Wonderful trip, Samouse and Hannah. The North by North End dig has been an epic undertaking, twice a week in snow and rain, hauling buckets 25m plus with the engineering to secure the shaft challenging to say the least. Trips like yours make it all worthwhile - this is the best of caving. Let's...

I've contacted Andrew several times now for access to Weathercote, he has always been very welcoming and access has always been given though he is often very busy - perhaps give him a while to respond.

I would strongly recommend Ian Fairchild's and Andy Baker's book Speleothem Science: From Process to Past Environments (Blackwell, 2012). Though some of the detail completely blows my mind into fragments (I must try harder!), much of it is very clear and accessible to the non-specialist. The...

I missed those amazing conversations, Dave. On the days I followed Tim and Will's climb from the other side of the gorge, I wound my solitary way to the gap in the trees - different gap each time as they keep growing - and kept my lonely watch. If you expand the snap attached you can see Tim (I...

And here are some of Dave and Rachel on the attempted climb up the vertical forest directly below - first attempted by Hugh and I in 2015. Again, great climb by Tim and Will - and early push to get up there by Mark Wright. Overall, a marvellous effort to scale a corner of paradise - days of...

And here are some from the 2019 - 20 trip - another epic effort to reach our 'dream cave'. These are snaps in the river of more caving luminaries and legends: Mark Burkey, Di Arthurs, Rachel Findley, Dave Rose - and Tim was also part of this effort.

Great story, Badlad, and excellent effort (another example of extreme alcoving in Mulu! ;)). Just been looking at my archive and found some photos of early attempts to get up into Corner 'Cave' - these may provide an idea and a bit of context of the epic efforts to reach this alcove - it's been...

Here are a couple of snaps from the river tramp - Will and Tim and then Tim with the Benarat cliff and the Corner Cave up above in the too bright sunshine.

Mick Nunwick and a perishing festive trip down Long Kin West.

Great article, Dave, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Very fine writing, as always - gripping narrative, even though you know the outcome.

Chilly digging above Masongill yesterday with the Chums, where the usual icy blast blowing out of the dig was warmer than Death Bivouac on the surface. Brrr ...

Looking forward to reading that, Dave.

You are doing a great job, Chris and Carolina - thanks!

Great stuff, CNCC Chums, it is awaiting sporting classic status - and classic fell-walk status too! ;)

Yes, mikem, this 1800 Descriptive Tour by John Housman (Carlisle Chum) is a good one. He blends the tour of the Lakes and the Dales into one - following West's Guide to the Lakes with Hutton's Tour to the Caves as an addendum. He describes what was by 1800 the standard tour of the caves with...

Many thanks to the UKC team. While out digging somewhere with Badlad, Geoff, Chris and Dave this Wednesday we had a surprise, nay - uncanny, visit from our cheeky little chum, the Cave Robin (Rubecula troglodytes) - always seems to pop down at Christmas - perhaps from a tree!? It was solstice...

Well done, Dave, good bit of work there. I agree with Steve - invite her up north to the Dales next time you're visiting.

Further progress was made yesterday with the passage at the front still draughting strongly and reverberating with impressive echoes - that monster pitch can't be far off! ;) We were joined yesterday by our fellow digger from Spain - Alex (Dalton) who took his place in the chain gang and grafted...

Yesterday's jaunt over to Five Ways was made up of Tim, Geoff, JJ, Nick, Dave, Chris and your correspondent - the chain gang. The purpose (there is a purpose?! ;)) was to shift all the debris built into the usual mountainous scree slope at the foot of the Tonga Trench after Wednesday's capping...

So, to the dig! We have capped along the rift and opened the way to a small criss-cross cluster of cracks - one of these is heading to the right and downwards. At the moment it is dry, when it is wet this carries the stream. It draughts and echoes, Geoff says he can hear water falling / dripping...