The Grampian Speleological Group Bulletin

Home , Cave rescue, Reed Flute Cave, Stalactite, Stalagmite

ISSN 0306 1698 the grampian speleological group bulletin

Fourth Series Vol.5 No.1

October 2011 price £2 GSG Bulletin Fourth Series Vol.5 No.1

CONTENTS

Page Number

Editorial 1 Meet Reports 2 Additions to the Library 5 Help Ma Boab! 10 Chamber at Knowle Hill 13 Rob Roy’s Cave 15 Caving in the Abode of the Clouds 16 Update on Articles in the Scots Magazine 27 Mine at Easter Carriber 29 Cave Illustrations of Scotland (2) 31 The Wanlockhead Beam Engine Shaft 32 Lawfield Mine: The Story So Far 34 Mendip Migration 2011 37 Notes on Arbroath Caves 39 Scottish Speleophilately (2) 40 Meet Note: Traligill Rising 41 The Discovery and Exploration of Flood Resurgence No.II, Applecross 42 Hurrah, Hurrah, We Bring the Jubilee 47

Cover: Joe Holiday lifelining in Sunset Hole, 1964. Design: A. Jeffreys

Obtainable from:

The Grampian Speleological Group 8 Scone Gardens EDINBURGH EH8 7DQ

(0131 661 1123)

Web Site: http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/~arb/gsg/

E-mail (Editorial) [email protected] -1- The Grampian Speleological Group

Editorial:

Some 48 years ago I spoke in these pages about members involving themselves in the national matrix of UK caving clubs - benefits accruing in both directions of course as relationships are formed and knowledge broad- ened. Sadly, much of that earlier editorial very definitely fell on stony ground.

During the intervening period we have gained English members who are deeply engaged in national business: people such as Nick Williams, Bob Mehew and Trevor Faulkner. Yet the Scottish GSG itself, despite attaining the grand old age of 50, still shies away from organisational commitment. As a significant, active club we have no visible presence in BCRA, BCA or the regional councils.

Now that we have matured (or in some cases, gone past our sell-buy date!) perhaps it is high time this subject was re-visited. Is it not right and proper that we pulled our weight? Why doesn’t someone offer themselves for election as club representative onto the committee of the Council of Northern Caving Clubs or NAMHO? At the very least it would stimulate regular outings to English caving regions. We are members of both organ- isations and have reaped the benefits of the former for over 40 years without reciprocating the favour.

So too, with attendances at Hidden Earth. Why is the Grampian so reluctant to cross the border and enjoy? There are tremendous opportunities to network, wheedle one’s way onto expeditions and, not least, learn what everyone else is up to. I say this isolation is unhealthy, engendering a genus of inferiority merely because our home turf cannot support really extensive cave systems. I say, begone dull apathy! Even if travel to committee meetings has to be part funded by the club, high time we were out there doing our bit. Additionally, those of a technical or scientific frame of mind should support the BCRA field trips. A lot is happening out there that should also be happening up here. While I’m at it, I plead - again - for members to subscribe to ‘Descent’ and/or BCRA publications because without your support they become economically unviable.

Open your eyes and minds to what is important in - yes - cave politics. Anathema to us all but if you follow my editorials, you will be aware how enmeshed we are with interfering bureaucracy. If we can’t fight them, at least join them and help keep the leash tight. It’s your pastime that is constantly being threatened by em- pire-building functionaries with no proper grasp of speleological realities, but without active, informed oppo- sition by ourselves, they will, eventually, walk all over you. Do you care enough about caving to ensure its future remains as attractive and alluring to the adventurous at heart as it was when you decided to get involved? It is encouraging that the present government is tackling the problem of ‘ambulance-chasing’ lawyers purchas- ing details from insurance companies. Litigation is at the root of most restrictive regulation, but the absence of a vigorous, well-supported ‘political’ lobby within the speleological community will, inevitably - inevitably - open the door to even more ridiculous legislation and curtailment of freedoms we presently take for granted. We must not leave it to others or depend on the faithful few. That is unfair and selfish. Get involved! ***** At the time of writing, exploration is still proceeding at Applecross on the most significant new cave system to be found in Scotland for almost two decades. Without broadcasting its location too widely, because we value the prolific formations within, we can confidently expect much in the way of extension in future and an ultimate link-up with Cave of the Liar cannot be ruled out. Astonishing to think that Scotland is actually a contender for J-Rat’s Digging Award this year when compared to the comparatively rich pickings on Mendip, particularly if we play Tony’s card that “a metre found in Scotland is equivalent to ten metres anywhere else!”. It would appear that Jurassic limestones are much more prone to producing fine decorations: Cave of the Liar, Breakish Caves and now this. Perhaps it is due to the relative quantity of magnesium in the rock? Fortuitously, this discovery occurred simultaneous to our celebrating 50 years of cave exploration in Scotland and our efforts at publicity were greatly assisted by having a wonderful new find to tempt journalists - ever seeking to find an ‘angle’ on which to construct their stories. A hearty vote of thanks is offered to the Lochalsh team for their persistent digging and exploration in this remote part of the Highlands. The discovery is their well-deserved -2- reward for several years battering themselves down body-sized, oversuit-shredding little caves on Skye and at Kishorn so more strength to their combined elbows.

While I’m on the subject of members’ achievements, let us not overlook the work being master-minded by Mark Stanford in East Lothian, where some fascinating old mine workings have been revealed after a lot of clearance on the sea shore at Thorntonloch. Some genuine archaeology is being revealed which will eventually require careful recording. Perhaps not as romantic as natural cave, but the quest of the GSG to record all underground phenomena is expedited by such commitment, and shows an admirable dedication to wringing as much information from one site as is humanly possible. This is what the club is all about and I am proud to share in their success. Alan L. Jeffreys, Editor. -----oOo----- MEET REPORTS (to 18.9.11) (Edinburgh logbooks only)

The summer has of course been dominated by the news from Applecross, with many members travelling up to tour this new discovery, but elsewhere a pleasing variety of trips helped to keep activity at a reasonable level.

ARGYLL

In May, two members enjoyed trips up Draught Caledonian and down Uamh nan Claig-ionn. The following week three explored Cave of Broken Expectations (after a tiresome search for same!)

Alex Latta examined some short tunnels near Oban in July, probably remnants of some mining activity. There were more trips to Uamh Duilean Bhriste and Uamh nan Claig-ionn also in July.

EAST LOTHIAN

Mark Stanford has devoted a lot of time clearing tidal debris from a curious set of workings at Thorntonloch, near Torness power station. In early June, accompanied by Alex Latta and Bob Sommerville, he gained access to approximately 150 metres of passage, containing some spectacularly sticky mud. One branch ends in a sump but clearly continues at a lower level. At the end of June, five members returned and dug down to bedrock at the entrance, achieving some drainage of standing water, while Alex and Goon measured the mud passage. Further digs in July revealed yet another entrance nearby and Mark has spent much time since clearing the foreground at this site.(See this issue).

LANARKSHIRE

In May, John Crae and Fraser Simpson carried out a video survey of the shaft directly under the beam engine at Wanlockhead. This leads into the far reaches of Lochnell Lead Mine and is 20 metres deep, with timber platforms and staging. A negotiable passage could be seen at the bottom.

MIDLOTHIAN

An SCRO call to Bilston Glen in May witnessed the retrieval of Jim Salvona from the bottom of a 20ft open shaft which he had unfortunately fallen down, but later the same month he managed a visit to Clubbiedean Reservoir Tunnel, penetrating 46 metres before calling a halt.

In June, some warm-up trips prior to the Club’s 50th Jubilee Dinner saw a Friday pub crawl to re-visit as many old club meeting places as still existed and on Saturday 18th a large party went down Mary King’s Close and South Bridge Vaults in Edinburgh, had lunch, then did the deeper dungeons of Edinburgh Castle. Other parties toured Gilmerton Cove. -3- MID-WALES

With the NAMHO conference being in Shrewsbury, the Shropshire Mining Club organised many field trips. Goon gave a talk on Scottish mines and joined a party going into the Ogof and Victoria Vein lead mine at Llanymynech in Powys.

MORAYSHIRE

Eleven members spent an enjoyable afternoon in July visiting sea caves along the coast at Lossiemouth. All walk-in, with the largest being about 100 metres in length.

NEW ZEALAND

During a March visit to the Antipodes, Anne and Dick Grindley looked at Crazy Paving Cave, Opara Arch and Box Canyon Cave at Karamea on the South Island.

PEEBLESSHIRE

As part of the Jubilee celebrations, in June Goon took a reporter into Jeanie Barrie’s Cave for a live broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland’s Fred MacCaulay show.

PERTHSHIRE

Another pre-Jubilee meet in June saw seven members sloshing about in the Trinafour caves where some photographs were taken.

In July, David Morrison and Jane Stewart-Bollen toured the Foss and Lassintullich caves on Schiehallion and the same month Alex Latta and Carol Dickson examined boulder caves on Bealach nam Bo near Loch Ka- trine.

ROSS AND CROMARTY

Needless to say, activity in Applecross has been markedly increased following the discovery of a highly decorated cave in the Jurassic limestones there. In March, Dave Morrison and Ritchie Simpson exploited some choked faults and carried out more digging in Flake Pot and in April they were successful in discovering a three metre pitch into a decorated chamber and some 15 metres of new passage. However, the same month this team, augmented by Jane Stewart-Bollen, opened up a flood resurgence nearby and found, after a low canal 50 metres long, a series of highly decorated chambers, which were pushed for 180 metres and house un- questionably the finest formations in any Scottish cave. At the end of April, some other members returning from Sutherland were guided through the new discovery which had a number of promising leads.

Also in April, there were trips to Cave of the Liar and Blacksmith’s Pot, as well as Spar and High Pasture Cave on Skye. Eighteen members had some tourist trips down the Flood Resurgence in June and also probed the bottom of Brindle’s Rift and Flood Resurgence No.1. At the end of the month, Toby Speight and Tam Barton investigated a sandstone fissure on the Allt Breaghairch, dug Resurgence No.1 and worked with a crowbar in F.R. No.2 without any major breakthroughs.

In June, an Inverness contingent made tourist trips down Flood Resurgence No.2 and Cave of the Liar.

SOUTH WALES

In July, on the occasion of the wedding of Kate Janossy and Fraser Stephens, a party of eight carried out a trip -4- up Ogof Craig yr Ffynnon, but celebrations curtailed any other caving during the weekend!

SUTHERLAND

Some site monitoring for SNH was undertaken in March with descents of (old) Claonaite as far as Viaduct Se- ries, ANUSC and Toll Radain. Simultaneously, Derek Pettiglio led three others to Claonaite 7 via Rana Hole and an inspection of Campbell’s Cave was made. The next day there were trips into Uamh Cul Eoghainn and Uamh an Tartair. Midweek March saw Greg and Becki Carter plus mum touring Smoo Cave.

In April there were visits to all the Bone Caves, Rana Hole and Campbell’s Cave, and site monitoring for SNH was completed in Lower Traligill Cave and Cnoc nan Uamh and a rising below Glenbain, mentioned by Ford in 1959 but inactive since, was examined, once again issuing a strong flow.

April was the time of the Mendip Migration and much digging was achieved in Campbell’s Cave, while sub- stantial amounts of the fittings in Rana Hole were dismantled and removed. Also, a quartzite boulder partially blocking Uamh an Claonaite was removed. Toll Radain was also the centre of attention for digging. It is now about 7 metres deep.

In June, site monitoring and photography was carried out in Rana as far as 2 B’s Chamber and in Claonaite 7, while Martin Hayes inspected Uamh Cailliche Peireag. Ross Davidson performed a dive into Constitution Cave in the Summer Isles in July. Very impressive with a maximum depth of 15 metres. In late August, Ivan Young and Tim Lawson examined Bone, Bear and ANUS caves for a baseline survey of Pleistocene remains and Quaternary sediments, finding some odd bits of bone, probably quite recent.

In September, there were trips into Cnoc nan Uamh in connection with an SCRO exercise, and Ivan finished off his SNH work at Bear and Bone Caves. Later, a walk behind Lyne Cottage, opposite Ledbeg, revealed only a few immature shakeholes.

WEST LOTHIAN

At the end of April, Goon and Jim Salvona surveyed Mary Taylor’s Mine near Bowden Hill and in August there was a tourist trip through Bowden Hill from entrances 3 -4.

YORKSHIRE

The Spring season opened with a descent of Marilyn Pot by three members who enjoyed this new route into Disappointment Pot before winding down with a trek up Great Douk Cave.

In April, Goon carried out a solo exploration of Dove Holes, a series of mine workings near Dow Cave during a drive to Skipton to organise printing of our Jubilee book and the following weekend a group of five did some SRT training in Yordas Cave whilst six others went down Rowten and Bull Pots. The next day a party of nine bottomed Sell Gill Holes.

At the beginning of May, along with some Cambridge Univ C.C., there were descents of Simpson’s and Bull Pots and later in the week, Goon made solo explorations of most caves in the Attermire area, undertook tourist trips into White Scar and Stump Cross and crawled around Runscar Cave. Also in June, the annual Founder’s Day rope ladder trip saw three descend Sell Gill (efficiently avoiding - and overtaking - the customary string parties!)

An abortive investigation of Pippikin Pot in July was scarcely redeemed by a search for The Mistral which ended with an exploration of Boulder Cave instead (squalid). ------oOo------5- ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY (to 1.9.11)

1. BOOKS:

Goehring, L. (2008) On the Scaling and Ordering of Columnar Joints Evans, C.M. (1936) The Secret River.[childrens’ novel] Corrin, J. & P. Smith (2010) Matienzo. 50 Years of Speleology (+ DVD & sheet map) Barker,I. & J.S. Beck (2010) Caves of the Peak District Workman, G. (2007) 105 Days Below Whinray, R. (2009) Tot Lord. One of the Yorkshire Dales Greatest Characters Battye, R. (1989) Tunnel at Quarry Woods. [childrens’ novel] Unsworth, W. (1970) Whistling Clough [childrens’ novel] Unsworth, W. (1968) The Devil’s Mill [childrens’ novel] Monk. P. [Ed] (2011) Shuttleworth Pot into Witches Cave II Oldham, A.D. et al (1991) The Concise Caves of Devon. (Revised ed.) Bedek, J. et al (2009) World Under World. Exhibition Catalogue on Faunal Biodiversity in Croatia O’Brien, W. (1996) Bronze Age Copper Mining in Britain and Ireland Merriam, R.L. (1980) Curious Emily [ children’s novel. Miniature book] Wark, G. (1999)The Rise & Fall of Mining Communities in Central Ayrshire in the 19th & 20th Centuries. A. Pearce [Ed] (2010) A Field Guide to Stiperstones Mines, Shropshire Rieuwerts, J.H. (1972)Derbyshire’s Old Lead Mines and Miners Smith R. [Ed] (2010) 50 Years of Mining History Burgess, P. (2008) Surrey’s Ancient Stone Mines Callender, R.M. & J. Macaulay (1984) The Ancient Metal Mines of the Isle of Islay, Argyll Shaw, M. (2009) The Lead, Copper and Barytes Mines of Shropshire Hutton, G. (2010) Shale Oil. A History of the Industry in the Lothians Hutton, G. (1996) Mining. Ayrshire’s Lost Industry Ransome, A. (1936) Pigeon Post [childrens’ novel]

2. SHEET SURVEYS: Approx. Scale Scrafton Pot, Yorkshire (1968) 2cms = 25ft Cueva del Agua, Spain (1970) 2 cms + 10m Aven et Grotte du Marzal, France (1892) 1cm = 5m Holloch, Switzerland (1970) 5cms + 500m Dobros Resurgence Cave, Spain 2cms = 10m Black Rock Quarry Cave, South Wales (1961) 2cms = 20ft Pozo de los Pontones, Spain (1970) 2cms = 10m Peak-Speedwell System, Derbyshire (1981) 89cms = 100m Green Cathedral Cave System, Sarawak (2000) [3 sheets] 2cms = 25m Hornbills Secret Cave, Sarawak (2001) 1cm = 10m Assam Hill System, Sarawak (2000) 2cvms = 20m Spirit’s River Cave, Sarawak (2000) 2cms = 20m Compendium Cave, Sarawak (2000) 2cms = 20m Babylon Cave, Sarawak (2000) [2 sheets] 3cms = 20m Deliverance Cave, Sarawak (2002) 3cms = 100m Snail Shell Cave, Sarawak (2002) 3cms = 50m

