The pipe in the photo is the entrance pipe before it was cut down to approx 4 metres length. It's plenty big enough to crawl through and pass a stretcher through. The folk who are leading the work have done a lot of thinking and planning. No, it is not going to be gated!

Thanks Badlad! That helps a lot. I'm glad it's not just me who doesn't know what the BCA is for or what it does. Are there paid positions?

In what ways are the regions re-inventing the wheel, and in what ways are clubs duplicating the efforts of the regional and national organisations? This sounds like a good opportunity to reduce workload on volunteers across the board. Your description of this conservation and access working...

Interesting thread. I'm intrigued (and it's news to me) that the compulsory BCA membership fee covers more than the cost of the compulsory insurance. I think this should be made clearer to clubs and to people paying their subs to those clubs. I object to the compulsory insurance but I accept...

I attach my descender to my central maillon using an alloy screwgate krab. I take it off and attach it to a gear loop when I'm not descending. I have a Raumer Handy and I like it a lot. I use it with a Simple (no handle). When I used a Stop (old style blue one with a red handle), I had a steel...

Ohhhh I see. My mistake. Sorry I misinterpreted. No offense intended.

@andrewmcleod Who is spouting rubbish about liability and duty of care? It seems to me that the CNCC have been doing, and are continuing to do, a an excellent job of installing plenty of very safe anchors for everyone's use. It doesn't seem like anything has got in the way of that.

How long can you extend a tape measure before it folds. Various made up rules as you go :)

Also a very sedate game - tape measure challenge

This might be covered in the list because I don't know what it's called, but what about that one where one person is on all fours, the other person sits on their back, facing backwards, and then the person at the bottom leaves their feet at the line and walks/planks forward, then the person on...

Yes Pete - it seems that when they were first common on the UK market they were better built and lasted longer. Replacement ones seem to wear out, especially tear, really quickly. It's the same issue as with so many other oversuits unfortunately. Perhaps it's a change in the fabric or...

A bit further west the shop and tea room in Cowan Bridge are really good.

Thinking mainly about SRT and ladders (although other thoughts are welcome) I'm wondering: - How many caving clubs have training programmes or some other formal arrangement for members who are new to caving? e.g. a structured or ad-hoc training programme delivered by specific people in the...

Hahaha oops, sorry to freak you out. I put my furry suit and socks and wetsocks on, then my wellies, then put my oversuit on, with the wellies on my feet. Then I put my kneepads and armbands on. I'm not really sure why I do it this way! I've got a yellow oversuit - the legs are fairly wide so...

I definitely can't fit mine inside my wellies. In fact I usually put my wellies on before my oversuit.

Pitlamp it is immediately uphill of the path you mention, perhaps a metre or so from the path.

Does anyone know what this stone construction is? It's towards the top of the Whernside ridge on the Chapel-le-Dale side. Approx SD735802. Inside it has a passage going more than a few metres into the hillside, with stone walls and a stone roof and looks person sized. The entrance is small...

Thanks to Andy's persistence many of the potholes have now been filled in.

We got it done :) Thank you so much to everyone involved. I will write up the work for the CNCC. A couple of photos to follow here when I've got time. It was a bit of a grim task getting the concrete where it needed to be, but at least the weather was kind to us this time. As always, we had...

Edit: Please avoid the entrance shaft on Sunday and Monday. It will be fine after that.