Very new and need a few clues please
- Thread starter Hev
- Start date
andys
Well-known member
The best advice is, I think, would be to join a club or similar "outdoor activities" group. That way, you and your kids will get the support and guidance that is needed. Since its both caving and climbing that you'd like to try, the "outdoor activities" group route might be the best. This could be Scouts or the like, but I get the impression you'd want to be with them so a more family-oriented group might be better - there are plenty of them around - try Googling "Outdoor Activties" and the name of your local town for a starter. One thing to watch is the children's ages - some clubs are not keen on minors (for insurance reasons) and even those that are tolerant might think that age 4 is a bit too young. But give it a try and see what you come up with - both are exciting sports and "starting young" is to be encouraged.
badger
Active member
another option for the climbing side of things is see if any of the local leisure centres have an indoor climbing wall, see what the rules of usage are.
Caving would try to see if any clubs have a try caving day, or get in touch with a professional who offers caving. believe there are several in the mendip area. not sure about other areas.
Caving would try to see if any clubs have a try caving day, or get in touch with a professional who offers caving. believe there are several in the mendip area. not sure about other areas.
buxus
New member
Climbing: Swindon's Link Centre has an indoor climbing wall. My son had a climbing birthday party (9 yrs old) there only last weekend, which was great (apart from I couldn't have a go!). I seem to recall that they are 8+ there though.
Caving: We've done bits and pieces (mostly in the Mendips) when we can. My boys were around 8 and 11 when we started last year though; around 7/8 seems often to be the lower limit for "standard" events. We recently did the "Deep Level Caving Trip" at Clearwell Caves in the Forest of Dean - another birthday treat - which might be a good taster session for you and your older child (kit provided) as the minimum was 7/8 I think, not 4. It only took us an hour from (West) Wiltshire.
Caving: We've done bits and pieces (mostly in the Mendips) when we can. My boys were around 8 and 11 when we started last year though; around 7/8 seems often to be the lower limit for "standard" events. We recently did the "Deep Level Caving Trip" at Clearwell Caves in the Forest of Dean - another birthday treat - which might be a good taster session for you and your older child (kit provided) as the minimum was 7/8 I think, not 4. It only took us an hour from (West) Wiltshire.
Oceanrower
Active member
YHM. (I hope, never sure if the damn machine has sent it!)
Andy Sparrow
Active member
I honestly doubt if any of the suggestions made will readily deliver what is required - family activity for a parent and two young children. Your best choice by far is to use a commercial centre or instructor. That way you get reliable experienced instruction at a time to suit you, tailored to suit your children's age and ability. It will probably cost you about ?80 total for a half day session. Take a look at the caveclimb.com link above.
cap n chris
Well-known member
What Andy Sparrow said.
Can't visualise a club catering for a 4 year old prospective member, to be honest.
Can't visualise a club catering for a 4 year old prospective member, to be honest.
Here are some previous threads which have varying amounts of useful discussions on taking kids caving though all from the persepective of established cavers taking their kids underground for the first time. There may be some useful bits'n'bobs for you amongst them all though!
http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=8361
http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=10146
http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=11491
There are undoubtedly other threads of relevance but these are ones I remember contributing to.
---------------
Various extracts:
(apologies in advance to any posters who would have liked a different portion - or all - of their posts quoted here. I've tried to extract the information of the widest relevance
)
(Note to mods: maybe the beginings of a wiki article on taking kids caving?)
That said little kids (3-5 years) have no idea of what is "normal" and seem to take their cues from what their parents do. If you are stressed about something, they get stressed, if it is normal to you then it is normal to them. My lad got up Great Gable when he was five - as long as you carry enough sweets and there is enough interest (long "boring" walks, cycles, etc. are definitely off) then they will follow you anywhere. As they get older they form their own opinions and it gets a but harder to get them out of the door, but once out there they love it.
