How long have you been at it? CAVING I MEAN! (deary me!)

[tiggs]

How long have you been caving?

 

[paul]

Started with some school friends in 1974.

 

[dunc]

Started in early 1997 - in Dales walking/mountain biking and it just kinda happened after an evening walk where we 'stumbled' across Dead Mans Caves (Giggleswick Scar area) - a worthy classic if you're ever passing! :roll:

 

[cap n chris]

schoolfriends, 1977

 

[graham]

Greater London South West Scouts 1969 :shock:

 

[Cumbrian Neil]

I started in school when I was 14... my first trip underground was in Long Churn... followed by some ladder work in Sell Gill... and then an introduction to SRT down Stream Passage Pot (those deviations were a bitch) to retrieve a "forgotten" tackle bag. I've never looked back!! I can't believe it has been 19 years!!

 

[sittingnev]

beeen caving since 2000, My mate at uni talked about it so much I thought I'd tag along, still going (Just)

 

[pisshead]

Since 2002 - joined Uni, stupidly spoke to a guy wandering around the freshers' fair wearing full Caving kit (with SRT kit).

never looked back

 

[cap n chris]

Blimey, he was really lost! Lucky for him you bumped into him otherwise he might never have made it!

 

[zomjon]

In search of a climbing partner back in 1991 in deepest darkest Dudley, I took the advice of a mad irish woman in my local chippy of trying out the old wreck of a school opposite. I found it filled with ropes forming a spiderweb across the walls and in a little hideaway, the most down to earth bunch of lads you're ever likely to meet in a caving club, or any other club most likely! However much I try to retire, caving keeps dragging me back :shock:

 

[T pot]

my first cave was under the castle rock in nottingham, no not mortimers hole, but lean gate where the river lean ran under the rock before it was diverted way back in time. This first trip was around 1967, then i joined the pegasus in 1971 and caved ever since

 

[SamT]

Sporadically for since the early eighties. Few trips wi me dad. Quite a few with scouts - spent 10 - 15 years climbing - then caved solid for the last 4 years.

 

[Dave H]

I talked a teacher into taking a few of us when I was 14 (1980). He only saw it as a way of shagging the 6th form girls, but it allowed the rest of us access to Whernside Manor, and some real cavers who took us on a few trips. I remember standing at the entrance to Swinstow Pot on my third ever trip and being told we were not going to use ladders for this trip and being presented with a rack (something I had never seen before).:uhoh: [It was a fairly steep learning curve!]

I joined Cerberus when I was a student, as the fallen down, but still used, cottage had appeal (especially the axe throwing competitions in the lounge :crazy: ), and we didn't need much gear for Mendip caves.

I've been training students (until the Uni. club was closed down) and Scouts ever since, and am still a Cerberus member.
Oh and, unsuccessfully, trying to get on other clubs foreign trips! :wink:

 

[ian mckenzie]

1979. My second trip was bottoming a 386m deep pot with thirteen pitches; I had never even seen vertical gear before that.

 

[Cavegod]

February 1994 best thing i ever did!

 

[tiggs]

First trip was with Bewerley Park in 1985, never gave caving another minutes thought until hubby got involved in 2002, spent six months thinking he had a screw loose, somehow got persuaded that it was a great idea to give it a go, went down Calf Holes in May 2003. Would go more often if the kids could do SRT....;-)

 

[Rhys]

I believe I was first taken caving by my father at the age of 18months into OFDI in a Karrimor Papoose. That would've been about 1976 I suppose. I couldn't get enough of it as a kid and kept badgering my dad to take me....

Rhys

 

[Mrs Trellis]

First went caving in June 1959 - Old Tor Mine in the Winnats. My school had a summer camp at Edale (Cooper's) and my form master was both the rugby master and a maths master. So he took us to Old Tor Mine to survey it for a practical demonstration of trigonometry. Most blokes at my school went to Alderley Edge but I always preferred the limestone. This entailed a bus to Barmoor Clough or the Wanted (luxury) and then walking to Giants or train to Edale and walking. During the severe winter of 1962 we had to tunnel our way into Giants through a snowdrift (a bit like that piccy of Moose). Of course Giants hadn't been transformed and you had the wet crawl near the entrance, Pillar Crawl, and Backwash sump to negotiate. Later on Jimmy Lovelock's son came to school and we got a caving group going. We had a dig in Flagdale - above Wormhill Springs and travelled to Millers dale on the train and walked from there. One bloke from Disley (rich) had a car so we got down to Matlock once - we went in those part mines part caves which are now in Gulliver's Theme Park - Speedwell? and and we even had a camp at Easegill for a week. Bullpot Farm was then a ruin with a goat living in it. We also had a trip down Baggy guided by Mr. Joseph Revell. He left Park Drive dimps along the Agony Crawl precisely placed to make you crawl around them. I ended my school days as House Rugby Captain and a member of Eldon. This was in the days of Dr Hugh Kydd, Jim Kinsman, Geoff Dobson, Soppy, Wacker etc. Grotty Gill joined at the same time 1965 ish - Woolly Bully by Sam the Sham was top of the hit parade then. I then went to Uni and caved in South wales and Mendip till I returned to the North West. By that time the SRT age had well and truly dawned.