Caves and Caving

Contents of Issue 75, Spring 1997

This page edited 15/12/00 to remove or correct some broken URLs caused by the BCRA site moving to a new server. For current contact information and diary dates, please refer to the Caves & Caving home page

News from British caving regions:

• North:
  • Obituary: Len Huff (Chris Baker)
  • Barghs Entrance opened into diving route between Jingle Pot and Hurtle Pot
  • High Swinber Pot found, below Girvanella Band and a possible entry to the Black Keld system
  • Possible 3 Counties link found at bottom of Intestines route in Marble Steps
  • Wizards Cavern, Stockdale
  • Malham dye tests (May 96) - K2 positive to Malham Cove, Gorbeck positive to Malham Cove (so far, but 7000 samples remain to be tested!)
  • Ease Gill resurvey/collation to be undertaken by Ray Duffy (01457 8527653) and Peter Grant (015242 62269)
• Peak District:
  • Peak, Speedwell and James Hall update: Assault Course extensions to the north of Faucet Rake; Upstream Peak Cavern dive
  • Recent work in the Manifold Valley: Upper entrance of Darfar Pot connected to the aven in Glory Chamber; Wednesday Pot extended towards Redhurst Swallet; Wetton Road Swallet entered, on route between Redhurst Swallet and Darfar Pot
  • Stoney Middleton: Rubble Rift, near Hangover Hole
  • Lathkill Dale: New shaft started to provide easier access to Dreamtime, Tiger 6 & 7
• South Wales:
  • Ogof Draenen reaches 58Km with the Dollimore Series reaching to 600m south of Riflemans Chamber
  • 150m of new passage found at Ogof Gwynt yr Eira
  • Hush Sump in OFD 1 connected by diving to The Pit in OFD 2
  • Ogof y Dynion extended by 300m after encouraging resistivity measurements by Greensites team
  • Jackdaw Quarry Pot dig
• Forest of Dean:
  • Report of Royal Forest of Dean Caving Symposium II, 14-16.6.96
  • Hole in the Hedge nears Pirate Passage
  • Digging at Slade Brook after dye trace from Roads Farm Road Quarry Sink
  • Miss Graces Lane shaft dig now at -19m
  • Dennel Hill dig progressing
  • Big Sink dig not at -10m
  • Caveathon undertook 5 classic caving trips in Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Mendip, South Wales and the Forest of Dean within 24 hours raised #1200 for charity
• Devon and Cornwall:
  • Obituary: Ted Hewison (Kevin Mathis)
  • Cleaning in Baker's Pit
  • Access to Baker's Pit and Afton Red Rift
  • Pridhamsleigh Cavern
  • DCUC Cavers' Workshop Report, 19.10.96

Overseas:

• Ireland:
  • Reyfad water tracing
  • Dive Ireland 1977, Ennis
  • SUI/ICRO Annual Caving Conference 1996 report
• Spain:
  • Corrin, J. "Matienzo", 16-18
• Austria:
  • Day, A. "CUCC in Austria 1996", 19-23
• Borneo:
  • Allen,T. "Hidden Valley Expedition" (Mulu), 24-29

General Features:

• Equipment Report: Nitech headtorches
• Survival 1997 Conference, Understanding performance clothing systems, 25.3.97
• Gibson, D. & J. Wilcock "Speleological Abstracts on CDROM" (problems of loading the recent CDROM from Speleological Abstracts 34), 30-31
• Standard for cave survey symbols, to be discussed at UIS Congress 12, August 1997, 34

Association News:

• Gibson, D. "Guide to SIGs" (intoduction to the many Special Interest Groups of BCRA), 31-32
• Whitaker, T. "News from abroad and foreign journals", 32-33
• Report of Council Meeting 102, 20 October 1996
• BCRA Council address list 1997

Other points of note:

• The E.K. Tratman Award is for the best piece of caving literature published in the UK in the current year. The current judges' panel has members Ray Mansfield (Editor of Current Titles in Speleology), Roy Paulson (BCRA Librarian), and Nick Williams. To enter your publication for 1997, send a copy to Ray Mansfield, Downhead Cottage, Downhead, SHEPTON MALLET, Somerset BA4 4LG.

Reviews:

• Y Ddraig Goch Vol. 23
• Zur kulturgeschichtlichen Bedeutung der Hohlenfundplatze entlang des mittleren Murtales (Steiermark)