Belfry Bulletin Number 398_399

1 BELFRY BULLETIN Volume 35 Nos. 6 & 7 Numbers 398 and 399 June & July 1981 MONTHLY JOURNAL OF THE BRISTOL EXPLORATION CLUB The Bristol Exploration Club, The Belfry, Wells Road, Priddy, Wells, Somerset .

Telephone: Wells (0749) 72126.

Editor: G. Wilton-Jones, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

Telephone: Aylesbury (0296) xxxxx.

CONTENTS:

Caves as Nuclear Shelters Lifeline Haydon Drove Swallet Lake District Meet *

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Once again a bi-monthly B.B. - do I hear odd murmurings of discontent, or 'I told you so!' Will it yet again be a subject for discussion at this year's A.G.M? I see that my gentle powers of persuasion are about as useless as your promises to write something for the B.B. This needs words, not promises.

So! Tuska, -where is the article on Iceland?

Dave, Brian and Jane, did you really visit the Vercours?

(I'll not harass Stu or Colin - they've done their bit this year) Spandy Arrow, stop telling us how awful the bottom of Longwood is, and write it down. AND, while you're at it, how about the Lionels survey notes/description as well.

Now you're settled into your new house, John, what about the notes on care and maintenance of tackle?

You see, there's a whole B.B. full there, if only I had it here in writing! *

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John and Sue Dukes new phone number is not as written in the last B.B. That is the number of the telephone box over the road (Sorry, Ken!) Their number is actually Shepton Mallett 4815.

Karen Jones and Gary Childs should by now be making their way about the United States by Greyhound, bicycles or thumbs, or whatever other means they can muster. At some time during their ten week tour they hope to drop in on Bowling Green, Kentucky, for the 8th International Congress of Spelaeology, which is being held at Western Kentucky University.

Chris Smart is currently in Nigeria, on an 8 - 10 week tour surveying some vast un-trodden tract of wilderness so the locals can despoil it with power lines. After the work is over he intends to amble his way back through that region of Africa, so we'll expect some interesting news from him in the near future.

STONE MINES: Anyone wishing to visit Stone Mines in Wiltshire, Avon or Somerset may like to contact Mike Breakspear or Nick Holstead, who will be happy to help.

Telephone: Work; Trowbridge 3641, Ext. 3391 or 3380 Home: Westbury 823577 or Trowbridge 66158

2 CAVES AS NUCLEAR SHELTERS by Tony Oldham, Editor, The British Caver Caves have been used as places of refuge since time immemorial. Stone Age man's homes are still inhabited today in some parts of the world and the image of a hermit in silent contemplation in a remote cavernous recess is familiar to us all. During the last War, caves were used as shelters and hideouts by both sides, so it is not surprising that caves are once again being considered as places of refuge, this time from the holocaust of nuclear war.

At first glance some caves have two very important characteristics which are essential for a nuclear shelter: 1) small water-worn passages in solid rock which are structurally very sound, and offer good protection against blast; 2) a covering of rock and soil - anything up to 500 ft., which would provide a good shield against harmful radiation.

However, before you rush out to commandeer your nearest caves, it is necessary to take into consideration the following facts: 1) the cave needs to have two or more entrances for a) ventilation, and b) a second means of escape 2) the cave temperature will reflect the average mean annual temperature, i.e. about 47 oF in the north of England, and 52 0F or higher in the south. If the surface temperature is higher or lower than the ambient cave temperature this will cause a natural flow of air. Filters and hand pumps will still be necessary to cleanse the air of harmful dust and chemicals, but natural ventilation, assisted if necessary by an artificial entrance, is potentially a great asset; 3) whilst the covering rock will provide protection against blast - even a direct hit if the thickness of rock is sufficient - the usual amenities of the commercially available nuclear shelter, e.g. blast door, over pressure valves, etc., will still be needed to minimise blast effects; 4) commercially available nuclear shelters usually provide protection for 4 to 7 persons, or more if a series of modules are joined together ad infinitum. It would, however, be possible to find a cave which could house a whole village with full domestic amenities. One could visualise a project where those sheltering could also include cows for milk, sheep and pigs for meat and where even the household pet would not be forgotten, for cats, dogs and ferrets would be needed to take care of vermin.