3. CAVING JOURNALS:

Acta Carsologica (History of Cave Studies in Trinidad etc) Vol. 22 No.1 (1993) Association for Mexican Cave Studies, Bulletin No.1 (1967) -6- British Caving Association, Newsletter No.14 (2011) British Caving Association, Handbook 2012 (2011) Bristol Exploration Club, Belfry Bulletin Nos. 537,538,539 (2010-11) Bristol Exploration Club, Vintager’s Bulletin May (2011) British Cave Research Association, Cave and Karst Science Vol.38 Nos.1,2 (2011) Cave Diving Group, Newsletter Nos. 179,180 (2010-11) Chelsea Spelaeological Society, Newsletter Vol.53 Nos. 3/4, 5/6, 7/8 (2011) Craven Pothole Club, Record Nos. 102,103 (2011) Cumbria Amenity Trust, ‘The Mine Explorer’ Vols.3,5,6 (1989-2008) Descent Nos. 219, 220,221 (2011) International Society for Speleological Art, Newsletter Vols. 1,2,3 (1995-97) Italian Speleological Society: Speleologia Year 32 No. 64 (2011) Mendip Caving Group, Newsletter Nos. 365,366 (2011) Mountain Rescue Nos.36,37 (2011) Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland, ‘Casbag’ No. 25 (2011) NAMHO Newsletter March (2011), June (2011)July (2011) Ordnance Survey Caving Group, Newsletter Spring-Summer (1969) Red Rose Cave and Pothole Club, Newsletter Vol.48 No.1 (2011) Shropshire Caving & Mining Club, Early History Account No. 27 (2011) South Wales Caving Club, Newsletter No. 127 (2011) Subterranea Britannica, Subterranea Nos. 26,27 (2011) UK Site Directory (2011) Univ. of Bristol Spelaeological Society, Proceedings (bound volume) Vol.2 Nos. 1,2,3 Vol.3 Nos. 1,2,3 Vol.4 Nos. 1,2,3 (1923-1935) Vol.25 No.2 (2011) Wessex Cave Club, Journal No. 323 (2011) York Caving Club, Journal No.1 (2010)

5. CAVE GUIDES, ABSTRACTS Etc.:

Guide: Wensleydale. S. Moorhouse (No date, c. 1953) Davaras, C. (1989) The Cave of Psychro, Crete Bagshaw, W. (2010) White Scar Cave. Long, H. (2008) Stump Cross Caverns Aggtelek National Park, Events guide (2005) Grobet, A-H.(1987) The Subterranean Lake of Saint-Leonard Szekely, K.. (1996) Baradla (Hungary) Guide Ellington, R. (1971) The German Underground Hospital, Jersey. 1942-1945 Gyorgy, D. (1978) Magyarorszag Idegenfogalmi Barlangjai Bolner-Takacs, K. & K. Szekely (1995) Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst Petrochilou, A. (1972) Die Hoehle Perama in Ioannina Postojna Jama, Yugoslavia. S. Fatur (1988) Mendip. An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Leaflet and map Cave Guide Leaflets: Kitely Caves, Devon La Roque St.-Christophe, France La Grotte Chauvet-Pont-Arc, France Les Grottes de Domme, France Grotte de la Luire, France Grotte du Mas d’Azil, France -7- Grotte de Bara-Bahau, France Grotte Prehistorique de Thais, France L’Aven-Grotte de Marzal, Zoo Prehistorique, France Map, Tourisme Souterrain, France Obir Caves, Germany Dachstein-Hohlen - Wunderwelt der Natur, Austria Cueva de los Verdes, Lanzarote Grottes d’Isturitz et d’Oxocelhaya, Spain La Cova del Rull, Spain The Cave of Perama, Greece Les Grottes de la Slovaquie Centrale Jaskyna Domica, Czech Republic Jaskyna Stary Hrad, Czech Republic Belanska Jaskyna, Czech Republic Jeskyne. Caves in Bohemia and Moravia, Czech Republic The Karst, Slovenia Jaskyne na Slovensku The Sloup-Sosuvske Caves, Slovenia Baredine Cave, Croatia Baradla -Barlang, Hungary The Cave of Szemlo-Hegy, Hungary The Crystal Caves of Bermuda Karamae, Kahurangi National Park ,New Zealand Reed Flute Cave in Guilin, China Shropshire Mining Club, Prospectus Allihies Copper Mine Museum, Co. Cork Sunart. Change and Survival Abstract: Into the Abyss. D. Rose. ‘Live’ Mail on Sunday Magazine July 25th, 2010, pp.22-27. No. 1307 Abstract: Caving. D. Lees. from Beginner’s Luck. The A-Z of Active Leisure (1985) pp. 17-20. No.1308 Abstract: Unlocking the Labyrinth of North Florida Springs. K. Ringle. National Geographic Vol. 195 No.3, (1999) pp. 40-59. No. 1309 Abstract: Where the Stream Sinks. A. Warild. Australian Geographic No.23 (1991) pp. 90-95. No.1310 Abstract: Saving North America’s Beleagured Bats. M.D. Tuttle. National Geographic Aug. (1995)pp. 36-57. No. 1311 Abstract: Quest for Caves in High Nepal.A.C. & J.L. Waltham. Geographical Magazine Vol. XLIV No.3, (1961) pp. 203-207. No. 1312 Abstract: Cave Woman. H. Barton. FORBES Magazine.April 11th (2005) pp. 64-66. No. 1313 Abstract: Deadly Haven: Mexico’s Poisonous Cave. National Geographic, May (2001) pp. 70-85. No. 1314 Abstract: A Hole in the Ground. S. Brown. Scouting Magazine Jan. (1974).pp. 26-28. No. 1315 Abstract: Talking Dirty. G. Birtles. High Magazine No. 93 (1990) pp. 44-45. No.1316 Abstract: Diving the Cave-Lair of the Lusca. R. Palmer. Diver Vol. 27 No.l1 (1982) pp. 16-18. No. 1317 Abstract: Life Lines. G. Newman. Diver Vol. 41 No.10 (1996) pp. 41-43. No. 1318 Abstract: Shadowing Steffi in the Blue Holes. J. Bantin. Diver Vol.42 No.11 (1997) pp. 78-81. No.1319 Abstract: Diving Wookey. B. Eaton. Triton Vol.22 No.9 (1977) pp. 388-91. No. 1320 Abstract: Cave New World. G. Newman. Diver Jan.(2001) pp. 38-41. No. 1321 Abstract: Cave Class. D. Burton. Diver Vol.41 No.7 (1996) pp. 56-59. No. 1322 Abstract: Blue Holes: Cave Diving in the Bahamas. R. Palmer. High Magazine No.5 (1982) pp.42-43. No. 1323 Abstract: Clare’s Caves. Anon. Diver Vol.l32 No.12 (1997) p.43. No. 1324 Abstract: Caving - Bahamas-style. R. Wylde. Scuba World No.82 (1996) pp. 24-25. No.1325 Abstract: Plain Crazy! P. Rogers. Diver Vol.34 No.6 (1989) pp. 44-49. No.1326 Abstract: Into the Unknown. Anon. Diver Vol.31 No.12(1986) pp. 26-27. No. 1327 -8- Abstract: Billingshurst Revisited. A. Carmichael. Scuba World No. 57 (1994) p.34 No. 1328 Abstract: Tunnel - No Vision. A. Watkinson. Diver, Sept (1982) p.23. No. 1329 Abstract: Between Two Floors. Anon. Diver June (2001) pp. 50-54. No. 1330 Abstract: Lure of the Dragon. G. Newman. Scuba World No.9 (1990) pp. 28-30. No.1331 Abstract: Flying Down Stargate. R. Palmer. Diver Vol. 33 No.2 (1998) pp. 40-41. No. 1332 Abstract: The Road to Oxibalba. A. Kofler. Diver Vol. 41 No.3 (1996) pp. 45-46. No. 1333 Abstract: Last Adventure. R. Stanton & J. Mallison. Diver, April (2000) pp. 69-71. No. 1334 Abstract: Photography and Cave Diving. M. Farr. Underwater World, July/Aug. (1978) pp. 44-45. No. 1335 Abstract: Caves of Caleta. R. Palmer. Subaqua Scene No. 39 (1983) pp. 24-26. No. 1336 Abstract: Under an Alp. T. Jarratt. O.S. News No.22 (1979) pp. 18-19. [+ MSS copy] No. 1337 Abstract: The Challenge That Keeps the Cavemen Sane. M. Farr. Diver Vol. 26 No.10 (1981) pp. 23-25. No. 1338 Abstract: The Caves of Arcy-sur-Cure. F. Poplin. National Museum of Natural History, Paris. 4pp. (no date) No. 1339 Abstract: Cave Art. P.J.Ucko. Man, Myth and Magic. No.15 (no date) pp. 429-435. No. 1340 Abstract: Searching the Depths of Borneo’s White Mountain. D. Webster. National Geographic Vol. 194 No.3 (1998) pp. 121-135. No. 1341 Abstract: Role Models. M. Bedford. Computer Shopper No. 118 (1997) pp. 943-948. No. 1342 Abstract: Carlsbad Caves in Colour. M. Sutherland. National Geographic Vol. CIV No.4 (1953) pp. 433-468. No. 1343 Abstract: Exploring the Mind of Ice Age Man. A. Marshack. National Geographic Vol. 147 No.1 (1975) pp. 64-89. No. 1344 Abstract: Probing the Ice Caves of the Pyrenees. N. Casteret. National Geographic Vol. CIII No.3 (1953) pp. 391-404. No. 1345 Abstract: Life 8,000 Years Ago Uncovered in an Alabama Cave. C.F. Miller. National Geographic Vol. CX No.4 (1956) pp. 542-558. No. 1346 Abstract: Down into Ghar Parau. A.C. Waltham. Geographical Magazine Vol. XLV No.11 (1973) pp 810-813. No. 1347 Abstract: Cave Survey with Laser Profiles. P. Waldhausl. Wild Reporter No.21 (1983) pp3-4. No. 1348 Abstract: Niah Caves of Borneo. N. Cameron. Geographical Magazine Vol. XL No.8 (1967) pp. 649-655. No. 1349 Abstract: Walks Around Bentham. R. Jackson. booklet (c. 1922, rep. 1989) 10pp. No. 1350 Abstract: The Descent of the ‘Bottomless Pit’. E.A. Baker. Wide World Magazine Vol.8 No. 43 (1900) 7pp. No. 1351 Abstract: Stump Cross and Peak Cavern, from John O’Groats to Lands End by J. Naylor (1916) pp. 272-275 & 340-343. No. 1352 Abstract: Kyndwr Club Notes. The Climber’s Club Journal Vol. V No. 19 (1903) pp. 108-110. No.1353 Abstract: Journey Into the Abyss. D. Musgrove. Countryfile No.6 (2008) pp. 39-43. No. 1354 Abstract:Secrets of the Cave Under the Glacier. L. Evans & R. England. Sunday Telegraph Magazine No. 474 (1985) pp. 22-28. No. 1355 Abstract: Ghosts of the Abyss. S. Berger. Telegraph Magazine, 8.3.08. pp. 48-55. No. 1356 Abstract: In Search of the Lost Cave. Anon. Somerset Life, May (2005) pp. 148-149. No. 1357 Abstract: Salt Miners of Mount Elgon. B. Jackman, Telegraph Magazine (date/issue?) pp. 40-43. No. 1358 Abstract: Mad Moles and Englishmen. M. Edgecombe. Source unknopwn (1982) pp. 8-10. No. 1359 Abstract: High Lode Culvert. Ramsey, Cambridgeshire. T. Jarratt (1987) 6pp No. 1360 Abstract: Cave Exploration. Green J.A. from The Encyclopaedia of Sport (1911) pp. 230-237. No. 1361 Abstract: Two Years in the Bowels of the Earth. S. Ecneraul. The Lamp, issue unknown (1892) 16pp. No.1362 Abstract:Note on the Occurence of Adobes in Cliff-Dwellings. J.W. Fewkes. American Anthropologist Vol.12 (1910), pp. 434-436. No. 1363 Abstract: Kinver’s Sand-castles. H. Bethell. The Countryman Sept (1989) pp. ,69-73. No. 1364. Abstract:The Cavern Industry. J.N. Merrill. The Countryman Vol. 81 No.2 (1976) pp. 138-144. No. 1365 Abstract: Troglodytism. J.S. Kopper. Proc.International Speleology Vol.VI (1973) pp. 31-37. No. 1366 -9- Abstract: Ticket to a Lost World. R. Palmer. Diver Vol.32 No.7 (1987) p.23. No. 1367 Abstract: Underworld Palaces. Anon. The World in Focus No.1 (1992) pp. 34-39. No. 1368 Abstract:Park Place Underground Passages. T. Jarratt. MSS (1989) 2pp. No. 1369 Abstract: Journey to the Centre of the Earth. D. Haigh. Dalesman Magazine June (2007) p. 22-26.No. 1370 Abstract: The Worst Dive in the World. G. Newman. Dalesman Magazine Nov. (1991) pp. 74-77. No. 1371 Abstract: How We Lost the Club Tackle. R. Dove. Dalesman Magazine, June (1975) pp. 191-194. No. 1372 Abstract: Exley was No.1 Caver. Anon. Diver Vol. 39 No.7 (1994) p. 50. No. 1373 Abstract: The Nightwatchman. D. Robarts. Mail on Sunday 19.1.86, pp. 27-29. No. 1374 Abstract: The Cave Camerman. J. Beardsall. Telegraph Magazine 29.8.98 p.18. No. 1375 Abstract: Squeezed in the Devil’s Pinch. M.R. Taylor. Reader’s Digest Oct (1996) pp. 56-60. No.1376 Abstract: In Deepest China. D. Willis. Source unknown (1986) pp. 59-61. No. 1377 Abstract: Diving into the Blue Holes of the Bahamas. G.J.Benjamin. National Geographic Vol. 138 No.3 (1970) pp. 347-364. No. 1378 Abstract: The Cave Churches of Cappadocia. L. Lushington. Pamphlet (no date) 7pp. No.1379 Abstract; The Deadly Dangers Beneath Britain’s Lid. H. Long. TV Times Vol.86 No.12 (1977) pp. 1-5. No. 1380 Abstract: The Caves of Switzerland. Compendium of Articles. 27pp. No. 1381 Abstract: The Cave Dwellings of the Old and New Worlds. J.W. Fewkes. American Anthropologist Vol.12 (1910) pp. 390-416. No. 1382 Abstract: Thermal Ionisation Mass Spectrometer U-Th Dates on Pleistocene Speleothems from Victoria Cave. J. Lundberg, T.C.Lord & P.J. Murphy. Geosphere Vol.6 No.4 (2010) pp. 379-395. No. 1383 Abstract: Simply the Best. R. Palmer. Diver Vol.42 No.7, (1997) pp. 44-48. No. 1384 Abstract: Cave Man Tactics. P. Fenner, Diver Vol. 39 No.11 (1994) pp. 28-31. No. 1385 Abstract: Cave Diving Woman. G. Newman. Scuba World No.17 (1991) pp. 26-28. No. 1386 Abstract: The Jungle Potholers. I. Plant. Observer Magazine 22.2.76.3pp. No. 1387 Abstract:Rock Drawings of the East Turkish Mountains. M. Uyanik. Illus. London News Jan (1974) 2pp. No. 1388 Abstract: Charting the Splendours of Lechuguilla Cave. T. Cahill. National Geographic Vol. 179 No.3 (1991) pp. 34-59. No. 1389 Abstract: Jamaican Underground Flood. C. Pendle. Mountain World, April, (1981) 2pp. No. 1390 Abstract: Chauvet Cave. J. Clottes. National Geographic Vol. 200 No.2 (2001) pp. 104-121. No. 1391 Abstract: Cave Dwellers. R.M. Clay, from The Hermits and Anchorites of England. (1914) pp., 32-48. No. 1392 Abstract: Selminum Tem. A.J. Eavis. Climber and Rambler June (1977) pp.48-50. No. 1393 Abstract: In Search of Cave Hermitages. C. Hardyment. Country Life (1983) pp. 38-42. No. 1394 Abstract: Faces of the Divine. T. O’Neill. National Geographic Jan (2008) pp. 122-139. No. 1395 Abstract: Le Cavernement au Liban. H. Abdul-Nour. Annales de Geographie Vol. 15 (1994) pp. 1-31. No. 1396 Abstract: Remarkable Cavern. Mr. Urban. Gentleman’s Magazine 1770 Part 2. (1770) pp. 536-537. No. 1397 Rescue 93. CRO (1994) No. 1398 Rescue 97. CRO (1998) No. 1399 Rescue 2011 (2011) No.1403 Expedition Report: Yanhe 2008. B. Bensley, G. Campion & T. Harrison. (2010)135pp. No.1400 BEC Vintagers ‘Nostalgia’. A Celebration of 75 Years of BEC Caving. S. Hill [Ed] (2010) No. 1401 Voluntary Agencies Directory. Lothian & Borders Police (2011) 20pp. No. 1402 Abstract: Derbyshire Pennine Club Notes. Anon. The Climber’s Club Journal Vol. X No.40 pp. 133-138 (1908) No. 1404 Mendip Rescue Organisation, Information Leaflet (1987) No. 1405 CRO: Rescue ‘94 (1995) No. 1406 Brochure: Centenaire de la Speleologi Francaise. Symposium, Bramabiau (1988) No. 1407 Mining in the Landscape. Conference Proceedings, NAMHO 2006. No. 1408 -10- 6. CDs, DVDs, VIDEOS, Etc.:

DVD No.: 41 Giant’s Hole, Derbyshire (2005) 42 ‘Shout’ Derbyshire Cave Rescue Organisation (2004) 43 Sanctum (Film) (2010) 44 Club Song by Snab, Jubilee Dinner (2011) ------HELP MA BOAB! Honwards Into the Unknown By Alan L. Jeffreys

Attempts to publicise the Group’s activities over the years have embraced invitations for journalists to ‘get down and dirty’ in some unlikely places. Twice we settled for a civilised jaunt to the Yorkshire Dales, on both occasions taking a reporter to the bottom of Sunset Hole, but more often we favoured Scottish sites - for obvious reasons. Thus there have been two visits to Bowden Hill Limestone Mine, the second resulting in a whole page photo spread in the ‘Scotsman’, one to the decorated East Wemyss Caves and several to Sutherland, usually involving a trip to the far end of Cnoc nan Uamh (this cave has also witnessed television and radio broad- casts, as have Allt nan Uamh Stream Cave, Glenbain Hole, Rana Hole and Jeanie Barrie’s Cave, the latter first in the 1980s, the other as recent as June 2011). The 1966 ‘Scotsman’ coverage of discoveries in the Knockan region probably counts as the best, with a whole page of photographs and an accompanying full column of text. We have also dragged someone from the ‘Herald’ (then the ‘Glasgow Herald’) down Uamh an Claonaite. This paper recently did us proud with a large colour photograph of the new decorated cave at Applecross.

