Pioneers Beneath the Peak

Review by Alan Jeffreys in Descent (295)

Wild Places Publishing, 2023, 224pp, 226 photographs,. 75 monochrome the rest colour. 34 maps and surveys. Hardback |£45, softback £27.50

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WILD Places Publishing has an enviable reputation for producing quality books on cave-related subjects, ranging from technical topics such as photography to humorous biographies. This volume, the latest in a series on cave diving, concentrates on a single UK caving area - the Peak District - and divulges the bold yet carefully prepared operations undertaken by divers to reveal some of the most remote corners of this popular region.

Written by Martin Wright, a cave diver with over thirty years of experience both at home and abroad, and thus well qualified to tackle the subject, this book reveals in an orderly fashion every probe into underwater passages from the late 18th century to the present day, even contemplating future developments using remotely controlled electronic devices. To achieve all this, a great deal of research has been necessary through scattered publications. Martin has thus performed a great service in condensing and collating a huge mass of reports published in a plethora of Cave Diving Group newsletters, to render explorations clearly understandable in relation to overall objectives. Each chapter details work in specific cave systems, so that chronological activity appears in successive sections of the writer's narrative. Each account is accompanied by clear, coloured surveys which assist greatly in describing objectives and problems. This reviewer, although realising the Peak-Speedwell system has a number of sumps, was astonished to learn that there are actually 58!

Naturally, describing the early ventures dating from 1946 ti the end of the 1960s involved some historical explanation, embracing the development of equipment chiefly on Mendip, but it was good to see the monochrome photographs of divers in Peak Cavern and Giant's Hole in the 1940s; many are, I suspect, published here for the first time.

The text is engagingly written and does full justice to the whole succession of Derbyshire cave divers without pulling punches when dealing with hairy situations, unbelievable diving rescues (usually of non-divers finding themselves in a pickle) and describing underwater dangers such as moving boulder chokes, risks of the bends, and the interference of weather on caving plans. All this though merely adds colour to an excellent narrative of which the author should feel proud. Included at the end of the book is a glossary of terms and, thankfully, a comprehensive index. I have one tiny niggle: cave diving is, for the public, something of a niche activity, a factor which might restrict general sales of this book and that would be a great pity. Such a handsome volume deserves a wider audience. It is entirely laudable that Martin intends to donate all his royalties from book sales to the Derbyshire CRO, a generous and selfless act indeed.

The author concludes with speculation about the future in the face of ROV exploratory devices, threatening the need for human cave diving. It may seem likely, but I for one would deny it - the physical demands and thrills of underwater exploration are far too tempting, and I doubt there will ever come a time when adventurous souls do not want to put their skills against Mother Nature. With the Peak-Speedwell system still not fully understood, and the possibility of one day maybe reaching that almost fabulous river thought to run below Eldon Hole, there is no lack of challenges still to be overcome. This is a book to be savoured and, as John Cordingely states in his foreword, will remain indispensable for many years to come.

Alan L. Jeffreys