January 9th Nettle Pot
Dave E, Malc
Hoping to go to Yorkshire but, unable to get a caravan. So did Nettle Saturday afternoon, stayed in club hut. Went down Elizabeth Shaft - Pleasant evening spent in 'Dev' - next day.
January 9th Peak Cavern Maypole Dig
Since my last report on Maypole it stude at 164 feet to the end of. The beginning we went past this till the passage went right angles left approx 200 feet. Continue past this for 15 feet then the end of the Peak season was here. We left it for 6 months until the start of the season. It got to of to not a very good start. After a mouth we got a lot better it now stands at about 250 feet approx. On the 12th Dec87 I was going in with the Dunstable Club diging when I got burnt by my acid batter so I have not yet been in the cave. We stoped for Christmas. I am a lot better but still have hole in me. It will be a nother mouth before I will be going in. Kym is going in with every one tomorrows Sunday to start for this year The dig must go on.
Buster
Buster in the Maypole Outlet dig bringing out 'spoil'
January 10th Peak Cavern
Dave E, Malc, Dave G
Joined by Dave G. and went to help Buster's team in Maypole Outlet. Both Daves came out without lights.
January 31st Nettle Pot
Dave E, Dave G, Malc
Decided to go down Beeza & Crumbles - none of us had done this part before eventually got down to new extensions.
March 12th AGM
Held at the hut. Quite a session talking - also 4 new members applied for membership. afterwards stomp held at 'The Haddon Hall Hotel' - 69 sitting down for a meal. Well organised by Dave Gough again. No time left on Saturday for the usual 'sobering up' trip and nobody really felt like doing much on Sunday.
The AGM takes its toll with only tea for courage
Easter
John, Malc, Dave E, Dave G, Anc & Blake, Trev + 2 chelsea CC (Rick & Pete)
April 2nd Simpsons Pot
Dave E, Dave G, Trev, Anc, Blake
First real Yorkshire trip for Blake - Fairly wet trip due to usual bank holiday weather. Uneventful but enjoyable trip.
Marble Steps
John, Malc, Rick, Pete
Those that wanted to dangle went but found the queues too much so came out after waiting for a while at Stink Pot, The tackle bag for the entrance pitch was stolen.
April 3rd Bull Pot
John, Malc, Dave E, Dave G, Anc, Blake, Trev, Rick, Pete
Split into sections - ladder/SRT. Two teams in when we arrived tho' one team was coming out. We dropped one rope and ladders down, and by using other rope, had the unusual trick of 3 people descending the shaft at the same time. Ladder team quickly got down to top of 4th pitch and gave up, as no available belay points (other party in pot seemed to need 4 or 5 bolts for each pitch. SRT team finally got down after much waiting - bottom pitch is tight.
April 4th Swinsto Valley Entrance
Dave G, Dave E, Malc, John, Trev
Trip started late afternoon, so saw no one underground; uneventful wet trip.
April 5th Rift Pot (Marble Steps)
Dave E, John (Rick, Pete CSS)
Supposed to be a quick trip - However Rick got stuck on main pitch on traverse, and eventually we rigged the pitch down the gully - general look around entrance crawls don't seem to get any bigger.
May 7th Swildons Hole
A Mendip W/E !!
Dave G, Malc, Dave E, Trev, Buster & Kym
(Anc & Blake were stopped due to car problems)
Met at Hunters Fri. night 'Mac' volunteered to give us a good trip. Down to sump 2, which we by-passed (Blue Pencil) and dropped into passage between 3 & 4 sumps _ Sump 4 area really awful due to Cowsh Aven, and all the worms etc. - back thro' Double Trouble (tho' there are more troubles than 2) + Tratman's temple.
May 8th St Cuthberts Swallet
After a change of caves about 3 times had a conducted trip well led by Martin Grass BEC. We zig zagged down the system to sump one, and back up the streamway.
We stayed at MNRC hostel as BEC was full being a members W/E. BEC made us very welcome, as it is so long since we were down there. 2 barrels taken back to the Belfrey after Hunters closed Sat night but we left about Mid night Martin was the only one who felt like going caving Sunday as 'party' ended about 4.00 pm.
May 22nd Peak Cavern
At last the Peak Digging season is over. I have lost count of the number of trips made to MAYPOLE switching on the auto pilot pulling tubs along the passage to be tipped onto some tourists below.
Every time you go to the dig the wish is to make this the last time but still BUSTER keeps getting his digging team together and yes I am one of them.
This year has provided a bit of entertainment, smiling at the Paying Tourist on your way out.
So lets wait till September to see what lad has in store for us.
PS There is possibly a short trip into the Cave one Saturday Evening early in October to see more of John Beaty slides.
Below! The point at which all the 'spoil' is tipped into the stream, causing the river in Castleton to change colour.
