We are a small, friendly club catering for all abilities of caver from complete beginners who want to give caving a go, through people who have tried it and want to do more, to experienced cavers.
If you are new to caving and want some more general information (plus a load of amazing photos), there’s a great website here.
The cavers have a club trip once a month (usually the second weekend of the month) to one of the caving areas around the UK: Derbyshire, Yorkshire, South Wales, the Wye Valley, the Mendips, and Devon. See the full list of this year’s meets.
We also have an annual club expedition to caves outside the UK, such as County Clare in Ireland, and Vercors and the Jura in France.
The caves we visit vary from vertical potholes in Yorkshire to mainly horizontal caves in the other areas. Most people start with the horizontal caves and then move on to the vertical potholes, which require familiarity with single rope technique (SRT). The club’s experienced cavers, four of whom have attended the Local Cave/Mine Leader Course, Levels 1 and 2, are always happy to introduce beginners to the underground world.
Accommodation and food
We usually stay in local caving huts, which consist of bunkrooms (you will need a sleeping bag), showers and washing facilities, and fully equipped, communal kitchens. The cost for these huts is between £3.00 and £4.50 per person per night, and while none of them is exactly the Ritz, most are quite nice! On most trips, a communal cooked breakfast is prepared in the hut and also a meal in the evening (normally a curry, chilli or some other similar food; vegetarians are catered for). The cost of food is shared between all the people on the trip (around £5.00 to £8.00) and everyone joins in with the food preparation and washing up. You will need to bring your own alcoholic drinks for consumption with food and during the evening, as some of the huts are not near pubs or shops.
Equipment
Kit for caving is fairly simple: a furry undersuit, waterproof oversuit, wetsuit socks, lamp, helmet, belt and boots. We have a communal stock of average-sized clothes that beginners can borrow, as well as light systems and SRT kits. However, you will need to bring your own wellingtons or similar boots (these will get wet and muddy so don’t bring your best walking boots!), and, most importantly, a towel and dry clothes to change into when you leave the cave. If you decide to take the sport up seriously, you will need to buy your own kit – the newest members get priority for borrowing the club kit. Club members can advise you on the best places to purchase your own kit and approximate costs.
Other activities of the club
The Cambridge Climbing and Caving Club, as the name implies, is a collection of both climbers and cavers. During the year, the two sections of the club meet for a number of social events, including an annual dinner meet, visits to the Cambridge beer festival and regular pub meets in the centre of town. In addition, any person joining the caving section can attend climbing meets (often in the mountainous regions of the UK) even if they are not climbers.
Finally…
If you want more details, please contact the Caving Secretary.
Come on give it a go. It’ll be fun – honest!