Caving & Exploration (1954-2021)
After several trips with Ian, which he documented - it seems fitting I add a little bit more to the tale. We have come to understand the demands of this cave, to love it, admire it, think about its character and how the nature of that cave feels very different to others visited. The fine …
Ian and Adele, 27/05/2019 The quarry face - upper tiers are foreshortened - big bands of sandstones and shales above 15m of limestone. We decided to survey the inlet between Vein Chamber and The Choir, not having the energy to face 2 hours of crawling to finish off Myers' Passage at the moment. So …
Ian and Adele: Several trips (March, April, May 2019). We investigated Myers’ Inlet and quickly deduced the speculative notes in Northern Caves were incorrect and set about surveying it. In brief we have surveyed 400m so far and there’s plenty more to go. In 2 or 3 trips we had data collected up to a 3m-deep …
Ian and Adele, 5/01/2019 After many trips into Fairy Holes, this final section of the cave had to be investigated. A previous attempt at a surveying trip a few years previous had ended when my companions lost interest, so I felt fortunate to have the ever-keen Adele in support this time. I had a feeling …
Continue reading "Myers’ Passage, Fairy Holes, Weardale by Ian Cummins"
Fairy Holes To the sump. Ian and Adele. The stories, tales and sagas regarding this place go back a long way. I first visited in September 2017, armed with many stories gathered from friends. Fairy Holes holds a certain joy for me - Ian’s enthusiasm is often infectious. At that time upon reaching The Choir, looking at …
Fairy Holes Cave: Ian Cummins, Adele Ward (September ‘17 / Sat Club Meet). I have previously commented to friends that caves have names that always fill me with dread, (although I have never been down these ) - Hammer pot, Quaking pot, the lovely Hell Hole. and a personal favourite name - Knacker trapper, although …
Fairy Holes Cave: Simon, Ian, Duncan and Andrew Hind (English Nature) (8th February 2014). As part of the plan to preserve both the cave and its access, I am working with English Nature to document both the history and features of the cave. The aim of this trip was for Andrew from EN to …
Continue reading "Fairy Holes Conservation Trip by Ian Cummins"
An unexpected invitation to join an early trip (thanks to Sam Allshorn) into this recently re-opened gem found me joining a team of all-stars from various parts of the British Isles to investigate the upstream sump and perform various other conservation duties assigned by English Nature. Readers of WRPC Journal of recent years and CPC …