That said they are all different so don't try too much too soon though and turn everything into an fun adventure.
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My daughter started coming caving around the age of 5 but then that's when I started caving too so we more or less started together. As has been said the trick is to make sure they are always warm and comfortable, plenty to eat and drink and the interest is kept up.
Also you can always get someone else to look after them for a while if you want to do something more adventurous.
An often overlooked advantage of having young children is that you have a built in excuse to go slower than normal and spend a lot more time looking round, it?s surprising the interest you can find in relatively easy to get to places!
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Pick the right place and the young one can cave pretty much from birth - the limiting factor will most likely be you until walking makes an appearance.
As Alex says, keep them warm and happy - and give them some responsibility, like carry the flask of hot chocolate. My girls went caving from preschool.
It is impossible to get Summers flask out of her hands when underground!!
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I'd just say - don't push the kids too far - they must finish every trip wanting to go further - and remember babies can get hypothermic quite easily.
I'd have said caving was more fun for kids than mountain walking. Kids don't appreciate views. But everything will depend on the child. All you can do is offer experiences and opportunities - it's up to them as to whether they'll take them up. At 8, one of ours was enthusiastic about caves and canoeing, and now has no interest in caving and only a theoretical interest in canoeing. The other was into caves, and in eenage years became quite a good climber - now he has given up both, although he still plays sports, goes to the gym and keeps himself fit.
----------------------
My wife and I are both SWCC members and on a normal weekend we usually manage to get in a trip each plus a kiddy trip. Our 6 year old is quite a competent caver and can navigate (almost lead) around the entrance series of OFD II and has no problem getting down to the Trident. Our 3 year old had her first go underground about 2 months ago and rally enjoyed it, especially with big brother showing her all the sights. It's amazing how different a cave looks when you take a toddler in!
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Our two started caving at seven years old - the age that they seemed to me to be a suitable height and to have sufficient stamina. However, reading some other posters' anecdotes, suggests that they could have started at a much earlier age. Bernies Cafe caving shop sells good value wet socks, furry suits and oversuits to very small childrens' sizes so you could start early. They grow out of kit fast - it is useful having siblings to cascade the kit to, and friends to sell it on to when its outgrown after a handful of trips. Caving kit is also useful for muddy days in the country or in the garden.
Mum isn't a caver but the elder boy's godfather is, so there has always been two adults to take them underground. Selecting caves with suitable topography is crucial. Equally important is keeping children regularily topped up with food (sandwinches and real food, as well as chocolate etc) and drink when underground. Certainly their having real kit made all the difference to comfort and hence enjoyment and duration of trips.
----------------------
Children tend to be a lot more prone to suffering from the cold so avoid wet trips to start with. For clothing, use the same as for a walk on the beach in winter - wellies, jumpers, cagoule, hat... as well as the light and helmet. Plenty of goodies for bribes / boosts and a flask of hot drink - juice, chocolate, whatever...
If they get hooked you can start investing in kit then, and remember, a lot of "surf / seaside" resorts will sell off childrens size wetsuits at the end of the year for a pittance.
--------------------
For my eldest son's first trip, we used fleece and tracksuit bottoms under an oversuit but found that the fleece rode up and the tracksuit bottoms rode down, leaving an uncomfortable cold area in the middle. So we got him a furrysuit for his next trip. However I can understand that you are cautious about buying proper gear at age six as she might well not want to cave again, at least for a few years. I advise the sort of clothes you'd have her wear for a cool muddy day in the garden. If you select a substantially dry cave, you will be able to avoid waterproof trousers - they really impede movement and risk making the trip very uncomfortable for her. Take some spare clothes so you can add or remove layers according to temperature.
The type of cave passages you choose for trip are crucial. Boulders that adults can step over turn into a never-ending series of struggles for small children. Also, avoid passages with any holes in the floor.
