how did you get into caving
- Thread starter Babyhagrid
- Start date
tim.rose2
Active member
Not sure whether this is local to Dorset or wider afield but many of my first caving trips were with the school during PE lessons or via the local youth club. Although both obviously required qualified leaders I'd not really consider either 'commercial' as there was no charge for the trips and the leaders were sort of volunteers (i.e. they would still have been paid their wages as teachers / youth workers regardless of whether they took kids caving or not). Must have been hundreds if not thousands of youngsters in Dorset who first went caving via this route. You might want to add 'school / youth club' as an option.
cavingbiker
Member
Always encouraged to scramble around rocks and explore sea caves whilst on family holidays whilst a young child. Always visited show caves. Visited the caves at Ribblehead whilst on a school trip to the dales. 1st club I joined when starting university in London was the caving club.
My uncle who sometimes worked at Whernside took me when I was about 12 for a week for a holiday as my parents were in Iran. No gear beyond a light. Things like valley entrance when it still had stal curtains and you got rather wet. The dog came too. The dog was hard core and had apparently done a free dive in Wales by accident.
JoshW
Well-known member
I went caving with my local scout group where I was a ‘young leader’. One of the scout caving team a certain Paul dold, noticed my keen-ness and started dragging me along as flash monkey/model/bag bitch on all his adventures.
He passed away a few years ago, but I’ll never forget the sense of adventure he instilled in me, and his passion for this is something I try and take every day with groups at work, or through all my work in y and d.
He passed away a few years ago, but I’ll never forget the sense of adventure he instilled in me, and his passion for this is something I try and take every day with groups at work, or through all my work in y and d.
DuncJ
Member
Not sure if it's relevant but got taken to the Caves of Drach on holiday when fairly young. Don't remember it, maybe it was a subconscious starting point?
Anyway, what I see as the seed sown, much later, on a DofE walk from Newby to Stainforth via Giggleswick Scar, as curious teens that we were, popped into a few of the obvious caves enroute. It was a few years later that a school friend and I returned a few times (when we could drive), camping at Langcliffe and Stainforth that we retraced our younger steps and looked at maps and found more caves in the area. A spot of mountain biking near Clapham saw us spotting Ingleborough Cave, which then led to the Gaping Gill winch, which ultimately led to joining a club..
Anyway, what I see as the seed sown, much later, on a DofE walk from Newby to Stainforth via Giggleswick Scar, as curious teens that we were, popped into a few of the obvious caves enroute. It was a few years later that a school friend and I returned a few times (when we could drive), camping at Langcliffe and Stainforth that we retraced our younger steps and looked at maps and found more caves in the area. A spot of mountain biking near Clapham saw us spotting Ingleborough Cave, which then led to the Gaping Gill winch, which ultimately led to joining a club..
Standard Unit of Tom
Active member
I did a give it a go with the cardiff University club and enjoyed it but wouldn't say I was properly into caving till I had caught the eye of a certain babyhagrid and got dragged through Cwm dwr with long covid and tonsillitis (it was my choice to not disclose this information) and that has since been the point of no return 🤣
AKuhlmann
Member
I grew up in the Dales so did a fair few trips with Overground Underground festival as a young teenager, but really fell down the well of it as a student in Bangor where I actually did more mines than anything else to begin with - the industrial history part helped seal the deal me and I still just about do more mine trips than caving trips each year
I went caving with scouts from Leeds, but then managed 3 years at Lancaster uni without (was in the climbing and canoe clubs, so knew several members) & we did stay at clapdale house (one time during a rescue where exchange trip failed). Then got a job in weardale, so started exploring the mines, before moving down to Mendip where I was caving with friends for 12 years before I joined a club, & then they had a big breakthrough in Upper Flood ...
Steve Clark
Well-known member
Learnt to dive at university. Then taught a few years of divers following me. Started cave diving in Florida in 2008, and did a few trips out there and also to the lot/dordogne in France. Some support diving with the WKPP and a lot with our project to survey the St George’s resurgence. Taught myself therion.
Did my first bit of ‘dry’ caving, without a helmet and with a handheld torch beyond a 900m/30m deep sump to close a loop in the diving data.
More recently, I’ve moved to Lancaster and started actual caving with our mountaineering club about 4 years ago, aged 40. (Fylde MC). Getting into cave photography. Fat and not good at small holes, or big free hanging pitches.
Did my first bit of ‘dry’ caving, without a helmet and with a handheld torch beyond a 900m/30m deep sump to close a loop in the diving data.
More recently, I’ve moved to Lancaster and started actual caving with our mountaineering club about 4 years ago, aged 40. (Fylde MC). Getting into cave photography. Fat and not good at small holes, or big free hanging pitches.
andrewmcleod
Well-known member
Student caving, although I wasn't a student as I was a postdoc (Uni staff member) at the time...
rm128
Active member
Being an inner-city kid, I had no experience of outdoor activities at all. I didn't even know caving was a thing until I went to university. The caving club was the first stall inside the hall where the various clubs tried to entice new Freshers. As I was quite thin at the time (hard to believe now), I was accosted by someone shouting "You'll do. You look like a caver." The next weekend I was whisked away to Fermanagh for 2 days of caving, quite a bit of drinking and staying in a very dilapidated old house. I wasn't quite sure what was happening, but I signed up to go again the next weekend. And that was that.
Caving ultimately got me into other outdoor activities, eg climbing, mountaineering, mountain biking, hang gliding, paragliding etc. So I owe a lot to my old university club.
Caving ultimately got me into other outdoor activities, eg climbing, mountaineering, mountain biking, hang gliding, paragliding etc. So I owe a lot to my old university club.
samh
New member
You really need an "Other" option, or at least "Wanted to look cool to a new partner"
I met a girl, 4 weeks later she takes me (with her club) down Lost Johns. I nearly fractured my pelvis.
A month later, we go down Rowten Pot. I nearly shat myself in fear.
17 years later, still going strong.
I met a girl, 4 weeks later she takes me (with her club) down Lost Johns. I nearly fractured my pelvis.
A month later, we go down Rowten Pot. I nearly shat myself in fear.
17 years later, still going strong.
davel
Member
A possible late addition to the options in the poll might be 'Books'.
In my case (and probably many others) it was Underground Adventure (Gemmell and Myers, 1952) and Ten Years Under the Earth, The Darkness Under the Earth etc. (Norbert Casteret, various English translation dates). These titles were available in my local library when I was at school. These and others inspired myself and a couple of school friends to explore caves and mines within cycling distance in north Wales.
Dave
In my case (and probably many others) it was Underground Adventure (Gemmell and Myers, 1952) and Ten Years Under the Earth, The Darkness Under the Earth etc. (Norbert Casteret, various English translation dates). These titles were available in my local library when I was at school. These and others inspired myself and a couple of school friends to explore caves and mines within cycling distance in north Wales.
Dave
