Descent 291

[Chris Scaife]

Cover: Tara Beacroft in Straw Chamber, Ogof Craig a Ffynnon. Photo: Craig Holdstock

Descent issue 291 is published on 1 April, so subscribers' copies will be posted out next week. Please note: we are currently away on a caving trip, so our online shop will be closed until 20 April. While we are away, individual copies can still be bought from Inglesport and Starless River.

This issue contains international and regional news, book reviews, some more letters about club huts in the Yorkshire Dales, plus the following features:

The Geometry of Deep Space - Part Two
Frank Pearson continues his description of the exploration of Five Ways Pot in the Yorkshire Dales, a site where the digging work has certainly paid off.

Bats in Northern Caves
Professor John Altringham has been studying bats underground in the north for decades and now gives us an informative summary of his work.

Tin Mine Adventures
The underworld has a way of luring us in, as outdoor writer Julia Goodfellow-Smith found out on a recent trip to Cornwall.

Cave Rescue 2022
The BCRC has gathered all the data from last year’s surface and underground incidents involving cave rescue teams in Britain and Ireland.

Cavers of the Future
A recent caving trip to South Wales for several families is described by Katie Dent, with input from some of the children involved.

Bruce Leonard Bedford, Celebration of a Life - Part Two
Clive Gardener continues his obituary for the founder of Descent magazine.

Write it Down! The Eternal Flame
David Gill has a tale from the past, about a surreptitious visit to an underground bunker and having to think quickly when an eternal flame is extinguished.

Back cover: Fighting a cascade in Ogof Ffynnon Ddu. Photo: Jerry Wooldridge

 

[Chris Scaife]

Sometimes digging really pays off! In Descent issue 291, Frank Pearson continues his account of the exploration of Five Ways Pot, which now has seven pitches and a total depth of 119m.

In the photo: Mick Nunwick, Geoff Yeadon, Tim Allen, JJ Beavan, Chris Scaife and Mick 'Bones' Sharp celebrating the major breakthrough in Five Ways Pot, by Frank Pearson.

 

[Chris Scaife]

In Descent issue 291, Katie Dent writes about a caving trip to South Wales with a group of parents and young children, and we can read excellent trip reports from some of the youngsters involved.

In the photo: Everybody ready to go caving, by Rob Eavis.

 

[Chris Scaife]

Professor John Altringham has been studying bats in northern caves for decades, and in Descent issue 291 he reports on his finds.

Whiskered bat, Myotis mystacinus, hibernating in Link Pot. Hibernating bats are often covered in condensation droplets.
Photo: John Altringham

 

[Chris Scaife]

In Descent issue 291, the British Cave Rescue Council shares a summary of incidents, above and below ground, involving cave rescue teams in 2022.

Derbyshire CRO rescuing a lamb from a natural fissure near Eldon Quarry, by Bill Whitehouse.