As to which caves to consider, in south Wales Bridge cave is a good possibility - it was my younger son's first cave at age seven. He wore clothes as described above, and a very cheap pair of boots with normal socks. By dint of much effort he managed to keep his feet dry but gave me a succession of near heart attacks as he jumped from stone to stone. I really would advise buying her wet socks - cold wet feet can be utterly offputting. Bernies Cafe do a good range of children's kit; if you can't see her size on the website, try phoning, as not every size of children's keit is on the website even though it is stocked. Alternatively, look for wetsocks at surf and beach shops. If she does not wear wetsocks, I suggest you wear normal socks too, and wear footwear of the same height as her little wellies or boots, to ensure you are aware of how her little feet feel when they get cold and wet!
In Derbyshire, Giant's as far as the top of first pitch would be a good introductory trip for a six year old. My boys went as far as the end of the crabwalk in low water conditions when they were two years older.
I haven't caved on Mendip for many years and am too rusty to suggest potentially suitable caves.
Put a belt on her so you can easily krab a sling or two on if there is a location you need to assist her. You can always carry he rover wet bits - my ten year old has been pioggy-backed more than once over water that is just above knee deep to me but waist deep to him - he's a small child.
Take it all slowly and look at / point out everything. The first trip is less about distance covered than about experiencing a new environment. A mainly clean-washed mostly walking size (at least for her) cave would be better than a 'traditional' muddy beginners' grovelly cave. Take food and drink and stop frequently to keep her topped up with calories - just the novelty of a picnic by caplamp will be a special aspect for her.
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hi, I'm the mum of a 10 year old caver and have just invested in a meander oversuit for her. OK, it was expensive but not as much as a nintendo ds and a lot better fitness-wise. I'd definitely recommend gritting your teeth and handing over the cash as having a meander (as opposed to the previous Daleswear suit) has meant instead of 2-3 hours caving and coming out half frozen, she can now manage 5 hours plus and still be toasty warm, so more fun for both of us.
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My two sons have had good wear from Beaver junior oversuits and Beaver junior furreys - but we're not hugely impressed with the furries because they hold water to an amazing degree. Can't remember the make of wetsox but they are available down to more-or-less the smallest adult sizes - the smallest we have in use are adult size 3; can't remember whether smaller ones were available off the shelf.
Ask Inglesport for the detailed size chart to make sure you order the correct sizes. I think we got the wetsox from Caving Supplies - very few places stock the really small sizes.
When my younger son has his next growth spurt, we'll have a Beaver junior large oversuit and furrey to offer for sale. Sorry can't help directly till then!
Take the plunge and buy him/her/them decent kit and they'll get a great deal more out of caving.
--------------------------
I'm half gritting my teeth and going to Bernies to purchase a Beaver suit this morning! Your mails do make me think I'm a bit harsh but Courtney has survived 5h + trips in thin old waterproofs (admittedly with a Warmbac undersuit and thermal baselayer). The socks might help lessen the moaning as well.
---------------------------
Having the real kit made a huge difference to my sons' enthusiasm, so if your son seems keen, my advice is to ask if he wants real kit as his main birthday and/or Xmas present/s. My elder son plumped for this option at age 8 and has been upped a size every 18 months ever since. The smallest sizes are currently in use by his younger brother - having two lads in succession has made it much more viable financially.
My sons' range of caves expanded tremendously once they had furries, oversuits and wetsox. The other key ingredients of successful trips were:
(1)carrying a lot of snacks, sandwinches and drinks in a BDH as little 'uns need frequent topping up,
(2) letting them lead whenever possible,
(3) letting them decide when to turn back rather than Dad and his mates trying to get a decent trip in - though that said, we've managed some reasonably long trips with the boys, currently aged 12 and 9.
(4) remembering that little 'uns tire long before adults and also get far colder in poor conditions or in inadequate kit
---------------------
http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=8361
http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=10146
http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=11491
There are undoubtedly other threads of relevance but these are ones I remember contributing to.
