how did you get into caving

[JasonC]

Initially with Scouts, aged about 15 or 16, then at Uni, then nothing until early 40s when my Uni club had an anniversary and dug up as many old lags as they could find, then gradually got back into it over a number of years until Fulk invited me to come along and try out KCC.
(as a PS, my daughter, then aged 14 came along on that Uni reunion weekend, and she hasn't stopped since!)

 

[Caeve]

I visited Alderley Edge on an open day in 2016 a chap called Anton guided a trip I was on. I met the rest of the club on cave and mine trips over the coming months and found that they were "my kind of crazy". I came for the caves, and stayed for the community (and also the caves)!

 

[smelin]

went on a freshers trip where @Custards spouted all he knew about OFD's geology and decided that would be me one day

 

[ZombieCake]

Too much beer at university.

 

[thehungrytroglobite]

I've selected 'student caving' although technically the first time I went caving was with secondary school, when I was 13, on a school trip to Ardeche. I begged my teacher not to make me go because I was convinced that I'd hate it, but once underground it felt like the most natural thing in the world to me. Whilst the rest of my classmates (who at the start, had been much more enthusiastic than me) started panicking in a 'squeeze', I felt the most at home I'd ever been. I ended up loving it so much that I crawled into a dark crevice, and switched me light off, so the rest of the group left and I just enjoyed the darkness. After some time one of the instructors came back for me (the poor instructor, having lost a child in the cave!) but I was still happily sitting there 'vibing'. So I guess that is where I first got the bug.
But then some years past, and I didn't pursue it, I became deeply involved in other things like climate activism and forgot that caving existed.
I went on a freshers trip with Newcastle uni 5 years later, and that's when I truly got the bug - caved fervently since that day and never looked back. It's great to now be in the BPC, being friends with and doing harder caving trips with the people that first took me underground at freshers.
It was also lovely to go back to ardeche on a caving trip last year, this time as a competent caver doing much bigger trips. We even spent a day canoeing down the river and under the arch, like I did when I was 13. Except this time, I capsized, whereas I managed to stay afloat at 13! Life goes in circles!

 

[MiloFrance]

I visited Alderley Edge on an open day in 2016 a chap called Anton guided a trip I was on. I met the rest of the club on cave and mine trips over the coming months and found that they were "my kind of crazy". I came for the caves, and stayed for the community (and also the caves)!

I agree, there are few communities that feel as welcoming as the caving variety. I do miss it but life goes on, in whatever direction it takes.

 

[Mr Mike]

Mine exploring, not caving.... When I started college, fellow student on same course talked about going down mines with his dad since a young lad. A group of us ended up driving to Matlock Bath, got drunk in the Fish Pond, then set off to sleep down Cumberland Cavern, followed by a explore of the Wapping Mine next day. Hooked. Did this a number of times, met his dad (Don Edwards) who took us down other mines and eventually introduced us to Nenthead.

 

[Frog2]

Might need a new heading - my introduction to the world of caving started with a management course that used the outdoors to highlight the classroom lessons. About a dozen of us from the company attended the course based at the Scotch Corner Hotel circa 1988.The first venture underground was an attempt to survey Richmond Copper mine from that bit alone I was hooked. A trip to Windegg Mine Caverns followed (and yes there was bad air, another story) the final trip (via helicopter!) was to Crackpot Cave to meaasure the Column and count the Turnips!

3 of us on the course loved the caving and got the organisers to take us out subsequently, with a weekend in the Peak District visiting Giants and Carlswark. We then formed our own club - Swiss Re Trogs - even got some company sponsorship. In theory the club continues but little caving is now done.

 

[Graigwen]

Mrs Trellis was also instrumental in my demise into this sport..1985.
I had been caving with Scouts and was then advised to join a club. Stockport Cave Group was my club of choice(In Stockport there were 5 clubs to chose from). Mrs Trellis was the secretary of the SCG and kinda took me and my mate under his wing. I also remember his God awful 5mm, 2 pc divers wetsuit. It was so stiff, it used to stand up on its own.

Mrs Trellis had a way with equipment, but he did get us all making our own wet suits with a certain amount of competence. He could never be accused of extravagance. For tasks such as waistlengths he recommended very cheap nylon rope from the Farmers Co-Op. It was 1000lbs breaking strain, flat discontinuous filament Nylon. At least it was 1000lbs breaking strain until it got wet and the filaments slid over each other.
Did he promise you girls?
.

