Details

Written by: Dylan Kocher

Published: 05 June 2026

Hits: 254

Chris H, Jon P, Dylan K, Ned H, Joe B, Rob E, Jim T

 

After a cracking classic of the full traverse, our members had a great introduction into the famed welsh cave of OFD. After Rob and Jon strung me along a lovely jog, where I had the luxury of running past Ned's promising dig further up the bryn. That night it was discussed that the group wanted to see the far reaches of OFD; as well as Ned’s desire to poke around the far reaches of ‘Paul Allen's Revenge’. This trip would also require crossing the infamous traverses with a twenty meter freeclimb shrouded in mystery. After dinner, an engaging contest of strength and fortitude would be held. This proceeded with Jim benchpressing Ned for three reps and squatting Chris. The rest of us tried to keep up with second place going to ‘The Goat’. We had clear objective in a more esoteric part of the frequented cave ahead. It all sounded like a perfect trip awaited, and away Ned went into the library for the remainder of the night…

 

With a solid breakfast the next morning off to ‘Top’ we went. I led the group through to Salubrious streamway with Ned giving a hand. Passing the corkscrew, we were soon at a junction. Ned takes over guiding us through varying passages and a lovely crawl leading to the further reaches of OFD. Jim hummed all the way through to the midnight chamber. Passages begin to grow with polished stones and solid floors leading to exciting downclimbs where descents off Munters seem to be in trend. No one was keen to kill themselves before our upcoming traverses. Things began to uptick from here, with varying freeclimbs leading us around an ever growing and imposing passage; until we reached ‘The Shambles’. Joe, in the front, went around hitting a dead end with a sign saying “Balls!” Looping back round, up and over the loose and hostile boulders giving ode to the name. Quick freeclimbing up and over, brought forth a calcite pool and directly left was a hole to which my light disappeared down the winding rift below. Here lies the Travereses’.

Dylan risking the OFD 3 Traverses - Rob Eavis

My personal experience with the traverses was always hearing of it from varying members of YUCPC. Tales of dangerous and daunting obstacles with sharp consequences. Since they had not spoken of any tight ducks or sumps it of course went in one ear and out the other. The reality exceeded expectations. When the group gathered, Ned proposed we all have a bite to eat. Instantly, I responded that we should just get on with it and go; having a feeling that waiting at the start would un-nerve the group (me). Jon had wanted to take some photos of the trip to this point with the agreement of Chris and Jim they decided to hang back and let ‘Team Balls’ carry on. I first jumped at the traverse. A solid ledge big enough for 2 feet quickly dropped off into impending doom. Deciding to go on my hands and knees crawling across led to a nervous step back up as the floor quickly shrank in width. I was forced to now awkwardly lean across and carry on till the passage bridged, offering some respite. I definitely fucked the first one up. Ned followed, and leaned across in a typical lanky boy fashion. Jon wanting to give the first one a go before taking photos seemed to perform fine, however I was scanning the route ahead. Just Rob and Joe to-go. Of course Rob attempts to show how casual Neds’ method could be, dancing back and forth on it over and over. I had to look away! Once all over, Jon traversed back leaving just us four to venture on. The second traverse was simple and easy, with the passage never bellowing out too far and offering some enjoyable level changes. In the back of my mind, I was hoping the third would be more of the same this was far from the case. Beyond the rift bellowed out into a black hole. Joe and I both did a double take. Beyond the walls compressed slightly, though an initial faithful leap would be needed by falling onto the wall opposite and pressing with your feet and hands; all whilst staring down into the space beyond. Below the passage did not constrict, ensuring that a slip would surely see an all encompassing fall. Only a few shuffles were taken before the walls became closer and eventually I was able to join Ned, who showed us how it was done. Joe was next quickly mentioning “I don't think I like this” clearly stressed before taking the fall. Being the smallest in height; Ned's method of planking across definitely showed its limitations in comfort if you're not above six foot. Rob quickly followed and didn't take the piss dancing back and forth over the rift like a child, so it definitely seemed a bit more real. I looked back; now feeling more remote with our fellowship broken and ‘Team Awesome’ now halved either side of the Traverses’. With the high level passage constraining, we slithered down a small and awkward hole marking the end of the Traverses’. Quickly, we emerge into a large chamber containing a junction. To the right (Smiths Armoury) and left our goal of the ‘Paul Allen Series’. From here, Ned has agreed to write up a well detailed report of our galavanting; marking his first trip report as a member of Eldon. 

