2015: A Year in Trips

A lot happened for SWCC members in 2015! Here are just some of the photographic highlights that I have found from both below and above ground. Here's to an even more active 2016 for all SWCC members.

January

Whisky tasting at the Penderyn distillery, organised by Chloe Francis.

Photos by Vaughan Budd.

Chilly white water rafting at Cardiff’s International White Water centre.

Photos by Stuart Reedman.

14 Swansea University Mountaineering Club members visit SWCC to try out caving. 9 SWCC members supported this visit by helping to lead trips.

February

Provisional Members’ Weekend.
18 people either new cavers or cavers new to SWCC attended this and had a great time. They were supported by an eager and helpful team of 10 current members. A further 5 of our members also helped Southampton University Caving Club find their way around OFD and cave entrances in the Clydach Gorge as well as taking them on a round trip in Dan yr Ogof. Following that trip, it was even possible for one of their members to be signed off as a DYO warden.
Thanks received from Southampton:

I wanted to e-mail to say thank you for your help during our recent visit to the SWCC (13th-15th February 2015).

Although you had your own things going on with your provisional members weekend, it was brilliant that you offered some guides to help us with the OFD through-trip, caves of the Clydach Gorge and Dan-Yr-Ogof. I very much appreciated the time taken to show us some of the lesser visited caves and to help us plan for trips there. I also was grateful for our trip into DYO as I had resigned myself to not being able to visit since an opportunity I had in 2000 where, as a committee member of SUCC, I had to give up my place on the trip so that others could go. We had an excellent weekend and I look forward to caving with some of you again sometime.

The February Yorkshire trip was organised by Gary and Jo. Everyone stayed at the BPC hut, it was raining, there was an Easegill permit, but I can’t find any photos.

March

SRT training at SWCC.
2 days’ worth of training with the help of Helen Hooper and Andy Jones. Saturday was above ground in the quarry and Sunday was in Top Entrance and Pwll Dwfn. 12 members were involved in this.

Whitewalls Weekend.
Staying at Whitewalls. Craig a Ffynnon and the Turkey Streamway in Agen Allwedd were visited. These were new caves for some of the trip members.

Mendip Weekend
The Shepton Mallet hut was the base for this and trips in GB and Swildon’s Hole were completed.

Mendips, Upper Flood Swallet
Several members also enjoyed a visit to Upper Flood and took some fantastic photos to show from it.

Neverland photos by Mark Burkey.

April

Cantabria, Spain.
The club’s annual pilgrimage to Spain organised by Gary Vaughan. Trips were enjoyed in Gandara -fantastic formations and a first class through-trip and Tonio (15 pitch pull-through trip – almost 300m metres of abseiling) amongst others. If you haven’t been yet, you’ve missed out.

May

AGM and Otter Hole

Before and after pictures at Otter Hole. Photos by Piers Hallihan.

June

Summer Yorkshire meet organised by Jo White.

Photos by Duncan Hornby.

North Wales Mines meet arranged by Allan Richardson.

Photos by Duncan Hornby.

July

Dent de Crolles expedition organised by Gary Vaughan.

Photos by Tony Baker

Photo by Tony Baker

Photos by Miri Pihlaja

Via Ferrata in the Dolomites organised by Andrea Lewingdon.

August

Forest of Dean meet
Wet Sink and Miss Grace’s Lane.

Milwr tunnel and climbing in North Wales

Devon meet
Baker’s Pit, Bunker Hole and Reeds Cavern

September

Parys Mountain

Croesor-Rhosydd through trip

Rich abseiling in to the canoe in the Chamber of Horrors

SRT training in Yorkshire
This was the second part of the SRT training with Helen Hooper and Andy Jones. Sell Gill, Simpsons and Bull Pot were visited.

Evening trips start
There is currently an active programme of evening trips among local SWCC cavers. Trips take place most weeks, usually on a Tuesday or Wednesday evening. All welcome! If you are interested contact assistant_meets_sec@swcc.org.uk to join in.