I shall not attempt to itemise the whole collection; suf- fice it to say members of the GSG have enjoyed fairly good coverage in the press over the years, but two episodes really should get a fresh airing because of their somewhat bizarre treatment of the subject. D.C. Thomson’s ‘Sunday Post’ newspaper is nothing if not domestically whimsical. With past columns such as ‘Francis Gay’ offering saccharine homilies to the wee wifies of Scotland, the paper obviously appeals to a specific class of reader. Until recently, another of the ‘Sunday Post’s’ regular contributors was the generic character known simply as the Hon Man. Hon stands for ‘Holiday On Nothing’ and this column (as with Francis Gay) was of course compiled by a team of staff journalists. Never identified in print, the Hon Man was famed for his “Help ma boab” ejaculation and always shown with a cartoon face.

Attending our Jubilee Dinner in June this year, Mur- doch MacLeod produced a large, rather tattered photograph of himself with Hon Man of the day, at the entrance to Foss Cave 1 on Schiehallion. The photograph is stamped on the back ‘DC Thomson, 12th April 1970’ but sadly, the trip was never written up in the GSG logbook, nor did it get a mention in contem- The Hon Man gives Murdoch a helping hand at the entrance porary Bulletins. Fortunately, we do possess the sub- of Foss Cave 1. sequent article from the Sunday Post for 19th April 1970. Entitled ‘Buried Alive’, a hapless reporter was guided by Bill Heeps and Murdoch to Foss 1, inserted into the entrance and over a boulder toward McRobbie’s Chamber. Although scarcely out of daylight, he reneged at this point so never experienced the finer points of the cave! -11- The second Hon Man experience took place on Sunday 23rd April 1978 in Uamh nan Claig-ionn, Argyll and was written up in the log. The reporter, identified only as ‘R’ was taken by Stuart and Iain Ogston and myself as far as the 40ft Popleton Pot where he decided enough was enough. Condi- tions were very dry, but a planned dive in the terminal sump came to naught when my diving bottle was acci- dently knocked on by Hon Man, blowing away the O- ring, thus rendering the valve useless.

Both articles are colourful to an extreme, written in the house style of very short one sentence paragraphs, and attempt to convey what caving is like. Readers probably got the impression both reporters went much further than they actually did, but at least we (the GSG) came out of it looking good. A flavour of the sort of thing that appeared in print can be obtained from a couple of ex- tracts:

“I hung over the edge and peered down. [Into Foss 1 entrance] I could hear the river running, but I couldn’t see anything. I’m a fearty in the dark at the best of times. I could only cross my fingers and let go. I slid down an underground slope for about 15 feet. Then, splash, I landed on my back in the hidden burn. I tried to scramble to my feet out of the wet. Bang! My head thumped the cave roof...... Help ma boab, if we went much deeper, I’d be shaking hands with Auld Nick.” (Sunday Post 19.4.70)

“When I did try to force my way, there was an almighty ripping sound. My boiler suit had torn open down the back! The waterproof trousers started to work their way off. Ever had a bath in a freezing cold burn? To think some folk do this for fun. A muffled shout from behind told me to get a move on - I was damming up the burn! Not really. Some of it was escaping down my sleeves.” (Sunday Post, 7.5.78)

Another superb piece of hyperbole appeared in the Sunday Post on August 12th 1962, under the pen of ‘Me and My Tent. By a Sunday Post Man’. This referred to a visit inside Smoo Cave with two Blackpool -12- cavers who just happened to be there. From the description, Colin Coventry is obviously missing a trick or two here!

[After swimming across the lake they entered the far passage] “It was the eeriest sensation. The only sound was a steady drip from the roof. Shining our torches in front of us, we crept along a narrow ledge. Finally we left the water behind and reached yet another cavern. As we padded along, the echoes of our footsteps gave me the creeps. The only link we had with the outside world was the waterproof torches in our hands. Eventually we rounded a bend and, thankfully, I saw a faint speck of light ahead. But it took 20 minutes of clambering over rocks to reach the source of the light. There, high above our heads, was a round, jagged hole about six feet across. A rope was dangling from it. Some other keen explorer had made his entrance here. The rope had been there so long flowers and fungi were blooming over every square inch of it! And a dead sheep lay at the bottom of the hole. It must have slithered down and either broken its neck or died of starvation. I’d had enough. Up and up the rope I shinned. It creaked and groaned - but held. What a relief to draw sweet, fresh air into my lungs again. In all, Derek said we’d travelled almost a mile from the entrance on the shore.” (!)

Well, good for them, anyway. At least they were up for it and there is of course, no such thing as bad publicity. Looking back, it is difficult to assess what effect all this had on public per- ceptions. Nowadays, with regular excellent features on television, cave exploration enjoys a much higher reputation that it used to have, and a recent lack of spectacular rescues has also helped keep the ‘lunatic fringe’ outcry at bay. Perhaps the best in- dicator is that previously, when one announced one was a caver, it invariably provoked the “you’re all nuts” response, while today, people are more likely to say “I could never to that, I suffer from claustrophobia” which, while it is manifestly untrue for most, I suppose is progress of a sort! Help ma boab! ------oOo------PUBLICATIONS

The GSG continues to publish guides to various Scottish caving regions, the latest being ‘Caves of Apple- cross and Kishorn’ by Richard Simpson and David Morrison. (2007) Price £6

2011 being the 50 Year Jubilee for the club, there have been two further publications issued:

Decades in the Dark, Ed. by Alan L. Jeffreys, tells the story of the Group, profusely illustrated with photographs. Copies available at £20 plus £2 postage.

De Profundis. By Alan Jeffreys, is an anthology of poems compiled especially for the Jubilee. £3.

All available from the GSG, address inside front cover.

------oOo------13- THE CHAMBER AT KNOWLE HILL By Dylan Bickerstaffe

I think that few would disagree that whilst walking in the countryside is a pleasure in itself, it is always more satisfying when interesting places are found en-route; particularly when they come as a complete surprise. The part of Derbyshire extending south of the River Trent includes, within a small compass, many fascinating points of interest including Repton with its Saxon crypt, a burial site left by the Danes, ancient Breedon-on- the-Hill, the curious lime quarries of Ticknall and Melbourne with its majestic church and beautiful pool beside the hall. Along the Trent itself is also the historic bridge and causeway at Swarkestone - the furthest point south reached by Bonnie Prince Charlie - and Anchor Church, actually some rooms hollowed out of low sandstone cliffs overlooking an old channel of the river.

Heading south from Ingleby village, near the Anchor Church, the path crosses fields before descending into an area of woodland. A rough lane may here be joined, running along the edge of this wood, but on this occasion the intention was to continue straight on down a muddy track before taking a pathway that turned right, leading eventually to Ticknall. The right turn was, however, missed and the rutted track led into a clearing with a steep rise to the right, atop which stood a castle. We were shocked - the map shows nothing but the hint of a small building at this point. The castle was clearly a folly, being built of brick, but it stood upon impressive walls of finely cut stone which appeared surely to date back at least to the 18th Century. At the bottom of the slope beneath the walls was an area of ruined and overgrown grey brickwork to which a faint path led. Following this we came to a staircase which turned twice before ending above a drop. However, a step across the void to the left placed one before an archway leading into the hillside, and darkness.

After a short stretch of brickwork, Knowle Hill, showing the entrance to the tunnel. which featured a series of ornate re- Photo: D. Bickerstaffe cesses on the right, the passage continued into the solid rock (sandstone), with tool marks clearly visible on the walls. Two rows of rounded niches with flat bases lined each stone-cut wall until the passage opened out into a cylindrical chamber with a further doorway visible on the far side. A bench ran around each side of the chamber with two tall ‘statue niches’ in both left and right walls. The roof curved up to a dome. The far doorway led into a final chamber, again cylindrical with a bench and two rows of six niches (similar to those in the entrance passage) around the walls. The ceiling here was rather more pointed, and a narrow shaft or chimney ran up from the top, perhaps for ventilation.

The style of the stone-work seemed to pre-date the brick built folly on the scarp above, and the classical touches -such as the finely cut ‘statue’ niches in the main chamber - seemed to indicate a date in the 18th or perhaps the late 17th Century. It was hard to imagine what the purpose of the excavation might have been. Although it appeared to open from rather mundane brick built structures, it was far too elaborate for a cellar or ice house. Was it a folly, or something stranger, such as a Masonic Temple?

Since the ‘castle’ buildings were scarcely recorded on the map, and were left un-named, it was hard to know where to start. However in the field near the buildings a plaque gave the name of Landmark Trust. This organisation restores old buildings and then lets them out to holiday makers, companies and the like. The structures on the top of the scarp turned out to be called Knowle Hill and have been salvaged from near total ruin -14- by the organisation. It appears that the first structure in the area was built in the years following 1698 by Walter Burdett of nearby Foremark Hall (now a school) on land leased from Thomas Coke of Melbourne. The entire area around was landscaped with terraces, culverts, pools and ornamental facades for the enjoyment of visitors, and it is surely to this work that we owe the presence of the tunnel and chamber.

The building was pulled down in the 1760s by a descendant of Walter, and a Gothic summerhouse built on the edge of the ravine. The gardens and the rock-cut tunnel and chamber were retained in the new arrangement. The Landmark Trust notes state: “For special guests, candles were placed in the niches at the sides of this tunnel, and in the circular chamber at its end. Here a rock-cut seat allows you to pause and enjoy the excitement of all underground places, and the meditations they give rise to.”

On my first visit I noted the presence of a few tea-lights, and later returned with my own supply which allowed me to illuminate every niche and capture the atmosphere on a series of photographs.

Later I recorded the approximate dimensions of the various component features of the excavation from which I have prepared a rough plan to show the general layout. The overall length is some 40 feet - the 3½ foot wide tunnel running for about 25 feet, with the main chamber some 9 feet across, and the end chamber a further 6½ feet. The tunnel is just over 6 feet high, the main chamber 8 feet, and the end chamber nearly 7 feet.

Truly a walk is made properly rewarding when something as interesting as a little known underground cutting is found, particularly when it is so attractive.

Knowle Hill tunnel, looking out at daylight, showing the ‘statue’ niches. Photo. D. Bickerstaffe

The Chamber at Knowle Hill Derbyshire NGR SK352257

Total Length 40ft approx.

Sections not to scale Height 6’2” Height 6’10” Height 8’

brick recesses

6’4” 8’6” 10’ Width approx. 3’6” Entrance

brickwork Survey BCRA Grade 2 Dylan Bickerstaffe 2011 -15- ROB ROY’S CAVE By U. Jones (Reprinted with kind permission from the BEC Belfry Bulletin Vol. XIV No.6 (No. 148) June 1960)

After many unsuccessful attempts (about five in all) my new found potholing mate and I managed to hire a car and set out on a brilliant summer’s day last August to explore the little written of ‘Rob Roy’s Cave’. The cave is marked on the ‘Esso’ map of Southern Scotland; the British Railways map of Loch Lomond, and of course on the O.S. map of Loch Lomond. In spite of this, very little appears to be known about it.

As you probably know, Loch Lomond is definitely Rob Roy country. Slightly to the north of Ben Lomond (3,192ft) and actually on the loch itself is the original prison where our hero was imprisoned many years ago by the ‘blooming British’......

.....We reached Kinlochard (a tiny hamlet of perhaps three houses) and then Inversnaid. The car was dumped in front of the jetty there directly in front of the hotel’s impressive entrance. Then we checked our lights, maps, ropes etc and when everything seemed satisfactory, borrowed a ten foot dinghy and pulled out towards the area where we believed the cave lay. After pulling steadily for half a mile or so, we saw over on our starboard bow an old and rusting landing craft. This was no doubt left behind by the troops in the last war, as many of the lochs were used as training areas for invasion etc. Anyway, it served as a good landmark.

Half a mile further north we passed the headland. At this point I spotted, high on the mountainside, the word ‘CAVE’ daubed in faded white paint. A knobbled old tree seemed a suitable spot to land, so we pulled ashore and secured the dinghy.

After scrambling up the mountainside for about forty feet, we came to the writing that I have just mentioned. In a direct line with this was the main entrance., This was about twelve feet high and about six feet wide. Below this and to the left (north) was a second entrance. This was somewhat smaller but entry into it was quite easy. Above and below these two entrances were one or two more, but these were mere crevices in the rock.

Mick decided to stay outside the cave and raise the alarm if I wasn’t back within the hour. I selected the main entrance and after climbing over a few boulders I managed to find a reasonable path to follow. Alas, after some forty feet of fairly easy going it became impossible to go further, owing to what seemed a fairly old roof fall.

The second entrance proved to join up with the main one after quite an assortment of weird crawls and crevices, and whilst squirming down one of these, I was horrified to see a HUGE BLACK SPIDER. My head automat- ically snapped back in order to avoid this evil looking insect, whereupon I saw a further huge black spider, then another, then more.... For a split second I was petrified, yet they held a strange kind of fascination for me. I looked closer (three pints of draught Bass said I could). Their bodies were the size of sixpenny pieces, and like jet black marbles. I touched one of them with my lamp. It swung round and faced me, then raced up the wall and across the low roof towards my face. In this confined space it seemed HUGE and bent on revenge. I eased quickly back and as I did so, I disturbed more of these evil black MONSTERS. Shaking all over like a pop singer, I fled from this infested section of the cave in half the time it takes the ink making industry to go on strike.

Along another passage of the cave, I came across a faded name and the date 1937. I wondered how long it had been since anyone else had come face to face with what I had affectionately named Rob Roy’s Spiders (or in the Latin: ‘Draughtus Basserius Spideria’).

Whilst following another passage, I saw that a whole section of the wall appeared to be composed of mica. I broke off a few pieces, hoping somebody more learned than I could verify this. I was also hoping to find some -16- evidence of this cave having been used as a dwelling place at one time. Perhaps a niche in the wall for holding a candle-driven lantern, or signs of a charcoal hearth, but I suppose this would be just as dramatic as finding Rob Roy’s original dirk, since the cave must have been dug by archaeologists, historians, locals, students and even American tourists.

