Hello cavers across the pond!
In November (10th-24thish) I will be visiting!! And of course, how could I pass up a chance to go caving, and in a totally different country nonetheless?! Yes, I'm from Michigan in the US - someone on cavechat told me about this forum suggested I post here.

So, I am flying in and out of London and at some point want to make it up to Edinburgh and the 20th I know I will be in Leeds for Thoughtbubble. So...that's kinda a wide range of areas. I am sorta familiar with geography over there (visited last summer) but I wasn't caving then (just started that this year). I think though that there are some areas not too far out of Leeds that have caves, yes?

Oh, and just a note, I'm not trained in vertical yet so please don't suggest anything that I'd need SRT for. Horizontal stuff only, please. And I totally would not mind more than one trip while I'm there either.

So, can we get a trip or few organized?

If you're in London for a while then you could come across to the Mendip Hills near Bristol for some fine Horizontal caving.

I think though that there are some areas not too far out of Leeds that have caves, yes?

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You are correct, The Dales (or Yorkshire Dales) is the UKs finest potholing region, lots of vertical stuff, but a reasonable amount of horizontal stuff too. If someone takes you they may have a ladder or two that would gain access to a variety of worthy horizontal caves.

London - Chiselhurst Caves, they are horizontal
Edinburgh - St Fillan's  Cave, again horizontal

TO  NSS 11477 F

Is it just me? Posts like this just make me want to help. Les is good at taking new keen people. I want my own new keen person to impress.

I agree, I've been taking people caving for the last 30 yrs (non-commercially for 29 of those) and still get a kick from it. If I can help (on Mendip) I will.
PM me.

Wow only one afternoon and five replies - I like you people!
I'm prettymuch up for anything (other than something with SRT haha) I am new (just started this past June) but I've already done a decent amount I think for only four months (I've caved in Washington, Michigan, Ontario - Canada, Alabama, and this weekend I"m off to the TAG Cave In in Georgia! woo!) The longest cave trip was seven hours inside Tumbling Rock. I'm told I catch on quick and that I'm fast especially for being new. I don't know if that helps at all with what caves would be good or not. Water is fun, mud is always good, breakdown is fun to scramble up and down....prettymuch the only thing I've not been a huge fan of is crevice caves...doable without ropes but a bit much for my taste since I'm not the best at direct up and down climbing (breakdown is fine, that's on an angle, I'm talking like kinda cliff-like-ness!).

I have my own gear I can bring, it doesn't take up much space.

If you travel to Derbyshire I'll be happy to take you caving plenty of people have done me a similar favour on my travels. I get time off mid week too, so that might help. PM me if interested. I've caved over in California it was good vibe.

Hi Amy

I'd be happy to take you round a few Mendip classics with only a little ladder work involved.

Burt

If you are looking to go caving on a Saturday from Leeds then I know the University club is running trips most Saturdays, and as it is the first few weeks of the new year, will be taking plenty of new cavers on trips which should suit your level of experience perfectly. I can't post people's personal contact details here directly, but if you are on facebook you can contact them via their group page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=6045425669 I'll forward your post here to them so that maybe someone from the club can reply directly to you.

Awesome! Thanks guys!! The only Saturday I will be in Leeds is the 20th and that day I'm going to Thoughtbubble. I have Sunday though, and Monday, and Tuesday. Wednesday (24th) I have to be back in London early to fly back. Our Thanksgiving is the 25th and I want to be home for that. It sounds like  the areas around Leeds have the most caving stuff to do so I think I'll try to stay thataway. I reallllllly want to get back up to Edinburgh because it is so awesome there, I enjoyed that city last year (even though it rained the whole time haha, well, the sun came out a few hours before I left finally). It was still fun though. So much cooler of a city than London (sorry, London folks! My impression of your city was it was full of snobbish bores who were unhelpful and even when I got lost the freakin' police IGNORED me. Like, seriously, IGNORED me - found one even just on his bike, chilling at a lampost, not doing /anything/ and refused to even acknowledge the fact I was asking him a question. London is not my cuppa tea haha.)

I'm going to be getting around via trains / bus...I did that last  year and it seemed to work quite well. I don't have many friends in Leeds (last year I just crashed on friend's couches/spare beds it was great!) so CHEAP places to stay that you'd recommend would be great!

Oh, and where is Mendip? THat sounds fun, never used a ladder in a cave before! And your avatar highly amuses me, btw

Mendip is in Somerset (south west England) the centre of Mendip caving is the Hunter's Lodge Inn, in Priddy.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=priddy&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=vpisTLqTKNTNjAf8kozhBw&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&ved=0CBEQ_AU

and only a short way up the road is GB cavern, home of the largest chamber in Britain.

and only a short way up the road is GB cavern, home of the largest chamber in Britain.

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also home to a large concentration of fiction writers too 

dunc said:

and only a short way up the road is GB cavern, home of the largest chamber in Britain.

Click to expand...

also home to a large concentration of fiction writers too 

Click to expand...

And the deepest single entrance cave in the UK. 

And the deepest hole in the ground (202ft) - dug out because there was nothing on telly.

And don't forget, the largest chamber in Britain....  :tease:

Sounds like I need to add Mendip to my list! Probably the first weekend would be easiest, as I fly in to london, so maybe like fri/sat or something out thataway would be cool.

I'm sorta thinking this (ish):
Thurs 11th - morning my flight will get in to Heathrow (<3 overnight flights, means no jetlag for me since I sleep on planes well! haha)
maybe 12/13/14th somewhere in there, Mendip
I do really want to get up to Edinburgh again, so maybe go up there during the week...16/17/18 in there somewhere
Leeds for sure on the 20th for Thoughtbubble, but then hang around 21st/22/23 for caving up thataway
morning of the 24th my flight leaves from Heathrow again.

Sound ok?

Sounds good. See you when you're over.

I'm sure we can sort you some classic Mendip stuff that weekend. You can stay at our Club hut. 

Sounds fantastic, Les! Thanks!

This is me, being excited:

(ya'all should totally add some of these smiles from our NSS cavechat forum, teehee)