Derbyshire Caving Association
Information Circular 2004/5, October-December 2004
NEXT DCA MEETING
DCA AGM 2005 - Sat. 19th. February 2005, 10am. Monyash Village Hall
The Hall will be open from about 9.30am with tea, coffee and biscuits on tap. The Old Smithy Cafe, next to the Pub, does an excellent breakfast from about 9am.
GET KNOTTED!
For the second time this year in Derbyshire there has been an accident where someone abseiled off the end of the rope. This time it happened on the big pitch in J.H. and the caver involved fell 30 ft., sustaining serious injuries. Be aware that rope shrinks in use and, unless the length has been checked recently, the rope may be shorter than you think; also, if you are rigging a complicated pitch with many re-belays, it is easy to use more rope than the rigging guide lists without realising it. Always tie a knot in the end of the abseil rope to safeguard yourself, vital if you are first down the rope and it's packed in a bag so you can't see the end. If someone else packed the rope bag, check that they tied a knot. If you are first down a rope rigged by someone else in your absence - beware unpleasant surprises!
DCA SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR 2005
Club and Associate Members
There are important changes to subscriptions for DCA Club
and Associate Members now that the BCA "One-Stop-Shop" has come into operation.
Subs. will be paid via BCA from now on and details of the new payment
arrangements will be with you shortly. Reminders about this have been sent out
- remember also to cancel any standing order for subscriptions made payable to
DCA.
Individual Members
There are no changes to the DCA Individual Members
subscription this year, it's still £10 and reminders have been sent out.
If you are already paying by standing order, that's very helpful - if you want
to switch to this method of paying, contact Jenny.
Membership and Subscription details on the DCA
website
While all the changes were being sorted out, details of how to
join DCA, membership forms, subscription details, etc. were removed temporarily
from the DCA website to avoid confusion. They will be put back up again after
Christmas when everything is sorted again.
CONSERVATION / ACCESS
If you have any queries or problems relating to access or conservation in the region you can e-mail all the DCA Conservation and Access team members on access @ theDCA.org.uk. Team members are:
Ashford Marble Mine - Access
Change
To obtain
the key for access to the mine apply to the DCA Access Officer, Iain Barker, 56
Thornbridge Crescent, Birley, Sheffield. S12 3AE. Phone and email details
above. Proof of P.L. Insurance required. (DCA Handbook page 2:4.)
Lathkill Head Cave, Garden Path
Entrance - Access change
For conditions of access contact DCA Access Officer, Iain
Barker, see above. Proof of P.L. Insurance required. (DCA Handbook page 2:8.)
Hillocks
There is a large amount of what could be "diggers debris"
just inside the entrance of Hillocks. It's been there for quite a while and
doesn't seem to be in use. If it's yours and you want to claim it, contact
Ralph Johnson soon or you may find it cleared away and "skipped"a by the Coffin
Dodgers, (along with the CCPC stuff at the bottom of Whalf Engine Shaft). Ralph
is on Tel. 01782-515753 or Email RJohnCAVE @ aol.com
Eyam Dale House Cave
On 14th. November
Chesterfield C. C. members reported: "We visited EDH today and found what
appeared to us to be extensive new collapse into the rift passage before
North-West Chamber. There also seem to be signs of ?fresh fissuring both there
and in the big rift (The Other Side). Haven't been there for at least twelve
months - so a bit hazy in memory, but it may be getting seriously unstable in
places. No evident problems elsewhere, but we think people should take great
care."
Although the entrance to Waterways Swallet is normally completely dry and there is no water at all in the cave, it can flood suddenly and completely if heavy rain causes the sink a hundred yards up the valley to overflow. One group of cavers received an extremely sharp lesson earlier this autumn when this happened - be wary!
DCA/BCA CAVERS WORKSHOP, 5/6 MARCH 2005
Planning is already in hand for this event which will include sessions on Cave Rescue, Cave Instructor, SRT, Advanced SRT, Ladders Lines Abseiling with Groups & Self Rescue, Cave Video, Mines History, Cave Formation Development & Conservation. Cost per session will be £10.00 and it will be either at Pindale Centre, Castleton or at Upper Limits in Longnor. We'll put the details up on the DCA web site as soon as we have them. Contact: Nigel Atkins - Tel: 01283 210666, Fax: 01283 210777, Mob: 07831 449919, Em. nigel @ pennineorganisation.com. Contact Nigel direct for other training events planned in 2005.
CROMFORD CANAL CLEANUP
Peak Training are looking to form a working party to clear weeds from Cromford Canal again, so is anyone available to help during week commencing Monday, 10th January 2005? Anyone interested should contact Vickie, please, as she's again the co-ordinator for this effort. We know that canoeing is not first on cavers' list of activities, but maybe some of our members also canoe? Phone 01629-760297 or email vickie.newey @ peak-training.co.uk. Thanks in anticipation.
CAMBRIAN CAVING COUNCIL WEBSITE
Cambrian Caving Council now have their own website at www.cambriancavingcouncil.org.uk. Check it out if you're intending to cave in Wales.
FOR YOUR NEWSLETTER / NOTICEBOARD
www.theDCA.org.uk - dca @ theDCA.org.uk
18th December 2004