Links to other Years:
Sun, Jul 10 2025
The weekend of the 3rd/4th August, the club was in South Wales, enjoying the delights of the Ogof Ffynnon Ddu system, the deepest and second longest in the UK. A trip was made from the Top Entrance in OFD2, with a diversion to see the Trident and Judge formations, then down the streamway a climb up Diver's Pitch, the Letterbox squeeze, then back to the Streamway in OFD1 to emerge from the OFD1 entrance and the long walk back up the hill.
Wed, Jul 30 2025
Removed pitch lengths from the downstream pitches of the Winnats Head Cave topo. One of these showed a 30m pitch with a 23m rope. Clearly wrong and a mistake that has crept in at some point. The rope lengths are known to be good and since pitch lengths are not essential to know, they have been removed. They have been kept for the upstream pitches, as these are on fixed ropes.
Mon, Jul 21 2025
Weather warnings for thunderstorms meant a rethink of the planned Diccan Pot trip. Instead a visit was made to the ever popular Sell Gill. Some photos from Gaz.
The DCA have rebolted the Chain Passage pitch into the Knotlow Cavern 210' Shaft. The rigging topo has been updated with information kindly supplied by the DCA.s
Sun, Jul 20 2025
The Hillocks/Whalf rigging topo has been updated. The top of Whalf Climbing shaft now shows a scaff bar belay, with a tree backup, as it now is. The Engine Shaft top anchors are now shown as in situ rings. The hand picked shaft rigging and shaft shape now better reflect the reality underground.
Thu, Jul 10 2025
There were ten of us on Sunday doing an exchange trip between the Cathedral and Centipede routes in Lost Johns' Cave in the Dales. Three were new members on their first big SRT trip with the club. The weather was wet and there was a fair bit of water heading down the cave and the Monastery series, but we soon left it for the dryer routes. We met at Dome Junction, each team of five derigging the ropes the other team rigged. Abour three and a half hours underground.
Sun, Jun 22 2025
A trip to Cussey Pot, with CCPC members being outnumbered by those of other clubs. The descended to Inglorious Bastards and found the sump to the mine workings open, but very muddy. A quick explore, then a return to the surface. A rigging topo has been created for this trip. The other route, down NCA Pitch and Rocky Horror will come, when we get a chance to go down there.
Fri, June 13 2025
The break in the weather made our planned trip to Ingleborough Cave a no-go. Instead, the club visited Valley Entrance in Kingsdale. The team took a look at the Master Cave Streamway and the high level route above it. They also tried to get to Toyland, but the high water levels forced them to retreat. Some photos from Gaz.
Mon, May 12 2025
Five were underground with the club for a trip to the Gaping Gill system under Ingleborough. We descended Bar Pot and followed the usual route to visit Main Chamber. The prolonged dry weather had reduced the usual fall of water in to the chamber to a relative trickle and the usual draught in the passages approaching the chamber was missing. The Bradford Pothole Club had set up the winch and were starting to install lighting here for their upcoming winch meet. We briefly met one of their members in the chamber, before he returned to the surface in the winch cage. We took a diversion to look at Sand Cavern on the way back to the base of Bar Pot. Exiting and derigging Bar Pot was soon accomplished and everyone managed the sometimes awkward entrance pitch head without problems. The walk back down to Clapham was the usual slog, but this time in sunshine, rather than the more common sideways sleet! We had all emptied our water bottles by this point, so the promise of a trip to a pub, strictly for rehydration purposes, was an added incentive. Some photos from Grace.
Mon, Apr 14 2025
AAnother new to the club cave. Fiveways Pot on Dowlass Moor. This replaced the Millwr Tunnel trip, which has been put back till later in the year. Four club members and a GPS gadget to find the entrance. After the awkward entrance series, the descent to the sump was relatively straighforward. Around four hours spent underground, but a longer than usual walk too and from where the vehicles were parked. Some photos from Gaz.
Tue, Apr 1 2025
On Saturday we descended Curtain Pot, on Fountains Fell. A tough trip, made slightly easier by being able to use someone else's ropes. Thanks for letting us use them. Some photos from Gaz.
Tue, Mar 19 2025
We visited this Yorkshire pot on Saturday, getting to the ducks and possibly the sump at the bottom. Some photos from Gaz.
Tue, Mar 4 2025
Sunday saw us visiting Goodluck Mine , by the Via Gellia. Many thanks to the fine folk there for showing us round.
Tue, Feb 18 2025
We reached the bottom of Marble Steps Pot on Sunday, via the Gully and 90' Pitch routes. Met up with a couple of guys doing a digging project on the way out. Six members on this trip. Some photos from Gaz.
Tue, Feb 4 2025
A trip to P8 on Saturday, with three members visiting Ben's Dig to look at the progress Sheffield University Speleological Society (SUSS) have made. They have removed an impressive depth of mud!
The rigging guide topo for P8 has a small alteration. The length of rope recommended for the true second pitch has been increased to 18m.
Sun Jan 19 2025
A change of plan. Instead of the scheduled trip to Longcliffe Mine, we decided to do the trip that was cancelled by snow earlier in the month. Seven of us went underground on a cold and misty day in Maskhill Mine. We descended to West Chamber, where we found TSG member Luke Brock preparing to dive a sump at the end if an inlet between the West Antechamber and West Chamber. Gaz and Jenny went out via the already rigged Oxlow entrance. The others returned via Maskhill.
In Wharf Climbing Shaft, Gaz McShee has continued to remove rocks dropped by vandals during the summer that were blocking the way on in to the rest of the system.
Sun, Jan 5 2025
Lots of snow and an amber weather warning lead us to abandon the planned trip today.
Sat, Jan 4 2025
The rigging guide has two changes.
We would like to apologise for the CCPC web site outage over Christmas. All should now be back to normal.
Alum Pot. Photo © Gareth Williams 2022.