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St Cuthberts 6th December 2014 20 Dec 2014 21:25 #14704
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- stuartw
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Once we found the Belry (never been there in a state of sobriety 
is my excuse). We met Jeremy in the car park and changed with a very pleasant bit of morning sunshine taking the chill off a frosty December Saturday. Once introductions were done, we had a very short walk in, even by Mendip standards. The lid was unlocked and Jeremy removed a large valve wheel, which was then put to use turning the appropriately large valve which shut off the water supply feeding the cave, this is civilised caving, not sure there are any big enough taps for some of our Yorkshire caves though! With a ladder passed forward it was time to drop down the rift.... For a short pitch which just seemed a bit drippy, water was cascading in sheets down the walls which were quite close enough for comfort, this is why it was a 'not for novices trip' and that was with the tap firmly shut. I was chilled to the core by the time our small group were all in the little chamber at the bottom, luckily from then on we got moving and I soon warmed up. What an interesting cave, and with Jeremy as our guide we began to explore the various levels of this quite complex seeming maze. There are some fantastic formations, some bits we went into in smaller numbers for the protection of the delicate areas. The way back up the pitch was a tad damp because by now the dammed area was filling up and there was some overflow from the small lake near the entrance, it was most impressive when the valve was opened again, Ales should have been quicker - nearly had his Wellies washed off! This great cave was well worth a visit and this is only achievable thanks to the dedication of the guides, thank you Jeremy and sorry if you were late for potato peeling duties - that was down to our budding photographer on the day, it put the wind up him when we told him your fees were an hourly rate. Then it was back to the hut for tea and biscuits, civilised caving.......
Those along,
Ales, Stephi, Ruth, Alex R and Stuart W with Jeremy G as guide (also a YSS member) Trip time about 3 hours give or take, I really don't remember the time. AlexR has some of his photo's from the day on the YSS page.
Thanks everyone. Feel free to add any bits I have missed, was hoping someone would have done a write up by now.
is my excuse). We met Jeremy in the car park and changed with a very pleasant bit of morning sunshine taking the chill off a frosty December Saturday. Once introductions were done, we had a very short walk in, even by Mendip standards. The lid was unlocked and Jeremy removed a large valve wheel, which was then put to use turning the appropriately large valve which shut off the water supply feeding the cave, this is civilised caving, not sure there are any big enough taps for some of our Yorkshire caves though! With a ladder passed forward it was time to drop down the rift.... For a short pitch which just seemed a bit drippy, water was cascading in sheets down the walls which were quite close enough for comfort, this is why it was a 'not for novices trip' and that was with the tap firmly shut. I was chilled to the core by the time our small group were all in the little chamber at the bottom, luckily from then on we got moving and I soon warmed up. What an interesting cave, and with Jeremy as our guide we began to explore the various levels of this quite complex seeming maze. There are some fantastic formations, some bits we went into in smaller numbers for the protection of the delicate areas. The way back up the pitch was a tad damp because by now the dammed area was filling up and there was some overflow from the small lake near the entrance, it was most impressive when the valve was opened again, Ales should have been quicker - nearly had his Wellies washed off! This great cave was well worth a visit and this is only achievable thanks to the dedication of the guides, thank you Jeremy and sorry if you were late for potato peeling duties - that was down to our budding photographer on the day, it put the wind up him when we told him your fees were an hourly rate. Then it was back to the hut for tea and biscuits, civilised caving.......Those along,
Ales, Stephi, Ruth, Alex R and Stuart W with Jeremy G as guide (also a YSS member) Trip time about 3 hours give or take, I really don't remember the time. AlexR has some of his photo's from the day on the YSS page.
Thanks everyone. Feel free to add any bits I have missed, was hoping someone would have done a write up by now.