A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO
ALL OUR READERS.
Some of you will only now be receiving the Christmas B.B.
with this one. Apart from the lateness
of the Christmas B.B., due to the lack of material sent in until the last
minute, over fifty B.B.'s have been stuck in a snowdrift at Hillgrove for a
week and have only just been rescued. One consolation. Those who have
only just got their Christmas B.B. can be assured that the B.B. they now have
has been a jolly sight colder then they have over the last week or so!
There is still an ACUTE SHORTAGE of articles etc. for the
B.B. In consequence, this B.B. -
although on the lines suggested in the Christmas B.B - is way out on amount of
space devoted to various subjects.
Notice. There will be
a talk in Priddy Hall by David Causer on MARCH 2ND, 1963.
The subject being on the recent African expedition including
slides of native women.
Club News - A Monthly Review of Club Activities
Caving Meets - 1963.
Following the notice in the November issue of the B.B., the
following meet programme has been arranged for the first half of 1963.
All four of the meets are relatively easy - this has been
done to ensure that the scheme gets off to a good starts and to cater for the
less experienced members of club.
1. Sunday, 20th
January.
Lamb Leer. Meet in
Lamb Leer quarry at 1.00 pm, N.G.R. 543550. Bus from
2. Thursday 7th
March.
3. Sunday, 23rd
April.
4. Friday, 14th
June.
Coombe Down Stone Workings. Meet in main courtyard outside Bath Abbey, near Roman Baths; at 7.45
pm. Buses from
In the case of the Lamb Leer and Fairy Cave Quarry meets, it
would be useful if those interested in going would contact the Caving Sec,
about two weeks before the date, so that some idea of the total number of
people likely to attend the meet will be known beforehand, and in addition, for
the Fairy Cave Quarry and Coombe Down meets, any spare seats in cars, vans, or
on motorbikes will be greatly appreciated by those who have no transport. Once again, those who have transport could
contact the Caving Secretary the week before the meet and let him know what
will be available.
Committee Meeting.
Owing, as they say, to the inclement weather (of which more
later) there was no committee meeting for January.
Christmas at the Belfry.
As the winter held the Mendip in its icy grip, a small party
gathered at the Belfry to celebrate Christmas. Christmas day was b***** cold and all in the Belfry were glad to gather
round the stove, all waiting for the time to pass until dinner. At about a quarter to twelve, the scene had
changed - white shirts and suits were seen in fantastic numbers as their owners
dashed about dressing for dinner.
The dinner was to be held at the Star Hotel in Wells, all
arranged by Spike and Pam. The time came
to depart and there was quite a job squeezing 12+ bodies into 3 small cars, but
it was done and off we went. First stop
Hunters (naturally) to wish our favourite landlord the season's greetings
(crafty move for a drink on the house) and then on to the Star.
Fifteen and a half sat down to a damn good dinner, with
Frank Darbon, Prew and Brenda and their relations hiding in another corner of
the room. (Frank had two of
everything). The crowd at our table were
Spike and Pam, Graham and Julie, Alan Thomas, Rosemary, Alfie, Nigel, Garth,
Roger Jarman, Len, Phil and baby Steven, Gordon, Jim Hill and Rotten. It took about an hour and a half to stuff
ourselves, drink cur wine, and get thrown out (we left sober). Then back to the Belfry to give certain
people time to rest their large corporations.
In the evening, several more people braved the cold and
joined us, each bringing a bottle of course. Noel was already there, then came John Lamb and Jane, Ron and Pat, Sally
and Bob Price.
Everything started off quietly, a glorious spread of food
provided by Spike and Pam, who really worked hard at it, was followed by plenty
of wines and beer - especially home made wines (ugh?) Food and drink vanished rapidly and as the
evening went on things became lively. Various games were played such as bottle walking, and then came the
final trick of the evening. Three brave
climbers traversed round the inside of the Belfry, starting off at the Mens
Room. Our intrepid three set off, roped
at the neck, Noel leading, Garth seconding and Alfie bring up the rear. They climbed steadily until the main door was
reached when alas! a piton broke (Coathanger) under Alfie. Quick thinking saved him and on they went,
passing large prickly trees en route (Holly) until, after traversing across a
bread ledge, they cant; to a rather dicey bit. Tragedy struck! The third man
slipped and fell (about three feet). Saddened by the loss, the leader and second pressed on until they
reached the volcanic part of the climb (Stove). Noel, by using pressure holds, got across but Garth, suddenly finding
himself un-roped, made a quick dash for safety across the top of the stove and
made it & good display of climbing by all.
Eventually all went to kip, except the four who stayed up
and cleaned up the mess. My thanks to
them and to Pam and Spike for their splendid efforts which made the party go
with a swing.
John (Rotten) Ransom.
New Year at the Belfry.
For many years now, whenever snow has fallen at the Belfry,
we have joked about it and wished that it would get too deep for us to be able
to get back to work. On Saturday, 29th
of December, it happened at last!
