’s Meeting.

This year’s Cuthbert’s Leader’s Meeting will be held on
SUNDAY the 22ND of NOVEMBER at 2.30 at the Belfry.  This meeting controls most of the policy
regarding Cuthbert’s so anyone interested in this cave should try to attend.

Practice Rescue.

The B.E.C. annual practice rescue has been arranged for 11am
on Saturday, 5th of December.  Meet at
the cave – St. Cuthbert’s.  Although the
rescue will be used to try out new techniques and alternative routes, its main
function is to familiarise as many people as possible with the actual job of
moving an injured person through a cave. THIS INVALUABLE OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTICE ON A FIT PERSON WHO WILL POINT
OUT ANY MISTAKES ETC. SHOULD NOT BE MISSED, so please turn up for this rescue
if you possible can.

Notes on the A.G.M and Dinner

The Annual general meeting got off to a good start – almost
exactly on time – in the main bar of the Seven Stars.  Business was very much simplified by having
nearly all the club officer’s reports previously published in the B.B. and a
full version of last year’s minutes. Business was also simplified by our not having and election for the
committee although this cannot de said to be a good innovation and it is hoped
that next year sees a keenly fought election again.

The Chairman (Sett) successfully untangled the Hon.
Treasurer’s report for the benefit of those present, and it appears that we
have a small cash surplus even allowing for the repayment of all outstanding
debts and loans in connection with the new Belfry.  The remainder of the Club Officer’s reports
aroused little comment and the meeting passed quietly and happily (beer was
available right through the meeting from the bar) through the rest of its
business.  One of the quietest A.G.M’s
the B.E.C. has ever held.

The Annual Dinner followed at the Wookey Hole Cave
Restaurant.  Speeches followed the usual
pattern with a new joke from Alan (‘Absent Friends’) Thomas, together with a
quip which got a mixed reception and a presentation in the tradition of the
B.E.C. – this time a very fine stuffed fruit bat to the Hut Warden, the fruit
bat being supplied by Norman and Jill Tuck. (History does not relate who stuffed it).  A newcomer to the B.E.C. speechmaking team
this year was Zot, whose joke also got a big laugh.

The proceedings went on in B.E.C. fashion with the somewhat
tight announcer described as a right pantomime called Puss in Boots or some
similar title.  This was, on the whole,
enjoyed by the audience and was produced by the team of last year’s ‘Oliver!’
fame – Peter Franklin and Alfie.  Some
clever and original songs by Fred Wedlock closed the evening.  Not, perhaps, one of the really great vintage
type B.E.C. dinners, but one which was well within the traditions of B.E.C.
dinners.

Editor’s
Note:    Members may like to know that the
committee are making a provisional booking for the same venue next year.  If you have any great objections to going to
Wookey again, please get in touch with Alan and provide CONSTRUCTIVE
alternative suggestions.  We sit down
nearly 160 people nowadays – so don’t suggest some cosy little restaurant!

 

Monthly Crossword – Number 5.          

Across:

1. One can describe a caver’s
state or his relationship with a tight squeeze (3)
4. Found in Club – a trade mark! (3)
6. Dear’s Cave? (5)
7. ‘Warm and 7 across and 1 down’ (3)
9. Member of B.A.C. cavers? (3)
11. Yet eel can provide light (9)
12. 10 across is no use without a pair of this (3)
14. Describes well know grotto (3)
16. Veer N?  Not ever in the case of
Cuthbert’s (5)
17. Perches’s Pot? (3)
18. Unusual gathering (1,1,1)

Down:

1. See 7 across (3)
2. Attempt 3 points  (3)
3. Garden bottom hole? (5,4)
4. Caving body in Clubs Amalgamated (1,1,1)
5. Ours has 5 across (3)
8. Cuthbert’s boulders (5)
10. Breathe rapidly for this Welsh cave (5)
12. Go wrong in merry hearted manner (3)
13. Should come last (3)
14. Green on Mendip (3)
15. Mad reversal over Cuthbert’s sump (3)

Solution To Last Month’s Crossword

 

Stencils completed 3.1.70