MCR medical training exercise @JonnyC: Interesting trip out this morning to act as casualty for one of the regular MCR practice sessions, with a dog bone bandaged to my thigh we struggled our way across the field from the Wessex to Swildon’s and down through to the old grotto, 3 scenarios, and return to the surface for a cup of tea. Good fun little outing, got to stretch the casualty acting skills once again.

JC & DG practicing rigging and lifelining, minor ladder shortage led to improvisation @JonnyC: After an enforced break from caving due to summer St John camps and a trip to the lakes to get married, we took a fairly short trip down Bath Swallet. An interested cave that is predominantly vertical, so it was an opportunity for Darren and I to practice rigging and life-lining. Unfortunately the ladders RM had borrowed were not length marked, and so after descending the first pitch on the first ladder ...

@JonnyC: Quick meet, mid camp with Rich, Macro and Micro Nav practice in mixed weather around Pinkery Pond and the Chains. QHWD

Taking samples in Swildons on part of the Short Round Trip @JonnyC: A fab trip through Swildon's doing, I believe, the short round trip, giving Ros the opportunity to take some samples of the unusual growths in the cave.

Easy trip into a new cave for JC @JonnyC: Drop down under the overhead railway having a good old look around following the Priddy Folk Festival the night before.

Trip into Eastwater slightly curtailed due to participant sizes @JonnyC: A failed attempt to enter Eastwater via the bedding plane and subsequently the woggle press, things were just a little tight.

Rods, Bear Pit, Purple Pot

Trip to Sump Two as a first visit for JC @JonnyC: Our first trip underground for a while with RM so we decided to go and stretch our legs in Swildon’s. This time the objective was to visit (but not attempt) sump two. We have of course been in to Swildon’s Two before however only as far as the sign post, we had not progressed. The run down to Sump One was uneventful apart from the slight presence of an ache or two, in my mind I had forgotten how far that run was, though thanks to recent weather cond ...

JC leading DG and RM around Goatchurch as leading practice @JonnyC: Off to Goatchurch for an easier cave, but where DG an I will be leading RM around. This is to give us a taste for leading a group, but also to put us in a position of self dependence rather than taking the support for granted. Not too difficult, my knowledge held out for most of it apart from not quite spotting the entrance to the drainpipe. Headed down the the drainpipe and back out of the Tradesman’s, only to be ridiculed by RM f ...

Oxbows and Main Chamber