QUODCUMQUE FACIENDUM : NIMIS FACIEMUS
Contents
Lifeline
By Tim Large
Summer has arrived, albeit a bit late and wet. The only complaint beside the weather heard
around the Belfry has been that there is too much going on and everybody cannot
attend everything as dates clash!
Over the May Day Holiday there were club trips to
Aggy. Also, the newly formed M.A.P.S.
group (Mendip Association of Portly Speleologists) ventured north to
On the Committee scene business is booming and the problems
eventually being overcome following the advert for our new treasurer, two
nominations were received from Sue Tucker and Claire Williams. The outcome was that Sue is elected to carry
on from
at the end of July until the AGM. Many
thanks Claire for your interest – nice to see the girls taking more active
interest in Club affairs.
The other advert was for a new Hut Engineer – nominations
being received from Bob Cross and ” Zot’ – Bob being co-opted to the
Committee.
The membership list has now officially closed so if you are
reading this BB, you must .have paid your sub – if you have not – then you know
what to do (£3.00, full member; £4.25, joint members – cheques payable to the
B.E.C.) The number at the close of play
was 167 members. This is about 30 short
of the list as at January 1978.
Alan Kennett has kindly donated a small number of caving
helmets which will be kept at the Belfry for use particularly by newcomers,
novices etc. as there is always a shortage in these cases. Our thanks too, to Alan Thomas and Martin
Grass for donations to the Club Library, including the useful CRG publication
of Aggy. Our thanks to all.
The Committee has agreed that we purchase a quantity of
caving boots. They should arrive in a
few weeks, so enquire at the Belfry or via me, price about £8.75/pair.
The Annual Dinner has now been booked at the Caveman,
Cheddar costing £3.50 and including Roast Beef, Yorkshire Pud., wine and a free
pint or glass of sherry before the meal.
CHANGE OF ADDRESSES:
795 Pete Leigh, 5 Armoured Workshops, BFPO 106
Graham
Aylesbury, Bucks.
NEW MEMBERS:
933 Dianne Beeching, 8 Seymore Close, Wells,
934 Colin Williams, Whitestones
Farm, Cheddar Cross Roads,
BS18 6LD.
935 Lynne Williams, address as
above.
DON’T FORGET THE, MIDSUMMER BUFFET Still tickets available
– £2 a head. 8p.m. at Hunters Lodge Inn
on Saturday 17th June 1973. Also a
working weekend at the Belfry June 17th-18th – free accommodation for members
helping.
The club has been invited to a buffet/skittles evening by
Yeovil Caving Club on Saturday 1st July at Glover Arms, Reckleford, Yeovil. Anyone interested in going please let me know
as soon as possible so tha I can book numbers.
REMEMBER: My new address is c/o Trading Standards Dept,
Wells,
Cheers, Tim Large.
Beneath Llangattwg
by Graham Wilton-Jones
The 1976 extension to Ogof Craig y Ffynnon (Rock and
concerning past and present drainage under Mynydd Llangattwg. A recent visit to Ogof Craig y Ffynnon
prompted me to have another look at Ogof y Darren Cilau, which lies further
along the north-eastern outcrop of limestone towards Agen Allwedd. Perhaps some notes on Ogof Craig y Ffynnon
and Ogof y Darren Cilau would be useful.
To begin with I shall refer to Wig’s article in B.B. No.
356, December 1977, to comment on Ogof Craig y Ffynnon. The small rising (IP 2) is not the main
rising for the cave, which is actually Ogof Capel (see also IP 8). This is situated at the bottom of the Clydach
Gorge, 500 yards west-south-west of Ogof Craig y Ffynnon entrance. On my visit to Ogof Craig y Ffynnon the cave
was wet. Between the boulder chokes were
deep pools concealing flooded lower passages which can be entered in summer. These carry Ogof Capel water. The entrance to Ogof Craig Ffynnon is a
rubble rift, the sides of which show superb scalloping, and must once have been
part of an impressive streamway approaching a resurgence in the Clydaoh area,
or does this section of cave pre-date the valley (see below – Clydach
rejuvenation)? The limestone continues
below the coalfield south of the Clydach and I believe that some caves there
actually head under the coal. Ignoring
the scarp outcrop to the east, the next place the limestone is seen is in the
coast districts, close to sea level.
