i read on your website that your adopted cave is Jackdaw cave? are you going to visit it any time soon?

Plus i am a caver in Newcastle!

Hi, I?ve heard that we are supposed to have adopted that cave also, although the club hasn?t visited it in over 5 years. The description in NC2 doesn?t sound very inspiring, and from what members have said about it doesn?t sound worth the visit (Could be wrong though!). We meet as a club every Tuesday in the strawberry pub so if you want to meet a few cavers then come along! University policy means that caving with the university could be a problem if you?re not a student, but there are plenty of old lags who are still around, so there are always separate trips and projects going on.
James

smollett said:

University policy means that caving with the university could be a problem if you?re not a student,

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Is it that your University prefers its students not to gain experience from the experience of others? or is it a financial thing?

The student union is narrow minded and doesn't think the experience of ex-students is valuable. Strictly speaking once students have finished university they are no longer allowed to cave with the club unless they have certified qualifications to offer! In reality the club could not continue if this is the case and so ex members continue to cave with the club unknown to the university. However new potential members who are not students usually cannot come on official club trips to begin with especially if they are novices or their ability is unknown. The usual approach is that they come on trips run by individuals in the club (usually old lags) and gradually become integrated with the club. Different presidents over the years have had differing opinions / obedience to the rules set out by the union so the approach tends to vary from year to year.

Thought it might be something like that. Thanks. Fortunately for us, the position here is very different, but that in part is due to a long history and it is very difficult to change these perceptions quickly.

It might be worth pointing out to them that BCA qualifications are specifically not aimed at "sporting" cavers, but without knowing far more about the internal set-up and politics of your university and union, I wouldn't really recommend any course of action, as it might just make things worse.

Well guys, i am actually a mechanical engineering student at Newcastle Uni, i was going to join the Caving Club this year as well but i din't think i could make it down on a tuesday due to other commitments.

With regards to Jackdaw, is their anyway to unadopt it, i too read the bit in NC2 about it and found that it wasn't really appealing. Maybe you could adopt another cave like Mistral, thats a quality cave!

You don?t have to come to the pub to come caving, although beer and caving mix fairly well ! If you want to cave but can?t make it to the pub then there is no problem with that at all! If you are away caving at weekends anyway then maybe the club could help you explore other caves and areas. There is a trip most weekends in some form or other. There is one this weekend down to Yorkshire (staying at YSS) which I?m sure you could come on if you are interested. You can get half price membership if you only join for half the year I think! If you find yourself free any Tuesday evening and want some caving banter then come and meet us!
James

dannyfitton87 said:

... With regards to Jackdaw, is their anyway to unadopt it, i too read the bit in NC2 about it and found that it wasn't really appealing. Maybe you could adopt another cave like Mistral, thats a quality cave!

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Descent magazine have a webpage on it: it lists the adopted caves and gives the email address for you to adopt or 'unadopt' a cave.

http://www.caving.uk.com/Resources/Pages/conserv.html

Ian.

Danny - are you talking about Jackdaw "Hole" on Penyghent? If so I wonder why you think it's "not very appealing? Is it just that you only rate caves for their physical challenge?

Caves such as the above are actually fascinating. Jackdaw Hole is an ancient (certainly pre-Devensian but probably much older still) phreatic tube which was subsequently modified by a vadose canyon then abandoned by the stream which formed it. The canyon is very boulder cluttered and now only carries a misfit trickle of water. The entrance is at one end of the huge collapse doline which raises the question of whether it continues beneath the other side. There is also the question of the destination of the vadose canyon; the modern trickle of water probably drains to Turn Dub - as does Alum Pot, so Jackdaw Hole is an important potential link in the hypothesised Trans Craven System. I'd say that makes it pretty interesting. If you develop an awareness of how caves form then caving becomes a lot more rewarding; you might even find yourself going digging to discover caves of your own. In fact Jackdaw Hole might be a good project to take on! If you do - best of luck. (I can tell you a lot about the caves in that area; if interested, PM me.)

Hey Danny,

don't know if you actually still check this or if you've signed up for the mailing list at all but if you fancy it we have a few trips coming up. Best thing to to is to send us an e-mail and we can forward any info on our future trips to you if you like.

Cat.

Had a trip down Jackdaw on Thursday, interesting place and worthy of a nosey if you are in the area there are some hangers for a Y hang initial belay from the two trees, I may venture again in the warmer months!

There are actually at least two places of interest in Jackdaw Quarry - Jackdaw Quarry Cave and Jackdaw Quarry Pot.
One, I think it is the Pot, draughts like hell and if dug is thought to connect in some way with the Draenen system.  I have looked for the entrances in the past, and been bitten by a baby adder for my trouble, but I completely fail to find them.    If someone wants to show me the way, carefully avoiding the local reptiles, I'd be grateful.

Alkapton

You're talking about these sites in South Wales:

http://www.cambriancavingcouncil.org.uk/registry/ccr_registry_view.php?ID=1270
http://www.cambriancavingcouncil.org.uk/registry/ccr_registry_view.php?ID=863

I think this thread is about an entirely different Jackdaw Cave somewhere in northern England.

Rhys

Yes this is a thread about Jackdaw Cave, near Penyghent, next to the Pennine Way..

dunc said:

Yes this is a thread about Jackdaw Cave, near Penyghent, next to the Pennine Way..

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http://CaveMaps.org/surveys/Independent/Ind%20Gemmel%201939%20Jackdaw%20Hole.png

http://www.jbutler.org.uk/cgi-bin/image.cgi?Ribblesdale/00782.jpg and http://www.jbutler.org.uk/cgi-bin/image.cgi?Ribblesdale/00783.jpg

Sorry Alcaptain  it is the Yorkshire  Jackdaw I visited,

Ahhh, the damn bird has flown north, wonder what shiney things it is trying to steal :-\

Wrong again; you're thinking of magpies.

scurve said:

Wrong again; you're thinking of magpies.

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Jackdaws too - http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Jackdaw

Well I never. My most humble apologies.