---------------
Various extracts:
(apologies in advance to any posters who would have liked a different portion - or all - of their posts quoted here. I've tried to extract the information of the widest relevance
)(Note to mods: maybe the beginings of a wiki article on taking kids caving?)
That said little kids (3-5 years) have no idea of what is "normal" and seem to take their cues from what their parents do. If you are stressed about something, they get stressed, if it is normal to you then it is normal to them. My lad got up Great Gable when he was five - as long as you carry enough sweets and there is enough interest (long "boring" walks, cycles, etc. are definitely off) then they will follow you anywhere. As they get older they form their own opinions and it gets a but harder to get them out of the door, but once out there they love it.
That said they are all different so don't try too much too soon though and turn everything into an fun adventure.
-------------
My daughter started coming caving around the age of 5 but then that's when I started caving too so we more or less started together. As has been said the trick is to make sure they are always warm and comfortable, plenty to eat and drink and the interest is kept up.
Also you can always get someone else to look after them for a while if you want to do something more adventurous.
An often overlooked advantage of having young children is that you have a built in excuse to go slower than normal and spend a lot more time looking round, it?s surprising the interest you can find in relatively easy to get to places!
------------------
Pick the right place and the young one can cave pretty much from birth - the limiting factor will most likely be you until walking makes an appearance.
As Alex says, keep them warm and happy - and give them some responsibility, like carry the flask of hot chocolate. My girls went caving from preschool.
It is impossible to get Summers flask out of her hands when underground!!
--------------------
I'd just say - don't push the kids too far - they must finish every trip wanting to go further - and remember babies can get hypothermic quite easily.
I'd have said caving was more fun for kids than mountain walking. Kids don't appreciate views. But everything will depend on the child. All you can do is offer experiences and opportunities - it's up to them as to whether they'll take them up. At 8, one of ours was enthusiastic about caves and canoeing, and now has no interest in caving and only a theoretical interest in canoeing. The other was into caves, and in eenage years became quite a good climber - now he has given up both, although he still plays sports, goes to the gym and keeps himself fit.
----------------------
My wife and I are both SWCC members and on a normal weekend we usually manage to get in a trip each plus a kiddy trip. Our 6 year old is quite a competent caver and can navigate (almost lead) around the entrance series of OFD II and has no problem getting down to the Trident. Our 3 year old had her first go underground about 2 months ago and rally enjoyed it, especially with big brother showing her all the sights. It's amazing how different a cave looks when you take a toddler in!
---------------------
Our two started caving at seven years old - the age that they seemed to me to be a suitable height and to have sufficient stamina. However, reading some other posters' anecdotes, suggests that they could have started at a much earlier age. Bernies Cafe caving shop sells good value wet socks, furry suits and oversuits to very small childrens' sizes so you could start early. They grow out of kit fast - it is useful having siblings to cascade the kit to, and friends to sell it on to when its outgrown after a handful of trips. Caving kit is also useful for muddy days in the country or in the garden.
Mum isn't a caver but the elder boy's godfather is, so there has always been two adults to take them underground. Selecting caves with suitable topography is crucial. Equally important is keeping children regularily topped up with food (sandwinches and real food, as well as chocolate etc) and drink when underground. Certainly their having real kit made all the difference to comfort and hence enjoyment and duration of trips.
----------------------
Children tend to be a lot more prone to suffering from the cold so avoid wet trips to start with. For clothing, use the same as for a walk on the beach in winter - wellies, jumpers, cagoule, hat... as well as the light and helmet. Plenty of goodies for bribes / boosts and a flask of hot drink - juice, chocolate, whatever...
If they get hooked you can start investing in kit then, and remember, a lot of "surf / seaside" resorts will sell off childrens size wetsuits at the end of the year for a pittance.
