Blasts from the Past

Some entries from club logs of yore!!...in no order at all!!)

24.3.63 Goatchurch  M. Palmer

Mike and three weegies, spent a very pleasant afternoon thrutching around in Goatchurch!?!?! - found one stray dog (presumably not a weegie??) - which was escorted to Wells Police station.

17.2.79 Swildon's 9  C. Batstone, A Jarratt.  4hrs 50mins.

Intentions were to dive to 12 and attempt to re-climb Victoria Aven.  Sadly the fair.  (What???) Batspiss was struck by Pox at the 20 and exited honking and farting.  AJ continued in lonely fashion;  deposited 100' of rope and diving kit and free dived back out, suffering light pox from sump 1 to entrance.  Lost diving knife somewhere beyond 1.  (Reward).

Millions of evil shrimps lurking in the stream way FROM 4 onwards.  Incidentally it takes 20 seconds to free dive sump 3 and also 20 seconds for sump 2.  Interesting porn photo in St John's Bell!!!

5.8.72 Swildon's Hole   M. Waller, McAnus, J. Durston, Bazza. 1.5hrs

Down to sump 2 leaving Martin and McAnus there.  Bazza and myself went through sump 2 for the first time.  It is about three miles long and takes about 10 hours to pass!!! Excellent trip.

13.8.72 Stoke Lane Slocker   J. Durston & 3 PCG.  2 hrs.

Gentle wander down to see Queen Victoria, diving the renowned crystal clear waters of sump 1 en route.  Most enjoyable.

P.S. Can anyone recommend a good grot removing shampoo??!!

26.11.72   Coral Cave   Tim Large, Nigel Taylor, Basset, Chris Howell.

This must rate as THE outstanding official club trip of the year because ...   a) six persons other than the leader actually started, b) we actually DID go caving!!!

25.8.88 Wookey Hole Trebor, Stumpy, P. Brooke, 

Wookey 20.   Looked at 20.   Looked Okay!!   Nice one.

22.11.80 R Payne. Swildon's Hole   Quackers, Batspiss, Biffo, D. Glover, E. Gosting, P. Crawley, 40' and 20' pots ....

The above people having nothing better to do decided to go down the dreadful Swildon's via the forty and watch the weegies.  Descended the forty in the classic manner with the requisite amount of Anglo Saxon expletives.  Went downstream to the twenty where we met Don Vesper & Bill Matthews who invited us to the MCG for beer. This curtailed any further thoughts of serious spaeleology - which wasn't the original intent anyway.  Returned back up the forty and out via the old grotty and long dry way - much to Pete's disillusionment as this lovely piece of passage seems to have grabbed his parts that other passages don't reach!!!  Time 1.5 hrs .... Bring back the forty!! !

From the frontispiece of the '60 - '61 logbook ....

"Why write illegibly in this log, when with some care, you could be .... BLOODY INDECIPHERABLE??

26.8.61 Nine Barrows Swallet   P.M. Giles, P. Franklin,  'MO'

.......... SHORING!!  (Ring any bells Jarratt?????)

6.8.88   Lionel's Hole  Brian Hippy, Stuey, Steve, Jingles.

The 'Try to find the round trip' trip.

Great muddy fun on a sunny day.  Got to end of Bishops Bypass after countless wrong turnings and dead ends.  Steve, having no oversuit (he'd had an oversuit oversight!!) was soaked, cold and very pissed off.  So we turned round and went out again ... not realising it would have been easier going to carry on!!!

25.8.88 Swildon's Hole. Trevor, Snab, Dave Shand & a multitude of Germans.

A scattered ramble in the vague region of Swildon's 1 as far as the sump, Barnes Loop and other such places ... trying to explain that we were meant to be going round Wookey Hole.

4.5.89 Daren Cilau  Gonzo, Tony Boycott et al.

A 'Doctor's opinion of rescue possibilities' trip to the sump with an overnight stop at Hard Rock. Verdict....  Don't break a leg or you won't come out....But we knew that already!!!

11.2.60 Lamb Leer Cavern  G. Pointing, D. Paddy, J. Giles

Photographic(!) (Without side lighting) to the cave of falling waters.  Met a party of MNRC tribesmen who put on the winch for us, exceeding the 30m.p.h. limit!!!!

11.6.61 ACHTUNG!!

This page is reserved for Mr F. Darbon’s account of the Swildon's II OP Jun 17 1961 (later added in pencil) ... Well .. We’re still waiting!! (There is no further entry on this page)

12.12.82            Swildon's Hole Batspiss, Edric, P. Hodgson.

Sunday afternoon bimble down to sump 1.  Cave was a trifle aqueous to say the least.  Edric was quite impressed with his new wetsuit - even to the extent of going through sump 1, which was covered in a layer of evil shitty foam ...... ???????