CSS Newsletters 2024 - Volume 66

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Nos. 1-3, January-March 2024

Cover: Artwork by Mark ‘Gonzo’ Lumley
  • CSS Officers 2024 - List of CSS committee members for 2024.
  • CSS Photo Calendar - An invitation for members to submit their caving photos for inclusion in a 2025 club calendar.
  • Daren to Cnwc - Trip report from a Daren to Cnwc through-trip undertaken on the December Whitewalls meet.
  • Les Ecouges Canyon (AKA “We’ve Lost Jon” Canyon) - A tale of high adventure and near death experience canyoning in the Vercors, France.
  • A Return to Aggy - A trip to Aggy on the Annual Dinner weekend inspires recollections of previous excursions in the cave.
  • Vogon’s Guide to Cave Digging - The digging bonanza kicks off with Vogons analysis of the creative art of cave digging.
  • Midnight Passage - Spider Chamber - An update on progress at the Spider Chamber dig in Midnight Passage, Agen Allwedd.
  • Sandstone Passage Dig - Dig report from Sandstone Passage, on the opposite side of the Grand Circle to Spider Chamber.
  • BNS 62 Dig - Report from a dig likely to connect Upper Southern Stream to Sandstone Passage in Aggy.
  • Angel’s Roost Dig - Digging and explorations in Angels Roost, in the higher levels of the Aggy entrance series.
  • Digging in Priory Road - A brief summary of activities undertaken on a digging camp in February.
  • Pwll Estrys - Update the digging and entrance stabilising at Pwll Estrys.
  • Gary’s Hole - The discovery of new cave on the Llangattock escarpment with digging progress so far.
  • Daubenton’s Pot - Digging progress at Daubentons Pot, a possible ‘back door to Agen Allwedd.
  • Ogof Caci - Update on progress at the Ogof Caci dig.
  • Digging Update from the Hard Rock Café, Daren Cilau - A summary of digging projects undertaken on the Daren diggers HRC camps since 2021.
  • Becky’s Shaft - Digging in a mine only recently discovered in the Quantocks.
  • Tuesday Diggers Return to Cothelstone - Recent activities at two Quantock's digs, Cothelstone Hill Cave and ‘The Mine Shafts Project’.
  • Digging with John Cooper - Details and surveys from four Mendip digs in Dave Mitchells Cave, Swildons Hole and White Rabbits Hole.
  • Update on Some Mendip Digs - Updates from previous dig sites at Viaduct Sink, Rock Farm Cave and Snake Pit Hole, and current digs at Fernhill Cave and His Lordship's Hole.
  • Underwater Digging at Rickford Rising - Cave digging with the use of innovative techniques underwater.
  • Gibbet’s Brow - News of recent extensions in the Gibbets Brow dig, Mendip.
  • Shenanigans on Portland - A summary of no less than 8 digs currently in progress on the Isle of Portland, Dorset.
  • Aggy Bums - Observations relating to a notable roof feature in Aggy Main Passage.
  • CSS Meets List 2024 - Club events from April-December 2024.
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Nos. 4-6, April-June 2024

Cover: Grunta do Janeleo, Brazil. Photo by Martyn Farr.
  • New Aggy Round Trip - News of a new round trip in Agen Allwedd, with the recent connection of Trafalgar Passage to The Bunker in Priory Road.
  • An Eventful Weekend in Daren (or how we avoided rescue by the skin of our teeth) - The story of a HRC camp with a mission to progress ‘Digger's Day Off’, where pretty much everything that could go wrong did.
  • Digging Updates - Updates on progress made at the Spider Chamber dig in Agen Allwedd and at Pwll Estrys.
  • Roughdown Common Mine - A modern exploration and survey of a chalk mine in Hertfordshire, first rediscovered and surveyed by CSS in 1971.
  • Beauty and the Beasts – Caving in Brazil, Part 1 - Caving in the Peruaco National Park and Sao Desiderio in Brazil, with its impressive karst features and ancient rock art.
  • St Cuthbert’s Swallet - An enjoyable circuit in St Cuthbert’s Swallet, on the Friday evening of the CSS Mendip Meet.
  • Eastwater Cavern, West End Series - A trip to the notoriously awkward West End Series in Eastwater, visiting Regent Street and the Termite Hills.
  • Wookey 24 - A Sunday trip including dinosaurs, squeezes, climbs and a notable ‘via ferrata’ to Wookey 24.
  • CSS Meets List 2024 - Upcoming club events August-December 2024.
  • Tony Boycott - A tribute to the late Tony Boycott and his many contributions to cave digging and rescue in South Wales.
  • The Gouffre Berger ’79 - Reminiscences from a three week exploration of the Gouffre Berger undertaken by CSS in 1979.
  • Cave Hunting in Wiltshire - The search for a lost cave in the Baverstoke railway cutting.
  • Daren Cilau/Spaderunner End of Cave Trip - A three day camp in Daren Cilau with a mission to reach Spaderunner, with a number of off-route sites visited along the way.
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Nos. 7-9, July-September 2024

