Ringing - Quarter Peal Day in Gloucester

Quarter Peal Day - Gloucester
Leonard Stanley and Minchinhampton

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Baking - Maureen's Retirement Cake

Baking - Maureen's Retirement Cake

Baking - Snake Pit Cake

Snake Pit Cake

Cake for Tim to take to work for his Birthday.

Caving - Derbyshire Holiday - Day 4

Caving - Derbyshire Holiday

Day 4 - 09.04.12 - Carlswark Cavern

Entrance pitch rigged by me!

Group photo

Leaving via an alternative entrance

Route we took through Carlswark Cavern

Caving - Derbyshire Holiday - Day 3

Caving - Derbyshire Holiday

Day 3 - 08.04.12 - Bagshawe Cavern

Pool of water in the upper part of Bagshawe

My rigging into the Dungeon

Formations in the lower section of Bagshawe

Route we took through Bagshawe Cavern

Caving - Derbyshire Holiday - Day 2

Caving - Derbyshire Holiday

Day 2 - 07.04.12 - P8 (Jackpot)

P8 had been described to us as a classic Derbyshire trip - just like Swildon's Hole on the Mendips.  This cave was certainly the highlight of the holiday even though it did test my courage in a few places!  The main route through followed the streamway.  Two

The entrance from inside

Group photo in the snow by the entrance

The entrance - doesn't look like much water from here!!

Route we took in P8

Caving - Derbyshire Holiday - Day 1

Caving - Derbyshire Holiday

Day 1 - 06.04.12 - Owl Hole

We arrived at Miller's Dale where we were staying and unpacked the car.  We then headed to Dowell Dale to see if we could find Owl Hole.  There had been a lot of snow earlier in the week so we drove as far as we could up the country lane, kitted up, abandoned the car and carried on by foot.

The Cave has many entrances within a very large shake hole.  We scrambled down the side and found the first entrance we wanted to try.  It was 7m up the rock face - Tim climbed up attaching the ladder on the way.  The first chamber we reached was full of taped off formations and two possible ways on.  We followed the route round to the right which led to Hoggmorton Aven - another formation filled chamber - in the description we were advised that the way on from here to Pigs Trotters was best not investigated as it is a low crawl and it's difficult to preserve the formations when you are covered in mud!  At this point we turned round and set off down the alternative route from the first chamber.  A 5m ladder Pitch brought us down into Crystal Pallas Chamber - an even more finely decorated chamber.  Off this a descending passage lead to a small gour chamber which was to be the end of out trip in this section.  We headed back out and had a look into one of the other entrances - Orpheus (Three Chambers Extension) - This was mainly crawling passage with three chambers - Chambers' Chamber, Kemico Chamber and Nomis Chamber.

Me, Rob and Matt in Hoggmorton Chamber

Crystal Pallas Chamber

Formation in Kemico Chamber

Survey with route marked

Back at the caravan we sorted out all our kit and the queued for the shower and had a relaxing evening.

Baking - Garden Cake

Garden Cake

Joint cake for Tim's Mum and Gran's Birthday