--------------------
For my eldest son's first trip, we used fleece and tracksuit bottoms under an oversuit but found that the fleece rode up and the tracksuit bottoms rode down, leaving an uncomfortable cold area in the middle. So we got him a furrysuit for his next trip. However I can understand that you are cautious about buying proper gear at age six as she might well not want to cave again, at least for a few years. I advise the sort of clothes you'd have her wear for a cool muddy day in the garden. If you select a substantially dry cave, you will be able to avoid waterproof trousers - they really impede movement and risk making the trip very uncomfortable for her. Take some spare clothes so you can add or remove layers according to temperature.
The type of cave passages you choose for trip are crucial. Boulders that adults can step over turn into a never-ending series of struggles for small children. Also, avoid passages with any holes in the floor.
As to which caves to consider, in south Wales Bridge cave is a good possibility - it was my younger son's first cave at age seven. He wore clothes as described above, and a very cheap pair of boots with normal socks. By dint of much effort he managed to keep his feet dry but gave me a succession of near heart attacks as he jumped from stone to stone. I really would advise buying her wet socks - cold wet feet can be utterly offputting. Bernies Cafe do a good range of children's kit; if you can't see her size on the website, try phoning, as not every size of children's keit is on the website even though it is stocked. Alternatively, look for wetsocks at surf and beach shops. If she does not wear wetsocks, I suggest you wear normal socks too, and wear footwear of the same height as her little wellies or boots, to ensure you are aware of how her little feet feel when they get cold and wet!
In Derbyshire, Giant's as far as the top of first pitch would be a good introductory trip for a six year old. My boys went as far as the end of the crabwalk in low water conditions when they were two years older.
I haven't caved on Mendip for many years and am too rusty to suggest potentially suitable caves.
Put a belt on her so you can easily krab a sling or two on if there is a location you need to assist her. You can always carry he rover wet bits - my ten year old has been pioggy-backed more than once over water that is just above knee deep to me but waist deep to him - he's a small child.
Take it all slowly and look at / point out everything. The first trip is less about distance covered than about experiencing a new environment. A mainly clean-washed mostly walking size (at least for her) cave would be better than a 'traditional' muddy beginners' grovelly cave. Take food and drink and stop frequently to keep her topped up with calories - just the novelty of a picnic by caplamp will be a special aspect for her.
-----------------------
hi, I'm the mum of a 10 year old caver and have just invested in a meander oversuit for her. OK, it was expensive but not as much as a nintendo ds and a lot better fitness-wise. I'd definitely recommend gritting your teeth and handing over the cash as having a meander (as opposed to the previous Daleswear suit) has meant instead of 2-3 hours caving and coming out half frozen, she can now manage 5 hours plus and still be toasty warm, so more fun for both of us.
-----------------------
My two sons have had good wear from Beaver junior oversuits and Beaver junior furreys - but we're not hugely impressed with the furries because they hold water to an amazing degree. Can't remember the make of wetsox but they are available down to more-or-less the smallest adult sizes - the smallest we have in use are adult size 3; can't remember whether smaller ones were available off the shelf.
Ask Inglesport for the detailed size chart to make sure you order the correct sizes. I think we got the wetsox from Caving Supplies - very few places stock the really small sizes.
When my younger son has his next growth spurt, we'll have a Beaver junior large oversuit and furrey to offer for sale. Sorry can't help directly till then!
Take the plunge and buy him/her/them decent kit and they'll get a great deal more out of caving.
--------------------------
I'm half gritting my teeth and going to Bernies to purchase a Beaver suit this morning! Your mails do make me think I'm a bit harsh but Courtney has survived 5h + trips in thin old waterproofs (admittedly with a Warmbac undersuit and thermal baselayer). The socks might help lessen the moaning as well.
---------------------------
Having the real kit made a huge difference to my sons' enthusiasm, so if your son seems keen, my advice is to ask if he wants real kit as his main birthday and/or Xmas present/s. My elder son plumped for this option at age 8 and has been upped a size every 18 months ever since. The smallest sizes are currently in use by his younger brother - having two lads in succession has made it much more viable financially.
