Not For The Faint Hearted book

adamski555

New member
It's about a year since this excellent book came out. Has anyone managed to tick them all? I think it is a tall order to do them all in one year. I am talking about over a caving career. One day some superhuman night do it in a year. The challenge is on!
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
Thankfully there is a lot more to caving than who can do the most trips from an arbitrary list in the shortest time.

The book you mention is an extremely good guide but the real challenge is discovering potholes in the first place. If you turn your attention to this I think you might find caving a lot more rewarding, IMHO.
 

graham

New member
Pitlamp said:
Thankfully there is a lot more to caving than who can do the most trips from an arbitrary list in the shortest time.

The book you mention is an extremely good guide but the real challenge is discovering potholes in the first place. If you turn your attention to this I think you might find caving a lot more rewarding, IMHO.

:clap: :clap: :clap:
 

NigR

New member
adamski555 said:
It's about a year since this excellent book came out. Has anyone managed to tick them all? I think it is a tall order to do them all in one year. I am talking about over a caving career. One day some superhuman night do it in a year. The challenge is on!

Such is the face of caving today. What a sad, sad attitude - absolutely pathetic!
 

SamT

Moderator
just to add some balance - people do cave for different reasons. Not everyone (actually quite a number of cavers) aren't really into digging. They derive far more pleasure from simply visiting caves, sports caving as its known.

In the same way most climbers are into just repeating established routes rather than taking the effort to new route (im thinking along the lines of sports climbing, placing bolts etc). And then there are the different disciplines within that, your average boulderer at stanage is not really into horrific alpine ascents.

Calling someone pathetic for simply deriving pleasure from the act of caving is a bit narrow minded IMHO. Sports caving and list ticking has its place within british caving and why not. Its a harmless persuit. A bit like munro bagging in scotland.

However - placing a time limit on it is rather arbitary and pointless, as pitlamps suggests.
 

Peter Burgess

New member
Whatever floats your boat, as they say. Or, more appropriately for dark caves, whatever lights your candle! There's probably some deep psychological explanation for those who are either unhealthily suspicious or contemptuous of anyone who doesn't share the same outlook on life.
 
A

andymorgan

Guest
What is the point of the book if you don't do the trips? I imagine that was the author's intention to inspire people to do them (or put them off  ;)). Maybe aiming to do them all is a bit daft though...
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
Can I just point out to Adamski555 that I meant no offence. Do all the trips in the book by all means - you will enjoy some of the Dales' finest trips. It just ever so slightly worries me that if caves become simple obstacles to be overcome within a time limit then it may well not be too good from a conservation point of view. A speeding caver can easily become an inadvertently clumsy caver and accidentally cause damage. I think our caves deserve respect and a careful approach from visitors, for the good of the cave. Linger longer and savour the moment . . . .

I really didn't mean any offence.
 

Ship-badger

Member
Out of interest, tell us some of the trips that are in this book. Are they all obscure, or might I have done some of them? A quick google seems to indicate that the book is not easily available (and a bit expensive at ?20).
 

martinr

Active member
Ship-badger said:
Out of interest, tell us some of the trips that are in this book. Are they all obscure, or might I have done some of them? A quick google seems to indicate that the book is not easily available (and a bit expensive at ?20).

The full list is here

http://www.notforthefaint-hearted.co.uk/index.html

And at ?20 it's a bargain - less than 50p per trip! Buy it while you can.
 

Simon Beck

Member
I've put my two penn'orth regarding the pro's and con's of such a guide book in a past topic here, so i will cease to burden you again. But all i will say is, it really is an outstanding piece of work, the time and effort overall that must have gone into 'not for the faint hearted's' creation i'm sure can not be overstated and comparing it to the likes of 'selected caves of england and ireland'(or whatever it's called) would be an insult to 'not for the faint hearted', i take my hat off to the author and co. I don't feel there's anything wrong with consciously aiming to have all these trips under your belt, for the means of course the experience and not just the end result of sitting proud, i doubt a person with such vain morals exists or could even accomplish such a feat, at least half a dozen(give or take) of the trips in that guidebook require something special, something else that not every human being possesses in order to succeed and regardless of what folk's motives are in my eyes anyone who as that collection of descents under there belt deserves more than just a pat on the back(and after all it isn't just a random selection of hard trips in the north, it's the definitive list of hardcore trips). Me, i don't own a copy yet, my regular caving partner does and we certainly use it for reference, the descriptions beat the pants off northern caves and you almost feel the guidebook was written in such a way that every feature is embraced in passing, but me i was aiming for and doing a majority of these trips before it was ever published...........All the best to those who's eyes have been opened to a whole new world due to this guidebook, but even more to those who would have done these trips regardless of it's existence.        
 

adamski555

New member
Pit Lamp No offence taken .It is unlikely i will complete more than a hand full of the trips in a caving life time due to my caving abilities and dimensions.
All i wanted to do was start a discussion
 
L

Langthwaite Pot

Guest
NigR said:
adamski555 said:
It's about a year since this excellent book came out. Has anyone managed to tick them all? I think it is a tall order to do them all in one year. I am talking about over a caving career. One day some superhuman night do it in a year. The challenge is on!

Such is the face of caving today. What a sad, sad attitude - absolutely pathetic!

What a load of bollocks! There are plenty of very active diggers (I'm not ashamed to include myself among them) who are doing a fair bit of 'ticking' from Mike's book! I see no reason why undertaking exploratory trips should preclude you from enjoying ticking some fine sporting trips!

I'd be very suprised if anybody did all of the trips in under a year - not because it's a ridiculous physical feat, just because I suspect most people will consider it fairly pointless!

Happy caving,

George.
 

graham

New member
Done some of 'em; probably too old fat & knackered to manage more of 'em now.

Some of 'em were probably always beyond me.
 

dunc

New member
Great book and worth the price, done a few of the trips since getting it, had already done a few before getting it. Very useful for reference.
Can't see the point in running round 'bagging' stuff as quick as possible just because it's in a book - a bit like walking, say, in the Lakes with the Wainwrights, I do them to enjoy them and sample new places not just to complete/tick them all.

I'll admit it would be nice to do all the trips in the NFTFH book (I doubt I'd ever be capable of doing every single one of them) but there are plenty of other caves out there that warrant attention which might not be as hard but are every bit as worthwhile and rewarding..
 

Mark

Well-known member
How many of you have put a tick in the guide books after you have done a cave for the first time, I know I have, tried to tick all the ones in caves of the Peak District (never will) this books just another guide book, tick em off if you want, but it will fetch more money on ebay when you pack in caving, if it is unmarked 
 
L

LoneRanger

Guest
In a recent poll, 50% admitted to enjoying 'ticking' caving trips; the other 50% were lying.
 
Top