It was getting late, and Mick was shouting for my return. My accumulator was fading (I think one of the cells leaks) and I couldn’t find the way out. All the likely ways appeared to be difficult. I tried to pull myself up a rock face using a clean ‘arms pull’ but alas, the weak-armed Jug Jones collapsed and fell back down again. Then I saw a small ledge. I managed to reach this by simple finger and toe grips and soon I was almost out. I had reached an entrance and poked my head through. Getting the huge bonce through was only part of the procedure. I had to perfect a half roll to get my bony shoulders through. Then I gave Mick a call for assistance. We pushed and shoved until I fell free.

I fell freely on top of Mick, who fell back down a ten foot ledge, nearly breaking his leg. In the truest tradition of the ‘Silent Service’ he screamed up at me “You clumsy, clumsy, clumsy, awkward b....., Jug!”

We left the cave (Mick bemoaning over meeting me) with all the nits, gnats, midges, bugs and every conceivable kind of wandering, biting lice in Scotland and after pulling hard for about ten minutes, this army of insects fell back in smart formation, leaving us itching all over.

On the way back, with an acute shortage of cat’s eyes and far too many trees growing far too close to the road, my mind began to relax. Then SMACK (it can’t have happened to me!), the window disappeared, the door caved in, and I could feel blood running down my neck. We groped our way out of the wreckage and finally rejoined our ship six hours adrift. ------CAVING IN THE ABODE OF THE CLOUDS EXPEDITION 2011 By Thomas Arbenz

Unlike other years, the 2011 version of the annual caving expedition in Meghalaya, North East India, was going to be a small scale issue with a team of 15 cavers working in a relatively small caving area, living in a simple camp supported by only a small number of hired staff. The aim was to push the caves we had started to explore in 2010 and totally survey them, if possible to conclusion. Furthermore, we wanted to closely explore the whole area, find all the caves within it and survey them. This ambitious task was fully achieved: over the three and a half week period a total of five already partially explored caves were further extended and ten new caves were explored. All of these caves have been surveyed to conclusion. A total of 10 km of new cave passage was explored and mapped.

The team of 2011. Rear, from left:L Sawdamut Khar- buki, Teddy Mawlong, Vijay Chhikara, Brian K. Daly, Nicola Bayley, Angela Arbenz, Peter Lud- wig, Oana Chachula, Oliver Kube, Henry Dawson, Barry Lawton, Ronnie Mawlong, Thomas Arbenz, David Cooke. Front left: Imogen Furlong, Hellie Brooke, Melquire Laitphlang. Front Right: Simone Röthlin, Manuel Ruedi, Jayant Biswas.

Photo: Imogen Furlong. -17- On Sunday 6th February all the team members met in Shillong having travelled by various routes and experi- encing the usual adventures you get when trying to reach the capital of Meghalaya. And again, despite cancelled or delayed flights, horrendous traffic jams, car crashes and unplanned roadside stops due to the beginnings of diarrhoea, the advance team had already sorted out expedition gear such as caving gear, electrics and medical kits. Also the food had been bought and the two office and workshop tents had already been brought to the campsite situated on the banks of the Kopili river at the eastern border of Meghalaya and Assam. So we just had to check our personal equipment before heading to the Centrepoint Bar for the welcome drinks and get to know each other. Only a few of us had previously met and just three were long time regulars. This year’s team consisted of Thomas Arbenz (expedition co-ordinator), Imogen Furlong (cave technics), Peter Ludwig (engineer) and Simone Röthlin (medic) along with Nicky Bayley, Henry Dawson, David Cooke, Hellie Brooke and Barry Lawton from the UK, Angela Arbenz and Manuel Ruedi from Switzerland, Vijay Chhikara and Jayant Biswas from India, Oana Chachula from Romania and Oliver Kube from Germany. Of course we mustn’t forget our Shillong-based friends from the MAA: Brian Kharpran-Daly, Teddy and Ronnie Mawlong, Mel Laitphlang and Saw Kharbuki. And last but not least Pete and Angela Glanvill who joined us for the third week of the expedition - making it a part of Pete’s 60th anniversary tour through Asia.

Monday morning saw us early in the courtyard of our Shillong base, eager to load the Sumos and get on the road. After some last minute shopping we were finally heading towards the Jaintia Hills, a strenuous but always exciting journey which was to last for eight hours, although the camp, near the village of Kseh, was just 100 km away. On the long and winding roads and tracks through the coal belt of the Jaintia Hills where Tata trucks and Shakitmans rule, fast traffic is more than an illusion. Of course we stopped for puris, rice and daals and of course we took photographs at odd spots - of course we got lost and had to ask for directions but we made it - just after 8pm we arrived at the camp. After successfully negotiating with a somewhat disorientated chef, dinner was served and beers were popped -sitting by the fire in our base camp was almost like coming home to a long-missed place.

Most of Tuesday was used setting up the camp properly. Although trustworthy and reliable Raplang Shang- pliang had come over from Shnongrim to install the kitchen tent, toilets and shower stalls, some work remained to be done. It involved mainly the clearing of about 200 square metres of dense and thorny bush with the aid of machetes and a primitive but efficient kind of pickaxe. Barry, being an expert boilerman with British Rail, enjoyed the burning of the shrubs and lianas till the fire almost got out of hand - luckily we managed to tame the red devil just in time. Then everybody chose a cleared spot and we put up our tents and made ourselves comfortable. In the afternoon some of us went for a short recce while the others installed electric wiring, set up map displays and got the office and surveying computers operational. In the evening the expedition was officially started by a speech from Thomas the co-ordinator (your scribe) welcoming everybody and stating the tasks for the next weeks.

And then it was finally time for the caving - three good weeks of exploring and surveying. Marvellous Megha- laya river caves were waiting for us, the first of which was only a ten minute walk from the camp: Krem Labit Kseh, first visited in 2008 and by 2010 explored and surveyed to a total of 4745 metres. This is a big river resurgence cave with an impressive stream passage as its main feature. About 800 metres into the cave a parallel relic passage follows the main direction of the cave which is roughly SW. Further parallel passages wet and dry to the north, gave hope for big potential. The findings of February 2010 strongly suggested that the river emerging from Krem Labit Kseh originates from the plain below Samasi. The water flows through Krem Tyngheng, Krem Dieng Jem and Krem Salang Sink towards Krem Labit Kseh. Unfortunately all Kseh leads toward the Umkhyrpong plain end in a likely impenetrable disturbance zone.

The stream passage is intersected by several gour dams (average height 12.5m) but apart from that it has no calcite formations. A side passage, south of the high gour dam and of similar dimensions, sumps after 150 m - above it lies Krem Um Mooninge which is linked via Joke Pot. 800 m into the cave the stream passage continues getting lower, but still showing comfortable size (4m wide by 3m high). Here a relic passage is very dry, the floor often covered with flaky fragments of roof and walls. Patches of deep old guano and sand banks -18- were encountered and traces of recent breakdown. The walls are covered with beautiful black (!) crystals intersected by white gypsum and/or aragonite deposits. At the high gour dam another passage goes off to the north. It is of walking size and soon angles off to the west - again parallel to the main streamway. It joins the streamway after a good 900 metres. Shortly before this junction another smaller passage leads to an upper level (Road to Iran) which winds along to terminate in an impenetrable boulder choke. This passage is very nicely decorated with big gypsum flowers and the exceptional black ‘Labit Kseh’ crystals. From ‘The Road to Iran’ a pitch leads down to the aquatic main passage which goes on for another 200m and ends in a choke. Short of the final chamber in the main passage a 13m aven leads leads up to another high level passage. The character of this part of the cave is very unstable and lies in the same disturbance/break-up zone in which all passages of Krem Labit Kseh seem to end.

Apart from pushing leads and the continuous surveying through the Krem Labit Kseh, relic passage ‘Road to Iran’. years Krem Labit Kseh is also an Photo: Nicola Bayley example of the drawbacks you get when working for a long period of time with ever changing survey teams. Last year two teams had surveyed over 1.5km of passage, one with a drowned and fogged-up set of instruments, the other with a magnetic lamp (beware of Novas!) close to the compass. The blunder only showed when the final drawing was done. Therefore the Swiss-Austrian cave group (Thomas, Angela, Simone and Peter) spent several days resurveying aquatic and dry passages. They successfully did this with the aid of DistoX and pda, a method which once again proved very reliable even in very wet conditions (if correctly applied of course).

Evening camp routine started when the teams returned to camp between 5 and 7 pm. Coming out of the jungle in full caving gear we each grabbed a chair or stool, poured ourselves a nice cup of tea and started gossiping. Everybody had lots to tell, the exciting finds of the day carrying us away ever so often. Soon one would sneak off to the showerstalls where piping hot water was waiting in buckets for the much wanted evening scrub- down. We have been enjoying this luxury for the past few years and don’t want to miss it in the future - but we may have to introduce some regulations should a certain Romanian team member not refrain from having hot water and clothes washing orgies to the last bucket!

Before and after dinner the more serious tasks were performed: the collected data had to be fed into the computer, then processed and lines printed out. Team members would grab the print-outs and draw the surveys with the aid of their survey book sketches. The diary was written up and statistics updated. Manuel, the bat expert, now returned with his evening catch and started to determine and classify the various bats - very much assisted by a freshly showered Oana.

In the mornings, teams would kit up after a rich breakfast and the daily briefing and head for ‘their caves’. These were not always within easy reach and sometimes the approach was quite special. To get to Krem Sha- long, Henry and his mates had to travel 45 minutes up-river. The local fishermen would tie together two dugouts and these were loaded and boarded very carefully, leaving only three inches of free board. Then the lot was ferried to the inlet of Lymoh Canyon from where the cave could be reached in a fast march of 20 minutes. The ferry would wait until dusk to bring the team back to camp.

Krem Shalong was shown to Mark Brown and Alys Mendus by a local guide in Fenbruary 2010. By the end -19- of the 2010 expedition a total of 2671 metres had been surveyed. This year saw Henry Dawson as the ‘chief executive caver’ in Krem Shalong. Thanks to his persistence we managed to stay with the cave and tackle the often strenuous and unpleasant crawls to get a much deserved reward in the form of some sen- sationally beautiful spots and a good 2000 metres of virgin passage. Krem Shalong is not an easy one to survey: the front part, explored by the end of Feb- ruary 2010, is quite compli- cated. It can be described as having similarities to a river delta but the different branches lie on three to four different levels. The passages often overlay, intersected or joined each other. The passages in the lower levels are active streamways, sometimes in narrow meanders but Ferry to Shalong. ever so often in creek and river Photo: Thomas Arbenz passages with false floor ceil- ings. Sometimes the way on leads through up to four different levels, from active, pebble strewn river passage up into intermediate levels, built by huge breakdown boulders and up again into beautifully decorated relic passage. At a certain point (stn 50/20) most of the branches meet in the roundish cauldron-like ‘Wind in the Willows’ Chamber. Here three passages lead away from this point, one of which is the main drain, well washed and of walking to stooping size. The other two are of walking to stooping size getting lower to crawling bits. They are muddy but well decorated and bear a lot of flood debris.

The three passages all join at stn 100/18 from where the various incoming passages cover a larger catchment area. The rather nasty ‘Puree’s Revenge’ passage (awful, smelly and muddy), leads into a maze of old, dry and occasionally wet passages with some excellent gypsum formations. Also a passage with three impressive avens (IFIF Chamber) of exceptional beauty (wall formations), leads on, stressing the general SW direction of the cave. The major area of the inlets ends in too tight muddy chokes. One leads to the surface, opening a further entrance in a dry streambed. The main drag ends spectacularly: the passage finds its conclusion in a high, stunningly decorated chamber with an impressive 24m high calcite drap- ery blocking the way on - ‘The Final Curtain’.

Having a day off is a necessity during an expedition. After several days of caving you will need a moment of recreation, time to air sore feet, treat your bruises and cuts and time to wash your pants and socks - and sometimes it can turn out that having a day off is of vital importance to the community. One late afternoon, while walking down towards the camp from Kseh village we met our jeep which was on the way up. An excited Ronnie with a strangely blackened face leaned out of Krem Salong entrance. the vehicle, breaking worrying news. “There was a fire... we Photo Nicola Bayley. -20- had to move our tents... some were damaged...” Hurrying down the track and rushing to the camp was a sight: the camp was in pure chaos. The tents had been uprooted and hastily placed in a heap as far away from what had been a patch of dense green jungle at our back door just some hours before.

What had happened was that a bad habit of the Jaintia farmers setting fire to grass and bushes where-ever they walk or stand had almost destroyed our camp and with it most of our belongings including passports, tickets and money - let alone the computers with all the expedition data in them. It was a very close shave and had Manuel and Ronnie not taken a day off from caving I’m sure the camp would have been lost. It was down to them to detect the fire, start the fight, to literally kick the paralysed kitchen staff into action, to tear the tents out of danger and to get the bucket chain going. Thanks mates, you saved our lives.

The mother of all caves within the Pala Range is Krem Tyngheng. Years ago, while exploring caves on Shnon- grim Ridge, Lahsing Sukhlain told us one of those tales we had often heard before, about a huge cave that went all the way through the mountain and went on and on to exit near a village in the next valley, near the next town 50 miles away, near the Assam border, somewhere in Myanmar or even far away in China. But this time it turned out to be true. Since we started exploring the cave in 2005 we found that it was indeed going from Samasi through the mountain, joining Krem Dieng Jem and exiting near Umkyrpong village. Its water flows across the plain and into Krem Salang, vanishes into a sump of estimated 60 metres and flows into Krem Labit Kseh traversing another mountain to exit at the Kopili River. The flaw to the story was that we have not been able to bypass the sump and diving is, and always will be, out of the question. What remains to be done is to add some of J-Rat’s dye trace next time we get there.

By the end of the 2010 expedition, Tyngheng/Dieng Jem, the main part of this cave system, was almost 21 km long with several question marks and two potential leads to go. Therefore, half way into the second week Imo- gen, Cookie, Hellie, Ronnie and Saw set up a satellite camp near the Dieng Jem entrance and explored the two leads in question. This exploration was very exciting, including close encounters of the third kind (attacks of the joint Hiposideros Airforces) and the detection of a beautifully decorated breakdown chamber. But it was not to be the big success - the leads soon panned out yielding just about 450 metres. The cave is now 21,250 metres long, making it the third longest cave on the Indian sub-continent and the third cave to exceed 20 kms in length.

‘Boats to Assam’. Shortly after breakfast Brian, Vijay and Oana are ferried across the river over to the Assam side. Mynlin Manar, the headman of Kseh and trusted guide for the whole expedition fre- quently led the team into what used to be Jaintia Hills territory too, but now belongs to Assam. A chain of distant low hills reveals a series of nice horizontal caves just below the sandstone cap. A total of seven new caves was explored, more than doubling the number of known caves in Assam state. The journey to and fro always implied the use of dugouts which were usually operated by one of the local fishermen or by the headman himself. Of course we were tempted to have our own go but just taking a boat from the banks of the Kopili Buffaloes crossing the Kopili. would have been an offence such as getting into Photo: Thomas Arbenz someone else’s car waiting at the kerb in Edinburgh and driving it away. Only when I got the permit from Mynlin and passed the test under the critical eyes of the locals with flying colours were we allowed to row the boats by ourselves. This was a great honour and showed that we were on more than just friendly terms with the villagers. The boats are a vital item of daily life to the people living near the river. They use them to ferry themselves across to the fields they work in Assam, to fish and hunt in and along the river, to drive cattle across -21- and they even to wash their clothes in them, have a bath and get their kids clean - you name it.

Hostage Cave is one of the caves we found back in 2010 just before leaving the area at the end of the expedition. Therefore little was known of it apart from its whereabouts and that ‘it went’. Oh, and the story behind its name: one day the mixed contingent of able seamen of the Indian Naval Forces got tired of exploring wet and dark places and decided to have a real change of events and perform a ‘free the hostage’ exercise. Imogen happened to be ready at hand, was taken hostage and held in custody inside the cavity now called Hostage Cave. How exactly the liberation of Imo was set into action and how successful it was is still a secret kept between the participants - but at least Imo lived to tell (some of ) the tale.