 

(Ned) the blank area North of the fabled 3 traverses has always been interesting to diggers in OFD. The rift is incredibly high and many vertiginous sections remain unclimbed. Inlets coming in here could come from high level passage, similar to the Paul Allen series, somewhere we were destined to visit on our trip. The climb sounded ominous. An exposed 20m scale up the rift begins with a short section of hemp rope with limited lithic handholds, prescribing the need for pull ups. Once up here, Dylan and I youthfuly slithered down to what would be an extremely exposed waterfall climb, Kocher expressing interest in an attempt. Rob and Joe had done a switchback, following the narrower rift section vertically up and summoning us when it was clear they’d found the high phreatic beginnings of the Paul Allen series. Some tat was left here, which we obviously didn’t need but we rigged anyway because we didn’t want to carry it back. An entertaining historical traverse was noticed from the safety of the upper passage, where an old intrepid Cambrian caver had stomped footholds into some dubious mud atleast 20 metres above the boulder floor of the main OFD stream passage, and then wisely decided to re-trace his steps after the 5th.

Climbing up the 20m entrance - Rob Eavis

The impressive phreatic tube at the start of the Paul Allen Series - Rob Eavis

Paul Allen series had an excellent draught coming towards us as we entered, indicative of an air connection to some surface feature due to the high external temperature of the day. Some beautiful formations were passed, with directional helictites adhering to the air flow. Eventually, after passing several smaller inlets and unclimbed avens, a cross- rift is reached. To the East, more unclimbed avens in this enlarging passage, with similar characteristics to areas of OFD2 fossil passage. This reaches a boulder choke with no particularly obvious draught, however the scale would make this difficult to spot anyway. The Western route leads over some pristinely viscous mud clay, taking you to another smaller choke. This one had a draught whistling towards us and in, directly towards the aforementioned exciting blank space. This area, and many others in and on the way to OFD3 are ripe for further and new exploration, the problem being the remote inaccessibility. A dig I have been working on from the surface happens to be around 100m to the East of this series, Hot Air Mine. It is an old SWCC dig, with a 15m entrance rift down to a large chamber to the East. This is of similar proportions to other high level OFD, and is a beautiful bit of cave. To the West at the rift climb is Kermit’s Flat, where I and historically others have dug. After extended chemical persuasion here by users, the draught was once lost, leading to too tight rifts and nothing but several frogs after every blast (hence the name). Recently, I have refound the significant draught (hot air) in the highest level of the flat after some removal of a mud plug. The digging is a mixture of capping and conglomerate infill, however blank space is always there and the draught is particularly enthusing, switching between in or out based on the weather. An entrance here could be an enormously exciting way to tackle the difficulty of exploration in these areas, where entire new series’s have the potential to be found. So I shall keep digging! On reflection, back in Paul Allen series the climb down was initially made slightly less scary with the tat, but then made more so when viewing Rob’s ‘knot’. Discovering Dylan’s beheaded bottle at the base of the climb, launched in a fit of excitement was a lovely way to end the series exploration and begin thoughts on finding the others on the far side of the traverses.

 

(Dylan)

Nothing more to mention, Love Island is on, so I’ll keep it short. We got out all safe and sound.  I had sprained my ankle post-traverses’, but thankfully it didn't really blow up until post-trip. Jon, Jim, and Chris seemed to have a successful photo shoot. All in all, two mega trips! Short and sweet; hard and fast.  That's how we do it!

Dylan Kocher, Ned Hopes 

The happy team

Details

Written by: Victoria Kocher

Published: 24 April 2026

Hits: 524

When John Gunn has a trip planned, the correct response is always “yes.” No further questions required.

After two weeks off waiting for my sheep to lamb—who, it turns out, are not remotely interested in my schedule—I finally gave up pretending I was in control of anything and signed up for a trip I’ve wanted to do for ages. I’ve been close before, but never quite managed to get my head under that steady torrent of water. This time, though, John had the key. Literally.

John G, John, Chris, Jess, Robert and I met in the layby and shuffled down the lane to get changed, as is tradition. Wetsuits were wrestled on  and we followed John to the water.

I had been expecting it to be deep. According to John, the water level was “down,” which turned out to mean chest-deep instead of very chest-deep. So off we went, beginning the uphill walk in deep water. It was easy to navigate until the floor become uneven with boulders and drop zones that a few of us fell into.

As we progressed, the sough kept changing character—making it feel like a completely different place. After about a mile (give or take, time being a bit theoretical when you’re wading uphill in cold water), we gradually climbed out. And honestly, it was worth every soggy step.