The lower stream series (IP 4) is not that difficult, and is
reminiscent of the more complex parts of O.F.D. One of the streams we pushed (at least, J.D., the wellie-booted worm
did) to a choke. This was under a
dripping aven in the other passages of this series. The sources of the streams down here have not
otherwise been traced, but I would venture to suggest that the Ogof y Darren
Cilau stream deserves further attention in this respect. Dye tests have been made, but it should be
borne in mind that negative results are not indicative of no connection
hydrologically.
The end of Ogof Craig y Ffynnon (IP7) lies after two miles
of fairly straight passage (with obstructions) equidistant from Agen Allwedd
terminal sump (I or IV, I don’t know) Eglwys Faen and the end of Ogof y Darren
Cilau. It is in the same beds as Agen
Allwedd, i.e. the Oolitic, having risen up through the Dolomitic (IP 7 and 8)
and is similar in character to Agen Allwedd, especially Main Passage,
I will return to the subject of Ogof Craig y Ffynnon.later. What of Ogof y Darren Cilau? For those who do not know this cave, and no
doubt, you are many (sensible people) a brief description may be useful (then
you won’t have to go yourselves).
At the base of the cliff, behind the old limekilns above
Whitewalls, is a low, wet entrance, one of eight at the base of the outcrop
between here and the valley be the old sheep dip. It is a taste of things to come. The lowness and wetness, and narrowness
continue for a thousand feet. One
thousand feet of very technical, grovelling, with only a few short stretches of
walking. Finally this small streamway
breaks into larger passage, and the stream disappears under the edge of
this. The larger passage leads to a
fault guided rift with stal, some old and massive, at this end, and a grey,
shaly conglomerate breakdown at the other end, several hundred feet away. This breakdown is also the end of a huge
phreatic passage: remarkably similar to Agen Allwedd Main Passage, but almost
immediately filled to the roof with mud. However, a further passage leads from here, zig-zag rift which goes to
the final chamber. This chamber is
several hundred feet long and tens of feet wide, formed entirely of collapse
(into what would be interesting to know) and floored with boulders and
glutinous mud. There is one similar, but
smaller chamber off to one side.
Several interesting thoughts come to mind:
What are the relative altitudes of the caves mentioned? Unfortunately Caves of Wales and the
these. However, following the
map is helpful. Near Brynmawr it is at
1175′ OD. At Eglwys Faen it has dropped,
and varies between 1100′ and 1125′ OD. At Agen Allwedd the track is lost, but Aggie entrance seems to be 1275′
OD. (Is there really a 150′ climb from
Eglwys Faen to reach it?) Perhaps this
is more accurately indicated on the new survey. Eglwys Faen must be 1125′ – 1150′ OD. Ogof y Darren Cilau, way above the
more. Ogof Craig y Ffynnon, 200′ below
the
must be at about 975′ OD, while Ogof Capel and
the Agen Allwedd resurgence, must be round about 750′ OD. Someone must be able to find more accurate
figures for these.
Several passages run in from the escarpment – Ogof Pen Eryr,
Ogof y Darren Cilau stream, Aggie entrance passage – on the strike apparently,
or is the dip at the edge of the hill west instead of south?
What is the relationship between the large passages so far
known? Are they parts of the same cave, did they undergo similar conditions of
formation, or is it simply that they are formed in the same rock? Ogof y Darren Cilau seems to be too high up
in the beds to have any relationship with the other caves, but is it? The entrance altitude suggests it is. So does its breakthrough into shale. However, in the entrance series of Ogof y
Darren Cilau and in the long (crawl in Ogof Craig y Ffynnon there is a band of
green limestone. Are these the same
beds?
The final chamber in Ogof y Darren Cilau is totally
dissimilar to the big chambers in the other caves, though perhaps it is a large
phreatic passage. Why does it have such
wet mud in it? Is it because there is no
draught to dry it out – we noticed no draught here or because it has an
occasional humid draught?
Why should Ogof Craig y Ffynnon be thought not to be a
fossil part of Aggie? (IF 8). I would
have thought that that is just what it is. It rises eventually from its entrance (250′ above the Clydach) into the
Aggie beds. Why should it not, perhaps,
be a continuation of Aggie Main Passage? It has not yet reached near there according to the surveys
available. Pete Bull has done a great
deal of sedimentological work in Agen Alwedd and this, more than anything else,
seems to be helping to date the passages of Aggie, and to demonstrate the
relationship between them. Similar work
in Ogof Craig y Ffynnon to show a comparison would be invaluable here.