5) caves contain water, though the amount varies from cave to cave, and some may be virtually dry. Surface water is channelled through swallet openings or natural fissures down into the caves to emerge as springs at the foot of the hill. One would assume that rain-water after a nuclear explosion would be heavily contaminated with harmful radio-active isotopes, which, in a matter of hours, would pass through the caves. Whilst this water would be undrinkable without filtration or distillation, it could be used to carry away waste matter and b) to provide a means of generating electricity for a subterranean community, for uses as varies as running a deep freeze to servicing a hospital. Percolating water must also be considered. Rain falling on the surface could take as little as a day or as long as weeks to reach a cave shelter, depending on rock cover. Collecting vessels placed under stalactites could, collect pure and wholesome water, free from bacteriological, chemical or radio-active material for anything up to 30 days after a nuclear explosion.

6) to be of any use as a blast shelter your cave must be 3 or 4 minutes from your residence or place of work. As most caves are far from centres of population this could be a problem for a town dweller.

However, as fallout shelters caves have enormous potential. For the first 8 hours a flowing stream would provide water for decontamination and the large volume of pure air could support 3 or 4 people for 30 days without a sophisticated filtration system.

Many people regard caves as cold, damp and claustrophobic, but surely not half as claustrophobic as a concrete bunker with the manhole cover closed. The temperature, whilst well below that of a centrally heated house is not uncomfortable. It is not too cold for sitting about in, if one is well wrapped up, and not too warm for vigorously working if one is lightly clothed. Humidity is the main problem but this could be overcome with forethought, by wearing warm, woollen clothing and keeping stores in waterproof containers. Asthma sufferers will benefit especially from the pure, moist atmosphere.

3 To summarise, not all caves are suitable as nuclear shelters unless they fulfil the following conditions: 1) the covering rock must be more than 10 ft. thick; 2) here must be mote than one entrance; 3) there should be two sources of water (flowing and percolating) and no risk of flooding; 4) the surrounding rock must be solid; 5) the cave must be within 3 or 4 minutes travelling time of civilisation.

If there is sufficient interest in this project I will describe in a following issue how I propose to convert St. Cuthbert’s Swallet. *

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QUOTE OF THE MONTH “I’m perfectly happy with my body.” Chris Batsone. *

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MONTHLY NOTES WORKING WEEKEND July 4th and 5th is to be a working weekend, so I hope you receive your B.B, in time. The following are just a few of the many jobs to be done in and around the Belfry: re-tack plaster board in main room and shower; clean and re-paint main room ceiling; re-plaster new plaster board; re-paint certain interior doors; put in air-brick on west wall of men's bunk room; put in cavity trays to windows at end of men's bunk room; clear Belfry site; cut grass.

ITALIAN BOY DIES IN WELL: Yes, this is no longer news, and we all know how an Italian caver hung upside down in the well for hours, and how shafts were dug, and still the rescue attempt failed. However, there is an interesting and significant follow up to the saga.

The landowner is being sued for manslaughter. Since both Britain and Italy are in the E.E.C, they are affected in similar ways by similar laws. Perhaps this case will bring renewed pressure upon landowners regarding their liabilities. Where now, O great god Insurance?

SHOWERS: Please do not use the off-peak heater for heating shower water during the week. This takes a lot of time, a lot of power, and it heats up a whole tank full of water. Use the slot meter on the wall of the men's changing room. This only heats the 10 gallons of water at the top of the tank, and is therefore far more economical. Make sure you arrive with plenty of 5p's.

DEAD CARS: Only rarely has any objection been raised to members working on their vehicles on the Belfry site, and members have usually been allowed to leave vehicles in the car park; often in fairly dilapidated condition. However, if present allowances are abused, and the area outside the Belfry becomes more like a scrap yard, it is likely that some kind of rent will be charged, in order to encourage members to get rid of their junk (valuable or otherwise) more quickly. *

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OLIVER'S 70th BIRTHDAY: O.C.L. writes that he will be celebrating this event in the Old Grotto of Swildon's Hole, on Tuesday 4th August this year. Meet on Priddy Upper Green (the one by the church) at 5 pm. There will be sherry and cake, with the catering by Nick Barrington. All B.E.C. members will be welcome.

