CSS Newsletters 2021 - Volume 63

Welsh Cave Name Anagrams - A fiendish collection of 15 Welsh cave anagrams for you to pit your wits against. Caption Competition - An Italian bat cartoon in need of a more amusing caption. Cave Hunting in Western Mendip - A journey around the lesser-visited cave sites around Crook Peak and Cross in West Mendip. Chilmark Stone Mines Update - An updated survey and brief history of the Chilmark Stone Mines in Wiltshire. The Toilet Habits of Bats - Descriptive account of how several species of bat perform their toilet duties and other interesting guano based facts. Cave Wildlife - Amblyjoppa fuscipennis - The habitats and life-cycle of a type of wasp found over-wintering in a Berkshire chalk pit. Caving Quiz - 20 questions about a wide selection of spelaeological sites and subjects to test your caving knowledge. Extreme Social Distancing - Maintaining social distance by trekking and wild camping in the Cumbrian mountains. Mid-Wales Mines Spectacular - Part 1 - Visits to the interesting Mid-Wales Mines of Ystrad Einion, Allt y Crib, Aberllefenni and Cwmystwyth, complete with location and rigging information and trip highlights of each mine. That Was The Year That Was - A round-up of Nick Chipchase’s caving activities during 2020. Including caving and digging around Fairy Cave Quarry and pressure-washing formations in Swildon's Hole and Pridhamsleigh Cavern. The Sidmouth Tunnel - An amusing tale of the history of the Sidmouth Tunnel and a visit to the site. The Caves and Mine of Beer Head - Seafaring exploration by kayak of some of the small sea caves of Beer Head and the Hooken Adit stone mine. Bob Fish: An Appreciation of “A Lovely Man”  - A tribute to the life of Bob Fish, a long-standing CSS member who sadly passed away in December. Our Good Friend Bob - Reminisces of Bob Fish told by Gill and other friends that knew him well. Joe’s Corner - Another collection of caving based snippets and insights from Joe Duxbury. Article Review - Review of an article about cave exploration in Sistema Cheve, Mexico, featured in “The New Yorker” magazine.

A Day Caving in the Clydach Gorge - A jolly day of caving in some of the short but interesting caves of the Clydach Gorge, including Shakespeare's Cave, Ogof Clogwyn and Ogof Nant Rhin. PYC Adventures - Gary Jones’s adventures of diving into Daren Cilau from Pwll y Cwm during the last year. Caption Competition Results - The dubious results from the Caption Competition set by Joe in the last issue. Son Doong - The Largest Cave in the World - A caving and photographic tour of Hang Son Doong in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam. SUPer Day Out - Seeing the Llangattock escarpment from a totally different perspective travelling by SUP along the Brecon and Monmouthshire canal. Have You Seen This Alien? - There’s an alien lurking somewhere in Agen Allwedd, but where is it? Purgatory in Sidcot Swallet - A foray into a rather niche and unpopular part of Sidcot Swallet, Mendip. Goodbye Asham Wood - we had some fun anyway! - Andy shares his memories of digging at Asham Wood Quarry, Mendip, and the caves likely to be lost by proposed expansion of the site. Hovvy’s Rift Cave - Description and history of this cave likely to be lost in Asham Wood Quarry. Yogi Pot - Description and digging exploits of Yogi Pot, another cave likely to be lost in Asham Wood Quarry. A Short Appreciation of Geo Fletcher - A tribute to Geo Fletcher, one of the CSS ‘Golden Oldies’ who sadly died earlier this year. Mid-Wales Mines Spectacular - Part 2 - More visits to the interesting mines of Mid-Wales. Part 2 includes descriptions and rigging info for Bwlch Glas, Wemyss, Nantymyyn Level Cadno, Frongoch and Temple Mines. Upper Southern Stream, Digging Update - An update on the progress at the BNS 62 dig in Upper Southern Stream, Agen Allwedd. Any Hole’s a Goal - Tales of caving withdrawal during lockdown.

