Sensible Clubs and Societies

[purpan]

Sounds like exactly the missed junction (North West Junction) and the, admittedly rather nice, streamway is "Turkey Streamway". Coming back down an hour or more later the junction is totally obvious but on the way upstream you have to duck under a rock to spot it. The unnecessary extra detour broke one of my companions on a trip where I, like many others before and since, missed the turning

Another cock up we did on a different trip, was doing some kind of loop in one of the boulder chokes on the way out and me and my mate somehow went from the front of the party to the back, and lost the others who still though they were following us. Took us ages to find the route again and find our own way to the entrance.

However the best ever story I've heard from that cave was two student parties from, I believe, either oxford or cambridge, where on the way out the two parties had coalesced into a bigger, and now unmanageable group. One person had done something similar to our boulder loopy thing and ended up left behind. When the rest got to the entrance his original group thought he was with the others, and the "others" of course had no idea he was believed to be with them. They all exited the cave and went back to the caving hut. Unfortunately the gate arrangement at the time was a padlock so not only was the guy left behind, when he eventually found his way to the entrance, he was locked in. So far merely an embarrassing cock-up, however it gets worse, as the rest of the group then assumed he'd get a lift back with the others so all packed up and drove home leaving the poor chap locked in the cave. Apparently he managed to shout to a passing hiker a day later who raised the alarm. He was lucky as he'd have been pretty wet and cold and the entrance passage is draughty so it could have ended badly after 24 hours or more shivering his bollocks off. And on a rainy weekday, there's no guarantee of passing ramblers so he could have been stuck there for days.

I believe you can always open it from the inside nowadays.

It’s nice to know I’m not the only hopeless incompetent underground! Despite complete exhaustion and not unreasonable fear for my fiture existence, though, I did enjoy the outing and did a few more caves after that.

 

[lazybloke]

Croydon, like Chelsea and Westminster all have their caving huts in South Wales, so are in reality welsh clubs (with members from all over of course, not just london)

My one trip with Croydon Caving Club was a New year week in the Cairngorm area. Did lots of drinking and a fair bit of skiing; don't remember any caves!

 

[Alex321]

Did you go caving there ? The main cave nearby was Agen Allwedd, maybe a mile walk along the old tramway. These days there's a huge system right next door (Daren Cilau), but back then it was something of a "collectors' piece" due to its 2000 foot entrance (and exit) crawl. You still have to do the crawl nowadays but it's now worth it now as there's miles and miles of huge cave afterwards, but the good bits hadn't been discovered back then. There are a few lesser caves too.

No, I didn't actually go caving there. I had my wife and a young toddler with me that weekend (who caused a panic when she appeared to have wandered off, but turned out to have crawled into the space between the flysheet and the inner tent).

I did go caving a few times with Paul, in other South Wales caves (and a fair few times with the Swansea University club)

 

[Johnsop99]

Don't know how sensible these are but currently, Bude Chess, Cornwall County Chess Association, English Chess Federation, Chess Arbiters Association, Bude Metric Brass, St Gennys Silver Band, British Cycling and of course, Cyclechat (ZRL CCC Team). In the past, Hastings Chess Club, Brighton Chess Club (same time as CJ before he was on TV), Coulsdon & Purley Chess Club, Croydon Brass, Lingfield Silver Band, Holsworthy Town Band, British Motorcyclists Federation - at the time also known as the British Mud Federation as it always rained at their National Rally!
Ocassionally I manage to find some time to mow the lawn and do some bike maintenance.

 

[sheddy]

CycleChat

 

[Speicher]

You always complain about the pay, so you must be Peter Bottom!

Just sold The Bridge to make up the deficit.

 

[Rocky]

Just sold The Bridge to make up the deficit.

Good....never liked the Bridge. Much prefer Inspector Montalbano.......

 

[PaulSB]

Im not overly familiar with London, but I always thought it was well known for its dearth of mountains?

Pretty much my feeling. I remember when I did Ride London everyone from outside the south-east was asking "Where are the hills?" As for Box Hill?

 

[Rocky]

Im not overly familiar with London, but I always thought it was well known for its dearth of mountains?

There's the Beckton alps with its ski slope....all visible from the A13