caving
Mary Mary reopened
With bad weather curtailing the January trip, last weekend was the first REU camp of 2013. Seven of the Fat Belly Boys made it in, including a first-time visit for Henry D. The lack of good air at the main Starbar dig left us splitting digging efforts across several projects: MadPhil and Tom set of [...]
Read moreMendip misery
A trip down the Technical Masterpiece in Eastwater Cavern is probably some of the gnarliest caving you can do on Mendip, and certainly not a place you would hope to get rescued from. It’s less than 300 metres long, however the tight passage is a real test of caving technique and any mistakes will quickly [...]
Read moreMoel Fferna and the Bridge of Death
On a weekend away in North Wales with the ACC last weekend, we decided to visit the Moel Fferna Slate Quarry. Much of the working here was done entirely underground, operating on seven levels. When the mine closed all adits were sealed, leaving only a ventilation shaft for access. This we laddered, bringing us out [...]
Read moreThe Blue Greenies
All the large caves in Wales are renowned for a particular formation, usually hidden away in the far reaches of the system. In Draenen there’s The Geryon, Aggy’s is the Courtesan, and in Daren Cilau there are the Blue Greenies. The journey to see these uniquely colourful speleothems however is somewhat tortuous, navigating through passages [...]
Read moreWhy go caving?
As I was driving down to south Wales to spend another weekend ‘digging’ in Daren Cilau, I suddenly had an objective realisation: I’m going to spend a large chunk of my free time moving some sand from one place to another in a hole that perhaps very few people will ever want to see – [...]
Read moreGold Mine Dream Jump
Meanwhile, in Poland…
Translation of text:
1000 metres of rope
120 metres underground
78 metres high
4 seconds freefall
Glacial karst: Descent into the Gornergletscher
The Gornergletscher is the second largest glacier system in the Alps, found on the western side of the Monte Rosa Massif flowing down towards the town of Zermatt. The glacier was the centre of interest for the Italian La Venta team during the 80′s and 90′s, during which time they found, explored and described a [...]
Read moreGaleria Garimpeiros
Inspired by the promise of ‘pretties’ on the survey, Colin and I planned to reach Passion Fruit Chamber in Ogof Draenen and take some photos. Unfortunately for us the ‘muddy and intimidating duck‘ in Y Gwter Fawr Streamway became too tight for us to pass so had to turn back. The mud could be easily [...]
Read moreCwmystwyth
Inspired by our exploration of Bwlch Glas Mine, Colin and I headed inland from Aber one sunny afternoon in search of more mines. Without any maps and just vague stories of the exploits of ACC members of yesteryear, we followed the Afon Ystwyth upstream to Cwmystwyth – the site of mine workings since the Bronze [...]
Read moreBwlch Glas Mine
The last time I visited this mine, the whole thing had creeped me out – the first worry was the great shaft of water separated by just a few inches of slate from the first set of ladders down. The abseil down after into the mine proper had to be rigged off random relict mining [...]
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