DINNER 1981: Once again the dinner will be at the Cave Man, but, by way of a change, no beef this year. We have opted for turkey instead. Price should be about £5.50, which will include a pre-dinner drink and half a bottle of wine each. We hope to persuade the caterers to supply extra vegetables too.

4 LIFELINE BY T IM LARGE BELFRY IMPROVEMENTS Many of you may be wondering what is happening on this front. Last year a Sub-Committee met and formulated a plan which has since been modified in minor ways by the Committee. Enquiries have been made to Mendip District Council who tells us that Planning Permission and Building Regulations Approval are required. An Architect has been consulted and is to be engaged to draw up the plans and specifications for the work. Even so you may not see signs of work this year, but once Planning Permission has been obtained there will be plenty to do and The Belfry may be out of action for a period of time.

BELFRY REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE In the meantime we still have a Club H.Q. which desperately needs running repairs. At a recent Working Weekend some very useful work was carried out. The Cattle Grid was repaired, Snowcem paint was applied to the front of the Belfry, the Rare Books cupboard was locked and an Airbrick was installed in the men’s bunkroom. Work was also started on a new Carbide Store and an outside Gas Bottle Store. Our present Carbide Store was condemned by the Fire Officer and since it would be to close to the proposed Gas Bottle Store it was decided to build a new one, by the Tackle Store. You may have noticed the appearance of a little wooden shed. This was purchased at a very reasonable price for the storage of tools and materials when the improvements get under way. The reason for purchase was that our present Tackle Store cum Workshop is fully utilised with caving tackle; battery charger etc. Despite all the work which has been done - much still remains. A list is pinned on The Belfry Notice Board and your help to maintain The Belfry will be much appreciated.

SPORTS COUNCIL GRANT It may well be possible to obtain a grant towards the Belfry improvements which impose no restrictions on the club other than being open to the public - which we are. Members views on whether we should seek such a grant would be much appreciated.

HUT WARDEN Due to the pressure of other commitments Dany Bradshaw has been unable to be present at the Belfry as much as he considers necessary, therefore he has resigned from the post of Hut Warden but will remain as an ordinary Committee Member until the end of the year. Dany's place as Hut Warden has been taken by Quackers who has been co-opted to the Committee for the remainder of the club year.

ST CUTHBERTS Over the years various attempts have been made to purchase or lease the land owned by Inveresk Paper Co which includes the entrance to Cuthbert’s. Recent negotiations have been successful and we now have a stage at which a draft agreement has been drawn up to lease all of Inveresk’s land.

The nominal rental is likely to be in the region of £90 per year. For this we will secure not only the cave but an area of land the club has shown special interest in for many years. If we had not shown any interest the land would have gone to nature trust groups.

CLUB T-SHIRTS A club T-Shirt on a similar design to the sweatshirts is being obtained. There is no need to order in advance as once the shirts arrive they will be sold on a first come first served basis. Sue Dukes is handling the sales. More details will be made available when the supplies arrive.

NEW MEMBERS We welcome the following new members to the club: Jeremy Pogue, Phil & Lil Romford, Bill Brooks, Dr Andrew Nash, Mark Brown (Honk), Andrew George (Spew) and Julie Holstead

5 ADDRESS CHANGES Quackers, Emborough, Nr. Bath.

Dave Metcalfe, Long Eaton, Notts.

Woly Wilkingon, Melksham, Wilts.

Bob White, Wells. Tele Wells (STD 0749) 74980 Val Wilkinson, Melksham, Wilts.

J. D. Statham, Bruton, Somerset.

Karen Jones, Lightwater, Surrey.

MEMBERSHIP Our present membership stands at 167 members of which 54 are Life members. This includes new members and means a drop in membership of about 30 on last year. We are now only 8 new members off our 1,000 member!

CHARTERHOUSE CAVING PERMITS In December 1980 a new agreement was signed between C.C.C. and Bristol Waterworks.

