Oxford University Cave Club

Club Caving Meetings, Trinity Term 2018

 Accommodation:
BEC: Bristol Exploration Club; BPF: Bull Pot Farm; MCG: Mendip Caving Group;
NPC: Northern Pennine Club; Orpheus: Orpheus Caving Club; SMCC: Shepton Mallet Caving Club;
SWCC:  South Wales Caving Club; TSG: Technical Speleo Group; UBSS: University of Bristol Speleological Society; 
WCC: Wessex Caving Club; Whitewalls: Chelsea Speleological Society; WSG: Westminster Speleo Group;
YSS: Yorkshire Subterranean Society.

Cost covers: loan of equipment, transport, accommodation, food on site; but not food in transit or what you spend in the pub! See here for more information.
Trips must be paid for in advance. Payment is by an online system.
https://www.oxforduniversitystores.co.uk/browse/product.asp?compid=1&modid=1&catid=1722

Your first caving trip? Read this important information and complete this online OUCC Pre-Trip information form

• If you haven't been caving with us before but wanted to give it a go, membership and insurance for your first term with OUCC is free!
• For those who joined us on trips in Michaelmas 2016 for the first time, if you'd like to continue caving with us, please make sure that you've paid for club membership and insurance.
  It's only 18 GBP for both, and will cover you to the end of the Long Vacation in 2017. You can make your payment on the University Stores website.
• To all other members, please make sure that your subscriptions are up to date for the New Year by selecting the appropriate option on the Stores website.

Going to the Dales? Going to Spain? Don't know the ropes ? - try SRT Training.

PLEASE help and volunteer to organise a weekend. If no-one organises the weekends they won't happen.
There is a detailed crib sheet on the website telling you exactly how to organise a weekend. TAKE A LOOK.

Other meets may be organised - please check at Wednesday meetings or via the OUCC mailing lists.

As usual details of the trips will be advertised closer in time. They will mostly be advertised on the oucc-all mailing list.
So if you want to stay up to date, please sign up following the instructions on the website: http://www.oucc.org.uk/current/mailists.htm

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22nd April, end of 0th week: Otter Hole, staying at Beeches farm campsite  

On Sunday 22nd April we have an Otter Hole trip! This is one of the beautiful caves in the country with a tidal sump that prevents access during high tide. We have an over the tides trip so it should be possible to get pretty far, to Long Straw chamber and maybe even End Chamber. Our leader is Raif Evans. We will be staying at Beeches Farm campsite the night before so we can get to Otter Hole nice and early (which is necessary to get through the tidal sump). The start time has changed, we now need to be changed and at the Otter Hole car park at 7.45am, not 8am.   This will be a roughly 12 hour trip with some fairly hard crawling, so if you've only been on a couple of caving trips before, this is not the cave for you. We might be able to have a Miss Grace's Lane trip too, so let me know if you'd be interested in that, but no promises.   3-5 people can go on the trip. Drivers and people who have not been to Otter Hole before will be given priority, but there will most likely be space for people who have already been to Otter Hole too, so if you want to go then speak up, even if you've been there before. Also let me know if you can drive and if you have any dietary requirements.   

4th-7th May, end of 2nd week: Mendip Cave Fest, staying at the BEC  

On the first May bank holiday weekend there is a big cavers' meetup in  the Mendips. Lots of cavers from around the country will be there so you might meet someone you know (or an Elvis impersonator). There are trips that need to be signed up for in advance so I'd recommend registering on the Cave Fest website https://www.cavefestuk.co.uk/?page_id=214 especially if you'd like to go on one of the more interesting trips. There's no entry fee so cost will be the same as for a normal caving weekend. I thought this might have to be yet another camping weekend, but no, there is some space left in the Belfry so we are booked in there.

11th-13th May, end of 3rd week: Joint weekend with OUMC on the Gower, campsite TBC  

At the end of 3rd week (a little earlier in the term than I'd hoped for, but it's when the climbers are available) we have our joint meetup with OUMC on the Gower. (For non-UK cavers, the Gower is definitely a place worth visiting). A weekend of caving, climbing, and going to the beach with the chance to visit some lesser seen caves such as Tooth Cave and Llethryd Swallet, and hang out with the climbers, who generally have a better student to old fart ratio than us.    

25th-28th May, end of 5th week: Yorkshire, staying at Bull Pot Farm  

The end of 5th week brings a bank holiday weekend and the Gaping Gill winch meet. During the winch meet all the Gaping Gill Entrances are rigged so this is a great time to do through trips in Gaping Gill and perhaps try out some of the more obscure entrances without having to carry any rope up the hill. I did try to book a hut closer to the action than Bull Pot Farm, but I think these were already booked up by the time I was the Meets Sec, so it's back to our old favourite. I'll book a non Gaping Gill permit too in case people don't want to join the crowds both days. This is a great time of year to explore some open potholes.    

9th June, end of 7th week: day trip to Agen Allwedd (TBC)