Mendips Weekend 12/03/11 – 13/03/11

By Chris
So my first time to the Mendip after putting it off for two years…

It definitely did not disappoint! Perhaps I need to do more down there to see the real Mendip?

Anyhow, Me, Tom1, Glen, Ed and Tom Strickland (John/Tom3) set off from Buxton in Glens roaring wagon and arrived at the BEC hut with plenty of time for 2 pints in the Hunters, probably the most proper caving pub I’ve ever been in. The amount of beards was almost as good as the beers. There we met some of the Cardiff lot who reported that Rosies Oscar had broken down! After much speculation about them having all the food and the hut key it turned out poor Oscar had died in SHEFFIELD and they swapped to Edds car which was only a few streets away! They arrived in the midst of much drinking with Slug and Cardiff at the hut and for what went on in that evening you’ll have to see Rosies report with photos. (which isn’t here yet)

St Cuthberts was arranged for Saturday morning with the still pissed legend Mad Phil as our guide. Very pretty Mendip cave and not at all what I expected. Where was the tight scrotty crawls?! The trip was quality and we carried some dive tanks to the sump for Phil who was DIVE DIGGING (absolutely nuts) down there later in the day. After a detour to see my first ever cave pearls we got out and sat in the warm sunshine eating pistachio nuts and failing to chop wood. Then me and Tom1 went off with Glen to pick up some doors to which Glen was in his element talking about cars with a guy with a proper west country accent, much to mine and Toms amusement. After the compulsory cheddar cheese stop another messy night was had.

Swildons short round was the order of the day on Sunday.

What a trip! Bloody awesome. Oddly enough, the highlight being the 4 ducks and the free diveable sump at the end! After some ‘meditating’ which made everyone wonder what the hell I was doing, a quick pull on the rope and I was through the sump. Awesome. After some coaxing through Sully popped through and then everyone else.
All in all, in my opinion, the Mendips is brilliant! (N.B I realise these caves are the ONLY ones on Mendip…)

Chris


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