Gaping Gill Winch Meet - August 2005

(click on photos to see bigger images)

Meg models the latest caving gear

The team at the bottom

The slugs' trip down Gaping Gill was good. When we were getting ready I had put on my caving suit but it was too hot! So mum told me to take it off, and it could be put in the rucksack. So I took it off. It was the longest walk to a cave I have ever done! I was the person who carried the heavy rucksack! - Lazy people (apart from Phil who took his own). Finally dad took the rucksack! We saw Bar Pot on the way and another hole. We also saw a farmhouse that we have got a painting of in our backroom, it hasn't changed because it is a listed building. When we finally got there we got our number thingies to put around our necks, "I feel like a dog with this on!" said Phil. The lady told "here you are, you're 90". Mum politely said "And you are doing so well for that age". We had a problem! The lady said we couldn't go out of the main chamber because of insurance. Stuff insurance! We told her that we wouldn't sue so she let us out of the chamber. The grown ups looked happier. It was so popular that we had to wait one and a half hours to go down! So we went next to the dam to eat our butties but when we had unpacked the bag we realised that my suit wasn't in it! So mum gave me her waterproof and she wore the 12-man shelter but she wasn't going far into the cave. Phil went down first followed by me! The ride was well wicked. At first we stepped onto the trap door, (like they were going to hang me!) then we sat in a chair and told to keep our arms and feet in or we might lose them, they weren't kidding! I descended rapidly and the rock was no more than half a foot away from my precious legs! The main chamber was massive. We went down a tunnel and we were being followed by a marshal who started to question us, he soon went away, pesky person! We soon came to Sand Cavern and Mud Pot but we had to come out, we waited in the damp and cold to get a lift up to the top. On the way back we looked in all the shakeholes and digs, then stopped for an icecream. I would give this trip 9/10 Christopher

Eleanor arrives at the surface

Christopher

Eleanor