YCC Blog
Shiny new YCC website
Matt Ewles | 24 November 2020
Some of us have had more time on our hands this year. We’re pleased to say that our Webmaster, Gary, has spent his time overhauling the York Caving Club website. As well as being packed with all the latest technological stuff including a super-modern photo gallery and being mobile-device compatible, the...
Curtain Pot
Matt Ewles | 23 July 2020
This pothole on Fountains Fell only really came to the attention of the caving community under the most tragic of circumstances last year, involving an all-night effort to rescue one the diggers, which sadly resulted in a fatality. Some of the rescuers reported what an excellent cave it was, albeit...
Croesor Rhosydd
Matt Ewles | 13 December 2018
Croesor Rhosydd through trip – A slate mine underground adventure. I have done this trip several times now and now feel the need to update my description last edited in 2011 to reflect some changes to the state of this mine as of December 2018. This description should prove useful to...
Ogof Craig-a-Ffynnon
Matt Ewles | 27 August 2018
Having been caving in South Wales for 14 years on regular occasions, I am embarrased to say that I have only ever considered Craig-A-Ffynnon (CAF) to be a Sunday bimble to Hall of the Mountain King. Beyond there however if a huge amount more cave leading to the Promised Land. I...
Sleets Gill
Matt Ewles | 10 August 2018
Sleets Gill has an ominous reputation. A high profile rescue raised caver awareness of how very flood prone this place is, often flooding completely days after heavy rain has long since passed over. It nonetheless offers the rarity of a splendid and lengthy adventure in Yorkshire without a single item of...
Ogof Draenen to Big Country
Matt Ewles | 1 February 2018
After a five hour trip from OFD1 to Top entrance the day before to ‘warm us up’, we were in the mood today for a proper adventure into the magnificent Ogof Draenen. I have previously done the round trip, been to the Dogleg Series, The Geryon, and War of the...
Boxhead Pot - It's a Cracker
Mark Sims | 24 January 2018
On the drive over to the Dales I stated my prediction to Tash that there was no way the folks staying at the NPC would be ready to go when we arrived at 9:45 - she’d have loads of time for a cup of tea and breakfast. Sure enough when...
Croesor Rhosydd Through trip
Gary Douthwaite | 4 December 2017
The most fun you can have underground with your kit on! I was so glad to see the trip is still possible and not much has changed apart from some rigging issues which have been temporarily sorted to make the trip possible. The rope on the first pitch is pretty knackered but...
Shannon Cave
Adam Walmsley | 24 November 2017
Having heard a lot about this cave from the Irish contingent at Ario, I was keen for a trip, and SUICRO provided the perfect opportunity. The team shrank at the last minute, as Axel decided he wasn't fussed about making pictures, so it ended up being a nice 4-person YCC...
Pippikin Pot
Fleur Loveridge | 18 October 2017
The next day I let the others cajole me into going down Pip. Aileen hadn't done it and the other two hadn't been for a while. We had considered Ireby as an alternative, but the rain kept on coming and in retrospect we definitely made the correct weather decision. I last...
Rift Pot (Allotment)
Fleur Loveridge | 18 October 2017
We were supposed to be going to Penyghent but it had been clear for several days if not a week that it would be too wet. Aileen and I deferred the decision of an alternative trip all week as well. By chance we managed to collect Mark and Adam for...
FOUL Pot
Matt Ewles | 16 October 2017
It was too wet for our planned trip to Magnetometer Pot so after a brief discussion over breakfast we decided on FOUL Pot. It has been a few years since our last trip there. I remembered how good and wet weather compatible it was. Furthermore, it has recently been resin...
Car Pot
Mark Sims | 16 October 2017
Expectations were high. We'd been fairly keen to visit Car Pot for several years, but weather had thwarted our plans on multiple occasions, and more recently reports of degraded anchors had put us off. However, the recent resin anchoring of the whole cave and a dry forecast meant we finally...
Car Pot
Toby Buxton | 16 October 2017
Enthusiasm for harder caves was high after I'd pulled off a magnificent coup in getting Captain Walmslers and Admiral The Cutty Sark down Marble Sink for my 300th trip a few weeks ago. It was marginally harder to convince the ever-reticent Captain Findles but in the end she too wilted...
Marble Sink
Mark Sims | 25 September 2017
It had been a while since I'd felt anxious on a walk to a cave. A couple of years of largely dig-focussed trips and a more recent spate of returns to Yorkshire classics meant I was rather out of calibration with some of the more challenging trips to be had....
Notts Pot
Fleur Loveridge | 29 August 2017
The weather forecast was not as good as hoped; I had promised Lou a nice SRT trip in the dales and it was decided that Notts would be a good bet. Initial plans for an exchange were shelved at the last minute since our numbers were reduced by Matt eating...
Cow Pot
Fleur Loveridge | 29 August 2017
Actually, Fleur, Laura and guest Lou - a rare girls only trip underground. A quick jolly down the pitches in cow pot before an early departure on a Sunday. With my third visit in the last year or so I remembered better all the rigging details and was hopefully fairly efficient....
Fairy Holes (Weardale)
Matt Ewles | 18 July 2017
It'd been a few years since our last trip into Fairy Holes, and I was quite excited about the possibility of returning. With the weather very much in our favour, we arrived at the quarry and made our way up the forestry track - or at least what once was the...
New Goyden Pot
Matt Ewles | 17 July 2017
Despite caving in Yorkshire for 13 years this year, the caves of Nidderdale have so far eluded me. Some years ago a few members had a trip to New Goyden and reported it as being an excellent trip, and it's always stuck in the back of my mind. So with...
County Pot to Molluscan Hall via Dismal Bypass
Matt Ewles | 17 July 2017
After cancelling our scheduled weekend in Wharfedale due to the dodgy weather, my main aim during our substitute weekend at Bull Pot Farm was to learn more about downstream in County Pot, particularly the route via Dismal Junction and the possible connection to Ease Gill Aven, which we have visited...