|
During my childhood I
remember having an inquisitiveness for the many red and buff man- made
sandstone caves in around my birth place 'the city of Nottingham' . As a
teenager I visited the castle caves, tunnels, storage and cellar caves; many of
which are still in use today. I recall my fascination as news of
unknown caves and cellars were frequently unearthed during redevelopment and
building reconstruction work in the city centre.
Over the last thirty years or so my passion for travel has
taken me far afield to many exotic locations, where it became a bit of a joke
with my wife as to when and where I would inevitably find a suitable cave to
explore. Usually lead by a local guide equipped with little more than a
simple paraffin lamp, I have waded, rafted and canoed through simple but
dramatic river caves, and stumbled along cave systems into vast chambers and
caverns with staggering formations.
A few years ago, some mates from in and around Alstonefield set
off 'spelunking' to explore jugholes, owl hole and a few other easily accessible
caves in The Peak District. Unfortunately
with only hard hats, cheap ineffective torches and minimum bravado we never
succeeded in venturing far inside any.
More recently I organised a small group visit to peak cavern at
Castleton. This time fully equipped and with an experienced guide we
passed way beyond the show cave limits and walked for a good distance below
ground. I then realised the potential local caving possibilities when done
professionally.
A chance meeting one
Sunday lunch in the Royal Oak in Wetton with Pete, Mel and Margaret, resulted in
a kind invitation to join them on their next caving trip. I
learnt that they meet there every Sunday morning to plan the afternoon
activities. This usually involves a local exploratory dig, conservation
work or a caving trip further afield. I must confess to a
degree nervousness on the trips as there is loads to learn and many
challenges to face, and as I have such a lousy sense of direction I
know that should we get lost below ground I would be of little use. Its
particularly reassuring to have Mel along with all her knowledge and experience
especially when things don't go quite to plan.
Surprisingly I find the digs as fascinating as the caving.
Its a great buzz searching for the entrances to unknown, forgotten or
neglected chambers, caves or passages. (see photo in shilling pot).
.
Finally for
anyone out there remotely interested, caving aside; I'm a musician (bass
player) a very amateur naturalist, I run the odd road/country race, have an
interest in military history, grow 'classic' roses and enjoy an occasional
piss-up with good friends.
|
