5th European Speleological Congress coming to the UK!

[Pegasus]

Just back from the first planning meeting for the 5th European Speleological Congress be held in the Yorkshire Dales, on 13th - 20th August 2016 at The Dalesbridge Centre.

http://www.dalesbridge.co.uk/

Great to see such so many ideas put forward and with such enthusiasm for what will be a great showcase for Caving in the UK.

Put the date in your diary!

Managed to have a glass or two at The Helwith Bridge as well - a fine night out 

 

[bograt]

Puts me in mind of an international in Sheffield we had back in late 70's/early80's, -- hone up your bar-room caving skills folks, these foreigners are good!
(Chair Squeeze, Bottle Walk, etc.)

 

[cap n chris]

these foreigners are good!

They're excellent at caving too! - it could be a good opportunity to learn some new tricks! We might need to brush up our skills all round so as to fly the flag good and proper.

In Spain they start formally training at a young age, so it's hardly surprising they have some amazingly capable speleos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN0mzi9IUwM

Much of the rest of Europe isn't too shabby either. The Basilica event and FFS stuff sets a high bar.

Really looking forward to it, especially if it's anything like the 2008 Vercors Speleological Congress. There they didn't have chair squeeze, bottle walk etc., they had aerial acrobatics, 2km tyrolean/zip wire*, a cinema, numerous live bands, the world's hugest marquee, good catering and about 2000 cavers. Not a sofa in sight. It was good.


* Smaller version @ Malham Cove, anyone?

 

[Mark Wright]

The International congress in Sheffield was in 1978. It was following this that SRT in the UK became much more widely used, certainly up north anyway.

Those young kids could certainly teach us a thing or two now, never mind when they get a bit older. I didn't see any of them trying to cheat and bypass any of the obstacles as we regularly see at Hidden Earth!! The youngster doing the 'speed' race was excellent with good technique and an impressive step distance.

EuroSpeleo 2016 should prove to be an excellent event and should be in everyones diary.

Mark 

 

[rhychydwr1]

Official site - not very helpful

http://www.eurospeleo2016.eu/wiki/doku.php

Next just gives the date - August 2016

http://www.cravenpotholeclub.org/newsdetails.aspx?Group=Archives&NewsItem=5th%20EUROPEAN%20SPELEOLOGICAL%20CONGRESS

Facebook gives the dates:

https://www.facebook.com/events/373012662830198/

13 - 20 August 2016

More info - caves will be rigged

 

[Joe Duxbury]

The ... FFS stuff sets a high bar.

On the subject of the FFS, their annual event is at St Vallier de Thiey, between 23 & 25 May: http://stvallier2015.ffspeleo.fr/index.php

And this year's EuroSpeleo Forum, the 10th, is in Italy, at Pertosa-Auletta, 30 May - 2 June: http://www.congressospeleo2015.org/english/index
Anyone interested?

Oh, maybe these last 2 should have been in the 'Caving abroad' section.

 

[Les W]

Official site - not very helpful

http://www.eurospeleo2016.eu/wiki/doku.php

Official site not very helpful yet...
Info will be posted here (and everywhere else too) as events and the like are tied down and confirmed. Keep an eye out!

 

[Pegasus]

Just saw this logo on twitter....

@ukcaving if you'd like to follow us btw 

 

[cap n chris]

Been asked by an overseas caver what the nearest airport is. Guessing it's Manchester. Anyone know any different?

 

[bograt]

Been asked by an overseas caver what the nearest airport is. Guessing it's Manchester. Anyone know any different?

Think you are right, nearest international anyway 

 

[psychocrawler]

Leeds-Bradford

 

[Bottlebank]

Liverpool isn't much further than Manchester, and Blackpool is a lot nearer although unless you're coming from the Isle of Man not much chance of a flight from Blackpool nowadays.

 

[Over the Hill]

The International congress in Sheffield was in 1978. It was following this that SRT in the UK became much more widely used, certainly up north anyway.
Mark

The NCC (Up North) were using Gibbs Rope Walkers (directly imported from the States) as early as 1971.

 

[Over the Hill]

Leeds and BPC airport

 

[graham]

The International congress in Sheffield was in 1978. It was following this that SRT in the UK became much more widely used, certainly up north anyway.
Mark

The NCC (Up North) were using Gibbs Rope Walkers (directly imported from the States) as early as 1971.

The main protagonists in the original descent of Ghar Parau in 1971 used both Clog and Jumar ascenders, certainly on the final few pitches as they used every bit of tat they had to get as far as possible. By 1973, in part due to the influence of Pete Standing who had been on that trip UBSS were using SRT routinely both in the UK and abroad, on our trips to Yugoslavia where a few 200 m entrance shafts were bottomed.

In my memory, by 1978, just about every club we came across in the Dales had been using SRT for some time.

 

[AliRoll]

http://www.eurospeleo.uk/ hi guys the website posted it the wrong one that's why its not very helpful, this is the correct one

 

[kay]

Leeds-Bradford 39 miles
Manchester 71 miles

 

[Bob Mehew]

Been asked by an overseas caver what the nearest airport is. Guessing it's Manchester. Anyone know any different?

I start by working from the nearest town with reasonable transport links being Settle. 

A key part of an answer will depend upon what transport is to be used between airport and location.  Clearly a hire car gives maximum flexibility and in such a case, probably airports as far away as Edinburgh, Birmingham and East Midlands will be within an hour or so of equivalent travel time.  So that permits maximum flexibility for choice of flight.  But beware single journey hires are unlikely to be available ending up in Settle.

Trains make life more complex.  Manchester to Settle (based on the simple assumption of getting a taxi for the last bit of the journey which is around 5 miles) is about 1 hour and take just over an hour with a change at Leeds.  Leeds Bradford is curiously 2 hours, given one might have thought it was closer.  Liverpool is over 4 hours with 2 changes.    Edinburgh is 3 1/2 hours (after you have got into the city center) with a change at Carlisle (so one gets to cross the Ribblehead Viaduct).  Birmingham & East Midlands are 4 hours and several changes.

Buses are a real challenge.  National Express seem to only go to Skipton so that adds a connection and they are slow (many hours).  But there are only three buses a day from Skipton or Settle past Dalesbridge. 

Hitch hiking could be difficult getting away from any airport. 

If you have a mate visiting and you are going to pick them up at an airport, then you need to factor in where you start from.  Cap'n Chris could easily pick someone up from Bristol for example.

Not sure if any of that helps.

I would add that I gather some thought is being given by the organisers to having a bus for moving people around, though not with that many seats.  Having one's own transport seems to ease many aspects of the week.  Perhaps the organisers can set up a car seat share scheme though it may be too difficult to organise beyond a black board where people can write up offers.  I can't come up with any other way to do it at this point in time.

PS - the web site looks good and punchy 

 

[bograt]

Thanks for that Bob, looks like BCA have really got to get their act together, do we really have the infrastructure together??

 

[kay]

Trains make life more complex.  Manchester to Settle (based on the simple assumption of getting a taxi for the last bit of the journey which is around 5 miles) is about 1 hour and take just over an hour with a change at Leeds.

Are you sure that's right? Manchester Airport to Leeds by train is over one and a quarter hours, so if you are changing at Leeds you'd have to time travel for the total journey to be only 1 hour  :tease:

Leeds Bradford is curiously 2 hours, given one might have thought it was closer. 

Did you get that from Google maps?
Leeds Bradford doesn't have a train link, and Google sends you into Leeds to give you the 2hrs journey time. You're better off taking a taxi to Shipley (7mi) with a 54min train journey to Settle.