university for caving?

H

Huw Groucutt

Guest
I've got to choose what university i go to in the near future and wondered what other people here thought were good unis with regards to the caving...aswell as being a good university.

Bristol - maybe, good for Mendip.
Sheffield - is it easy to get to the caves? is there enough to keep me entertained for a few years? much digging?
Bradford, Leeds etc - good for Dales i guess, how far away are they?
Oxford - good club, bit a bit far from any caving areas.
 
Stu

Stu

Active member
bristol - no idea.

sheffields good if you climb as well but boy is it cliquey

leeds/bradford - i hate to say it, would be my option if i did things differently.
 
bubba

bubba

Administrator
Bristol / Bath are both very handy for the Mendips.

Sheffield - I went to the Hallam Uni many years ago but quickly split off from the caving club and just went out with my own mates instead. I think the SUSS is pretty active. What do you mean about cliquey Stu?? Are you referrring to the SUSS club or Sheff in general? I'm now a member of the Eldon and they're not cliquey at all - a sound bunch really. The caves are easy to get to (all within about 20 miles) and have the advantage of very easy access agreements so weeknight trips are a doddle.

Leeds/Bradford - would be the obvious choice for the Dales, but everything's a bit further away - arguably a lot more caving up there mind. I've lived in Bradford but thought it was a shit-hole (sorry to any Bradforders on here!) so I'd go for Leeds out of the two.

What about Wales as well?
 
H

Huw Groucutt

Guest
well i live in wales so i think i wana go somewhere else for uni. I do climb aswell so i'm thinking Sheffield would be good. Would i be accepted into one of the 'proper' caving clubs there, or do they not like student types?!
 
bubba

bubba

Administrator
Sheffield is hard to beat for the climbing - the Yorkshire grit north of Leeds is also superb, but is not as easy to access and is more spread out, especially without transport. The limestone in Yorkshire however, is really much better than the Peak stuff.

For other caving clubs in the area, see http://www.hnh.dircon.co.uk/caveclub.htm

Several of us on this forum are Eldon Pothole Club members, and our members cover quite a wide variety of ages and occupations, and I certainly can't see there being any problem whether you're a student or not, especially as you like digging! The way the EPC does it is you can join as an "aspirant member" - after a year of being an aspirant, if you get along with others in the club, and are a sound caver you will most likely be voted in as a full member. You then have full access to all the tackle, etc.
 
H

Huw Groucutt

Guest
yeah i've climbed at Stanage, very nice. Its surprising how many caving clubs Derbyshire has, compared to say South Wales which has very few really. But then again not many people live down here! I bumped into some cavers from Derbyshire CC and Techinal SG on my last trip, in Darren Cilau...good to see they get around a bit!
 
bubba

bubba

Administrator
I think the Peak is supposed to be one of the busiest national parks in the world - within 50 miles you've got Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham, Derby, etc, etc, so it's probably just down to numbers of people.

Stanage is fantastic, but best avoided at weekends as it gets silly crowded. If you're into bouldering, then check out our sister forum at http://ukbouldering.com/board
 
Stu

Stu

Active member
sorry bubba i meant sheff is good if you climb ... but THAT scene is cliquey. the peak district changes places 2nd to 3rd with fuji nat park japan. first is yellowstone
 
bubba

bubba

Administrator
Yeah, the Sheffield climbing scene can be very cliquey indeed, but it's usually just all the wannabees pretending their something special... avoid!!
 
I

ianball11

Active member
Hailing from the University caving scene I would say that in the past few months these are the big Uni clubs;

Southampton
Queens, Belfast
Leeds (LUSS/ULSA)
Manchester
Cardiff
Sheffield
Oxford and possibly Cambridge.

All these will only be as good as you make them though as with anything at Uni.
When I was at Uni I was given the advice that at Uni will be your best chance to try something new. If you're already a big climber/caver why not branch out and try something different? It's not as if you won't be going caving & climbing anyway!

A bit from our climbing club in Huddersfield, when going to try other climbing walls, Sheffield and Leeds are the regular choices.

And a word from the old miser in me, don't forget that you go to Uni to get a degree, although peope try to tell you that where you get it doesn't matter, old polys are still struggling to be recognised in the kudos stakes.

On a dissapointing note, Bradford Uni Caving club has folded, or is no longer supported by their Sport & Societies office.

Hope this is of some interest Huw, and perhaps we'll bump into each other at a CHECC meeting in the future!

www.checc.org
 
G

George North

Guest
Durham- trips almost every weekend and an hour and a half from Ingleton :D
 
C

Chris Morgan

Guest
Wales has lots of long and deep caves and are about an hour from Cardiff (there are even caves in Cardiff, not too large though), Mendips are about an 80 minute drive. The club during termtime has been known to go caving up to 4 times a week, although three is more usual, Wednesday afternoons and weekends. :) our Athletic Union president even went caving and enjoyed it :D

We are going to Austria again this year http://www.dachsteincaving.org.uk

We regularly meet up with Soton for :? weekend trips.

The university itself is a reasonably compact city center one with about 25,000 students living within a 15 minute walk from the middle of 'student land'. About 16,000 at Cardiff, also Glamorgan, UWIC and UWCM so there is plenty going on.

http://www.cf.ac.uk/suon/au/caving[/list]
 
H

Huw Groucutt

Guest
i live in south wales, think i need to get out and do some caves in a different area!
 
E

eyecave

Guest
well......i can't resist comment.......... it sounds to me that about an 8 to 10 year study at cardiff resulting in a degree that one could clothe oneself in would be a useful life for a caver......an hours and 20 minute drive isn't bad for caverns-available...... ...i think that caving is encouraged by simply being a student.........?students are drawn to caving?.... ....the best life?...the life of the student or the life of the professional?.......no doubts now!, be able to name the best one!!...... if one can combine them, then damnit i am envious!!
 
SamT

SamT

Moderator
I think he was saying that being a student beats working anyday and you'll get loads of caving done where ever you end up. :D
 
E

eyecave

Guest
well, .....first of all any student life is good.......anytime you are not working and doing something others consider constructive (going to school) you are a winner!!.... if, while you are studying, you start caving then getting a degree and a job after 10 years of caving and carousing and studying iz a definite indication of having a successful start on life..... from my viewpoint being a student or a professional, (DC, MD, DDS, PhD) iz desirable....and if one can combine the two,even though i did that, i am still jealous!!
 
E

eyecave

Guest
well huw........one should go to school, without having to have a job, for as long as one can.........."real life" (job,kids,wifey,bossy,bills) will come along soon enough......one should prolong this life of dis-responsibility as long as possible!........if one ends up this lazy time of constant weekends of caving adventure with a graduation from school with a degree to begin "real life" as a healthcare or other type of high-pay professional.. then one could say that sucess had been achieved at the launching of "real life"!! :LOL:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top