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Descent 298 contents

Chris Scaife

Well-known member
In Newsdesk, there is a challenger for the title of world's largest sea cave, and findings that suggest a difficult caving trip undertaken by ancient humans.

In regional news, dye tracing in the Forest of Dean has shown some great potential for Slaughter Stream Cave. We have some extensions to report in County Fermanagh and South Wales, several success stories by diggers in the Yorkshire Dales, an exciting find in the Peak District, some minor progress by Cardiff's student diggers and, in international news, reports from Matienzo and Meghalaya.

Features:

Caving in the City
Accompanying photos by Steve Sharp, Graham Mullan describes Pen Park Hole – a highly unusual cave located next to a housing estate in north Bristol.


Blunders Into the Unknown
There is a great crescent of limestone sweeping around Morecambe Bay, from Barrow to Lancaster, but the area contains few known major caves. Andy Walsh recounts rare tales of significant finds in the area from 60 years ago.


Competition Time
We have teamed up with the QI Elves, and hosts of the podcast No Such Thing as a Fish, to bring you a unique competition. To be in with a chance of winning a great prize, we are asking you to send us some facts about caves and underground exploration. We also reveal the winner and correct answers from the Descent 297 quiz.


The Greater Horseshoe Comeback
Chris Scaife has been underground with the Sussex Bat Group, looking for Greater Horseshoe bats, which have recently returned to South East England after an absence of 100 years.


The Caves of Peruaçu
Brazil will host next year’s International Congress of Speleology. Anyone unsure about whether to attend could well be swayed by Martyn Farr’s two-part article about the country’s exceptional caves.


In Memoriam
The caving world has lost some great characters in recent months. We have obituaries for Dave Gill, Pete Rose, Andy Sewell and David St Pierre.


Cymmie’s Rucksac Edition
Alan Jeffreys has uncovered a draft copy of an unpublished guidebook: A Guide to the Yorkshire Caves and Potholes (The Rucksac Edition) by Eli ‘Cymmie’ Simpson, dated 1932.

The letters page features more discussion about Eli Simpson - clearly a caver with a real legacy.

Cover image: Judith Calford in OFD 1, by Chris Howes

Descent 298 cover.jpg
 

Chris Scaife

Well-known member
While trawling through the BCA archive, Alan Jeffreys found a draft copy of a guide to Yorkshire's caves and potholes, written by Eli 'Cymmie' Simpson. You can read the fascinating tale of this unpublished work in Descent 298.
In the photo: Draft foolscap typescript of A Guide to the Yorkshire Caves and Potholes (The Rucksac Edition) by Eli Simpson.


Draft foolscap typescript of A Guide to the Yorkshire Caves and Potholes (The Rucksac Edition)...jpg
 

Chris Scaife

Well-known member
Ahead of next year's International Congress of Speleology in Belo Horizonte, organised by the UIS - Union Internationale de Spéléologie - you can read the first part of Martyn Farr's two-part article on some of Brazil's exceptional caves. In Descent 298 he takes us all the way to the Lapa Grande State Park and Peruaçu National Park.
In the photo: Superb formations in the main chamber of Brazil's Lapa Bonita, by Martyn Farr.

Superb formations in the main chamber of Brazil's Lapa Bonita, by Martyn Farr.jpg
 
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