 

[Mrs Trellis]

Mrs Trellis had a way with equipment, but he did get us all making our own wet suits with a certain amount of competence. He could never be accused of extravagance. For tasks such as waistlengths he recommended very cheap nylon rope from the Farmers Co-Op. It was 1000lbs breaking strain, flat discontinuous filament Nylon. At least it was 1000lbs breaking strain until it got wet and the filaments slid over each other.
Did he promise you girls?
.

To be fair the commission I got from the Co-op came in handy.

 

[Fatman]

School trips in 1980 to 1982. Not bad considering the school was in Northamptonshire. Our physics teacher took us to the dales, Derbyshire and Mendips.

 

[PeteHall]

TLDR: I was a climber and I turned to the dark side.

I like to tell people that caving is in the family, as my Grandmother was a caver, but in truth, caving skipped a generation and I was left to discover it again for myself.

I must start with a credit to my physics teacher, Dr Lungley, who got to the point of leaving me excluded from class until everyone else was settled down, before I was even allowed to enter and make my way to the naughty corner. I went on to get 100% in one of my A-level physics modules and I blame my disruptive behaviour on boredom; nevertheless, I was a disruptive little sh!t and 'Lungers' had every reason to hate me.

Now one day, I happened to notice Lungers rummaging in the boot of his car, and I happened to notice that the boot of his car was full of ropes and harnesses and helmets. I asked if they were for the climbing wall on the end of one of the gym buildings and he said yes. I asked if I could have a go and he should rightfully have told me to piss off, but he said yes.

With the support of Lungers, Dr Chalk, and Mr (or was it Dr) Shaw (who occasionally posts on this forum), we managed to set up a climbing club on a Thursday afternoon, so that a bunch of us could avoid getting shouted at to run up and down a rugby pitch. And there began my love of outdoor recreation.

Fast forward a few years and by then a keen climber, my mother paid for me and a friend to do the 'Adventure Caving Experience' at Cheddar Caves for my 15th birthday. It wasn't climbing, but I loved it and was extremely keen to go again, so when I saw the caving club at Durham University freshers fair, I signed up straight away, but my time was yet to come...

The weekly emails from DUSA went something like this:

Training at the gym, 7pm tomorrow. Disappointment Pot this weekend. Speak to little Chris if you want to go.

The idea of weight training before a day outdoors seemed alien to me. "Disappointment" sounded, well, disappointing and anyway, I didn't know who little Chris was anyway, so I stuck to climbing and days walking in Northumberland or the Lakes, pleased to be in such a wild part of the country.

One Sunday evening, I was late back to college for dinner after a day in the hills and sat next to the only person still there and got chatting to Ian, who'd just got back from caving.

Having discovered that it was SRT training, not weight training at the gym, I turned up the next week and never looked back!

 

[mrodoc]

I hadn't realised how long I had been fascinated by caves until I found a visitor's book entry from my grandfather's detailing a through trip in Giants Grave cave at Halton Gill when I was eight. Then dug in the caves in Chard (not really caves) when 12 before finally seriously getting going after asking my father about it aged 14. Two years later I had written an article for the Speleologist!

 

[mikem]

It was also lovely to go back to ardeche on a caving trip last year, this time as a competent caver doing much bigger trips. We even spent a day canoeing down the river and under the arch, like I did when I was 13. Except this time, I capsized, whereas I managed to stay afloat at 13! Life goes in circles!

Youngsters are more stable...

 

[JAA]