Cover: Shuttleworth Pot. Photo by Matt Voysey.
  • Don’t Panic, We’re from Poland - A team from WKTJ travelled over from Poland to sample the delights of caving in South Wales, and this what they did.

  • Rare Potato Caves - History and location information of “Potato Caves” found at various sites in Dartmoor.

  • Aisholt Cave, Quantocks - Digging update and history of the Aisholt Cave dig in The Quantocks.

  • Beauty and the Beasts - Caving in Brazil, Part 2 - The concluding part of this tale of caving adventure in Brazil, this instalment focuses on caving trips undertaken in the Terra Ronca National Park.

  • Photographic Stories - Thoughts on the relevance of cave photography and the story behind the photo (even if it does involve a broken arm).

  • Ogof Fechan Revisit - A trip to Ogof Fechan, a cave previously visited by Jennie some decades ago… or was it?

  • Working Week at Whitewalls - A summary of improvements made to Whitewalls during the days leading up the CSS Summer Barbecue.

  • Pillar Holes and Long Kin West - The first of three trip reports from the CSS Yorkshire Meet, featuring the descent of two neighbouring potholes with fine SRT pitches.

  • Dowbergill Passage - a doddle! - Trip report of the infamous Dowbergill Traverse, undertaken on the Saturday of the Yorkshire Meet.

  • Shuttleworth Pot - A trip to Shuttleworth Pot in Leck Fell, featuring pleasant SRT, fine formations and two notable newts.

  • CSS Meets List - Upcoming CSS Meets Oct-Dec 2024.

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Nos. 10-12, October-December 2024

Cover: Najdena Jama, Slovenia. Photo by Martyn Farr.
  • CSS Meets 2025 - Upcoming CSS Meets Jan-Dec 2025.
  • An Ariel Cave Exchange Trip - A sporting through trip from Ariel Cave to Sandy Hole in Portland, including an abseil off sea cliffs and a plenty of rift squeezes.
  • Sharbutt’s Rift to Ariel - A trip report from the team doing the through trip in the opposite direction.
  • Steve’s Endeavour South to Persil Rift - Another interesting through trip enjoyed on the Portland Meet.
  • CSS T-Shirts - Look cool in a CSS T-Shirt.
  • A Knotty Problem in Alum Pot - The tale of a memorable SRT trip in 1981 with a near catastrophic incident.
  • Trip to the Gouffre Berger - Bottoming the Berger during the Speleocamp of July 2024.
  • Library Acquisitions - Summary of books recently purchased for the CSS library.
  • Agen Allwedd - Midnight Passage Update - Update on the Spider Chamber dig and recent bolt climbing in Agen Allwedd.
  • Don’t Boob the Cam! - A suggested solution for inadvertently opening SRT cams with bosoms.
  • Benaullt Copper Mine - The North Wales Meet started on Friday evening with this short SRT through trip in the Nantlle Valley.
  • Britannia Mine - Report from the big Saturday trip of the North Wales Meet, a multi-level SRT through trip in this fascinating mine on Snowdon.
  • Pen Morfa Copper Mine - A visit to the interesting mine of Pen Morfa in Great Orme. Trip report also includes surveys of the route taken.
  • Slovenia 2024 - Reports from the club meet to Slovenia in July/August 2024, including cave information for: Križna Jama, Logarcek, Najdena Jama, Petniak, Planinska Jama, Postojnska Jama, Rakov Škocjan, Skednena Jama, Škocjanske Jame, Stota Jama, Jama za Teglovko, Tkalca Jama, Vranja Jama and Zelski Jama.
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