Yorkshire Weekend - A hardy trio from CSS head to Yorkshire for 3 days of caving and camping, with trips to Lost John’s, County Pot - Lancaster Hole, and Aquamole Pot. An Evening Trip to W/L Cave - A trip to W/L Cave in Fairy Cave Quarry to look at potential dig sites and lovely formations. Eglwys Faen: My attempts to go beyond - A chronicle of Paul Hartwrights’ digging endeavours in Eglwys Faen, starting from the Hereford Dig in the 70s to his current project in Capel Faen. Includes a full colour survey of the cave. Dorset Weekend - Trip report from the CSS Dorset Weekend in September 2021, with an Ariel- Sandy Hole through-trip and kayak and SUP fun. Little Neath River Cave - A summary of the CSS trip to Little Neath River Cave on the August Bank Holiday Weekend. Colin the Cockerel Released from Captivity - The heart-warming tale of a notable foul rescued from the depths of Daren Cilau. Supping from the Devil’s Cauldron - An exploration of the sea caves of the Devil’s Cauldron on Castlemartin Range East, Pembrokeshire, in search of a fresh water spring. Camera Clicking Capers in Charterhouse Cave - Report from a photographic foray into Charterhouse Cave, Mendip. Smoking Bat - The scandalous discovery of Bertie’s bad habits. A Trip to Ogof Ffynnon Ddu II - An SRT pull-through trip in OFD undertaken on the CSS Summer BBQ Weekend. A Trip to a Treacle Mine - A technical and fact-filled insight into the world of Treacle Mining, with history, geology and chemical analysis. New Cave in Pembrokeshire - The discovery of a new cave inhabited by tasty spider crabs. A-Z of Caves - Part 1 of Andy Watson’s A-Z of Caves, this instalment takes us from Afton Red Rift to Lancaster Hole (A-L).

Caver Art - A look at the caving themed artwork of Taraneh Khaleghi. Pots and Pans - The discovery of Prestige Pot (Pwll Bri), in Mynydd Llangynidr and the digging activities that followed in this interesting site. Agen Allwedd - 5th Choke - Results of hydrology tests conducted in the vicinity of 5th Choke in Aggy Main Streamway, and the possible prospects of digging in this area. Plus a hydrological survey of Llangattock caves. Maze Cave Adventures - Trip reports from Devis Hole Mine Cave and Knock Fell Caverns, two very different maze caves in North Yorkshire and Cumbria. Persil Rift - The connection of Persil Rift to Ariel Cave, creating a new sporting through trip in Portland, Dorset. Contains grade 4 survey of Persil Rift. Ogof Capel Faen - Dig Update - Update on the progress achieved at Ogof Capel Faen and the termination of digging efforts here. Ogof Pont Gam to Ogof Nant Rhin - Write up of a recent CSS SRT through-trip from Ogof Pont Gam to Ogof Nant Rhin in the Clydach Gorge. Xmas Food - An observational snippet involving bat sausages. Aggy Memories - Mac Ayton recounts a memorable trip he experienced in Agen Allwedd back in 1958 when the leader of his trip suffered a strange medical mishap. Au Pays Du Grand Silence Noir - Evocative and meaningful quotes taken from this classic book written by Andre Glory (available from the CSS library). Carrion Slocker - Update on Andy’s progress at Carrion Slocker in Mendip. Second place winner of the J’Rat digging awards 2021. Trident Passage, Aggy - Logbook entry from a trip to the notorious Trident Passage in Agen Allwedd. Daren Cilau Clean-Up News - An update on the progress made on the mission to clean up the Hard Rock and Western Flyover camps. A-Z of Caves Part 2 - Part 2 of Andy Watson's A-Z of Caves, this instalment takes us from Milliar's Quarry Cave to Rana Hole (M-R). Index to Volume 63 - Subject index for the four issues comprising Vol. 63 of the CSS Newsletter.