Which (Mendip) cave have you visited this week?

Bath Swallet to Rods pot last night.
I've only ever done the through trip the other way around so it was good to try it this way. Due to a life long fear of heights I've not learned SRT and hadnt tried abseiling until this year. We laddered to the ledge and abseiled the rest from there. The pitch was drippy but connection was just a puddle. Nervous about ascending Purple Pot but it was fine. Came out of Rods really quickly so went back into Bath for me to practice some rigging and also to abseil the top half of the pitch I had missed out on earlier. Stream was flowing outside so had a quick wash.
Now need to return to do the pull through..
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Hunters Lodge Inn Sink yesterday, been quite a few years since I've been down the pitch. There was a lot of water in the section below Pewter Pot, I went feet first through a nearly duck where I managed to miss the rock ledges and end up up to my neck in water and into a swim. Extremely cold after this point, after looking around beyond the water I managed to slip off the ledge on the way back out, taking a second swim which took me longer to get out of due to getting my helmet wedged in the duck. The only time I've been in this part of the cave it was much easier to stand on the rock ledges and stay much more dry, so with that memory I hadn't worn a wet suit. Shivering uncontrollably and feeling sick/ dizzy I managed to get back up the pitch. From there I decided movement really wasn't warming me up, put on my balaclava which was thankfully in the dry bag and for the first time in my life got into my survival bag. The bag helped to stop the shivering and helping to pull in the lifeline slack also warmed me. Once everyone was up the pitch I felt well enough to continue out of the cave. I've gotten really wet in caves before, but not ever felt that instantly hypothermic. I think standing at the bottom of the dripping pitch waiting for everyone to get down the ladder meant my body was already pretty cold before the swim. Any hint of water on a trip and I'll be wearing my wetsuit next time!
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Only been true hypothermic once. On a long stop diving I thought I would use heliair 14/33 for suit inflation completely disregarding the fact that helium has no insulating property. Some nasty caving callouts are relating to hypothermia. The mind and body just give up. Always worth considering in advance. The long wait in saturated woolly jumpers at the bottom of the old Swildons 40 comes to mind. Looking forward to RH next week.
 
The Old Ruminator said:
Only been true hypothermic once. On a long stop diving I thought I would use heliair 14/33 for suit inflation completely disregarding the fact that helium has no insulating property. Some nasty caving callouts are relating to hypothermia. The mind and body just give up. Always worth considering in advance. The long wait in saturated woolly jumpers at the bottom of the old Swildons 40 comes to mind. Looking forward to RH next week.
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Yeah it's one of those things I always give good consideration to usually, I had on thermal layers under my furry which I thought would be sufficient for a cold trip. Currently reading Alan Grays history of Mendip cave rescue and there's quite a few reports about the old 40.
 
A bit more now that I have recovered a bit.

Martin Grass took two of the old people that were in the "Frozen Deep " discovery team into Reservoir Hole yesterday. Four and a half hours for the usual tour. No photos taken. All very fresh and shiny and rather damp. Stream in the entrance passage. Our engineering looked sound. Nothing rusted out. The silly sign re "Glanvill's Grottole" still in place. Part of the history now. It was there that we nearly gave up. Undercut petering out. Long trundle back to Topless with stacking space filled up. In desperation we went up and Alison Moody found a space. " Great Expectations " " Hard Times " followed that then the breakthough into " Resurrection " . Nigel Cox's echoing voice coming back " it's huge ". That completed the Easter theme Golgotha - Resurrection - Ascension and Heaven's Landing. " Resurrection " also said something about the mostly retired people who found it. No photos as I probably have enough at 2,000 plus.
 
Good trip into Swildons last night, group split into two with one easier trip around the upper series and then a challenge set by Andy S to see how much distance you can cover in Swildons upper series without retracing your steps.. took my camera but forgot to take any photos. Got a nice soaking in the wet way and managed the bit of passage high above it that I've always been too scared to continue along. Came out via the tree that seems to be leaning even more than I remembered..
 
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Pen Park Hole, was really looking forward to descending the pitch, but the air felt terrible for me from the get go. No matter how many times I cave in bad air I can't seem to get past the feeling of panic and just wanting to exit the cave when it occurs. Everyone else was okay enough to descend/ ascend the pitch. Really interesting geology and history to the cave, and quite special to go underground not far from where I grew up. Still feeling rubbish a few hours after coming out the cave, I think having chronic iron deficiency effects how bad air makes me feel, or I'm just generally too much of an anxious person to deal with it! 3 frogs rescued. Much appreciation to Wayne for leading us. Busy Bristol pubs aren't the same as post caving Hunters.
 
In my mind I did Swildon's upper series, in by the zig zags down to the 20 (long dry way) and out short wet!! (I hate Eastwater!!)

Next week I are planning to visit "Where Angels Fear to Tread" in WhitePit!!
 
Anyone been Mendip Christmas caving? This evening it was Christmas caving in Goatchurch with Cheddar Caving Club. A quiz where if you didn't know the answers you could use a cave survey to search them out in the cave. Neither my general knowledge or cave survey reading are the best, but pleased I could answer the question about which cave 'Beaver Cheese' is in! Alas we didn't win, but I think that means we don't have to organise next year's capers 😄
 
wormster said:
In my mind I did Swildon's upper series, in by the zig zags down to the 20 (long dry way) and out short wet!! (I hate Eastwater!!)

Next week I are planning to visit "Where Angels Fear to Tread" in WhitePit!!
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I've not visited White Pit, was it a good trip?
 
mikem said:
Currently no access to white pit as land has been sold
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Has anyone informed CSCC Conservation and Access Officer?
No mention on the CSCC website re White Pit access closed, or on the Access News page.
 
Yes, he requested that BEC and Wessex keys were removed from club stores - hoping to be quickly resolved, so avoiding sending out multiple messages
 
Had a look at Pots Hole, Brockley Combe, the Combe has a fast flowing stream coming down it for the last few days, apararently this has been a regular occurance over the years, so perhaps not as infrequent as MCRA indicates, climate change meaning it runs more often? We found where it was resurgung from but it didn't seem to match the description.
 

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