Was the Clydach Gorge a product of rejuvenation following
glacial deepening of the Usk valley? Cave streams seem now to be the major erosional influence in the
gorge. Could a fossil extension of the
present Aggie streamway exist somewhere above the base of the Clydach, possibly
on a level similar to that of Ogof Craig y Ffynnon, but maybe to the west of
this?
What happens beyond Aggie terminal sump IV? It would seem that there must be pitches, or
at least ways down like those in Ogof Craig y Ffynnon which take Ogof Capel
water, except that these for Agen Allwedd would still be taking all the
water. Only a small stream actually goes
down those in Ogof Craig y Ffynnon.
How much do the Llangattwg system pre-date the present
topography? Projecting the northern end
of Summertime takes it straight out of the hill.
The questions and postulations are endless. Several of the former can be answered easily
by a geologist or someone with more access to relevant information that I
have. The reward for the studious could
another Key to Llangattwg – or have written (as we say in my
*****************************************
All members are reminded that it their responsibility to
ensure that the Belfry is always kept locked – remember there have robberies in
the past. Will all members make a
special point to ensure that the Library is kept locked at all times, certain
items in the collection are quire rare and extremely useful for reference purposes. Library keys are obtainable from any
Committee Member.
*****************************************
Time is going on again The AGM 1977 AGM Minutes will be
included with the B.B.
Changabang
by Oliver Lloyd
Joe Tasker the mountaineer held, an audience of four hundred
in the palm of his hand for two and a quarter hours. He was delivering the Seventh Paul Esser
Memorial Lecture in the
15th February 1978. He was giving us a
step by step account of his ascent of the West Face of Changabang in the
company of Peter Boardman, illustrated by over two hundred excellent pictures.
The mountain is well over 23,000 feet in height and was
clearly to be the most difficult climb, either of them had undertaken. Neither would admit to the other that he had
any doubts about the possibility of success, but it was not until after 25
days, when they got to the “half-way” snow field at 20,000 ft.; that
they knew it was possible. I think most
of us would have given up before that. At
that height climbing is exceedingly arduous. It was only possible to go up five to ten feet at a time before stopping
to get ones breath. They were averaging
four hundred feet a day. The whole climb
lasted 40 days and not unnaturally they ran out of conversation.
Their technique was to establish a base camp at 16,000 ft.,
to which they would return from time to time for more gear. Their return from camp to camp was
facilitated by leaving a fixed rope and abseiling down. They had two other camp sites on the way up,
each being made by cutting a narrow platform in the snow. The outside place was not an enviable one,
but they belayed themselves to pegs, in case of rolling over. Repeated journeys to and from these camp
sites was necessary to get all the necessary gear up. Leading was, a very tiring and responsible
business, so they took it in turns. Finally after spending a day at Camp 2 they made a dash for the summit
with light leads.
The descent was not without incident. There was the piton that got bent to an
uncomfortable angle; while Joe was abseiling down a rope belayed to it. Pete was not sure whether to remain belayed
to it or not. Each of them had an
occasion when he lost the rope on the way down. For Peter it left him in a very difficult position, attached to it
upside down by one foot in a sling. You
have to be quite good at single rope work to be able to rectify a position such
as this.
After they had got down they were called upon to assist in
sorting out four fatalities, which had just occurred in the next valley. It was necessary to establish the identity of
the victims and to bury the bodies.
Dont eat yellow snow
(Zot – the man who doesn’t need to stop at Motorway Service
Areas!)compiled by Graham W-J
In the beginning there were sent forth into the north
western wastes of
a motley crew, who did purpose to challenge the hills. And it came to pass that the radio and
television and newspapers did broadcast news of doom and despair and snow and
ice and wind, and it was good. But they
did speak with false tongues, for the snowline was high above the valley
floors. The B.E.C. did finally arrive,
and the hills and the vales were devoid of those who ascend or wander therein,
except for the few and foolhardy.
We reached Chapel Stile, in Langdale, at various times on
Wednesday night and Thursday morning, and took over five of the Lingmoor View
cottages, which are summer holiday homes in an old terrace.
