This is exactly the sort of tw@ttery which is why I don't get involved in anything to do with caving clubs, or the BCA, or any rescue nonsense. It's because of the utter whankers at each end of the spectrum. The people at the nanny end of the spectrum seem to be particularly tiresome. Look at the state of the willy waving above. "You're called Harold Smith and I'm going to tell your boss". "I'll tell on you to your caving club access officer". "You'd better not say this to my face, because I'm a massive rapey gorilla and I'll fump you"
Seriously. Why are you lot here? Why don't you join the Navy and then you can hold each other's cocks in the shower and boss people around/be bossed around?
I note many real enthusiasts down this way do not participate in any nonsense at all and despite working for various hole related organisations, whether eco-bollox, or mining related, the rule of thumb seems to be as follows.
1. Find a gate in the middle of nowhere. Chop the lock off, have a bar out, try to not make it obvious where possible.
2. Find a gate near public/animals. Chop the lock off, replace. If a bar, make sleeves for the bar to be removable.
3. Suspect a hole in someone's garden, if it can be done at night with camo. Do that.
4. " " " " if it cannot be done, ASK PERMISSION.
Asking permission, obtaining keys and showing insurance is great, where necessary, but various people seeking to install this everywhere is just cntery.
I'm here for the history, geology, excitement, wonder, discovery, sport, amazement and inspiration.
Some of you are here to dominate, control, wave your little willies, secure, manage, participate in an order, socialise, engage in fckery.
It appears that most people I meet in real life are really nice. Beyond a bit of trolling (which is just trolling) there is little harm meant. There are a hard core of utter bellends who seem to habit the interweb and who also hardly appear "on trips" with caving clubs, who seem to be there for solely as a replacement "structure" for something missing in their lives.
Live and let live maaaaaaaan.
............The best one I recall is this utter "specimen" from St Just. This place has a reputation for the family tree being so contorted, it's more like a cancerous fist! Anyway, this aside, a couple of us decided to venture into an adit which was formerly secured with nuts and bolt. This set of tossers had taken it upon themselves to lock the place up with a padlock. The gate being in the most extreme place, inside a horrible wet crawly cave. I digress. We went in there, armed with a sketch plan of the place, saw the sites, left nothing but footprints and took nothing but understanding. On the way out, it was a horrible day, we met a chap coming along the path, in the drizzle. In hindsight, the guy did look a bit hostile. "Have you been underground?". I was with an IT technician and an engineer that day. I used to hang out with a Medical Doc who was a very good friend of mine. Anyway, one of these malformed and mentally damaged trolls from the local caving club took it upon themselves to phone Doc up and seriously threaten him with reporting him to the various authorities. "I WILL SEE YOU LOSE YOUR JOB". Sadly, he was very serious indeed and my good caving chum pretty much stopped caving as a result of that. After all, how do you pay your mortgage and protect your new wife/child when you have no job?
I don't go around beating people up, but that's the closest I've come to it.
This is all totally avoidable, if people learn to ### well behave themselves and exhibit a bit of tolerance.
As a result, I am pretty much off the radar, apart from my good minded and decent friends at the CBC.
You're welcome to phone my boss up and tell tales. He'll reward me with a window of internet pr0n, a cup of coffee and then possibly a pack of wheat crunchies (bacon flavour)
