This was another weekend trip, again staying at the Belfry, timed to coincide with Lucy (our then-secretary)’s birthday. We had a big party for her one night, complete with a 1981 playlist and themed games.
Saturday the 21st January – Manor Farm Swallet
Group: Lucy, Jenks, Josh, Will, me.
On Saturday, I foolishy allowed myself to be talked into a Manor Farm trip by Will. “Oh, it’s my favourite cave,” he said. “Oh, you’ll be fine!” he said… Big mistake. I got down the ladder pitch (aprox. 50ft) on a wire ladder, and made it about halfway down September Rift, and that was the extent of my caving for that day. I DID-NOT LIKE September Rift. It’s basically just a standard rift climb down, not narrow enough to get stuck in but narrow enough that you can’t really see where you’re going. I’m not sure exactly why, but I hated it and basically bolted out after 5 or so mins of trying.
Everyone else kindly refrained from rolling their eyes at me, did the rift in a normal fashion and carried on with the cave. Meanwhile, Will escorted me out (although since it was his fault I was there against my best judgement, I feel this was the least he could have done!) and made me make pizza bases for dinner all afternoon. We amused ourselves by re-writing the incest chart that afternoon. This was my first (and so far, only) stumble in a cave and it was horrible. That entrance pitch was also what first made me want to learn SRT. Bloody ladder.
I put the mishap down to the fact that I had only been caving for just about three months at this point, and also was extremely dubious about whether I wanted to do the trip (even though I’d allowed myself to be talked into it). I would also like to mention that I have since gone back to Manor Farm and successfully seen the cave right up to NHASA Galleries. They’re not worth it.
Sunday the 22nd January – Hunter’s Lodge Inn Sink
Group: Ellen, Paul, Steven, me.
On Sunday, I wasn’t really in the mood for a challenging cave and Steven, a BEC member, suggested that he lead a trip to Hunter’s. We stood around outside the Hunter’s until 12 to get the key, looking like a bunch of weirdos in our caving onesies, and then headed down. I remember that the entrance crawl after the fixed ladder was quite long and made me wish I had elbow pads. It slopes downhill, so was harder on the way out. The cave was moderately pretty, and another cave where it would have been hard to get lost. I wrote a note in the red book after that it was SO MUDDY. Don’t remember that but I assume it is true.
Flos Caves 