Thursday saw us en route for Patterdale, via devious routes
designed by Alis and M.A.P. (they were
lost). Everyone of us set off on the
path climbing Grisedale Brow, with X Bob and Zot making a cracking pace towards
Helvellyn. ‘Whereupon some fell on rising
ground’, and these persons, who shall remain nameless, went to the pub. The snow lay in patches quite low down, but
was continuous above 1500 feet; and much of it had a hard, icy coating. We met with very little snow on top of ice,
as had been reported. Four of us put on
crampons which made life a little easier.
I wish I had a pair
of crampons said M.A.P., not for the first or last time. At the Brow Bob had stopped to chat with
three other walkers, so we managed to catch up. Sue and Miss Piggy, coming upon ice ground did return, taking with them
the faithful hound, Bec. In spite of
advice, John and I decided to have a look at Striding Edge and the 15 foot high
cornice leading onto the summit of Helvellyn, and a group of us moved up to the
crags. While everyone else, including
M.A.P. (I wish I had a pair of crampons”) descended and crossed the
frozen Red Tarn towards Catstye Cam, John and I traversed Striding Edge. Compared with Crib Goch last winter, it was a
cinch and we didn’t even rope up. The
final slope was straight forward, and the cornice seemed solid enough. We watched a couple of walkers managing with
one pair of crampons. Apparently one of
them fell on the steep slope ahead of us, but seemed OK when we reached
him. The top of Helvellyn was icy cold
and windy. The previous weekend’s
footprints stood out above the surrounding snow, whose soft crystals had been
blown away, a peculiar sight. Visibility
was fair under the low, scudding clouds, but the ominous looking darker patches
in the distance came to nothing. We
moved quickly off the top, down Swirral Edge and up to Catstye Cam, where we
met up with “I wish I had a pair
..” again. From there we glissaded down to Red Tarn
Beck.
Later on we were discussing with the crampon wisher how to
use an ice axe in a fall I demonstrated but he replied, I don’t think Id have
the presence of mind to use the axe properly, I assured him he would,
whereupon he fell on the steep slope and lost his presence of mind!
That evening we visited the
..at Outgate, where they sell
Hartley’s Best Bitter (beer and water) and straight bitter (less beer and more
water). It did affect Zot enough to
cause him to remark, Oi avent ‘ad me ‘ole for four years. We were all suitably sympathetic.
Guess where M.A.P. went on Friday morning. Youve got it. He is now the proud owner of a pair of Simond
crampons. Strange he couldnt remember the
episode in the
which split, snapped and bent. Maybe he
will when the point of his crampons begin to break off.
Meanwhile X Bob, Sue, John and I had set off up the stream
that flows off Wetherlam. There were
some magnificent frozen waterfalls in the Gorge, with enormous icicles. It soon became impossible to continue along
the frozen stream, but there is an obvious path following an old miners track
to the north of the gorge. Most of the
walking was on grass, with only patches of snow and ice, but as we climbed up
Birk Fell the snow became continuous. We
put on ice gear and traversed very hard, icy snow to the summit of
Wetherlam. A strong, cold wind tried to
whip us from the top while we hung around to admire the view, and to consider
the irresponsibility of a walker without ice axe or crampons up there. He said that he was unaware of conditions, in
spite of so much publicity about recent accidents.
Bob and Sue decided to cut short their walk because of the
ice, and descended directly from Wetherlam. John and I carried on round to Coniston Old Man. From Swirl How to the Old Man the ice surface
was an unbroken convex sheet sweeping right down to Seathwaite Tarn, but the
going was very easy in crampons, Michael.
At this time the said M.A.P. & Co. were in the pub in
Coniston thinking of using the new gear to go up the Old Man. They eventually set out and rushed up Church
Beck and did a gully to the summit. They
arrived there just after John and I left. I understand they did not use a rope for the ascent. “You only need a rope if you’re going to
fall”. (M.A.P. – again). We descended
via Low Water to the Youth Hostel in Church Beck, where Bob met us with the
car.
In the evening Fred, Thros, Mick, Griff and John of the
Valley Caving Club arrived while we were in the Old Dungeon Ghyll. Johp Manchip and family turned up from
trouble getting out of the snow there, but were surprised to find so little
snow in the Lakes. I gather from one of
the locals that the
valleys are always passable in winter-time, which is worth knowing, though the
M6 is frequently impassable.