My sons' range of caves expanded tremendously once they had furries, oversuits and wetsox. The other key ingredients of successful trips were:
(1)carrying a lot of snacks, sandwinches and drinks in a BDH as little 'uns need frequent topping up,
(2) letting them lead whenever possible,
(3) letting them decide when to turn back rather than Dad and his mates trying to get a decent trip in - though that said, we've managed some reasonably long trips with the boys, currently aged 12 and 9.
(4) remembering that little 'uns tire long before adults and also get far colder in poor conditions or in inadequate kit
---------------------
Rachel
Active member
cap 'n chris said:
It depends on the club. My daughter became a member at 6, having been caving from the age of 18 months.
I'm based up in the Dales, so probably too far away for you, but if you're ever up here I'll happily take you and the kids caving ... and I wouldn't dream of charging you 80 quid ; )
cap n chris
Well-known member
6 is not 4. Would be amazed if a club would allow a 4 year old member.
Unless you hold an Adventure Activities Licence issued by AALA/AALS it would be an offence for you to take payment for providing caving to children. You might want to check your insurance, though, to see whether you would be covered to effectively operate as an unremunerated outdoor pursuits provider.
Unless you hold an Adventure Activities Licence issued by AALA/AALS it would be an offence for you to take payment for providing caving to children. You might want to check your insurance, though, to see whether you would be covered to effectively operate as an unremunerated outdoor pursuits provider.
see cave and crag phorum Jon has a very active and happy young caver in 'Adi'
care, considering limits of the individuals is paramount, simply find easy safe ventures, and work up gently towards more difficult caving/ mine exploring, when and if you want to, its not a competition. enjoy any level you are happy with.
If you head this way ( peak district) give me or Jon a shout, we are usually only too keen to have another bimble in the plethora of wee holes local to us
Owd Git.
care, considering limits of the individuals is paramount, simply find easy safe ventures, and work up gently towards more difficult caving/ mine exploring, when and if you want to, its not a competition. enjoy any level you are happy with.
If you head this way ( peak district) give me or Jon a shout, we are usually only too keen to have another bimble in the plethora of wee holes local to us
Owd Git.
nickwilliams
Well-known member
Most clubs do not require you to become a member before you can try caving with them. The arrangements for the BCA insurance specifically recognise this fact. Furthermore, there is no specified lower age limit on the BCA insurance scheme.
trycaving.co.uk is a good place to make contact with clubs if you are new to the sport. www.caveinstructor.org.uk will give you a list of commercial operators such as Andy and Chris who have posted above.
Nick.
trycaving.co.uk is a good place to make contact with clubs if you are new to the sport. www.caveinstructor.org.uk will give you a list of commercial operators such as Andy and Chris who have posted above.
Nick.
Hi,
The South Wales Caving Club may be a good choice for you. They have a separate area of accomodation for families and there are lots of families who are members (I believe). They run try caving events (called provisional member events).
It may be a little further but you could make a weekend of it and if caving is not for the whole family the surrounding country side is fab so you could always enjoy a nice walk too!
http://www.swcc.org.uk/
As others have said there is no need to join a club to try caving out, but after you have tried it out joining a club makes a lot of sense. I believe the South Wales have a provisional weekend coming up soon, so if your keen you could perhaps join in with that.
Hope this helps
Maxine
The South Wales Caving Club may be a good choice for you. They have a separate area of accomodation for families and there are lots of families who are members (I believe). They run try caving events (called provisional member events).
It may be a little further but you could make a weekend of it and if caving is not for the whole family the surrounding country side is fab so you could always enjoy a nice walk too!
http://www.swcc.org.uk/
As others have said there is no need to join a club to try caving out, but after you have tried it out joining a club makes a lot of sense. I believe the South Wales have a provisional weekend coming up soon, so if your keen you could perhaps join in with that.
