Lynkirk Cave, County Durham

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lmarlow

Guest
:mad: I was recently in Lynkirk Cave near Stanhope and removed 8 tealights, an empty cigarette packet, two old wooly gloves an empty beer bottle and sveral sweet wrappers. Now I will admit that this small insignificant cave will never make it onto any one "must do" lis, but this is no way to treat any cave. Rightly or wrongly I assume the litter was deposited by groups from outdoor centres visiting the cave. Please, please treat our caves with respect. We are the guardians for future generations. Who wants to take up caving if your first experience is crawling through a glorified litter bin? Lynkirk has a wonderful collection of cave spiders and a rather nice calcite flow let's keep it so that these are the things visitors remember, not the rubbish.
 

langcliffe

Well-known member
Not necessarily Outdoor Centre groups. The last time I cleared out Bar Pot (last year, sometime) I filled up two bin bags.
 

dunc

New member
Rightly or wrongly I assume the litter was deposited by groups from outdoor centres visiting the cave.
:spank:
It could be any number of people that left the rubbish behind.. It could be walkers wanting a nosey, someone looking for a place to kip (I don't know the cave so don't know if thats viable, but it sounds reasonable), bunch of random people wanting to have a dabble at some caving, etc.. Don't go jumping to conclusions based on nothing, it doesn't do anyone any good.
 
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lmarlow

Guest
Point taken. However, it is a small, obscure cave well off the beaten track that tends only to get visited by organised groups. Don't get me wrong I have nothing against parties visiting caves. I am an Outdoor Pursuits Instructor at a local College and regularly take groups caving. I am slightly surprised that the majority of replies have focused on my unintended slur on outdoor centres as oppposed to the issue of litter. I always try to leave caves, crags, mountains etc. a little bit cleaner than when I turned-up by packing out any trash I might find. I also try to educate the people I introduce to these special places to do the same; not always an easy task. My original post was I suppose intended to embarrass who ever decided to leave a trail of tealights in a cave in to not doing it again. You never know they might read this forum.
 

dunc

New member
My original post was I suppose intended to embarrass who ever decided to leave a trail of tealights in a cave in to not doing it again. You never know they might read this forum.
Lets hope so.

I am slightly surprised that the majority of replies have focused on my unintended slur on outdoor centres as oppposed to the issue of litter.
Good point! Its a shame people are so lazy that they can't be arsed to bring out litter - I mean its usually lighter/more compact after they have consumed the contents..
 

langcliffe

Well-known member
lmarlow said:
I am slightly surprised that the majority of replies have focused on my unintended slur on outdoor centres as oppposed to the issue of litter.

As one of the two responders to your original post, I assume that my reply was included in your "majority".

The point I was trying to make, possible opaquely, was not the fact that you were casting aspersions on the  outdoor centres community, but that littering in caves is actually widespread within the caving community as a whole. That is not to say that it is common trait amongst cavers, for it only takes one individual to turn a cave into a tip.

I really didn't feel it necessary to comment about the rights and wrongs of littering.
 

rhychydwr1

Active member
I wrote a "Caves of Co Durham" some years ago.  A very slim volume.  Lynkirk Cave will be a vey welcome addition.  Do you have an NGR?
 

Wormy

New member
Last friday night I removed 4 or 5 spent AA batteries, some candle stumps and a crisp packet from Lynnkirk! theres always rubbish in there, its a well known cave!
 
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