The 2011 exploration was to be a girly trip: Imogen, Angela and Hellie set out for the task. They started to survey through the spidery entrance and into a perfect phreatic passage named Cloud Garden. They then followed the well decorated route and soon came across lots of side passages (Welcome to the Junctions). This turned out to be a maze of rather low aquatic tubes. Angela, the shortest and leanest of the girls (and the only one of them without knee pads) had to crawl up loads of side passages. They managed to survey the main bulk of the maze and clocked up 534 metres. The team returned the next day with Ronnie in tow to act as the new ferret because Angela’s knees would not permit more awkward crawls up narrow passages. They continued along the main route. After 100 metres of surveying, they were halted by a 14 m pitch. Ronnie climbed down 4m to a shelf but the next drop was too tricky to continue without tackle. The team retreated by completing and surveying the two main side leads on the way out. A third day was needed to finish the cave, so the team went back to drop the 14m pitch. The drill turned out to be not very good, but they managed to place enough bolts to have a 6m handline climb, followed by an 8m laddered pitch. The passage was initially very high but soon closed down to a sump some 30 metres later. Ronnie and Hellie had a good go at pushing the sump but eventually had to admit defeat.

Walking through jungle is not child’s play. In the Jaintia Hills (as elsewhere) it can involve several dangers and it is wise to keep your eyes open, especially at dusk or at night. Although we were still in the cold season snakes had already started to come out into the open. One particularly long, fat specimen had placed itself at about head height in the branches of a tree by the footpath to Krem Shalong. Luckily it was still slow in its movements because despite telling us that it was not dangerous, the local guides did not dare go near it. On another occasion it was Imogen’s turn to receive the full blast of jungle dangers. Scrambling uphill at dusk she tripped over a branch and her ankle got spiked by a nasty thorny log leaving parts of the thorn in the side of her ankle. Hobbling on she immediately stepped into a man-trap, her hiking boots preventing the worst. Back in camp her wounds were expertly treated by Simone and her lamentations successfully silenced with what I believe was a stiff rum from Brian’s supplies.

One more cave (apart from several small ones) remains to be mentioned. While negotiating the terms of our stay in Kseh with Mynlin the previous year he had promised us another big ‘Krem Labit’ nearby. Krem Labit means ‘Bat Cave’ and is therefore a very common name for a Meghalayan cave. For the sake of distinction and to honour our host this one would be called Krem Labit Mynlin. So one day Brian, Peter and myself set out to start the surveying of the first and to date only completely digitally surveyed cave in India. This is what gave us several days of the finest caving.

The roomy entrance chamber is nearly 30m long. The way on is easy scrambling over slabs and blocks to reach the beginning of a meander passage. A short free climb and a narrow bend leads to a corner where the meander passage turns a good 90° to head on in a NNE direction. At this corner a short climb and passage to the SW gives access to a chamber 4m wide by 6m high. It is beautifully decorated with dry crystal pools and tiny gours. The meander passage goes on for nearly 170 metres and reaches a chamber and an oxbow where it angles off to the NW to give access down to a streamway via two short steps into ankle to knee deep water. Downstream the streamway carries on for about 100 metres, turns away to the SE and terminates in a pool and sump. Here two low, wet and crawly side passages suggest a way round but are soon too low. Upstream the water vanishes under a flowstone formation. The passage is very low, leaving just enough airspace for the -22- head. This again was negotiated by Hellie, our expert in low, aquatic passages, ducks and sumps. It goes for nearly 40 metres before breaking out into bigger passage dimensions again. This squeezy bit can be bypassed by climbing up to a ledge on the NW 10m downstream of the meander inlet into a very nice relic passage with some steep climbs up and down flowstone formations. The upstream part of the passage (heading generally to the SW) has long straight passages with knee to waist deep water and is often semi-circular to triangular s haped with dimensions of two metres width and four in height. In the bends the water gets deeper (with some short swims) and after about 200 metres the character of the passage changes. It gets much higher (up to 15m), showing that the cave is formed along a high rift. This angles off and heads south. The river is now sectioned by gour dams which form pools, cascades and some low crawly bits of passage - it was named ‘Tan- gerine Dream’. Finally the passage opens up into a big rift chamber and an aven of impressive height, estimated at over 70 metres - out of reach for the distometer. This chamber was named ‘St Peter’s Cathedral’. At the end the chamber splits up into very tight (10-20cm) rifts of similar height. A short climb up along a muddy inlet suggests a way on past the aven but it terminates in a mud choke.

The end is nigh but we’re not doomed - somebody made the joke when we sat round the fire on our last evening in camp. And it had a certain meaning to it - this campaign had come to an end and so had the surveying work in this area. We had run out of cave and would probably not return here again - but most of us will certainly return to Meghalaya where hundreds of caves are still awaiting exploration. And there is a big event to look forward to: in 2012 the Abode of the Clouds Expedition will celeberate its 20th anniversary. -----oOo----- Overview:

Over the three and a half week period a total of five partially explored caves were further extended and ten new caves were explored. All have been surveyed to a conclusion. A total of 10 kms of new passage was mapped. This takes the total number of known caves in Meghalaya to 1294, with 810 of these being explored or partially explored to yield a total length of mapped passage to 365 km since systematic exploration started in 1992.

The main achievements of the 2011 expedition were:

Krem Tyngheng/Krem Diengjem System, which traverses the Pala Range from west to east, is now 21,250m long, making it the third longest cave in the Indian sub-continent and the third cave to exceed 20 kms in length.

Krem Labit Kseh in the Kopili Valley was extended from 4746m to 6002m in length, the new passages mainly being dry relic passages with marvellous gypsum and aragonite formations.

Krem Labit Mynlin, situated near the village of Kseh, was explored for 1631m. This cave with an impressive collector streamway was detected in 2011 and fully explored.

Krem Shalong, with some labyrinthic and quite hard caving passages was detected in 2010 and since extended from 2671m to 4705m and explored to a conclusion.

In addition, eleven new caves were found and mapped to conclusion, six of which were situated in the Kachar Hills region on the Assam side of the Kopili River.

In the achievement of the above, the Caving in the Abode of the Clouds Project is indebted to the help and support it has received from:

The Meghalaya Adventurers Association; the Government of India Tourist Office (East and North East India) Kolkata; the Indian Navy; the Meghalaya State Tourism Department; Officials and Government Departments within Meghalaya and, very importantly, the people of Meghalaya. -----oOo------23-

Entrance to Smoo Cave, Durness. Oil Painting by Thomas Creswell (1811-1869) Photo: Jim Campbell. [Original in Sheffield Museum]

The Winning Team in One of the Decorated Chambers, Uamh nam Fior Iongantais, Applecross. L.-R. Ritchie Simpson, Toby Speight, Jane Stewart-Bollen, David Morrison. Photo: Toby Speight -24-

Preston White Admiring Formations in Stal Corridor, Uamh nam Fior Iongantais, Applecross. Photo: Mark Lonnen

Jane Stewart-Bollen in Xenomorph Chamber. Note Fallen Chunk on Right. Uamh nam Fior Iongantais, Applecross Photo: David Morrison -25-

Peter Ludwig and Thomas Arbenz in Krem Lymmoh, Meghalaya. Photo: David Cooke

Rosemary Jones in Stalactite Cave, Arbroath, August 2011. Photo: Bob Jones -26-

Passage in Mt Najdena Jama, Slovenia, August 2011. Photo: Mark Tringham

Party About to descend a Shaft in Croatia, August 2011. L.-R. ‘Yorkshire’ Dave Hodgson, Ross Davidson, Stu Lindsay, Julie Hesketh, Martin Hayes, Kresimir Motočić Photo: Fraser Simpson -27- AN UPDATE TO THE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ARTICLES OF SPELEOLOGICAL INTEREST IN THE SCOTS MAGAZINE By Martin Mills In this Bulletin, Second Series, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp 33-35 (December 1983) Pete Dowswell detailed items in the Scots Magazine between 1957 and 1983, to which I added additions in Vol. 4, No. 5, p.9 (December 1985), a first update in Third Series Vol. 3, No. 2, pp 16-18 (October 1994), a second update in Fourth Series Vol. 1, No. 1, pp 10-12, a third update in Fourth Series Vol.2 No. 4, pp 13-14 (October 2005) and a fourth update in Fourth Series Vol. 3, No. 5 pp 17-19 (October 2008). As a regular reader of the magazine I detail subsequent items to the present. 2008 July p.64. Local history Bookshelf. Book Review: “Black Faces and Tackety Boots: True Stories From The Coal Mines of Lanarkshire” by Wilma S. Bolton. Pub. by the Author. August p.144. Our Readers Ask. From Alistair McCabe adding further information on the location of Balnamoon’s Cave in Glen Mark to David Elder’s article in February 2007 issue. September p.328. Letters to the Editor. From Alistair G. H. Moore providing information on Kerse Mines Rescue Brigade, its history and operations. November p.527. Scottish Bookshelf. Book Review: “The Scottish Gold Rush of 1869” by R. M. Cal lender and P. F. Reason. Pub . The Northern Mine Research Society. ISBN 13: 978-0-901450-63-0. December p.664. Letters to the Editor. From D. H. F. Gourlay of the Faculty of Management, Aber- deen Business School who is researching the life of Andrew Jameson (1811-1870) and who made a journey through part of the Highlands in July/August 1847 and included a visit to Fingal’s Cave, Staffa. 2009 March pp. 271-274 “Taking the Rock” by Karen Messruther. Follows the route of Coigach’s intrepid postmen from Blughasary to Archduart and Achiltibuie. Passing mention of a cave or two along the route. April Brightwater Holidays advertisement to Scotland’s Northern Edge including a visit to Smoo Cave. May pp. 486-490. “With Their Backs to God and Their Faces to the Devil” by Jason Horton. Recounts the tales/legends associated with the Seven Men of Glenmoriston following the Battle of Culloden on 16 April 1746, including their use as a stronghold of Uamn Ruaraidha na Seilg (The Cave of Roderick the Hunter) near the head of Corrie Sgrainge (The Gloomy Corrie), and their sheltering Prince Charles Edward Stuart in their cave at Glenmoriston. July pp. 61-64. “Mendelssohn’s Music” by Martyn Baguley. Details his visit to Scotland in July/Aug 1829 including his visit to Fingal’s Cave on Staffa (two colour photos) and the composition of The Hebrides Overture. Ibid. pp.67-71. “King of the Fish” by Rennie McOwan. The legends and lore surrounding salmon, in cluding the grotto shelter called Ossian’s Cave at The Hermitage near Dunkeld, now listed as a building of historical or architectural repute. Ibid. p.106. Letters to the Editor. From Neil Dyson following an earlier article on the remarkable dip- per (bird) to point out that the Bradford Pothole Club during their Gaping Gill winch meets invariably find one nesting some 10ft down the shaft. October p.424. Scottish Bookshelf. Book Review: “The Fantastical Feats of Finn MacCoul” by Norah Montgomerie. ISBN 978-1-84158-817-9. Mentions cave in the Black Isle where Finn MacCoul and his gang lie sleeping, awaiting the next call to rise and fight again. November pp.460-465. “Guardian of Scotland” by Rennie McOwan. About William Wallace, passing mention of being accustomed to the names of Celtic heroes being attached to the mountains … and caves, names such as Fingal, Ossian… To this day we have Wallace stones, wells, caves … all over Scotland. Alas, a Wallace Cave at Glen Farg was destroyed when the railway was laid. 2010 March pp. [30]-34. “Elie Ness to Fife Ness” by Willie Shand. Colour title photo with caption “Tradition has it that in the cave off Pittemweem’s Cove Wynd resided the 7th Century St Fillan and that from this the town acquired its name – “Land by the cave” – weem or uaim being a cave. Ibid. p.99. Scottish Bookshelf: Book Review: “The Sutherland Trail: A Journey Through North-West Scotland” by Cameron McNeish and Richard Else. Pub. Mountain Media. ISBN 978-0-9562957-0-5. April p. 21. Around Scotland. “Get to the bottom of Scotland’s history” summarises what’s available in a visit to the Scottish Mining Museum in Midlothian. -28- Ibid pp. 82-85. “A Family Affair” by Ian R. Mitchell. The story of the remarkable family of Ellices of Glengarry. Following the evictions from Knoydart in 1853 some of the remaining locals lived in caves by the seashore. May pp. [92]-97. “Heritage Of Our Hills” by Rennie McOwan. The importance of deer – their habi- tats and the legends and folk tales associated with them, mentions reindeer bones have been found in several caves. June pp. 12-16. “The Lost Skull of Jura” by Iain Thornber. Attempts to shed light on an old island mystery. Recounts the Summer 1647 legend of the Craignish Cambell’s raid on the Macleans. Only one man, a MacPhee, managed to escape by swimming across the bay where he hid in a cave. A number of skulls, it is said, are lying in the caves near the Gulf of Corrievreckan and other parts of the island. Maclean’s Skull Cave in Glengarrisdale is now included in the UK National Inventory of War Graves. Coloured photo of the skull in the cave. September pp. 36-38. “Ulva, The Hard Way” by Hamish Brown. Mentions that en route to Fingal’s Cave on Staffa many famous people came this way. In the caves on the island archaeologists have found signs of habitation dating back to 5650 BC. At the Castles on the island are basalt columns akin to Staffa’s Fingal’s Cave. October pp. 6-[10]. “A De’il’s Awa” by Willie Shand. Exposing the devil’s work in Scotland recounts the legend associated with Smoo Cave (coloured photo) and Donald Mackay, the first Lord Reay. The Devil followed Donald home to Durness and one rainy night as Donald was out walking his dog, he lay in wait in the depths of Smoo Cave. When Donald sought shelter in the cave, his dog ran ahead. It reappeared, howling and hairless. Donald immediately knew what lay ahead. Just at that moment a cock crowed to announce the dawn. Being powerless in the light of day, the devil and his two witches blew holes in the roof of the cave and flew off. Hence the three large holes in the roof of the cave. Ibid. p.22. Letters to the Editor. From Dr Catherine Mills and Mary Easson of the School of History and Politics, Stirling University, requesting any personal recollections , family memories or old photo graphs of early 20th Century operations associated with Tyndrum Lead Mine. Ibid. pp. 34-[39]. “Shackleton of Ardnamurchan” by Dave McFadzean. About the explorer Trevor Potts, brief mention of Arnamurchan’s Neolithic caves. November pp. [50]-54. “Ruffling Feathers” by Gillean Henney. Meets Roxana Kelly from Fife who moved to Oudtshoorn in South Africa, brief mention of Cango Caves. December p.[66]. Around Scotland. Reports that Rosemarkie’s Groam House Museum has an exhibition about Dr William Maclean: A Forgotten Collector – The Man, His Sites And Finds. Much of his archaeology was conducted in the Black Isle, including excavations between 1907 and 1912 at one of the local coastal caves. 2011 January pp. 6-11. “Skye High” by Cameron McNeish. Walks from Trotternish ridge to the Cuillin, mentions the old marble mines of Beinn Suardal. Ibid. pp. 18-[21]. “The Wild West” by Keith Fergus. A varied coastal walk in Burns Country along the Ayrshire coast, The Ayrshire Coastal Path at Bennane Head, once the home of the notorious Sawney Bean. Ibid. p.99. Scottish Bookshelf. Book Review: “To Western Scottish Waters: By Rail and Steamer to the Isles” by Robert N. Forsythe. Pub. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84868-505-5. Includes an early advertising illustration of Fingal’s Cave. February pp. [46]-49. “The Lost Cave of Bird Mountain” by Mike Cawthorne. About the cave (also known as Uaimh Bhraodaig) midway up the remote peak of Beinn an Eoin, the “Bird Mountain” near Loch Maree. It has also been described as a hole under a large rock. Colour photo of the entrance. Also mentions Beinn Narnain howffs or caves. April pp. 30-35. “Coasting Along” by Cameron McNeish. Walking the Moray coast from Cullen to Forres. Briefly mentions many caves, arches and sea stacks along the coastline west of Cullen, including Bow Fiddle Rock (colour photo). June pp. 45-48. “Island Inspiration” by Kenneth Steven. Revels in the magic of the Scottish Isles with their many beach caves. No other information given. Ibid. pp. 50-54. “On and Around Ben Alder” by Hamish Brown. Includes Prince Charlie’s Cave -29- on the slopes to the east of Loch Ericht. Ibid. pp. 57-59. “The Squire of the Seas” by Ian R. Mitchell. About Thomas Pennant, traveller and travel writer and how he missed out on “discovering” Fingal’s Cave on Staffa. ------MINE AT EASTER CARRIBER, West Lothian By Alan L. Jeffreys

In the summer of 1964, whilst ranging about the countryside around Bowden Hill, east of Linlithgow, club members discovered the remains of two small workings right down at water level in the banks of the River Avon. Neither extended very far and, apart from some pool formations, didn’t appear to offer sufficient sport for ardent cavers so both have lain forgotten for the intervening 45 years. A short note appeared in a contem- porary Bulletin (1) with sketch surveys of both mines.