Early on the Saturday morning, very early, seven of us were
off along Mickleden with the intention of reaching Scafell Pikes. We climbed into the snow, and occasions,
patches of ice, and soon stopped to don crampons. Rossett Gill gradually closes to a gully,
steepens, and then suddenly levels into a wide col between Rossett Pike and Bow
Fell. Spindrift was being blown across
the frozen Angle Tarn and up to Esk Hause. Here we met a couple who had camped the night on Scafell – I thought we
did. things to excess! We climbed onto
the back of Great End and walked the ridge to Scafell Pikes, which was just out
of the low cloud most of the time The
final climb up and down was fairly difficult without crampons, and plain daft
without an ice axe, yet we came upon plenty of walkers without either. It almost made us feel we were being
over-cautious when met two blokes with cheapboots, plastic bike jackets and
very little else. How they managed I
dread to think. From Scafell Pikes to
Great End the wind, from the east, was really vicious. At one point, past Broad Crag, it knocked all
of us down simultaneously.
Back at Angle Tarn, after Id persuaded J.D. that he and I
should forgo a desperate crag traverse on Hanging Knotts (maybe it wasn’t that bad)
we traversed the easier Rossett Crags and descended to
having decided not to cross Bow Fell against the strong wind and
ice-spicules. John Manchip, Fred, Martin
and Greg followed
to Langdale, while John D., M.A.P. and I climbed back upwards towards Pike of
Stickle. Part way up a voice came
down-wind, Get off my
..mountain. X
Bob and Zot had just come from the Pikes via Stickle Gill. Needless to say we continued our way on his
mountain and we three soon reached Pike of Stickle. Under such clear conditions as we had been
having maps were largely unnecessary. We
could clearly see each of the places to which we were heading. We soon walked across to Harrison Stickley
from where the view was excellent. Thence
the descent was directly down to Stickle Tarn on a snow slope, and then down
the path of Stickle Gill to Langdale once more.
Mike’s wagon was at the Old Dungeon Ghyll; while Bob’s car
was still at the New DG. As we walked to
the Old DG we met the bus, carrying Bob and Zottie from the Old to the New, all
of ¾ of a mile. “Best 6 pence Ive
ever spent,” said Zot.
And so a good weekend was had by all. With news of blizzard and drift from Mendip X
Bob & Co. set out early on Sunday for home, but the rest of us found time
after a leisurely morning for a few jars in the New DG. Greg and Miss Piggy spent most of the morning
devouring the rest of their food, before joining us and eating yet more. How does that Midget manage them both?! Finally we were away, leaving Fred; to spend
his day rescuing the foolhardy hordes from Bowfell – that was his story anyway.
Not mentioned before, but they were there, were Pat and
Paul, Patti and Co., Keith Newbury, Glenys and even Andy Nichols and attachment
for a while. There must be a pub or two
in the Lakes that they didnt visit!
P .S. Buckett and I went up to the Lakes again the following
Saturday, to find the Snow undergoing a rapid thaw, and there was minor
flooding in the valleys. We walked the
path up Stickle Gill, which was really in spate, and did not meet snow until we
arrived at the
that fords the Gill was well under water. Buckett leapt across from boulder to boulder lower down and I groped my
way slowly across too. The snow was
really rotten and we frequently stepped into deep, soggy drifts. At the back of Stikle Tarn we crossed Bright
Gill via a snow bridge and then decided we were too low down so crossed back
again. Higher up we had difficulty with crossing
the torrent and had to leap from boulders again. We used the map to set a compass course
through the mist to the top of
steep crag which barred our way. At
various points below we had met up with three men and a dog. Arriving at the top of the crag we came into
a gully with footprints of men and dog leading upwards. They were taking the longer but gentler route
up. We ended up almost ignoring the
compass bearing and following the dog prints, plus occasional
men, coming the other way through the rain. We continued on our bearing, leaving the dog party looking for the top
of
and we headed into the mist, hopefully towards Harrison Stickle. Going from cairn to cairn we traversed a
steep snowfield, often thigh deep in wet snow, peering constantly through the
mist at unrecognisable lumps of rock. The dog group caught us up and turned down to the left, looking for
Dungeon Gill. We climbed the small
pimple to our right and found ourselves on top of Harrison Stickle,
recognisable only from the height carved on a stone. We crossed the top and searched for a route
down. In fact, although there is nothing
on the map, a path exists down the scree via a short climb, and descends
steeply to Dungeon Ghyll. The dog party
were obviously lost and were going towards Stickle Gill.