Hopefully the permit system is now much simpler and involves less paperwork. All members need to obtain a new permit regardless of the expiry date of any you might now possess, unless you have obtained one since December 1980. Indemnity forms are not required except for persons aged between 16 & 18 years. Please remember 16 is the minimum age and in any case appropriate insurance cover is always required for under 18's.

When visiting C.C.C. caves remember to lock yourselves in and do not let any other parties in who do not have permits or keys. A new gate and padlock has been fitted to Rhino Rift. Keys are held in the Belfry.

Having set up access agreements with landowners it is up to us to defend our agreements and see that landowners requests are adhered to so that caving in these areas can continue.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------HAYDON DROVE SWALLET by Mark Brown Haydon Drove Swallet is found just north of West Horrington village, behind farm buildings on Haydon Drove Farm (N.G.R. 5880 4825). Access is controlled by the farmer. The swallet is an active feeder for St. Andrew’s Well, which is three miles distant and 590 feet lower. The entrance is located in a very promising position on a limestone/shale boundary.

6 Digging started on August 3rd. 1979. A large amount of rubbish was removed from the entrance depression before it was possible to dig properly. The disposal of the rubbish revealed a large shelf of bedrock jutting out from the east wall of the sink. The small stream vanished at the base of the rock.

Digging commenced at the stream sink but work was made unpleasant due to sewage from the farm.

This slowed progress considerably. On August 28th a low entrance was uncovered. This entrance consisted of a low creep leading into a low, wide, flooded bedding-plane. Entry into the flooded passage was out of the question, so an effort was made to divert the stream from the cave. This was accomplished when a small hole was opened in the floor of the depression. Immediately the stream started flowing into this sink-hole, which was enlarged by further digging. Diverting the stream into the hole had the effect of reducing the level of water in the cave. Entry was gained and 14 feet of low bedding passage leading into a dry, choked chamber was found. The stream soaked into gravel at the bottom of a small soil slope in the beginning of the chamber.

Digging stopped until December, when an effort was made to enlarge the entrance. With this done the terminal chamber was scratched at, until a boulder collapse stopped work. Every effort was made to remove the rubble blocking entry into the chamber, without success. However, following a week of rain, in which the swallet was severely flooded; a further development occurred. A small hole was noticed in the bedding plane. This hole had been opened by the flooding and was taking a large stream. A strong draught was blowing from the hole. Despite this find the cave was not dug again for another year, due to the lack of a digging team, the members of which had other commitments.

Digging was re-started in February 1981 and still continues. Another report will be made pending further development. * * * * * * * * * SURREY HEATH INDEPENDENT TRANSPORT EXPEDITION TO THE LAKE DISTRICT

by David Lampard.

It came to pass that stealthily, in the early hours of Thursday 26th February, that intrepid band of explorers, the Surrey Heath Independent Transport (acronym noted) descended on No.8, Lingmoor View. The following morning we were all up by about 9.30, thanks to the help of Mr. Cullen who walked in, informed us that the dawn had arrived, and, in his opinion, we were all destined for a gentle stroll along the High Street. After a quick rub of the eyes and a belch, I put on my glasses and soon realised that the thing standing before me was indeed Gary Cullen, the dawn had arrived, as he said, and, unfortunately, I was awake. We soon had breakfast and by 10.00 were piling into the van just in time to hear the usual 'Hello Sh*tbags', echoing down Langdale ~ 'Good morning, Chris!'

We left Gary's car at Troutbeck, Gary and Judy joined us in the minibus and we headed off over Kirkstone Pass to Hartsop where we parked the van. In no time at all we found we could master the art of walking - just one foot in front of the other - quite easy really! We walked up the track to Hartsop farm and passed quite a large car-park, which would have saved about half a mile of roadwork. We followed a track for some distance on the right aide of Hayeswater Gill and stopped for a breather by Hayeswater. We crossed the dam and started a straight up assault on the Knott. This was modified within a few minutes when we met a track which we followed for a short distance and scrambled ('Oh, I do wish I had brought some crampons.') up the last steep rise to the top of the Knott.

On the way up the Knott we had passed about half a dozen characters carrying rucksacks which must have weighed 30-40 lbs. One wanted to swap packs with me but I was unfortunately compelled to decline. We had a short breather by the cairn and headed down the other side to join High Street.