Bored by the disruption caused by deep snow cover in Edinburgh early in 2011, the writer decided to attempt a relocation of these small mines. His first attempt, after stumbling down a steep bank well endowed with treacherous snow pockets, was partially successful and one of the sites was found after a short walk along a vegetated flood zone of the Avon. However, a deep, stagnant pool at the entrance dissuaded him from going inside. Further cautious investigation (the river was running very high with snow melt) revealed a well constructed roadway leading up westwards towards the fields beside the A 706 and the ruined remains of three kilns sited virtually above the mine. These have been reduced to rubble heaps and, interestingly, on the Landranger sheet 65 appear to be recorded as a ‘castle’.

On April 30th, the writer returned with Jim Salvona to carry out a quick survey of the mine, which is identified as Mary Taylor’s Mine, NGR NT 968752, alt. 60 metres. A Grade 4 survey was achieved, revealing a total passage length of 44 metres, with all three branches ending in solid walls. Such a short excavation is a bit of a mystery. The ruined infrastructure - stone cottages, kilns and roadways - speak of quite an enterprise, hardly justified by the size Jim Salvona outside the mine entrance. of what lies underground. Even combining it Photo: Alan Jeffreys with the other tunnel found in 1964, which ran for about 150 metres to a similar blank ending, could not justify this expense. Rock at this altitude is the Castlecary Upper Limestone Group of Carboniferous age.(2)

A rather ambiguous statement in a study of the lime industry (3) says of this site:

“....Access roads to Bowdenhill Mine, but main supply of limestone was drawn up by horse-gin and tramway from mine in the valley below, with entrance in Carriber Glen and exit in ‘Smith’s Field’, adjoining present Bowdenhill Reservoir (information from Mr Steel, Easter Carriber, and Mr R. Duncan, Linlithgow).” It could be construed equally that the phrase ‘exit in Smith’s Field’ refers either to the mine or the tramway since the publication concentrates on kilns and the like, but a search by the two of us in fields across the main road turned up nothing remotely industrial.

The following description of this mine is published for the record. It may be approached by crossing the field directly opposite the concrete track up to the Bowden Fishery. At the tree line on the west side the remains of the kilns will be found. Descend a steep bank to the river following a stream notch down to level ground. To the right, a semi-circular bay with miniature cliffs extends round northwards and the entrance will be found at -30- the north end, a triangular orifice with a curved corrugated iron sheet half in daylight and half in a knee-deep static pool. It is necessary to stoop when passing into the mine, thus dictating caving clothes, but the roof rises a little inside and comfortable going southwards for 15 metres leads straight to a blank wall. Standing water occupies the whole length of this passage. At the far end a gravelly beach on the left offers a scramble up and through a choice of low sections into the central branch passage which is better entered via a junction on the left a couple of metres in from the mine entrance. This tunnel is dry and spacious ending, just past the point where the crawls join, in a widening liberally coated with gours and stalagmite flows, fed by percolation water. Back near the entrance, a third tunnel, also on the left, runs for 10 metres in dry, walking height passage, to a dead end. Flat-out communication between this and the centre passsage could be negotiated by those desperate for sport!

Several other lime enterprises have been recorded in the vicinity, some associated with open quarries and others presumably from underground sources: Easter Carriber, North Mine, Wairdlaw, Whitebaulks and Hillhouse. (3) Only the latter one is currently known to the GSG although Easter Carriber probably refers to the low tunnel explored in 1964 and still to be relocated.

References: (1) Jeffreys, A.L. (1964) Bowden Hill - Further Progress. Bull. GSG 1st Series 2(2) pp. 15-16. (2) Robertson T. et al (1949) The Limestones of Scotland. Special Reports on the Mineral Resources of Great Britain. HMSO Vol. XXXV, pp. 192-3. (3) Skinner, B.C. (1969) The Lime Industry in the Lothians. Univ. of Edinburgh Extra-mural Association, Study in Local History, pp. 55-56. EASTER CARRIBER MINE Carriber Glen, West Lothian NGR: NT968752 Alt. 60 m gours

A’ A A’

B B’ B

B’ Formations at the end of the central branch Photo: Alan Jeffreys

N C’ D D’ D D’ Entrance C’ C 0 5 10

Scale Metres

Survey BCRA Grade 4, April 2011, A. Jeffreys, J. Salvona.

View out of the entrance Photo: Alan Jeffreys -31- CAVE ILLUSTRATIONS OF SCOTLAND (2) By Martin Mills

This time we move to another island, the second largest, Skye, where of course there are many known caves. However illustrations and engravings invariably relate to caves with a historical connection or add to the fame of already known significant cave features.

Four miles NNE of Portree on the isolated coast is Prince Charlie’s Cave as the Ordnance Survey names it, where legend has it the Young Pretender was hidden in April/May 1746, one of four caves on Skye so utilised. The cave is mentioned by Martin Martin in “A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland”, published in 1703, p. 151 (see GSG Bulletin Fourth Series, Vol.3 No.1, p.39, October 2006)

The above illustration (75mm x 69mm) comes from “Black’s Picturesque Tourist of Scotland”, (1867) 18th edition, Edinburgh: Adam and Charles Black, p. 501. The same illustration is also known to appear in a larger format (113mm x 105mm) in “Skye” by Derek Cooper (1970), Routledge and Kegan Paul, p.107.

The 1867 guidebook has a picturesque description of the cave and its entrance including stal formations, adding that most of these have been destroyed so that the place is robbed of its interest. Ward and Locke’s “Complete Guide to Scotland” published about 1889, adds that the cavern consists of two caves, the innermost of which was the Prince’s hiding place. I have been unable to find its description. The surrounding geology is stated as sedimentary rocks and intrusive ‘sills’ underlying the basalt lavas. Access by boat from Portree is mentioned, whether as an alternative it would be practicable to walk in and descend the cliffs is not known. ----oOo---- -32- WANLOCKHEAD BEAM ENGINE SHAFT SURVEY By John Crae

The Beam Engine at Wanlockhead, Dumfries and Galloway, NS 870 131 (built c. 1870) is the only surviving example of a water powered pumping engine. It sits above a shaft connecting with approximately 30 miles of tunnels reaching a depth of about 300 metres into the Lowther Hills around Wanlockhead. The weight of water running into and out of a (now missing) box once oscillated one end of a balance beam. The other end of the beam drove a timber rod down a 60ft mine shaft. The up and down motion of this rod operated a pump which lifted the water in the mines to the surface. A now missing horse engine lifted ore up the same shaft. The lead mines at Wanlockhead opened in 1710 and operated until 1959, when the shaft above the Straitsteps section of the mine was closed and capped with concrete.(1) The top section of the pumping rod is now propped against one side of the concrete cap. Entry to the galleries of the mine (the lower parts of which are flooded) is now only possible through the Lochnell Mine (2) or possibly through the main drainage adit near the foot of the valley. (3)

In 1999, Historic Scotland intended to remove the concrete cap to allow visitors to see the shaft and to restore the pumping rod to its proper position. However before this, the shaft had to be surveyed and a manhole was inserted into the concrete cap in 2001. A series of delays and discussions about health and safety meant that no-one would be allowed into the shaft. A compromise was eventually reached in 2006 where a remote video survey could be carried out. Further delays (due to illness and other committments) meant the survey did not take place until 22nd May 2011.

Having obtained the keys to the manhole and erected a make-shift boom constructed of scaffolding poles, the GSG’s video camera in its waterproof case was lowered down the shaft. Visible from the surface was a timber platform about 3.5m from the surface. This platform blocks two thirds of a 2.5m x 4m rectangular shaft apparently lined with concrete. The runners of a well rotted timber ladder do not quite reach the surface. Visible through an access hatch is a second platform 3.5m below and a further 3.5m below that is a third platform. Timber beams set into the side walls cross the shaft, approximately every 1.2m, two sets supporting the platforms and ladders, with a third set against the far wall having been deliberately removed leaving empty sockets. At the platform levels additional support has been provided by setting iron rails into the walls. Unfortunately the video camera was positioned awkwardly and misses most of the platform structure. It shows either the empty third of the shaft or extreme close ups of a timber plank. Apparently the now open side of the platform was lined with planks to prevent snagging of ore buckets. A fourth platform at approximate depth of 14m can be deduced from the number of sockets on the wall.

Below 14m, the walls of the shaft are no longer lined with concrete. Roughly hewn rock is exposed for the next 2-3m. Although the video is not clear it is possible that the shaft narrows and becomes more rounded below the last platform. A short section is visible where loose rock and gravel (deads) have been piled up above a further 2.5-3m concrete shaft at the base of which is a sump pool containing the rusted remains of the pump cylinder. Two passages are visible running off the bottom of the shaft to the south and west.

Access to the shaft remains restricted with the timber platforms posing a significant risk to anyone descending the shaft. A further survey by Histsoric Scotland is required before any access to the shaft will be considered. The video operation was carried out by Fraser Simpson and John Crae. -----oOo-----

(1) http://www.aditnow.co.uk/documents/Pate-Knowes-User-Album/Wanlockhead-Mines-History.pdf

(2) Tourist trips available through the Wanlockhead Mining Museum.

(3) This was accessed by the GSG in the 1960s, but is currently not open for exploration. -33- -34- LAWFIELD MINE - THE STORY SO FAR By Alex Latta

It seems like ages ago now but back in 2009 while on a fishing trip to the beach at Thorntonloch, East Lothian, not far away from Torness Power Station, I came across what appeared to be an old mine adit running into a small cliff but almost completely filled up to the roof with beach pebbles. There was some history locally of limestone mining at Scateraw on the other side of the power station around half a mile away and I assumed it was related to those workings which were closed down many years before. I took some photos and discussed the find with some GSG memebrs but the general consensus was: as we could not find any documented history on it, that it was probably a trial and to investigate it would involve digging out tonnes of boulders, fighting against tides, the actions of the sea and it would more than likely end in a short blind adit. The idea was left on the shelf but I kept one eye on the adit when I was in the area and noted that nothing around the hole had changed on my visits.

That was the situation until Saturday 5th June 2011 when, on another fishing trip, I found to my surprise that the sea had done the work of opening up the mine adit. Without any form of lighting to hand I could only see five or six metres into the mine, but I took a few photos to record its changed circumstances.

Excited by my find, I easily managed to convince Bob Sommerville to come with me to do a quick exploration on what I expected was still likely to be a short, blind adit. We returned to the mine the very next day, Sunday 6th June, and dressed appropriately with full caving gear, helmets and lights we slowly progressed into the passage, while taking care as we did not know what we could come across in the way of hidden shafts or floors. Making progress entering the passage was by a hands and knees crawl or crouching position as the floor to roof height was only around one metre. The initial four or five metres was floored with beach pebbles but after this came a The author at the mouth of Lawfield Mine, East Lothian. length of very wet, waterlogged sand of ‘quicksand’ Photo by Bob Sommerville consistency. We found very quickly that we were sinking rapidly into this and the sinking feeling didn’t appear to be going to stop. This ground us to a halt to take stock.

Being smaller built than Bob and with what seems now in hindsight to have been probable foolishness if it had ended wrongly, I found a lip of rock on each side of the mine walls near to the floor level that I could use in a ‘bridging/crawling’ technique to avoid sinking into the wet quicksand below me. It was pretty hard going to progress forwards and to hold this position but after another eight metres or so I reached a point where the sand became solid again. A still concerned Bob stayed behind and kept a powerful beam of light on me at all times which was a useful aid and also helped me feel that I wasn’t in an unknown mine totally on my own! I was excited once again as now I could see that two metres in front of me the main passage did not end as first suspected but split, with one passage going off to the right hand side while beyond me the main passage turned left and continued. I conveyed what I’d found to a very frustrated Bob who wanted to see what I’d found but was currently held back by the still unknown depth of quicksand. We made the decision that I should have a quick look for a metre or two and then withdraw as we were still unsure of the air condition within the mine. I took the right hand passage first which turned right and then left again after two metres. Things were getting more interesting though as the continuing pasage went onwards as far as I could see. I retraced my steps, then crawled into the other passage but quickly found I was once again starting to sink into the sandy and very muddy floor. It was at this point I decided to retreat using the bridging technique again to where Bob was and we both then exited to get some fresh air and natural light to talk about our findings up to this point. -35- The more I described what I had seen the more Bob wanted to go back in and see for himself, so armed with a metre long aluminium plant support I’d brought to prod with and this time armed with a my camera and tripod we headed back in. Progress was slower this time with Bob leading, prodding and carefully testing the soft quicksand area. We were glad to find that although the entry was quite hard going the sinking in the sand did actually stop once you were around knee depth and no hidden voids were found. We had a look a little further into the right hand passage and took some photos which showed the floor covered in flotsam from the sea left over during the many decades since the mine’s abandonment. We did not want to go too far into the mine without a gas tester so we proceeded to the other passage where we soon started sinking into the mud again and decided to leave it for another day once we had recruited more people for support.

A week later on 12th June we returned with gas tester to hand, myself, Bob Sommerville, Carol Dickson and Mark Stanford. We measured the main passage at 45 metres and headed into the Mark Stanford and Bob Sommerville ‘enjoying’ the sandy slightly less muddy right hand passage which meas- swamp in the main passage. ured approximately 54 metres in its own right and Photo by Alex Latta terminated in a rather muddy water-filled drop of, as yet, unknown depth. We went back to the junction where Mark and Bob proceeded carefully to wade into the left-hand passage in thigh high mud of alternating areas of treacle and coffee consistencies whilst forgetting to take the tape with them. This passage ended in a dead end widening after 71.5 metres (measured on a later visit by myself and Goon). It has to be said that Bob Sommerville later described the mud as ‘disgusting’ which is something of an understatement as it seems to be made from a lovely mix of waterlogged sand, silt and decaying seaweed. Derek Pettiglio has also had a solo visit and described his visit as ‘interesting’. He also took a GPS reading of NT 759923 73385 for the main entrance to the mine now labelled by us as ‘Lawfield Mine’.

On another, later, visit to dig out, measure and survey the mine entrance, a small walk and some short ex- ploratory removal of rocks by Mark Stanford revealed a water resurgence from another passage into the cliff about 45 metres to the south of the main entrance. It has been proven by digging out the sea bound infill to this passage that water in the shaft at the end of the right hand passage in the mine has been dropping. (The right hand passage I have named ‘Susannah’ with the left passage being named ‘Trinity’... ‘Trinny and Susan- nah’!)

Work is currently ongoing at this project to clear away the vast amount of rock and beach debris that presently blocks a rock cut drain leading from the mine to the sea. Mark and his team of friends led by Gavin and Steve have already made eight working party visits to locate and clear the vast amount of rocks that need to be moved to allow the drain to do its work, and hopefully allow entry into the mine complex proper.

I have managed to find very little existing documentation on the mine, just one small paragraph in an online Google document of a book called ‘Reminiscences and Notices of the Ten Parishes of Haddington’ that states:

“Upwards of sixty years ago when Mr Miller, who came from the mining village of Shoreswood, near Norham, Northumberland, farmed Birnieknowes, he drove a horizontal shaft for coal from a low level in Dunglass Dean through Dunglass Wood and Birnieknowes farm as far as Lawfield. The working was discontinued through coal being obtained cheaper from the collieries in the west part of the county.” (1)

As this was published in 1894 this text suggests the mine was in use around the 1830s, However, after further -36- investigation by Ivan Young into both the Old and New Statistical Accounts of Scotland, he concluded that mining started in the 1600s and had been given up by the mid 1700s.

Account of 1791-99 Vol.13 p. 226: Cockburnspath, County of Berwick mentions coal working at the end of the 1600s. Account of 1791-99, Vol.13 pp. 402-409: Oldhamstocks, County of Haddington. Coal is mentioned in the Min- erals section (p. 402-3) and in Population (p.406) as being done at the beginning of the 1700s but long given up. Account of 1834-45, Vol.2 p.299: Cockburnspath, County of Berwick, mentions old coal mines of 100 years ago. Account of 1834-45. Vol.2 pp. 355-356: Oldhamstocks, County of Haddington. “There is a seam of coal in the parish but it has not been wrought”. (Seems that the Rev. Moore didn’t know his local history and hadn’t even read his predecessor’s write-up in the Old Statistical Account! - Ivan Young.)

So in fact this mine may in fact be much older, possibly 200-300 years old.

