Saturday and Sunday caving in't Yorkshire Dales; what could be better? King, Rowten, Rumbling, Gavel, Death's Head - all visited, all enjoyed - then home in time for life as usual on Monday.
December means winter tour, 'winter' being the key word: the NPC's central heating had broken, so we suffered for two bitterly cold days until the weather warmed up. Still we hit a grand array of caves with a grand number of new cavers, plumbing the depths of Leck Fell (Notts, Death's Head), Easegill (Lancaster, County) and Kingsdale (Jingling, Bull). There was also a day of SRT rescue training - and of course, a most excellent Christmas dinner.
This year we celebrated life with the student caving community in the Mendips, swarming upon the unsuspecting town of Priddy to wreak well-meaning havoc. Highlights included a classic Swildon's trip, aerial squeeze machine, and large quantities of baby oil.
For the first SRT weekend of the year we spent most of our time either in Kingsdale or driving to Kingsdale, becoming intimately acquainted with ropes in the depths of Bull, Simpson, and Aquamole. Small teams went to Yordas Pot and Sell Gill Holes on Sunday; the wiser members went to the cheese shop instead.