The DCA Peak District Cave Exploration Prize competition is back on again for 2024! There will be three different prize categories on offer this year: Most New Cave Discovered at a single site, by digging, diving or climbing, within the Peak District caving area during the calendar year...

The Environment Agency have at last installed a water depth logger at Goosehill Bridge, Castleton. This is now live at: https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/station/9595 The water depth is updated every 15 minutes, and the datum is the crest of the weir that was installed in 1984/5 by the...

Regretfully, someone has been careless on Instagram and the landowner has now requested that the cave lid be locked and the access route map removed from the cave registry. In future you'll need to contact the DCA Access Officer for the current padlock code (changed regularly) and a copy of the...

Sorry for the last minute notice, but the plan and volunteers only came together today. Recently the anchors comprising the wire and ring pull through for the Round Trip route were reported as moving in the resin. The intention is to replace all the anchors in the area if possible, and then...

It's the final countdown for entries to our 2 annual competitions! Have you been digging in 2023??? Get your entries for the Cave Exploration Prize in by midnight on the 1st of Jan. There are 3 different categories and at the moment it is still anyone's to win! Full details here...

Hi Please take this as notification for the following meetings to take place on the evening of Monday 19th February 2024. Special General Meeting Annual General Meeting Post AGM Council Meeting The agenda and associated documents can be found at the following link...

A report of a collapse in the entrance shaft of Maskhill Mine near Castleton was received by DCA at dinner time on 16/11/2023. Around the level of the 3rd rebelay, a caver stood on a ledge which then collapsed under them and sent large rocks falling down the shaft and left an unsupported area of...

The anchors at Garlands Pot in Giants Hole received an informal inspection this week whilst I was there for a couple of hours running a BCA Vertical Leader training course. Two separate issues were noted and details are given below. This also prompted a proposal for other improvements to the...

The agenda and Officer Reports for DCA (Hybrid) Council Meeting on Saturday 28th October 2023, 10am to 12pm., They can be found at the following link: https://thedca.org.uk/event/3999/ The meeting is being held at British Caving Library, The Studio, Glutton Bridge, Buxton, SK17 0EN. The venue...

Now that 2023 is three-quarters through, it's an appropriate time to remind all cavers digging in and around the Peak District that there are prizes out there waiting to be won at the end of the year - see https://thedca.org.uk/peak-district-cave-exploration-prize/ for all the details. In a...

Can you think of any tatty handlines in local caves or mines that would benefit from some new rope? Well, thanks to a donation from SpanSet Ltd we now have a big reel of chunky rope that is perfect for handlines sat ready in our equipment store. More details over on the website...

On the weekend of 7 & 8 October there will be a dry tooling event at Masson quarry. This year the event organisers are putting on a “park and ride” service for the climbers taking part, driving them up from near the supermarket but even so it is likely that the few sensible parking spaces on...

The two DMM resin anchors on the small training pitch at Upper West in Giants were noted to have begun to move in the resin recently. Both were removed this week and the pitch has now had new anchors installed and tested. The rigging has been changed a little to give a much better free-hang...

DCA volunteers are replacing the anchors used on the climb up to the Owl Hole entrance. We looked closely at possible descent routes from the top of the crag, but decided that there wasn't a line with good enough rock that we were prepared to recommend it! The usual climb up is on slippery...

DCA received a report that the locking mechanism on the Jugholes gate had been damaged, so this was visited and repaired this morning. The chain is now much shorter, and a new M16 bolt is held captive with nuts and washers around a maillon, which can be held with one hand whilst...

Just a note to inform that the latest issue of The Derbyshire Caver is finally out, and subscribers should now have received their printed copies. Sadly due to increasing production and postage costs, we have had to increase our cover price for the printed version to £3, so future four-issue...

Just a quick note for black marble fans that the Cave Registry name for 'Ashford Black Marble Mine' has now been changed to its correct name of Rookery Mine - this will also be the name going forward for future editions of Caves of the Peak District. An updated survey has also been posted, drawn...

DCA have received a report of bad air being encountered in WICC. For details please see our new page for bad air reports on the website: https://thedca.org.uk/safety/bad-air-reports/

DCA Council has now finalised the details of the competition for 2023. This year there will be 3 prizes - check out the DCA website at https://thedca.org.uk/peak-district-cave-exploration-prize/ for full details. So, what are you waiting for? Get digging! Mike Higgins DCA Vice-Chair

DCA have been made aware of a theft of caving gear from Giants Hole over the weekend. Please be cautious, although we hope this is an isolated incident. If anyone was present and may have witnessed anything out of the ordinary, please contact us. Details of how to report incidents of crime or...