new to caving and need some advice

G

garyearl

Guest
hi
i am relativly new to caving, i have mainly looked at Goatschurch Cavern in the Mendips and was looking at expanding my skills and knowledge in the sport.
i have my SPA in climbing and relise that when i have explorered caves in the past i may have 'overprotected' everything because i am quite unsure about what i am doing. (eg. used full climbing harness' etc)
i was wondering if there where any clubs running trips / courses....i live in london so would need to travel down and also was wondering if there are Guidebooks/maps in caving that highlight the cave systems.

Thanks for your help

Gary
 

cap n chris

Well-known member
Hi Gary,

It depends* whether you want to learn the cheap(er) way or the not-so-cheap(er) way; the cheap(er) way is probably to join a club (pros - accommodation, keys, equipment etc.) or the not-so-cheap(er) way (but probably quicker) is to go on a caving course with a commercial caver. Either way, have fun and be safe.


* Depends! - If you reckon you want to spend at least a year or more caving then join a club. If you want to "hit and run" and do lots in a short time and move on to something else, then go commercial.
 

SamT

Moderator
As chris says - you could either join a club - and spend a few weekends on with them doing some trips - see how you get on.

Or, less time committing but more expensive, is to book a few trips with a commercial caver.

There are plenty of active clubs on mendip that would suit your needs.
There are also commercial cavers on mendip. so the choice is yours.

Spend some time hanging out on these forums - like the mendip forum or the trip reports. . Its pretty active - and you should pick up a flavour of what's going on.

You may also consider getting some caving books out of the library. Or buying them if you can afford to be frivolous.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caves-Caving-Way-Life/dp/0595220576/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203262403&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Caving-Manual-Andy-Sparrow/dp/1861260229/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203262403&sr=1-2
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alpine-Caving-Techniques-Complete-Efficient/dp/3908495105/ref=pd_sim_b?ie=UTF8&qid=1203262403&sr=1-2
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caving-Practice-Equipment-David-Judson/dp/0897321979/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203262503&sr=1-2
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beneath-Mountains-Exploring-Caves-Asturias/dp/0340387912/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203262539&sr=1-3

are but a few that might be of use/inspiring/educational

As chris says - stay safe and have fun.
 

NigR

New member
Gary,

There are several good clubs based in London so your best bet would be to contact one of these. I can think of three London-based clubs (Chelsea, Croydon and Westminster) that have huts in South Wales (much better caves than Mendip) so take a look at their websites and decide which might suit you best. Personally, I would go for Chelsea but that is just my own opinion.

So far as commercial caving is concerned, I would only suggest going down that route if you are either very rich or have no initiative whatsoever. In fact, if you have no success with any of the clubs I have suggested and can make your own way to South Wales I'll take you caving for nothing.

Cheers,
Nig
 

SamT

Moderator
NigR said:
So far as commercial caving is concerned, I would only suggest going down that route if you are either very rich or have no initiative whatsoever. In fact, if you have no success with any of the clubs I have suggested and can make your own way to South Wales I'll take you caving for nothing.

Cheers,
Nig

:clap:

That's caving spirit - despite my advice above I'll echo that actually - for derbyshire though.
 

paulf

Member
Gary check out www.wcms.org.uk in the Deep South of London not only do we have a Cabin in Somerset we have regular Weeknight trips to the local Mines
Cheers Paul  (y)
 

Rob

Well-known member
A good port of call would be to visit http://www.trycaving.co.uk/

It has a list of a lot of the caving clubs around the country and their contact details, and it provides useful information about how to get started, what equipment to use, etc.

Good luck and have fun  (y)
 
D

darkplaces

Guest
or join http://www.c**tplaces.co.uk bring your own gas axe  :mad:
Will take you caving for beer. Survival bag, helmet and lamp mandatory.
 

paul

Moderator
c**tplaces said:
or join http://www.c**tplaces.co.uk bring your own gas axe  :mad:
Will take you caving for beer. Survival bag, helmet and lamp mandatory.

I thought Darkplaces wasn't a club?
 
D

darkplaces

Guest
yes  :ras: c**tplaces is just a forum.... like ukcaving (only better with more facilities and stuff, standard innit)
 

Hatstand

New member
c**tplaces said:
or join http://www.c**tplaces.co.uk bring your own gas axe  :mad:
Will take you caving for beer. Survival bag, helmet and lamp mandatory.

Les's offer was cheaper  :beer:
 
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