Bank Holiday Meet
Dave E, Dave G, Malc, Trev, John, Rick Box
After a lot of time wasted, visits to usual places in Ingleton finally agreed on
May 28th Simpsons Pot
Pleasant abseil through - didn't see anyone Dave G took his lad in via valley entrance and left pitch rigged for us.
May 29th Ireby Caverns
Ladder trip - steady trip to bottom - entrance is rather loose. our new ladders did not slip.
May 30th Flood Entrance - Stream Passage Pot
Had intended to go down stream passage but was just being rigged - didn't seem too busy. Main cavern lit by two huge floodlights - very impressive some of party did pool traverse. Came out to rain! Bradford PC had winch meet, so was able to have a cup of tea at GG shaft.
July 2nd Rowton Pot
Dave E, Malc, Steve
Had the pot to ourselves - exhillerating trip.
July 3rd Yordas Cave
Top entrance 80' pitch - steady trip through.
Heron Pot
Another through trip - to clean up gear before trip home.
July 21st Gouffre du Berger France
See report in Newsletter No2 New Series.
July 30th Trou de Glaz, Grenoble, France
See report in Newsletter No2 New Series.
August 23rd P8
J.Rat, Jon Shaw (OS) 1¼hrs
Tourist trip. Most refreshing. Good curry in the Wanted Inn after.
August 28th-30th Yorkshire Bank Holiday Meet
Simpsons Pot
Dave E, John, Dave G, Trev
Typical bank holiday - wet trip B.H. Monday rained off.
Alum Pot
Impressive hole - made more so by amount of water about - got to sump - water from Diccan was thunderous.
Alum Pot Dave Epton climbing the bottom pitch under deluge of water from the beck
September 24th Tatham Wife Hole
Dave E, Dave G, Malc, John, Martin, Steve, Tony
Had intended to go down Little Hull, but overnight rain stopped that - Damp trip - pitches very sporting Steve & Tonys first Yorks trip.
Heron Pot
Dave E, Malc, Dave G, John
Fairly late start to quick trip needed found another team in the cave, but managed to pass them - through trip.
October 16th Link Pot
Dave E, Dave G
We went up for the day to get on a Pippikin Link trip with Airedale Cc. However at Settle - where we all met, there was no one to lead - so we ended up as part of a 8 person team doing Link - hoping to go down Link Streamway. It was rather like 10 little nigger boys - At the entrance one person had knee trouble, so turned back. The leader and another person couldn't get down the entrance shaft - then there were 5. We were told to go to boulder choke and keep going down - We eventually ended up at a pitch of about 80' which all but one got down, another person didn't fancy going down, so friend took her out - then there were 3We ept going down to a passage of mud banks - eventually crawling - and came to a sump. We read the guide again and discovered we were in 'Wormways' - the link between Lancaster & Link We had gone the wrong way to the one intended. At the top of the 80' - now we realise was Echo Aven we had just derigged when Dave G realised he had left his gloves at the bottom so he rigged again & went down. He caught us up when we were on the surface. He puffed his way up the entrance - on pulling on the rope realised he hadn't tied the bag on the rope, so did the entrance twice as well. He's getting forgetful in his old age.
October 22nd Rampgill Level, Nenthead
Dave G, Chester, Lawrence & chegs friend Smack (Steve McIntyre)
A seven hour trip into the reaches of Rampgill complete with cheating sticks and ladder. Had a look up at several rises using scaling poles (cheating sticks). most did not go anywhere due to collapses.
Looking down the rise showing 'cheating sticks' and ladder
One rise had rails sticking out from the level above, here a tub and a pair of clogs were found, but level finished after about 400 yds, on the other side of the rise the level continued but had run in after a short distance. We were the first people to visit after O'd man had stopped working, several clay pipes found but not any other goodies, exited to daylight and a long session in the Crown. An interesting trip.
Tram found above Rampgill Level, Nenthead
November?? Little Hull Pot
Martin, John, Jim, Malc, Dave E, Trev
Woke up late, usual talk what to do! So went to little Hull to try Martin's new approach to rigging the Two Pitches,
2nd pitch was a real Space Walk, Spectacular, John & Dave de-rigged and Jim left his gear at the bottom of first Pitch - exit and Straight to Pub Sunday got up late What to do - ! Back down little hull to retrieve Jim's Gear, Overall a good weekend and a good cock up.
Dave & Trev went walking on Penyghent
Jim left more gear in cafe Sunday morning!
Trev looking down Hunt pot on Sunday walk on Penyghent
December 31st Rampgill Level, Nenthead
Dave G, Cheg
A pre new years trip into the further reaches of Rampgill to look at a large collapse. Many large and small boulders were removed from the collapse and the roof above to make it safe to lower water level beyond. After several hours hard work water level in continuing passage was lowered by about 2 ft and Cheg entered chest deep water to investigate. Soon returned with brown stain in pants after being unnerved by unknown noises coming along the level. Left situation safe and returned to sanity to spend an enjoyable new year in the Crown at Nenthead.