We met a party of lads who had turned back from the Ghyll
because the path was hidden beneath a steep sheet of snow. This traverse was quite hairy, especially
since the mist began to clear. There was
evidence far below in the bottom of the Ghyll of recent avalanches – great
blocks of snow and large boulders, and the canyon echoed with the rushing of
melt-water.
Once over the traverse we glissaded down the wet snow slope
to the stream, but, by staying level from here we eventually left the stream
below us again as we headed for the end of the narrow ridge that divides
Dungeon Ghyl from Stickle Gill. Who
should we see as we descended to Stickle Gill, but three men and a dog, once
more. These hills are small.
P.P.S. There was one
other Quote, again from M.A.P. “Im glad Peak Cavern’s on a Saturday. Well be able to talk about it in the pub
afterwards! As it turned out Mike did
not come to Peak, and not a word was breathed about it in the pub on Saturday
night.
Tunnel
Cave
–
South Wales
Graham Wilton-Jones
Buckett and I recently visited this fine system, and I felt
it would be useful to offer a brief description in the BB, since ‘Caves of
Wales and the
is rather inadequate and, perhaps misleading.
The location can be found on the 2½” O.S. map, SN 81,
at SN 837165, but this map shows and the book description mentions a path from
the Haffes. This path no longer exists,
but one starts from the Dan yr Ogof caravan site, past the sheep pens, to a point
overlooking the Haffes, and thence onto the path leading over the moor towards
the Giedd. The path follows a wall to
the left until it has climbed up the steepest section of the hillside, and then
divides. One part continues beside the
wall running towards the dry valley above Dan yr Ogof, and the other branch
turns sharply right towards Waun Fignen Felen. From this junction one does as the book says, almost, climbing up to the
the right, on the edge of the hillside. The top entrance of the cave is practically on the highest point – a
most unlikely place for a cave. In BCRA
Transactions Vol. 4, Nos 1 & 2, March ’77 is a surface survey of the area
with cave surveys superimposed; including Tunnel. The location of the top entrance is easy
using the lines of shakeholes and the nearby dry valley. Approaching the entrance even quite closely
the only evidence of cave is a low pile of bang debris. The entrance cover is only seen when you are
right on top of it.
The entrance shaft is virtually all mined, square section at
the top and spacious, and is 35 feet deep. A 30ft ladder belayed directly to a railway line at the top is
sufficient, the bottom of the shaft being narrower and climbable. 12′ down there is a firm railway sleeper
platform all round the shaft. At the
bottom the pitch breaks into natural rift at the Courtyard pitch. After a short piece of horizontal passage, a
bolt above and exposed ledge takes a 25′ ladder into Cascade Aven. The Second Cascade (the system was explored
from the bottom) is a steep, stal slope littered with bang debris, steepening
further until it finally overhangs the First Cascade, which comes in from the
other end of the rift. I found a
handline useful on the Second Cascade, descending to the Wire Traverse on the
right (looking downwards) having belayed to a eyehole in the right hand
wall. This required about 60′ of
handline, but 120′ as the book says is needed if it is belayed at the bottom of
the Courtyard. The wire on the traverse
is fixed, and I belayed 100′ of handline to the bolt on ‘the far
side”. This was also far too much,
about 60′ being sufficient. However,
this First Cascade is steep smooth, and the handline here is invaluable. Leading off from these avens are a few
passages which constitute the Cascade Aven Series. At the bottom of the stal slope, the rift is
choked up with gravel and and stal but a small draughting passage is the route
on downwards. A twisting hands and knees
crawl leads to a couple of 15’ climbs down. After the first climb the passage enlarges. At the bottom of the second is the way into
Paul and Barnabas, concealed between the boulders and the wall. This is the passage leading to the numerous
pearls. Ahead the route continues down
to a sandy chamber, but the way on is a climb up just before this. The passage is now a winding rift dipping at
about 10°. By traversing horizontally we
ended up in the roof tube, and this is the obvious place to be for route
finding since the draught here is dispersed. There are one or two places where the passage is too wide to traverse,
and it is necessary to descend and climb up again on the other side, but the
route is not as complex as the book would have us believe, nor is any of the
cave technically difficult. Normally
wherever a decision has to be made the wrong route is a cul-de-sac, and the
draught can occasionally be felt. Eventually a stream is reached and soon after is the grille with the
show ‘
for this grille, but we had to collect our tackle from the top anyway, so there
seemed to be no point
Returning up the passage the first major opening on the
right is East Passage. This is much
easier than West Passage, the route to the top entrance. Cross Passage on the left starts as walking
but soon degenerates to a crawl over sand to emerge in West Passage. East Passage continues, passing the way to
Xmas Grotto on the right, up a climb into a large phreatic tube and into the
high Steeple Aven. We did not continue
here, but the passage goes a little further to reach Final Chamber.