On the way down we met a chap wearing an anorak of the same orange colour as the previous party.

He told us that they were Royal Signals Apprentices and he was their, instructor. We told him where to find them, or rather where they were sitting, and he was grateful.

There then followed a very enjoyable, if slightly windswept stroll along High Street. We made for the large cairn on top of Thornthwaite Crag where we stopped for a chat with yet more orange anoraks - anyone would have thought there was a war on! From hare we followed the path or what we thought was the path down the side of Froswick, stopping when Dave Hurrell obviously needed a hand with one of the many snowballs he had been making. This one was getting too big for him to push. Gary had the solution of breaking it up with his ice axe. He must have carried it for this

7 purpose because he did not appear to use it for anything else. We then discussed the merits of catching a sheep for our evening meal. They seemed to run away when anyone mentioned 'Mint Sauce'. I then suggested trying luring it towards us instead of chasing it. This did not work as sheep obviously prefer the males of their own species.

We followed a track along the side of Hagg Gill to Troutbeck. Before we reached Troutbeck we were rather confused as it appeared to be raining, only the rain looked, felt and indeed smelt like the waste product of cows, and shit it was! The farmer in the adjoining field was being a little too vigorous with his fertilizer. When we reached the main road the first building we saw was a pub which appeared to be shut as it was about 4.00 in the afternoon. Not to be put off I went in and asked where we could get a cup of tea or something, looking at the beer. I completely forgot I had my boots on and I had been sprayed. For some unaccountable reason the landlady was upset so we walked up to the village. Bruce went back in Gary's car to collect the van. He returned shortly afterwards and after buying bog-rolls and digestive biscuits we headed back to Chapel Style.

The evening was spent in the 'Brit' where we partook of traditional ales. I must compliment Bruce on a very well cooked breakfast on Friday morning. During breakfast we all decided to do something in the Coniston area. Paul Christie came in and, completely unprompted, suggested the 'Old Man of Coniston'. He had worked out a route so we made a supreme effort, after the third game of cards and finishing our coffee, of un-sticking our backsides from the comfortable chairs in which we were sitting.

I travelled in Paul's car which we left in the Crown car park in Coniston. Paul and I then joined the others in the van and drove to a car park about three miles north of Coniston. It was a sunny morning, ideal for photography, and those among us who had cameras were well rewarded by the icicles hanging from the rocks above the stream we were following. Carrying on upstream we came to a footbridge which we crossed. We followed the right hand side of the Gill until the stream turned from sharp right, out of a fairly high and narrow gorge. The way on appeared to be up a fairly steep section which would normally pose no problems, but snow and ice made it look rather hazardous.

Wet leg No.l of the day occurred at this point, when Bruce made the discovery that he could not walk on water, even if it had ice on it. We then retreated half way back to the bridge and made our way up the steep bank via tufts of grass and the occasional tree. We followed the side of the small gorge until we reached a track. At the head of the gorge we crossed the stream and found a cleft in the rock which turned out to be a hole going down could this be a cave? There did not appear to be a clear path across Coniston Moor so we followed the stream keeping Wetherlam on our right. Wet leg No.2 soon occurred when I walked across some fresh snow and was surprised to find my leg sinking up to my knee. When I removed it, it was very wet and brown all over. We soon met another track on the next ridge and followed this, passing a sizable canyon on our left. This seemed to be part of an old quarry. We found a small lake which made a good excuse for a tryout at ice-skating, wearing hiking boots - Robin Cousins eat your heart out! This was followed by wet leg No.3 - Graham learned very quickly that ice was thinner near the edge of a pool.

Mars Bars and sandwiches were consumed overlooking the Old Man of Coniston. At this point, Bruce, to our amusement, jumped up and pointed to a place about 100 yards along the slope and shouted, "Hey, look at that!" This was immediately followed by a very red face and, “No, it's O.K. Forget it. It's not important." By this time we were scanning the hill trying to find what he had seen.

It turned out to be a sheep with a rather bushy tail. Bruce thought the sheep was lambing - I don't think he had seen a sheep with a tail before. This is still a source of embarrassment to him, even now.

