From tight and wet digs in Derbyshire, to the discovery of huge river caves in Indonesia, the latest issue of Descent covers it all. Peter Burgess reviews the latest issue. Regular readers may have noticed that we didn’t review Descent 296 – this was not an oversight, but, sadly, simply down to a lack of resource caused by more pressing priorities. At Darkness Below, we continue to support our best caving magazine, and we encourage everyone to take out a subscription so you can discover what your fellow cavers get up to both in the UK and abroad. We should always remember that the magazine is ..read more

The entrance to Goatchurch Cavern with the recent rockfall on the left. Photo: Wayne Starsmore The wet winter of 2023/24 is probably the cause of a couple of rockfalls that Mendip cavers should be aware of. A small not insignificant landslide has occurred in the car park at Fairy Cave Quarry. On the South East bank near to the gate a lot of rocks have collapsed out from the bank that appear to be what was a bank retaining wall. More of the wall and bank may be unstable so it is recommended to park either towards the far end or nearer the road side wall of the car park. And some loose material ..read more

Mendip Cave Rescue were called by Avon and Somerset Police via SARCALL at 16:41 on 17th February 2024, concerning a caver with equipment failure who was unable to exit Hunters Hole in Priddy. Two cavers had entered the cave earlier in the day, but one of them was unable to ascend the pitch. A small party of MCR members attended with some spare equipment, re-rigged the lower pitches and the caver was then able to make his way to the surface unaided. The SARCALL incident was closed at 18:19, with everyone and all the equipment back on the surface, and was attended by 7 MCR members in total. MCR ..read more

The next issue of Descent magazine is due out shortly. If you haven’t got a subscription, go to the link at the end of this article and set one up! It is also possible to pre-order individual copies of the magazine on the Descent Magazine website. Articles featured in issue 296: Flow Beneath the Peak John Gunn gives an account of some recent extensive water tracing experiments in the Eyam-Stoney Middleton area. Breaking Records in Pozo Azul With over 9km of sump diving needed to reach the previous limit of exploration, Jason Mallinson was never going to have an easy time in northern Spain’s P ..read more

The new changing area floor, Main’s Barn. The old stone barn on the edge of Priddy Green, Somerset, has been used by cavers for many decades, and by 2023 was in serious need of having some restoration work done. Peter Burgess reports. We are pleased to report the completion of the restoration work to Main’s Barn, Manor Farm, Priddy in Somerset. This work was funded by a grant from The Mendip Hills Fund of the Somerset Community Foundation.       The work commenced in December 2023, and took place over several weekends, involving volunteers from the caving community. Wayne Stars ..read more

Paul Sowan in his element! Relaxing in a pub with tunnels out the back. Photo: Peter Burgess A rich seam detailing what lies beneath the surface of the UK has been donated to two major libraries for researchers to dig into. The collection of over 500 books about mining, minerals and underground infrastructure is the legacy of polymath and enthusiast Paul Sowan, who died in June 2021. Paul left this valuable resource to the charity Subterranea Britannica (‘Sub Brit’) a society he led as Chair for 20 years. In order to preserve public access, most of the collection has been donated to the Histor ..read more

The latest edition of the BCRA’s Cave and Karst Science contains six main papers, some shorter forum pieces, including meeting reports and photo features; it begins with a retrospective appreciation of Gerald Wilford. Many will not have heard of Dr Wilford, but the effects of his work reverberate throughout the work of the BCRA. Without his work, it may have been a long time before British cavers made the trip to Mulu and discovered the amazing caves there.This work still continues and, indeed two papers in this edition are part of that. Roman Hapka and Thomas Arbenz report on burial caves in ..read more

Following on from the enjoyable quiz last year, Mendip Cave Rescue will be running another Cavers Quiz Night at the Hunters Lodge Inn, Priddy on Saturday 20th January 2024, starting at 19:30. All questions will be (vaguely) caving related, and entries are welcomed from teams of up to six people per team, with a cost of £2 per team member. Any proceeds from the evening will go to MCR. MCR Quiz Night, 20th January 2024 at the Hunters Lodge Inn ..read more

The latest issue of Descent Magazine is out, in good time for Christmas. Descent 295 arrived on the author’s doormat a few days ago, with its new fresh look and clear layout. This is the second issue of Descent using the new look, but the recent delivery issues and other problems meant a Darkness Below review was, at that time, not possible. The regular News sections contain the usual accounts of digs, and recent events in the regions. It appears that a great time was had touring the UK by cavers from India, specifically from the Meghalaya Venturers Association. The purpose of the visit was t ..read more

At 21:14 on Saturday 9th December 2023, Mendip Cave Rescue were informed that an experienced mine explorer had suffered a fall in Brownes Folly Mine, Monkton Farleigh at about 20:30. Following this fall the casualty had a leg injury and was unable to bear any weight on the injured leg. A couple of Mendip Cave Rescue members were already at the Mine, and were joined by a couple of experienced MCR members and several South West Ambulance Service HART team members, who were escorted to the casualty where he was assessed and given pain relief. The casualty was placed in a stretcher and assisted t ..read more