Saturday, 30th June 2012
A few weeks ago Sophie made my day by saying (and I promise she was totally unprovoked) "Daddy, when can you buy me the clothes I need so I can go caving with you?" Needless to say within the hour I'd ordered her a helmet!
For the whole of the last couple of weeks, she has insisted on wearing it around the house every morning, has learned to turn on her light herself and keeps asking when she can go caving for real.
By chance an extremely quiet weekend at The School coincided with Fiona being away on a school trip. All the excuses I needed really. After a pleasant lunch and stories at The School, we set off for Ribblehead. Sophie jumped happily along in the boggy bits and we were soon at the entrance to Thistle. Almost as if I'd planned it this way, just at that moment a train went over the viaduct. Sophie was impressed.
The entrance to Thistle is somewhat stoopy, and Sophie wasn't best impressed at being asked to crawl, so we got that over with quickly, distracted her and were soon stood up inside watching water dripping. She was happy. Sophie made it to about half way through Thistle before announcing she'd like to go back. She was still smiling when we got out, so it looked like being a pretty successful first caving trip.
Then, to cap it all off, I spotted a helicopted parked at the Station Inn. Almost immediately it started up its rotars and Sophie and I watched it take off and disappear. Now she was very happy!
Stage 2 was ice-creams in Ingleton (and a chance for me to buy the new bit of Easegill survey). Being a caver, I'm always on the look-out for a bargain and decided I'd buy a 3-pack of Magnums, rather than 2 individual ones. Banking on Sophie eating the whole of hers, I'd have to eat two, but that should be easy enough, I thought. Of course, sod's law says that today will be the day she only eats 1/4 of one, so I end up eating nearly 3. It sounds good, but believe me, it isn't!
On we went to Kingsdale where we slid (literally .. the entrance tube is a slide to Sophie) into Valley Entrance for a quick outing to the first duck. Another successful trip, but unfortunately the heavens decided to open as we got out. Not far to the car though!
Yordas was next and it was made even more exciting by a field full of cows for us to walk though.
It seems I've found myself a new caving partner, although it must be said she does cramp my style somewhat!
Photo to follow.
Party: Damian & Sophie