It was now about 3.00 pm and the sky was beginning to cloud over so we decided to go down into the valley to look at the old mine workings instead of tackling the 'Old Man' himself. We made a rather slippery descent into the valley and followed an old miners' track in the direction of Levers Water. There was quite a large entrance a few yards to the right of the track. The mine entrance was about 15 feet square and a horizontal passage went in for about 30 to 40 feet. A chain stretched between the walls to guard a deep shaft in the floor. We also looked at an interesting and sizable rift in the ground which was well fenced off and was obviously natural (Sorry, Dave, but read your Christmas 1980 B.B.). A path followed a disused drainage channel which must have originally taken water from Levers Water. The wood on one of the sluice gates was in very good condition. We looked into another hole on the way down, being careful not to damage a good display of icicles

8 hanging over the entrance. This was obviously not a mine - it was too small and had light showing along it. It seemed to be part of a fairly elaborate system of channels leading to the remains of a wooden duct taking water down to the buildings in the valley.

We reached the Youth Hostel, passing Martin Grass's car en route, and followed the road into Coniston. Two cups of tea later all six of us squeezed into Paul's car and drove to where we had left the van. We then drove back to the cottages. The evening was spent eating chicken, chips and part of the basket they were served in, and consuming numerous ales in the Crown at Coniston.

During the night Steve Woolven, his girl friend Nicki, and Lynda, my girl friend arrived. So did about four to five inches of snow.

One lookout of the window on Saturday morning told us that no matter how picturesque newly laid snow was, we were not going to do much that day. The rest of the B.E.C. left fairly early for Yorkshire. Steve had had some engine trouble in the way up so Graham Nye and Steve probed the pile of snow which looked most like a Fiat and in very short time revealed the bonnet. The trouble was not easy to trace so Steve decided to leave it till the return journey and use my A.A. Relay if needed. With nothing better to do we walked to the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel for some midday refreshment. We all thought we ought to try something active after a liquid lunch so we made a rather slippery ascent to Stickle Tarn. Lynda and I decided to turn back at about 3.00 p.m. The snow which had been falling had turned to rain and, in our opinion, to tackle the ridge back to Chapel Stile at that time in the afternoon was a little mad. The others, however, carried on. We returned along the road.

They came in about one hour after us, looking a little wet. They all agreed that it had not been exactly pleasant up there. I shall not mention any names but they were all slightly puzzled to see three extremely well equipped people, dressed in orange cagoules, over-trousers and gaiters, gradually picking their way up the hill behind Lingmoor View using ice-axes and crampons. This caused quite a stir, much to the embarrassment of the three concerned who, for the record, had No. 9 cottage (next to us). The official bulletin from No. 9 was, "We needed the practice."

Sunday's breakfast consisted of, would you believe, 'Vesta Chicken Supreme' (Dachstein leftovers). The weather was worse than the day before and our enthusiasm for tackling Helvellyn had rather waned. The alternative suggestion from Steve, which seemed a good idea, was to drive to Ullswater and possible climb to the top of Hallin Fell. This looked like a good vantage point for cameras. When we reached Ullswater even our enthusiasm for Hallin Fell waned because it was beginning to rain quite hard. The third choice, in true B.E.C. style, when faced with a situation such as this, was to find the nearest pub. This happened to be in Pooley Bridge.

On the way back we thought we would give Aira Falls a visit so we drove up a small road and crossed over a field to approach it from upstream. Steve, at this point, provided the best piece of entertainment that day, completely unintentionally. He slipped on a rock, put one foot in the water up to his knee, tried to regain his balance and sat in the stream. The stream swept him down a small chute and left him in the pool at the bottom. He spent the rest of the trip until we got back to Chapel Stile sitting in the van minus his trousers and wrapped in all our coats.