This bring us virtually up to date, with ongoing work at the beach led by Mark Stanford and with myself having made one foray into ‘Dunglass Dean’ looking for the original mine entrance with nothing found so far, but with the estimated length of even a single mine passage from Dunglas to its terminal end at Lawfield being in the region of 0.75 km there is much to continue working and searching for. -----oOo-----

(1) Martine, John (1894) Reminiscences and Notices of the Ten Parishes of Haddington, pp.201-2.

Bob Sommerville in the entrance approach passage. Photo: Alex Latta

LAWFIELD MINE Thorntonloch East Lothian dead end (?) NGR NT 75923 73385 N

pebbles water deep mud and silt section Entrance

flooded shaft 0 20 40 metres

Sketch survey June 2011 A. Latta. -37- THE MENDIP MIGRATION OF 2011 By Stu Lindsay

The Mendip Migration 2011 or, as was entered in the GSG logbook: “The Sheffield Migration!”.... cheeeeek! has duly passed with Mendip coming out on top with digging personnel (Tav, Matt and Mandy Voisey, John ‘Tangent’ Williams, Pete Glanvill and Tony Boycott with wives, Pete Rose and Stu Lindsay). There were three main dig ventures and one which resulted in the odd 30m or so of passage with three leads. The main dig, for me, was Campbell’s Cave. It is where I spent most of my time. The heavy winter rain and snow and, I suspect, some rather inopportune digging since last season’s migration had had an adverse affect on the lead-in shoring. Quite simply it seems a degree of undermining and the washing effect of the winter stream won the battle - most of it had slumped down to the bottom!

One of the most noticeable features of the valley leading up to ANUSC is the abundance of overflow springs. The most noticeable is the Elephant Trap. In high water conditions a bubble of water some two feet/half a metre high exudes from the ‘raised river bed’, spewing out the odd golf ball size lumps of rock and loads of gravel. Needless to say with temperatures approaching the 20s and mountain top to mountain top blue sky this was dry. But downstream a couple of hundred metres, and a likewise distance upstream from the main rising is another area of springs. In August 2009, a time of rain every day, I logged, prodded and ‘dug’ the ris- ings in the far bank. Toward the main rising was an area where water flowed but not always in tempo with the main drain. It had always been thought this water, with a small black hole overflow, was fed from a peaty area above. In fact my excavations showed the water was rising up through a 30cms hole in the solid rock floor with quite a force and situated a metre or so further in under the bank. There was no sigh of immediate solid rock above or around it. Mark Brown and I have over the past year given it the odd prod when passing.

During the months of winter melt and floods this area collapsed, revealing a number of large dolostone boulders. I cleared some of the debris to reveal the water output point but the once clear void spewing out crystal clear water and the odd marble sized gravel bead was now partly choked and in the current dry weather water pressure was not sufficient to purge it. The lesson learnt in these low water conditions was that this point seems to be higher than the other river bed overflow points, and continued flowing for more than six to seven days after the others had dried up. Is it a completely different source of water and perhaps not necessarily a mere drainage of the peat higher up the bank?

The second day saw a quick bit of gardening at the river bank, then up the valley to Toll Radain via my dig under the river bed. This bedding, which takes the whole stream when the overflow reached that point, is a comfortable body size. I removed five skiploads of winter infill but it really is cramped and difficult to fill the skip. Today, with a gentle warm breeze blowing there was an amazing draught. As Mandy Voisey said: “Blimey, you could freeze ice lollies in there.” So on to Toll Radain and whilst the others went round I went straight up and over, using a deer track just inches wide to reach the peaty, often boggy plateau rising up towards Toll Radain, passing two or three very likely looking holes which as Spring advances will doubtless grow over and be lost for another year. At Toll Radain the task was to assist putting up the tripod - a troublesome little thing it turned out to be - and then remove 50 kibbles. Toll Radain was also the destination on day three, with the weather not so good, a bit damp and windy. On the fifth day, along with Eddy, a capping trip to Toll Radain saw off four or so boulders before the rest arrived and I departed with two severely worn 8mm drill bits! Quartzite, not Screwfix!

Day four was the day Rana returned to looking like a cave entrance rather than a bicycle graveyard. It was decided that the first builders’ ladder should be removed. Without the superstructures surrounding the top of the hole and the more open nature of the entrance it may prove dangerous with regard to ‘stray’ inquisitive non- cavers if left in situ. The remaining 80 feet is still rigged. Taking some of the more useful bits across to Camp- bells, the tower was raised. With John ‘Tangent’ Williams (‘just done Claonaite’), and Tony B. (‘just blown up the stray Claonaite entrance rock’) arriving, Norman F., Mark B., John C. and myself pulled out 107 kibbles (¾ size 25 litre drums) before calling it a day at 1930 hrs - a nine hour day; there’s digging for you! -38-

After the early visit to Toll Radain on day five, the rest of the day was an anti-climax, spending two hours or so fettling rusty scaffold clamps, before a quick visit to 3 G’s Cave, where an original passage wall, ravished by time, water and frost, has been breached to allow access to a body size tube, infilled by stream debris. I had no oversuit or light but a passage was seen to bear off to the right about a body length in.

Day six was back on course and a painful journey to Campbells via Rana saw the operation in full swing. Simon Brooks and wife along with Rob and Hannah from SUSS, Nick Williams and son Zak and Eddy, Mark B., Norman and myself made the best turn-out of ten on the day. Following on after two couples had departed and a major slump which filled the dig, we ended the day on 210 kibbles. As Mark said dolefully: “It’s three steps forward and two back at the moment”). Declining the curry night we headed to the Inch for a few pints, went back to the hut and had a chilli then went off to the Allt for a few more pints. Drink...drink is the curse of the working man!

Day seven was back to normal, just three of us wall building, or should I say replacing the slope. I started by drilling two boulders for our friendly bang man to modify. We would need to use the bits so it was hoped they would not get blown to smithereerns. As it panned out, it was ‘almost perfect’. The use of brute force, a couple of slings and some teamwork saw Mark and myself haul 50 kg plus boulders almost vertically up from the depths to make three or four metres of progress whilst Norman fettled away and gave the odd bit of assistance on the counterbalance ... some rocks were well over 50 kgs.

The eighth day, after surviving being blown over, the three of us were joined by Fraser. A near disaster was averted when an innocent looking rock, embedded in the spoil which we were building up against, turned out to be a mega lump of quartzite and decided it would like to take Mark down the almost vertical ten metre slope. Luckily, an awkward piece of rock which didn’t seem to fit anywhere was the hero, acting as a brake, linked to the fact that I was slightly below and to the side of Mark and was able to grab his legs to steady him. So we won the day. How heavy was this rock? Well, it was drilled and bolted, and with Norman on the counter-balance assisted by Mark, I lifted and we managed to get it suspended millimetres or so above the wall and ma- noeuvre it into position - 200 kgs? Fraser appeared just after the crisis and with a shortage of rocks, we dug, achieving a respectable 70 kibbles.

So to my last day. I was going home but there was unfinished business on the hill so up I went. The weather was gorgeous. I made my way to 3G’s first (it’s just 150m or so from Campbells). With Tav and his team having departed, Derek G. made up the numbers. At Campbells the finishing of the slope was very important. The slope is now a good ten metres or more high, and about 20 degrees from vertical. The top is open, that is, it had not reached the lip level of the stream and the back fill of gravel, mud and smaller stones was open to the flow. My job today was raiding the surface spoil heap and rock pile to send appropriate rocks down to Mark whilst Norman did the counter-balance. These stones obviously got smaller as the stock diminished and were placed on top of the remaining exposed fill. Now when the water flows, its velocity will be less voracious as it hits the spoil and energy dissipated over most of the top capping. It will however still percolate own through and behind the slope, initially leaching the finer spoil out, but this may also aid compaction. The result of this will mean the top cap of football size rocks will possible sink lower than the top level of the slope, but being between two solid walls (a solid wall following upstream has not yet been encountered), it is hoped any future digging teams will use large blocks and boulders to build up to the stream level and thus avoid disaster. It will also be the responsibility of future diggers not to undermine the present slope as they go deeper, but to continue building/supporting the slope at the bottom.

The end of a glorious nine days digging saw a visit to 3 G’s, a couple of ‘crumps’ earlier indicated they meant business. A 30 minute session saw me assist with the removal of a dozen skips and five chunks of rock from the bang debris. To finish, a few pints at the Inch... a celebration of the week... then I returned to Mendip, happy, tired and aching. -----oOo------39- NOTES ON ARBROATH CAVES By Iain Greig

It’s not very often I get a nice bit of sunburn on a caving trip, but that’s what happened as five others and I de- scended upopn Arbroath on Saturday 20th August for an afternoon’s tour of the local sea caves. Fortuitously, after planning the trip around the tides, it was possibly the only proper summer’s day in August as one could even pick out the Bell Rock Lighthouse during the day. All together, a quite respectable 600 metres of pas- sageway was covered between eight caves dotted along a mile and a half of scenic cliff coastline. As also seen around Sandside Head in Caithness, the Old Red Sandstone seems to lend itself well to sea cave formation, although at Arbroath we had the added bonus of finding well developed speleothems thanks to the calcite cement in the surrounding sandstone. It wasn’t quite Applecross I’ll admit, but it’s bizarre to see impressive features when the closest limestone lies miles away across the water in Fife.

The group were treated to a variety of sea caves ranging from dry caves above raised shorelines with the odd climb and squeeze through to the optional, fully soaked through-trip which basically involved swimming into one flooded entrance and being slowly swept out of another (not really advised for dead-end caves!) As usual, Stalactite Cave appeared to impress its latest visitors, despite the rear flowstone appearing to disappear that little bit more every time I visit. A photo on the club server which I took in 2007 seems to show some frag- ile flowstones on the lower cave walls where only bare sandstone was seen on this occasion. Whether this has been due to vandalism or simply the result of the tides will remain a mystery to me, although with the missing section being at the very Formations in Stalactite Cave, 2007. back of a rather The same area photographed in 2011. Photo Iain Greig Photo Iain Greig large sea cave below the high tide mark, I would probably put my money on the latter. (So go and see it while it’s still there).

Its next door neighbour, ‘Stalagmite Cave’, which is also decorated to a lesser extent, was also visited. How- ever, this was a bit of a solo trip as only Tam was able to negotiate an awkward high squeeze where the narrow entrance has been partially blocked by an odd, ‘out-of-place flowstone ramp. To my shame, this was a cave which I’d previously peered into thinking it was just a few metres long and not worth the climb, not noticing the five metre pitch which, it would seem, drops down to 55 metres of lower sandy and decorated pasage. De- spite being a pretty decent length for a sea cave, this was a mere dwarf compared to Stalactite Cave which after a quick measurement, we now reckon is 147 metres long with its four passages radiating from the large central chamber. After a Google search, I can only assume that the 180 metres as seen on ‘Caver Bob’s’ Longest Sea Caves list (whoever he is), either includes the unroofed inlets or has just been somebody’s good old stab in the dark. (Pardon the pun).

Despite being a cornerstone of my rallying call email, we missed out on the post-caving smokies seeing as -40- every outlet in Arbroath seems to shut by 5pm. After making do with the fish and chip shop next door to one which strangely had a hint of smokiness to the haddock supper (who said passive smoking was a bad thing?), some of us crossed the road to the Smuggler’s Inn where we fittingly finished the day by sinking a pint below a smugglers’ map of the Arbroath Caves. I’m now optimistically hoping to encounter some lost bounty on my next visit although the widely reported hidden ‘cave-house’ may be the closest I’ll get to a modern smugglers’ den!

Caves visited: Rift Cave (35m), Stalagmite Cave (60m), Stalactite Cave (147m), Mer- The 2011 Arbroath Expedition Team. L-R: Adam McArthur, Tam Barton, maid’s Kirk Cave (95m), Dickmont’s Den Iain Greig, Allison Jones, Rosemary Jones. Cave (110m), Dark Cave (98m), Light Photo: Bob Jones Cave (38m), Forbidden Cave (32m).

Present: Iain Greig, Bob and Rosemary Jones, Allison Jones, Tam Barton and Adam McArthur (guest). ------

SCOTTISH SPELEOPHILATELY (2) By Martin Mills

In the March 2005 Bulletin I detailed known items, principally from the islands of Staffa and Rona. One further Cinderella issue has come to light. These are locally/privately produced stamps which are not valid for prepayment of postal items in the national postal system. However they are increasingly being produced, principally to generate income on the pretext of prepayment for postal items from remote islands to connect with the national Royal Mail system. These Cinderella issues are variously described as carriage labels, stamps and local carriage stamps.

To the list may now be added Bass Rock and depicting the huge sea cave which cuts right through the base of the island from east to west. When the stamp was issued is not known, but with a £3 value (!), it suggests recently. That standard reference work, Haswell Smith’s ‘The Scottish Islands’, 1996 edition, reveals that the island has been uninhabited since the lighthouse was automated, but there are boat trips from North Berwick in the summer months.

------oOo------41- MEET NOTE:

TRALIGILL RISING By Simon Brooks

On Sunday 1st May 2011, assisted by Shary, I had a fine sunny walk up to Traligill Rising to investigate previous dives. After kitting up I crawled into the Rising which was, in the good weather, completely dry. Sump1 had dropped one metre below the line belay bolt, which is normally under water. I dived downslope to -4 metres without a problem and laid 25 metres of fresh line along a gently dipping slip rift, following the floor. At 25 metres the sump rose gradually and at 30 metres ascended directly up the thrust at 40°. I broke surface at 35 metres. The expected large river passage was not to be found, only a now dry three metre wide, 0.9 metre high thrust plane running directly up the hill. (This passage clearly takes water in ‘normal’ flow conditions). Progress was slow in full diving kit so I removed cylinders and DVs and set off up the passage looking for Sump 2.

This was found after some 40 metres over several obstacles and was another bedding plane sump of comfortable proportions (once under water). Without the assistance of another diver to porter gear between sumps 1 and 2, a plan to dive Sump 2 was aborted. Instead I decided to use my diving compass and tagged dive line to survey the hitherto unsurveyed passage. This was accomplished and I made my way back to base and the sunbathing Shary. I left the dive line in situ through Sump 1, reasonably well belayed so it should last. -----oOo-----

TRALIGILL RISING NC 26742122 Alt. 170 metres N

General trend of cave 150º Large boulders in chamber, climb down

A’ Thrust plane Thrust plane Boulders in passage Entrance down to Thrust plane Sump 2

A’ Constricted route Sump 1 - 35m up through boulders

SECTION

10m Scale

Rift bedding passage rises gently

Survey Grade 2, Simon Brooks May, 2011. -42- THE DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION OF FLOOD RESURGENCE No.2 (FRNII) APPLECROSS By David Morrison and Jane Stewart-Bollen.

The following is a mix between the caving journals kept by David and Jane and gives insights into the discovery of one of the best decorated and fifth longest cave in Scotland, FRNII. The discovery of FRNII actually begins with the re-discovery of Flake Pot and so this is also the start of this article.

20.2.2011. David, Ritchie Simpson and Jane explored Cave of the Liar to Flowstone Pot, this being Jane’s second caving expedition, and exited via the original entrance. A small cave was noticed about 20 metres down from the lower entrance of Cave of the Liar. It consists of 5-6 metres of fault chamber and is choked at both ends. Some digging was done at Flake Pot - a good effort should allow access.

20.3.2011. David, Ritchie and Jane dug out Flake Pot. David broke the hammer! We nearly got in but David and Ritchie did not have enough ‘bottle’ to make the full commitment to get in, as the entrance is tighter than it looks. We then surveyed the new cave just upstream on the true right bank. There are 6 metres total passage running 285 degrees for three metres, then 162 degrees for another three metres. There is a second small chamber under the huge boulder that forms the floor of this cave. The survey was completed by David and Jane.

2.4.2011. David and Ritchie entered Flake Pot after some capping, the loss of hearing by Ritchie in one ear (not permanent), plus some chipping. There are 15-20 metres of passage, flat out at first, then stooping and followed by a 3.5 metre pitch which needs a ladder. There are three leads to be looked at. Ritchie was first in, then David. Jane was supporting and taking footage. (This can be seen on YouTube).

3.4.2011. David and Jane went down to Hartfield Cave and completed a Grade 2 survey, and then we went to Hartfield Quarry Sink and did some digging. (This has not yet been fully reported to the Grampian Speleological Group). This site needs a further good digging session - or sessions - to progress along a very silty flood passage. Total passage visible, five metres approximately, including the two metres that can be entered. One broken winch ended our digging session as the boulders sink further into the ground when being removed.

