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    At the Hunters 7.30pm

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Descent 300

C

Chris Scaife

Well-known member
Descent 300 cover.jpg


Cover: Gosia Skowron-Suchodolska and Yuri Schwartz in the main entrance to Sistema Cheve, Mexico
Photo: Kasia Biernaka


Descent is now 300 issues old. Founded in January 1969, we have outlasted the Beatles, the Apollo missions and pre-decimal currency and are now as strong as ever. Thanks to everyone who has supported us along the way.

The publication date is 5 October, so subscribers will soon be enjoying the best writing and photography that the underground world has to offer. If you need to take out or renew a subscription, or buy individual copies, please visit our website.

Issue 300 includes a healthy dose of reports from the UK’s caving regions, including news of the discovery of a maze cave in the Yorkshire Dales that exceeds 7km in length, plus breaking news of a major find in the Forest of Dean – a seemingly endless natural cave passage 30m wide and 20m high, with much more still to be found. There are accounts of one hundred hours of solitude investigating the caves of an uninhabited Scottish island, a sporting adventure in a Sardinian cave used as a training ground for astronauts, and an international team’s expedition to Laos.

We also have a report from the British Cave Rescue Conference, the results and judges' comments for the Tratman Awards 2022 and 2023, news of extensive work in Ogof Agen Allwedd, finds in the North Pennines, a new entrance to Lancaster Hole, expedition reports from student clubs, an ongoing mine in the Peak District, work in Sludge Pit Hole, a Descent retrospective by former editor Chris Howes, an obituary for the great film-maker Sid Perou, a look at the legacy of Yorkshire cave pioneer Christopher Long, and the results of our underground fact competition judged by the writers of comedy panel show QI.

We had intended to include more features about it being our 300th issue, but there were so many great articles about other things we haven't really had the space for much of that!
 
alanw

alanw

Well-known member
My copy has just arrived through the letterbox, however the flap on the envelope wasn't stuck down. Does anyone else's have the same problem?Posting just in case it's widespread. Was there anything else, other than the magazine itself, which did arrive OK, supposed to be included?
 
snebbit

snebbit

Active member
alanw said:
My copy has just arrived through the letterbox, however the flap on the envelope wasn't stuck down. Does anyone else's have the same problem?Posting just in case it's widespread. Was there anything else, other than the magazine itself, which did arrive OK, supposed to be included?
Click to expand...
My envelope was fine, and there was nowt else in there you missed other than the £100 in cash being given out to celebrate Issue 300 ;)
 
Babyhagrid

Babyhagrid

Well-known member
My copy had the flap almost loose with very minimal glue holding it on.

A very very good issue of descent with an incredible amount of UK digging and exploration being covered 👍
 
Mark Wright

Mark Wright

Well-known member
alanw said:
My copy has just arrived through the letterbox, however the flap on the envelope wasn't stuck down. Does anyone else's have the same problem?Posting just in case it's widespread. Was there anything else, other than the magazine itself, which did arrive OK, supposed to be included?
Click to expand...
Mine arrived this morning with the flap open. No damage to the contents.
 
DuncJ

DuncJ

Member
Similar here, barely stuck. First time I've had that problem.
Magazine was fine though and it looks good 👍
 
The Old Ruminator

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Closed flaps. Nice mix of contents that I still need to read. Glad to see the AI photo issue aired. Like I say nothing is believable any more. I guess that Descent does not have a picture editor and prints them as they come in.
 
mrodoc

mrodoc

Well-known member
Flap issue here but this is a common problem with sealable envelopes in my experience.
 
J

JohnMCooper

Active member
Mine only had a couple of cm actually glued. However question about content:-

Centre article 100, 200, 300, More! Centre column on page 22 says: "The example used was a descent of the Forty pitch in Swildon's Hole, the original route into the cave that required a rope ladder to pass and water to be piped away from the drop, which had been bypassed since 2007 - yet most younger cavers no longer knew anything of the history."

I thought it was the Great Flood of 1968 that washed away this obstacle.

Some above ground footage:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1686813914720217

Maybe AI intruding;)
 
W

Wardy

Active member
Mine was sealed, but the thing that made the biggest impression was a great image with minimal disruption.
If this is the look to come from the descent team then I can't wait to see future covers and photo's
Well done Chris
 
Maj

Maj

Active member
Both copies (one for me and one for MNRC) arrived this morning, both sealed okay. However it was only a thin 3mm line of adhesive holding the flap down.
 
Maj

Maj

Active member
JohnMCooper said:
I thought it was the Great Flood of 1968 that washed away this obstacle.

Some above ground footage:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1686813914720217

Maybe AI intruding;)
Click to expand...
I appreciate this is going a little off topic, so may need splitting away.
Tuesday October 8th from 9:00pm to 10:30pm on Channel 5.
A documentary on the floods of 10th July 1968 which caused much devastation across the region.
The programme features survivors, rescuers and others involved who give their accounts when an unprecedented amount of rain fell causing widespread flood damage. Pensford and Keynsham residents are among those interviewed telling of their experiences when a huge wave swept down the River Chew causing much destruction.
 
M

martinr

Active member
JohnMCooper said:
....Forty pitch in Swildon's Hole, the original route into the cave that required a rope ladder to pass and water to be piped away from the drop, which had been bypassed since 2007....

...I thought it was the Great Flood of 1968 that washed away this obstacle.
Click to expand...
SWILDONS HOLE: The 1968 Flood
by C.H. Kenney.
The most spectacular result of the recent floods in the Mendip caves was undoubtedly in Swildons
Hole, where the 40' drop, known to cavers for more than half a century, "disappeared" overnight.

 
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