I took the van back down to the Aira Force car park where I picked up the others. We then drove back to the cottage, packed, and by 5.00 pm, we were heading for home. Steve's car trouble was not as bad as he had at first thought and we arrived in Horsham around midnight. *

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YET MORE MONTHLY NOTES I received a letter from 'Big' Jim Watson recently. He is presently working in the States, living in San Francisco. He writes; “I’m afraid I've rather got out of the caving scene around here there are no decent caves within reasonable reach. I meet up with Jon Selby (Wing Co, of W.S.G.) fairly regularly and have done a lot of towing about, for example, I've visited Redwood National Park, Lake Tahoe and Squaw Valley,

9 Yosemite (twice) (I walked up to the top of Half Dome with Jon), Death Valley, Las Vegas, Los Angeles about 3 times, also much Bar-B-queuing on beaches, walking up hills and so on.

The company sent me to Edmonton, Alberta, twice. The 2nd time I spent the weekend with some friends in Calgary and toured that section of the Canadian Rockies. I also visited 2 caves that weekend. The first, a very short cave in Gypsiferous rock at Banff, complete with hot spring and sulphurous fumes, and the next day a cave called 'Ice Cave' a very descriptive name as it seemed fairly extensive and full of ice. I had no ice gear with me so couldn't get far, but met two people who emerged and paused to remove their crampons before proceeding down the scree-slope which leads up to the entrance. I had a chat with one guy - a very French Canadian who had done most of his spelunking in Australia (!) and they had been in about 4 hours and got about â…” of the way into the cave."

Jim has also met up with Neil Montgomery, of Australian S.R.T. fame, when he was last in L.A. Jim is currently driving, or un-bending! a Chevy Corvette Stingray, so he should be getting about plenty more yet.

DEEP CAVES: The world depth record is still with the Jean Bernard, and now stands at l455m, the deepest point of this system being a third sump at the end of a narrow, muddy passage.

In Spain, south of the PSM and south of Anialarra, a 400m series of pots has led to large river passage. BU 56, off the slopes of Budoguia, has been explored to a depth of 1195m. The cave continues beyond, exploration having been stopped by lack of tackle and time. (see Oct. BB) Nearby the Jean Bernard, the Gouffre Mirolda has been pushed to a depth of 1100m. (for further info. on these and other foreign discoveries, see the latest issue of Descent No.48) MARBLE POT, YORKSHIRE: While up at G.G. this year we had a look at the collapse that had occurred here.

The south east side of the doline has been impressively eroded. Tons of boulders and mud have fallen, totally blocking the route above the 2nd pitch. If I were you, I'd forget about the place for a few years! .

G.G. - GRIPPING: A lot of gripping (digging of drainage ditches) has taken place in the G.G. field. Fell Beck and the streams feeding P 5 and Grange Rigg are now much more liable to flash flooding. Beware.

AGGIE ACCESS: As from July 1st. this changes to a new system for trips at weekends and Bank holidays. The caving sec. (Martin at the moment) writes for permit blanks (4, 8 or 12 of them at 25p each). When needed, one permit per trip is taken to Whitewalls (the Chelsea hut on the Tram Road) between 9.30 and 11.30 on any Saturday, Sunday or Bank Holiday, and swapped for a key. The new regulations stress that a separate permit must be used for each trip. Martin already has some for anyone wanting to visit Aggie, so write to him or give him a ring. For anybody wishing to visit Aggie mid-week, or do some diving or digging, then the old system still applies.

TACKLE: John would like help with the preparation of parts and the construction of ladder. If you can give a hand with any of the following, and John will teach you all you need to know, then give him a ring at Shepton 4815 (not the kiosk!): cutting C-links; drilling rungs, for which you'll need a pillar drill; making taper pins; aralditing rungs.

He would also appreciate assistance any weekend to construct tackle. This will be done at the Belfry.

DIGGING TACKLE: It may be that hordes of members are frantically digging in numerous places all over Mendip, or even further afield. On the other hand, it may simply be that abandoned digging gear lurks in many an abandoned dig. Whatever the cause, there's not much at the Belfry.

If you have anything that might make suitable digging equipment, such as old ropes, buckets, those ancient krabs made of steel, spades, trowels, hoes, crowbars, etc., how about donating them to the Club. Just dump them at the shed and let John or any committee member, or Ken James (who needs some) know that you have left it. It is sure to find a good use.

If you have a dig somewhere, actively going, let us know what gear is there. I'll arrange collection of anything that sounds as if it is not being used anymore.

Bassett.