Grew up and indeed still live in Arkengarthdale and was always fascinated and slightly terrified of the mine entrances on my grandparents farm (slei gill and storthwaite for anyone who knows it)
Tentative looks to the limit of daylight and terror and eventually persuaded my dad to ask the local “man who goes down the old mines” (Dave Carlisle) to take me down one. A trip to Danby level ensued and buying an old NCB helmet and lamp.
Asked the local outdoor centre if a strange 13 yr old could come along at a weekend and do some volunteering and go on one of their caving trips and found myself hanging out there every weekend until I was 18-19
Age 14 mines weren’t quite doing it so Swaledale Outdoor Club took me under their wing and after a few heart stopping moments like climbing entirely out of an old whillans harness at the head of the ladder in Hagg Gill Pot and then almost falling straight back down said ladder, I caved with them every weekend for 10 years. By 15 I’d done penyghent pot, juniper gulf etc.
By 17 I was helping Tony Seddon with a diving project in Brown Hill Pot and thought that looked quite interesting so bought the worlds least good diving equipment and poked myself through the langstroth sump’s a few times. Thankfully for my continued existence JNC and Tony and others gave and continue to give much sound advice and help with projects!
Time more limited now with a daughter and a job and middle age but very much still consider myself a caver and sometime underwater potholer when a small and expendable diver is required.
Caving has made me some life long friends, cave diving has lost me some. Seen some amazing places and it turned a shy and socially awkward teenager into well, a shy and socially awkward 42 yr old man. Cest la vie!

 

[menacer]

Venture scouts.
Saturday morning Goatchurch for the first timers like me, Saturday afternoon Sidot for those that had been caving before....like me. 😏
Addicted in one day.
Joined Yeovil college caving club.
Worked towards a sump one trip, as our year end finale, which coincided with my birthday.
The team crapped out at the double pots.

That weekend I took a bus to Wells, went into BaT products where I announced to JRat I want to go caving.

He put me in touch with a Wessex member who lived near me and that was that.
34 years later still active.
Mostly lava tubes now.
Especially those in the Canary Islands.

 

[2xw]

Got lowered down swinsto by Yorkshires Simon C (tho not sure he enjoys being reminded of this as it was 14 years ago)

Then really got hooked when some CRO folks from Skipton College took me underground during my outdoor ed course

 

[allawet]

1968 with Sheffield university speleological society after a party.

A January bus ride to Castleton deep in snow. Hike up Winnets pass to find Oxlow Hole covered in a 8ft drift. Shovels from the railway cattle truck shed/hostel to dig a 10ft x 3ft trench. Woolies, boiler suits and hobnails.

Solid iron ladders on every pitch. 6hrs with an old NCB knife cell that lasted 4hrs.

Pitch black and well below freezing in a gale on return. Refused entry to the first 4 pubs because rag week the previous weekend had been riotous.

Last bus 11.00pm

Legend and hooked

 

[Dai MacDonald]

It must be going back about 13 years at least, when my mate Gareth kept going on about caving as a kid in school, and wanting to do it again. I was the complete opposite, with the stereotypical views of caving being terrifying and claustrophobic, so that was that…until 2021!
In 2021 Gareth upped his game on recruiting anybody to go caving with him, still no luck though. Feeling quite sorry for my mate not being able to follow his passion, I said “okay, I’ll come to a cave entrance with you, but no further. I’m not crawling or squeezing anywhere”. Gareth was happy with that result.
A few weeks later we put our walking boots on and walked from Dowlais, up to trefoil, and across to the Chartist cave. On arriving at the Chartist there were two women there, and Gareth started talking to them. Without a moment’s hesitation I grabbed my torch and headed into the passage on the right. Shocked Gareth follows me in as I’m coming out, and I’m immediately into the left passage and through the slit. I didn’t realise it at the time, but this was caving becoming my new hobby. Amazed with the short sections of passage we headed round into trefil quarry to find ogof tarddiad Rhymney. We found it and we’re peering in through the entrance, and we didn’t really have a good perspective until we spotted a section of conservation tape, and in a moment the scale of the entrance chamber was put into perspective.
We both agreed next weekend we’re coming back and getting into there, and we did, but without helmets, and less that 50 metres into the cave Gareth cracked his head open and we had to get back out as it was bleeding a lot. We agreed we don’t go caving without helmets. So two weeks later we’ve bought helmets from screwfix for £15.99, and we’ve not stopped the progress since.
We’ve become involved with cave digging and prospecting, as well as registering our own cave discoveries.
Caving very quickly consumed me, and all I was thinking about was that curious subterranean world.
Soon after starting we began recording our trips, and started a YouTube channel, D&G The Great Indoors, where we share most of our caving trips, and digging trips.
I don’t think I’ve ever had such a turn around on feelings, with it actually inducing fear and panic into me while sat in a house, to being totally consumed by it.
I’m a caver for life…or as long as my body lets me be.

 

[SpeleoNessie]

Those bloody students, they're to blame!