Fred Rattray, if you are still on this forum, would you pm me? A mutual friend would like to contact Jim.

I'd like to ask about Barry Hill's exploits in Agen Allwedd, some 60 years ago! Is Barry on here? If he isn't, would anyone be able to put him in touch with me?

Yes indeed. There are vast areas of unexplored limestone. Polish cavers are active in Prokletije, and the Hungarians have been visiting the Lovćen National Park for many years, with many big discoveries (Montenegro barlangkutatás). The huge resurgences of Spila and Sopot on Kotor Bay are still...

The Gloucester Speleo Soc had a trip to Slovenia in August 2019, and we stayed at the Speleo Camp Laze. There was another group of cavers staying in the bunkhouse there. If any of you were in that group, would you please contact me? I'd appreciate your comments on the place.

There are 2 sites where you can see his collections: http://www.verticalmuseum.co/GDS/GDS.html or https://www.karabinclimbingmuseum.com/dr-gary-storrick.html

I don't have one, but to continue your theme ...

Yes, these are also under farmland, in a disused Cotswold underground stone quarry. We joked that this was crystallised sheep's piss, but it's arable land above. And like Tim Rose's Portland caves, "There's only 5 to 10 m of 'ground' above this and the soil layer is pretty thin." So, uric acid...

I know that copper stains calcite blue, and iron gives a red colour, but what creates a yellow colour, as in the attached photo?

Take a look at the Gary Storrick collection: http://www.verticalmuseum.com/VerticalDevicesPage/Rappel/FixMultiPages/FixMulti0409.php, and following. A big drawback with these devices was their weight. They're basically a great lump of metal.

I think there's a typo here! After quickly referring to my ancient copy of 'Northern Caves', would you mean Batty Wife Cave?

Nope. Same as my reply to Chris, enterable cave entrances only!

No, they don't! I'm after cave entrances close to, or within, pub/bar premises. I dare say there are bars in cave dwellings, but I'm not going to count these.

It has been suggested (April 2023 UBSS Newsletter) that the Hunters' Lodge Inn Sink is the 'closest cave to any pub (probably in the world!)' I know of one cave which is actually entered through the garage of a bar. Do you know of any other contenders?

Continuing this theme, there was no 'Beer-ometer' on display at the bar. How did we do this year, compared to previous years?

From the trailer I've just seen, it looks like next Tuesday's episode of 'Dan and Helen's Pennine Adventure' will feature them descending Alum Pot. I dare say some of you were involved in making this episode. Will they go back up, or will they come out through Long Churn ...?

Where are these boots, Tom? And 'all the others' you find? I'm putting together a database of places where discarded boots are found. They seem to be in all sorts of mines, all over the country.

Yes, with your main man (Lee Berger) suggesting homo naledi navigated the cave by lighting a series of fires along the way, there would have had to have been a decent airflow, otherwise bad air would have soon been a problem. Where is it you're reading about 'alternative theories'?

Shouldn't that be 'Said the (disappointed) actress to the bishop'?

A fascinating film on Netflix. Well-filmed, no excess lighting. It was interesting to see how non-cavers managed underground: "We only go through this crawl one at a time, in case it collapses."!

I knew that, Chris. I was just pulling your chain!