Caving with Explorer Scouts

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Moz

Guest
I'm an Explorer Scout Leader based in Wrexham, North Wales. I've got two things that I'd like help with if possible...

1) Would there be a club that would - perhaps for a fee - take our Explorer Scouts on a caving taster trip this year sometime? We're a new Unit (about 20 of us) and I'd like to kick off with something really adventurous like caving in our first year.

2) I'd like to do enough caving in order to gain experience so that I can apply for a Scout Activity Permit for Caving (Requirements for non-vertical pitch, for caving with ladders, and for caving with SRT). Are there any clubs near me that I could join to gain the required experience?

Thanks very much in advance for any help that comes my way!
 

Rhys

Moderator
Moz said:
I'm an Explorer Scout Leader based in Wrexham, North Wales. I've got two things that I'd like help with if possible...

1) Would there be a club that would - perhaps for a fee - take our Explorer Scouts on a caving taster trip this year sometime? We're a new Unit (about 20 of us) and I'd like to kick off with something really adventurous like caving in our first year.

2) I'd like to do enough caving in order to gain experience so that I can apply for a Scout Activity Permit for Caving (Requirements for non-vertical pitch, for caving with ladders, and for caving with SRT). Are there any clubs near me that I could join to gain the required experience?

Thanks very much in advance for any help that comes my way!

I'll ask my Dad if he can help you. He's the Scout caving advisor chap in Shropshire, doing loads of trips with Explorers, and is not far from you, near Oswestry.

Rhys
 
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Moz

Guest
Peter Burgess said:
I hope Moz is suitably impressed by this speedy reply. The forum works!
I am indeed!!!

Rhys - thanks for thank. Perhap's he'll know Denis Noble, someone who now Scouts in Shropshire who I know well.
 
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Moz

Guest
Rhys said:
Moz said:
Rhys - thanks for thank. Perhap's he'll know Denis Noble, someone who now Scouts in Shropshire who I know well.
He does indeed. So do I.

Rhys
Cool!

How difficult a sport is it to learn would people say? What sort of equipment is required? If (or more hopefully, when) I was to get my Permit and take a group of Scouts down a cave, would I need to purchase equipment or can you hire it?

I really want to get into caving because while I love hill walking, my fear of heights makes me uneasy about taking out a permit to take kids into the hills. Canoeing's fun, but getting the kit costs a lot of money and a lot of groups offer it anyway. Caving seems like the sort of thing I could get a permit in (funnily enough my fear of heights kind of disappears underground because it's not so exposed, and I have no problems with claustrophobia at all) and it's something new and different.
 

SamT

Moderator
Just have a good read around these forums - particularly the "new to caving" sections.

Also the wiki has some basic info.

We did quite a bit of caving as a venture scout group when I was lad. Our scout leader and one of the other venture scouts were very experienced cavers and so just took us out. Not too sure if they had permits/certificates etc but then it was in the days before all the need for certification and litigation.

 
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