4.4.2011. David and Ritchie pushed Flake Pot after work. Ritchie was first down the pitch which leads to a big chamber with a hole in what is believed to be the south wall, which widened to allow a second, smaller, chamber to be entered by David followed by Ritchie. There is potential in this cave if it is dug out a bit. Footage was taken by both David and Ritchie. (This also can be seen on YouTube).

16.4.2011. David and Jane did a full tour of Brindle’s Rift. The intention was to see if Jane could do the squeeze, as it is similar to what is expected when entering Flake Pot. While crossing the field to Flake Pot there were what should have been taken as portents: a ewe had just given birth and was in the middle of passing the afterbirth, and then further on, the top half of a dead lamb was found, which appeared to have been sawn in half with no evidence of surrounding blood splatter; strange!

Jane was unable to enter Flake Pot as she panicked after getting her foot wedged in the narrowing slot of the entrance so David performed his first cave rescue. After losing all confidence Jane decided not to retry entering Flake Pot. David then suggested that they should walk the woods as he had read years ago in a report by Bill Lindsay that there was a wall of limestone with ‘holes’ that required investigation. Another portent as the exploration took place: a skeleton of a deer, with intact hooves, was laid out in the prone position with a leg extended as though pointing the way.

Entering the woods at the bottom of the fire break it was seen that there was disturbance of the ground where the pine needles of the trees had been cleared away. It was decided to investigate the cleared areas. There were three obvious cleared sections. David went to the top of the first one (now named Flood Resurgence No.1 [FRNI]) and stuck his head down the blocked hole which produced a good echo so began clearing the -43- blockage. Jane investigated the other two holes. Jane informed David that the second hole (now named Flood Resurgence No.2 [FRNII]) had a good echo and only required what appeared to be minimal digging. The third hole (now named Flood Resurgence No.3 [FRNIII]) did not produce a very good echo and looked as though it required a lot of digging as it appeared totally blocked.

David dug out the entrance, exclaimed “We have a cave!” and entered FRNII to explore about 20 metres of canal passage. Jane refused to enter as she was still spooked by Flake Pot but reported that FRNI would require a winch to pull out the boulders blocking the hole. David opened a second entrance to FRNII as he believed the first one was unstable.

17.4.2011. David and Jane returned to the newly found FRNII accompanied by Ritchie and Toby Speight. Whilst Ritchie and Toby tried to clear boulders out of FRNI, David and Jane pushed the canal found in FRNII the previous day. The canal was pushed until a dry, heavily silted chamber (now named Bill Lindsay’s Chamber) was entered. David and Jane decided to return to the surface to get back-up from Ritchie and Toby as the cave was becoming bigger than expected. We all returned to Bill Lindsay’s Chamber and Jane then led the next section, now named Stal Corridor, into a second breakdown chamber (now Penitent Chamber) and In the Draughty Canal, FRNII. L-R: into a narrow chamber heavily decorated with Ritchie Simpson, Dave Morrison, Jane Stewart-Bollen. flowstone which widens the higher you look and Photo: Toby Speight is filled with various thicknesses of stalactites. This is now called Jane’s Cathedral. This discovery has turned out to be probably the best decorated cave in Scotland. Whilst David and Jane investigated Jane’s Cathedral, Ritchie and Toby followed a lead through a tightish crawl for another 20 metres (now named Confessional Crawl) to a chamber needing to be dug. (Con- fessional Chamber). During this work Toby confessed he had bumped a couple of stalactites, hence the name. This cave is an important find.

18.4.2011. David investigated the ground behind Torgrave House, nothing speleological found. David noted Bill Lindsay’s resurgence at Milton. The point of the exercise was to find the sink for FRNII.

19.4.2011. David, determined to find and understand what and where water flows into FRNII to make up the canal (now called Draughty Canal), investigated the Cave of the Liar stream. The top sink is at grid reference 719 438 and is choked, but a cascade can be heard beyond the choke.

The middle sink is just up from the original entrance (approximately 20 metres) on the opposite bank. This was dug out but seems to get too tight; however, maybe more digging will open it up. Just below Flake Pot entrance is a crack in the south bank of the dry streambed. This was also dug out and gives a good echo. Water is also heard, although not much. There has been a dry spell which has allowed a lot of investigation to be carried out, but much more work would be needed to gain entry.

20.4.2011. David and Jane surveyed FRNII. A total of 115.85 metres of passage was mapped from Draughty Canal to Confessional Crawl leading on from Jane’s Cathedral. The unsurveyed side passages give an estimated total of 180 metres of cave.

21.4.2011. David and Jane looked at the possible sink feeding the south passage in FRNII. Jane noted a round house and old field boundaries and to the north of the FRNII remnants of buildings, possibly a farmstead or Blackhouse with auxilliary buildings. David dropped into Flake Pot and took bearings, noting a possible lead. -44- 22.4.2011. David, Jane and Ritchie did a full tour of FRNII and pushed a couple of leads. More pushing is required. David and Ritchie also dropped into Flake Pot and took a look at the lead found on 2st April but it is completely choked. This ends David’s seven days in Applecross, which he has threatened to turn into a novel or song!

25.4.2011. David, Ivan Young, Martin Hayes and John Crae did a tour of FRNII. David pushed the lead in Penitent Chamber. This is an oxbow leading back into Jane’s Cathedral where a second passage can be followed for several metres and is continuing. Total new passage gained approximately 15-20 metres.

30.4.2011. David and Ritchie pushed the lead from Jane’s Cathedral. This is a flat out crawl (now called the Swiss Cheese Crawl) which leads to another breakdown chamber. It is approximately 20 metres long and has a waterfall and a passage going on to yet another chamber with a possible continuation. Total new cave today is approximately 60 metres. The south passage at the entrance was also surveyed for 28 metres.

9.7.2011. David and Jane went in as far as the Swiss Cheese Crawl in FRNII. Took photos in Jane’s Cathe- dral, did a bit of digging below the ladder in Bill Lind- Ritchie Simpson in Breakdown, Uamh nam Fior say’s Chamber and also surveyed the passage halfway Iongantais. along Draughty Canal. David lost a torch and his silver Photo: Toby Speight chain in this passage, which has now been named Silver Chain Passage. This effort produced 16 metres of crawl with another 5-6 metres clearly visible. Hammering is needed to make any further progress.

21.7.2011. David, Jane and Ritchie went as far as Jane’s Cathedral. Jane stayed behind as she did not like the amount of water that was following out of Swiss Cheese Crawl. David and Ritchie crawled up this passage, finding it very watery, and looked into what has now been named Rising Chamber. It has now been decided that if there is water flowing into Penitent Chamber from Swiss Cheese Crawl it is best not to go any further with exploration as there is a distinct danger of becoming trapped by rising water levels. It has not been fully determined how quickly the cave floods to the point where entrance or exit would be difficult or impossible so risks should not be taken. David took pictures on the way out.

23.7.2011. David, Jane and Ritchie met up with Martin Grass from Mendip. Martin went in as far as Jane’s Cathedral. David, Jane and Ritchie continued on up the Swiss Cheese Crawl as the water level was significantly reduced. In Rising Chamber, David forced the lead to a small chamber with a too tight passage extending off to somewhere. At the other lead David dug out stones and found 20 metres of new crawl and stooping passage. All three of us with Ritchie leading found Ritchie exiting the Scheißloch. another 30 metres, approximately, of new cave with amazing Photo: David Morrison formations (now called Ripley’s Chamber, Bishop’s Passage and Xenomorph Chamber). The way on is blocked by a slab that should be possible to remove. A large chunk of charcoal was discovered on the way out of Bishop’s Passage. Video footage, now on YouTube, and photographs, were taken.

28.7.2011. David, Jane and Ritchie pushed past the slab blocking the way on from Xenomorph Chamber. This was removed by David so that he entered another chamber with a calcite floor (once floating on a large pool, now named the Calcite Loch). This led to two smaller chambers to the right with a dodgy looking roof -45-

FLOOD RESURGENCE No.II now known as: UAMH NAM FIOR IONGANTAIS (Cave of True Wonders) Applecross Ross-shire

Calcite Loch

choke Xenomorph Chamber

? ? Rising Chamber Waterfall Chamber Mag North Hole Passage ?

Toby’s Lead ?

Bishop’s Swiss Cheese Crawl ? Passage Ripley’s ? Chamber ? Jagged Rift (choked) Penitent Chamber The Slot ? Confessional Chamber Stal Corridor Jane’s Cathedral ? too tight Scheißloch

Bill Lindsay’s Chamber

0 20 metres

SCALE Draughty Canal

Silver Chain Crawl

FRNIII ENTRANCE

SURVEY; BCRA Grade 2 David Morrison July-September 2011. (Some parts Grade 1) Total Length 500 metres approximately. -46- and much hanging death! Straight on, passing calcited sheep bones, another chamber is reached with a possible lead through boulders in the floor. There is also a shell midden here. Back in the Calcite Loch Chamber Jane noticed a hole which David pushed for several metres. This area is ongoing but requires boulders to be removed. A grade 2 survey was then completed all the way back to Jane’s Cathedral.

31.7.2011. David and Jane surveyed Confessional Passage and Chamber, then found two new leads in Penitent Chamber: a slot and a jagged rift. The newly named Scheißloch Passage, under the ladder in Bill Lindsay’s Chamber, was then surveyed.

4.8.2011. David and Ritchie did some digging in the Scheißloch but a perched slab stopped the work. David pushed the jagged rift to a calcite choke, the slot was hammered and now gives access to the lower series and the stream. This consists of about 25 metres of crawling space where leads up and down stream have been left to be explored at a later date.

This concludes the discovery and exploration of FRNII at present. FRNII in full flood. This cave should be treated with the utmost respect and caution Photo: David Morrison should be taken if entering during wet spells. If water levels appear high and are running through Penitent Chamber no further eploration should be attempted. Cave rescue is available but will take a bit of time to reach anyone trapped and there is no telling how quickly the system floods and for how long during wet periods (which Scotland in general is renowned for), and it would be a most unpleasant experience for anyone trapped as there is no through trip in this cave. -----oOo----- ADDENDUM:

The discovery of this phenomenal cave system in 2011 conveniently co-incided with the GSG celebrating their 50th Jubilee. In order to obtain some media coverage of this latter event, while recognising the well-deserved efforts of David, Jane, Ritchie and Toby, Applecross also served as a ‘hook’ for journalists, always looking for current news to write copy around. Publicity was good, particularly in the Herald newspaper, who kindly re- produced a large format colour photograph taken inside the cave, showing the full exploration team surrounded by calcite finery.

Contact with television producers in 2010, while not apparently stirring their imaginations then, seems to have left some sort of trace memory, because the BBC suddenly realised there was mileage in our stories and featured the new cave on their Gaelic programme, with a ‘flyer’ on Scotland’s national news. Following on from that, BBC’s ‘Landward’ programme (roughly, Scotland’s equivalent of ‘Countryfile’) decided to bring out four cave-related features, one about Smoo Cave; another on SCRO and a practice rescue in Appin; a third showing primary school children carol singing in a Pittenweem cave (not involving the GSG) and, weather permitting, the stuffing of Dougie Vipond down Uamh nam Fior Iongantais. It all assists in promoting Scottish caving as a responsible, fascinating activity and, as a rather pleasant if surprising byproduct, actually puts the GSG in the frame for winning the Mendip Digging Gaelic-speaking caving novices Anne and Morag being interviewed by Debbie ? (BBC) Award, not something one would usually expect from Scottish Rosemary Jones holding microphone, Andy ? caves, even if, as J-Rat always insisted, a metre north of the bor- (BBC) and Ritchie Simpson in background. der was worth ten anywhere else!H -Editor. Photo: Bob Jones -47- HURRAH, HURRAH, WE BRING THE JUBILEE* By Alan Jeffreys

As Grampian’s Jubilee year sidles toward closure (although, strictly speaking I suppose it should extend until June 2012), perhaps a brief glance over the shoulder is permitted to assess its effect. From the start (perhaps surprisingly for some, back in 2009) an organising committee settled on three main objectives: (1) To promote an archive of club history, hopefully in recorded oral form as well as a book, which also embraced collecting a representative photographic record. (2) To trace and contact as many former members as possible and involve them in our celebrations. (3) To have a damn good time at and around foundation date 14th June. Objective 1 also provided an excellent platform for informing Joe Public of our achievements and impact. All these goals were realised with varying degrees of success.

So, how did we do? Archiving had mixed results. Oral recordings ( or indeed written reminiscences in a spe- cially provided book), failed completely. Compiling our book ‘Decades in the Dark’ met with much better success, despite an initially slow response from members. Disappointingly, some private photographic col- lections remained untapped because they were not declared in time and, soberingly, at least three people con- tacted (including one contributor) did not live to see the book published. (Get things recorded NOW, before a bus runs you over!!!) I should have liked to see other material spontaneously offered by members for publication in the likes of the Scots Magazine but eventually only my small poetry book, attempting to convey the spiritual effects of caving during the past 50 years, appeared in print.

Contacting former memebrs had some really positive results for people from the 1960s and ‘70s but, curiously, although traced, quite a few 1980s members chose not to re- spond. As a bonus though, the donation by Brian Reid of a bound volume of very early A fine squad of 1960s members (when men were men!) UBSS Proceedings significantly increased L.-R. Jim Ormiston, George Brown, Keith Cornhill, Gordon Henderson, the value of our holdings of this journal Les Henderson. (now missing only Vol.5 No1. Most copies Photo: Ivan Young were destroyed in the Bristol blitz).

It is true to say that Objective 3 was a resound- ing success. Over 100 sat down to our Jubilee

dinner/dance H on H 18th H June, H some H travelling considerable distances just to be there.

Attempts to inform the public also worked well. We mounted exhibitions in the Royal Society of Edinburgh and Ratho Climbing Arena (with hopefully more venues to come), and enjoyed first-rate publicity, thanks to the m FiorI - timely discovery of Uamh Hna ongan tais M at Applecross. any H newspapers featured this work and BBC Scotland TV have also H done H us H proud, H filming H in HApplecross, A View of Our Exhibition at the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Durness and Appin. Review copies of the Ju- May 2011. bilee book will shortly be sent to relevant Photo: Andy Peggie -48- parties, spreading the word even further.

This deliberate outwards stance was, and is, considered of paramount importance. Future access, funding, per- missions to dig and so on may very well depend on our reputation and there is still majestic ignorance out there of what we get up to.

All in all, I think we can claim 2011 turned out to be a worthwhile and rewarding celebration. Practically all the work has now been done, so the organising committee can surrender its mandate and get on with some caving. Budg- etary matters have been satisfactory. We planned one or two objectives where a capital outlay would not be recovered but finances are Responding to Speeches at The Jubilee Dinner at the Kings Manor healthy enough to absorb these. We now (at Hotel, Edinburgh last) own a handsome set of display boards and Photo: Ivan Young two human-sized dummies, available for demonstrating suitable gear. It only remains for me to thank Andy Peggie, Suzi Robinson, Ivan Young, Fraser Simpson, Dick Grindley and Davie Robinson for a job extremely well done. However, if we plan celebrations for our 60th and/or 75th, someone else can do it! My best wishes for the future of the GSG to you all.

* from‘Marching Through Georgia’ (American Civil War Song) ---oOo---

Addendum:

Quite a few poems and songs had their first performance at the Jubilee Dinner, most of them aimed at club worthies and their foibles. The following however is of a more general nature, being in the nature of a ‘Club Anthem’. It was penned by Peter ‘Snab’ MacNab and provides a good way to wrap up this summary.

1.Scots wha hae been underground, 2.Let’s think of how it all begun, Whaur caverns measureless abound, Goon’s early antics, done for fun, We hae dug and we hae found, Led to the club in Sixty-one, Mair nor two or three! He’d formed the GSG! Mighty chambers, tiny crawls, Inside museum’s hidden spines Roaring rivers, waterfalls, Exploring all the local mines Pitches, sumps, we’ve found them all! Then doon the road to the Pennines We are the GSG! and speleotherapy!

3.Then onwards, downwards, search for more, 4.Then Schiehallion, Appin, Skye, o With all of Scotland to explore,H And Applecross o’er pass s high, Entrenching tools were our claymores! The thirst for finds you can’t deny, We tackled it with glee! It’s there for all to see! A base with Assynt’s wondrous views, Now fifty years of finds so rare, The Inch and Allt with plenty booze, Throughout the world by those that dare, A mighty list of digging crews Not just the caves, think of the bear, Found caves repeatedly! Found by the GSG!

To be sung to the tune of ‘Scots Wha Hae’ Pete MacNab. -----oOo-----