By Sunday morning, the neighbourhood was sufficiently
different that you had a job to recognise any familiar landmarks, and
exploration parties were sent out through almost continuous waist high snow in
search of essential supplies. These were
obtained as the parties managed to reach both the New Inn and the Hunters. The New Inn party even managed to bring bad
some luxury items, such as food, from the stores which had a snowdrift over the
roof. This party, consisting of John
Cornwell, Alfie and Tony Baker, also took photographs on the way.
By Sunday evening, the weather forecast promised a thaw and
said that all the snow would be gone by Monday. However, on Monday it was even colder and the high winds had made the
drifts much deeper although in between them, most of the snow was blown,
away. Monday was spent shovelling -
some of the walkers decided to leave - and the rest concentrated, on getting a
way clear for the transport to get out.
A bulldozer had a go from the Hillgrove, but the road was
only open for an hour or so just before dark. Nobody fancied getting stuck in the dark, although, Alfie drove up to
the Hunters to enable him to get a good start on the 'Tuesday.
The Dozer had another go on Tuesday and Alfie got to the
Hillgrove, but was defeated by Hedge, the party reassembled at the Belfry with one vehicle less, and was joined by
Roger Stenner who came out to join in the pantomime. By this time, the Belfry was organised on a
communal basis, and very well it worked too. All food was pooled and cooked together and we were all treated to the
most amazing tea which we would otherwise never have sampled!
On the Wednesday, the party crammed into the remaining
vehicles and went out together. Spike
had to dismantle, de-ice, and reassemble his bike and Roger and Gordon's car
got ignition trouble but eventually we all got back to Bristol, a most unusual
weekend.
Alfie
P.S. The Belfry was
'inhabited' during both the weekends following this incident, maintaining its
unbroken record of 'never closing'
Trips from the Caving Log
On the 2nd of August, during a beginner's trip down
Swildons, Mike Baker noted that once more, not a single drop of water was going
down the Forty. Also on the 2nd, Roger
Stenner continued the survey of Wet and Waterfall pitches in Cuthberts. They spent twelve hours in the cave without
going past Mud Hall! On the 4th August,
Roger and his brother Derek brought out the remains of the telephone wire from
Cuthberts. It was Derek's second
trip. On the previous one, he helped to
bring in the phone wire in 1966.
The survey of Wet and Waterfall pitches was continued on the
15/16 August by Roger Stenner and party, when a closed traverse was
completed. Jim Hill, on the 18th August,
also down Cuthberts, reports that the Primus stove in the Dining Room is in A1
working order.
One notes that the removal of the telephone wire from
Cuthberts is also claimed by a party led by Mikes Wheadon and Palmer on the
19th August. Perhaps a little man takes
it back in again in the meantime!
More surveying in Cuthberts on the 19th and 21st August by
Roger and Pat Takle filling in detail. On the 28th of the month, a Cuthberts trip, with Maurice Iles, Joyce
Searle, Gerald, and Roger Stenner had as its object to bring out the telephone
wire. Perhaps it would help this (by now
bewildered) reader of the log, if all future trips of this nature would report
the measure of success they had!
Mike Calvert reports that the
Not a drop of water running. Z Alley in Reads, another place seldom visited by the B.E.C. was, done
by Roger Stenner and party on the 16th September.
Noel spent some time in Priddy Green on the 16th September,
but much work unfortunately produced no advance except, an excellent view into
mud passage! He had another go on the
26th September, and reckons that the passage will go eventually.
More work in
More discoveries in Cuthberts on the 21st October when a
party consisting of Eatough, Attwood and Kangy went probing in the line of the
Great Fault between Lake Chamber and Rocky Boulders. A well decorated passage some 200 in length
was found.
A call out occurred in Swildons on the 28th October, which
luckily proved unnecessary. Alert
occurred at 7 pm concerning a party which were supposed to be finding it heavy
going at the twin pots at about 2 pm and had not been seen since. They had apparently taken in some rather
dicey ladders. The dicey ladders were
still in place at 8 pm, so a preliminary recce was made, and their empty tent
and caravan found at 9.30. Into gear and
Garth, Pat Irwin and Roger went to the cave but found they had just come
out. The party had not told anyone where
they were going, or how long they were going to be. Some method of checking in and out of the
cave is needed if this kind of alarm is not to be repeated.
On the 29th October, a further survey trip to complete
closed traverses under Mud Hall was conducted by Roger.
Cuthberts Photograph
THE PHOTOGRAPH, on the next page is one of what we hope may develop into a series during the year. It is a view of stalagmite flow taken by John Cornwall in G.B. in the Main Chamber above the false floor arrangement sometimes known as the Rhinoceros.
Notes of interest to Some
by Garth.
On Saturday, 19th January 1963, the caving fraternity of
Mendip achieved a major moral victory by having a delegation of no less than
twenty cavers present in the Hunters. The point of this remark is that they were the only customers present,
there being no locals except for the landlord.
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The Belfry Bulletin. Secretary, R.J. Bagshaw, 699,
Editor, S.J. Collins, 33,
Postal Dept. R.S. King, 22 Parkfield Rank, Pucklechurch, Nr .Bristol.