The whole of our trip took four hours, during which we
covered much of the cave twice – in and out. Next time we shall rappel in, visit Paul and Barnabas and Xmas Grotto,
and leave via the show cave beside Dan yr Ogof.
Useful references:
BCRA Trans. Vo1.4, Nos 1 & 27
Mar, 77. (Survey p.296, plus several
other notes)
Caves in
Descent
CRG pub. No. 7
Ed. note: I hear, through the Mendip grapevine, that a new
Welsh caving guide may be underway.
Jottings
complied by Niph
Mendip news and notes – Don’t forget the Midsummer Buffet on
June 17th and the working weekend at the Belfry on June 17th and 18th. No further extensions have been found in
Lionel’s Hole but according to Andy Sparrow there are a number of digging points. On a recent trip in St. Cuthbert’s by Wig,
Stuart Lindsey and Tim Large, Pillar Chamber Extensions was visited. Several unex¬plored sites and possibilities
were examined, particularly in a de¬corated rift at the top of the 54ft
Pot. In the top chamber of the
extension
amid much ‘hanging death’, Stuart dug through a gravel choke
under a low arch to find another small decorated chamber – a bedding chamber
some 30ft long by 12ft wide. A few
broken curtains lie on the floor. At the
upper end of the chamber there’s a gravel choke that appears to be heading
towards the Far Chamber area. Pillar
Extensions make an interesting trip but its not for those of a nervous
disposition!
*****************************************
Another B.E.C. Extension is on
Mendip
Cakin’ Fant (well leave you to work out the true meaning of that name). First inspected by Andy Sparrow et. al, on
Jubilee Day 1977 the cave was pushed to a limit of 30ft but in January this
year Andy and Ross White returned (to quote the caving log)
.intending to dig
final squeeze. Digging floor proved
ineffective, so Sparrow made an attempt to pass it as it was – much to his
surprise he succeeded. The way on was
blocked by a flake of rock which soon gave way to a crowbar. Crawling over the flake led into 15ft 20ft
of muddy crawl to an inclined rift
.the cave
..is extremely tight.
On the 21 of January Andy, Steve Short and a couple of
midgets from other clubs returned to the site. Alison Hooper (the wee midget, took the lead.
..at the point reached on last weeks
trip. It proved passable without further
work and followed by Andy, she pushed on through another 50ft of tight rift
crawls and’ Z’ bends. ‘Termination of
the cave is now a boulder blocking the way on. Cave length now about 90ft.
Dates For Your Diary
|
June 9th |
Longwood (Friday niters trip) |
|
June 10th |
Symposium n Cave Exploration in Northern Spain at |
|
June 17th |
Midsummer Buffet Hunters lodge back room 7.30. Tickets for meal £2.00 each or free for |
|
June 17/18th |
Working weekend at the Belfry come along and give your active |
|
June 23rd |
Swildons Hole CANDLE ONLY! (Friday niters trip). |
|
July 7th |
|
|
July 21st |
North Hill Friday niters trip. |
|
August 4th |
Stoke Lane Slocker Friday niters trip. |
|
September 9/10th |
BCRA National Caving Conference, |
Editor: D.J. Irwin, Townsend Cottage, Priddy, Nr. Wells,
Editors Note:
The paper used for this issue and
future issues of the BB is thinner and not of such good quality as the
gestetner paper we’ve been using. I hope
that members will not be too displeased, but when duplicating paper has risen
from £2.65 in November 1977 to £3.60 in April 1978 one can realise the cost of
the BB to the club. Also, 22 pages in
the BB will mean a further postal increase. With the thinner paper we can increase the BB to well over 20 pages
without any postal increase.