Descent (149)
August 1999
In Search of Lost Caverns
Over 35km of labyrinth lies beneath Halkyn Mountain in North Wales. The abandoned lead mines associated with the Milwr Tunnel are still being examined for routes to lost workings and, potentially, the natural caverns which drain into the mine. Read the history of exploration of this fascinating area.
More of the Grim and Squalid!
Why do we do it? Why push onwards into often grotty holes? Because they are there? For two cavers, what they found in Crucifiction Cave proved grim and squalid ñ even by their own admission.
Gear Review: The Firefly Bulb Firer 1
Cave photographers will be delighted to find another item in their arsenal: a flashbulb firer complete with slave unit.
The Descent Caption Competition
A record mailbag has been reduced to the final few. Who won the Enduro undersuit?
Descending the Peak Abyss
A volunteer group from Crewe CPC has repaired the anchors at Eldon Hole, allowing the caving community to continue its sporting pursuits in safety. In these days of rapid SRT descents, however, it is all too easy to forget how difficult it was for the early explorers to gain the bottom of the pot. With a description of work that has been completed in 1999, here is an account of a descent in 1900.
Fossil Pot: Key to Grassington Moor?
Fossil Pot has been extended by half a kilometre, a respectable addition to our northern caves by anyoneís standards. Yet the extension may prove more significant than the maths might indicate: could this be a route into the Lost Caverns of Grassington Moor?
Seduced by a Sump
Eight years of persistent digging have finally paid off with a breakthrough in Poulnagree, Co. Clare ñ but the explorers first had to learn to dive.
Cover: Sue Hagan in Ogof Ffynnon Ddu 1. Photo: Chris Howes
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