Hope this helps
Maxine
Rachel
Active member
cap 'n chris said:
Yes, 4 year olds can become members ... as can younger children.
I haven't suggested that I would take payment for providing caving to children - in fact I have expressly stated that I wouldn't. What I (and many other) club members do is use the BCA insurance to take prospective members of any age on trips suitable for their age/ability.
I'm not having a go at you personally Chris, but I find it very sad that a genuine offer from one parent to another to take the kids out and have a lovely time immediately attracts such a negative set of responses. Sometimes people have a genuine intention to be helpful to each other and it's a shame when they have to defend themselves as a result.
cap n chris
Well-known member
Rachel, my responses were not negative. A similar (mis?)interpretation could be made of your earlier response which appeared to undermine a genuine and workable suggestion from Andy Sparrow that the family might be very well served indeed to engage the services of a professional.
I remain of the mind that most (admittedly not ALL) clubs would be taken aback if a 4 year old applied for membership.
I remain of the mind that most (admittedly not ALL) clubs would be taken aback if a 4 year old applied for membership.
Peter Burgess
New member
Well, Chris, if not negative, then I did think the comments were discouraging.
I'm with Rachel on this. WCMS would probably not take on a 4 or 6 year old, but would certainly take on a parent, and do our best to help them take their children caving. And I agree with the observations on SWCC - a very child-friendly club.
I believe that the best person to take a young child caving is a parent, but that parent should have a good deal of experience - certainly enough to appreciate the risks associated with the underground sites they visit with their children. I know that when I have taken my own boys underground I seem to be far more alert to risks than when with other youngsters, possibly over cautious. I have been pleasantly surprised at their confidence and capabilities, although they are a good deal older than 4! That said, their first proper caving trip was as the age of 3 and 4, and was properly planned to make it fun and safe. No professionals were involved in the execution of that and subsequent trips, apart from the good services of JRat's kit hire.
I'm with Rachel on this. WCMS would probably not take on a 4 or 6 year old, but would certainly take on a parent, and do our best to help them take their children caving. And I agree with the observations on SWCC - a very child-friendly club.
I believe that the best person to take a young child caving is a parent, but that parent should have a good deal of experience - certainly enough to appreciate the risks associated with the underground sites they visit with their children. I know that when I have taken my own boys underground I seem to be far more alert to risks than when with other youngsters, possibly over cautious. I have been pleasantly surprised at their confidence and capabilities, although they are a good deal older than 4! That said, their first proper caving trip was as the age of 3 and 4, and was properly planned to make it fun and safe. No professionals were involved in the execution of that and subsequent trips, apart from the good services of JRat's kit hire.
Rachel
Active member
cap 'n chris said:
I certainly didn't intend any offence to Andy and hope none was taken. I'm sure that paid instruction would provide an enjoyable experience. However, people who go to an instructor tend to have a 'one off' caving trip (I say this having done paid caving work in the past). I was trying to encourage the family to come caving with a club as this tends to turn people into cavers, as opposed to people who once went caving. It is unusual for a club to accept very young members, which is what prompted me to reply to this thread in the first place. The BPC has always had junior members, but at the moment we have a particularly keen younger set of cavers. Like I said, my older daughter has been caving since she was 18 months old and is still an active caver at 11. My younger daughter is 4 and has only been a couple of times, but enjoyed what she did. There are numerous parents and grandparents in the club - enough kids about for it to be worthwhile running junior meets in the Easter/Summer hols and whenever we get approached by prospective members with kids.
EwanCameron
New member
Hi Buddy
I have a 4 year old and take her caving with me every now and then
if you are ever up the peaks way give me a buzz will be more than happy to take you all out
Ewan
I have a 4 year old and take her caving with me every now and then
if you are ever up the peaks way give me a buzz will be more than happy to take you all out
Ewan