Reaching the chamber was genuinely special. We took time to admire the incredible formations left behind by the miners—equal parts history and accidental art. John and Robert took some great photos. I, bravely, took none, having decided beforehand that I didn’t trust my lack of waterproofing. I regretted this immediately and continuously.

Once we’d finished poking, prodding and generally appreciating the chamber, we followed the mine tracks deeper in—past the mine cart and towards the collapse.  It was one of those trips where you’re constantly torn between wanting to move on and wanting to just stand there and take it all in.

We eventually met John again at the resurgence, where he was fully in “science mode”—taking water samples and explaining how they vary through different parts of the mine. It was part fieldwork, part impromptu lecture, and all very interesting (even if I was mostly thinking about how cold I was getting).

The journey out was, thankfully, much quicker. Heading downhill with the current behind us made for a surprisingly speedy exit. At several points it felt less like walking and more like being politely escorted out by the water. Inflatable tubes would have been an excellent—if slightly chaotic—addition.

All in all, a long, cold, brilliant trip. The kind that reminds you exactly why you said yes in the first place.

Then, of course, came the true final challenge: peeling off wetsuits before heading home.

 

Details

Written by: Josh

Published: 08 April 2026

Hits: 931

The much-anticipated Q1 caving and poker weekend, three months in the making, had finally arrived. Turnout was strong, with only one late dropout: Josh K, who pulled out with the weak excuse of needing emergency heart surgery. Thankfully, he’s still with us.

The rest of us with fully functioning hearts included: Josh G (myself), Adam L, Ben, Aaron, Adam S, Jack H, Ethan, Jack C and Joe. Nine in total.

Friday night preparation consisted of my homemade 100-slide presentation on the Peak–Speedwell system. This included an in-depth history lesson, some hilarious banter and a breakdown of route options, from the classic round trip to the far sump extensions. In the end, the group voted for a round trip with a detour via Moss Chamber. I also casually mentioned that the constant rain meant there was a slight chance of flooding but it would probably be fine…

Saturday morning, we set off for Castleton. Spirits were high until, at the top of Winnats Pass, I got a call from our keyholder confirming the water level was above the step. For the uninitiated, that’s a key indicator of flood risk. No matter how hard I begged and pleaded over the phone for us to give it a go, the rest of my car, who were getting second-hand embarrassment by this point, eventually helped me realise that my dream of going in Peak Cavern was dead. The rest of the journey to Castleton was filled with them trying to console me. 

After regrouping at the chapel, I reassured everyone I had a solid Plan B: a vertical, tight, muddy hellhole known as Winnats Head Cave. While this did not have the same impressive sights as Peak Cavern, I did mention the possibility of a pool party if we make it to the bottom. 

We suited up, mostly in a questionable mix of second-hand army and construction gear, and made the steep walk up Winnats Pass. By the time we reached the entrance, a small downward crawl, most of us were already exhausted from the trek.

Before

I gave a few last words of advice (as you’re pretty much single file for most of the way), and I headed in first. Within minutes, it was chaos.

I was flat out, headfirst on a steep downwards slope while pushing boulders that blocked the way on. This would be a normal situation in Winnat's Head Cave except there were more rocks cascading down onto my head, dislodged by the other oafs entering the cave like a one-armed juggler with three chainsaws. I tried shouting for them to stop kicking debris down on me, but my large JBL speaker was blasting Arctic Monkeys so loud I couldn’t even hear myself. It was like something out of a Vietnam War montage video.

Further in, the crawl tightened: arms out in front, inching forward. Not ideal for those who had worn wetsuits in anticipation of a wet Peak Cavern trip. They were now, quite literally, being boiled alive.

Eventually, we reached the first chamber, where several people immediately started shedding layers. From there, we moved into the main chamber and began descending the first boulder choke. The group handled the squeezes and scrambles well, and we soon arrived in Fox’s Chamber, one of the highlights of the cave which is (20x10x30m - by my best judgement)

In the Fox Chamber

I reached it first and headed to the far side, watching as a slow procession of headlamps appeared one by one, emerging into the chamber. I also discovered a surprising amount of Blue John and an impressive mud formation, shaped something like a mushroom…

After a short break during which the first-timers marvelled that caving isn’t all tight, muddy suffering, we tackled the second boulder choke. This involved negotiating a few drops, but communication along our single-file line was excellent, and we made it to the final chamber without incident.

The final chamber features a large, deep circular pool. Those of us who were up for it ventured to the end of the “sewer”, a pretty tight, wet crawl which takes a bit of patience and a physical struggle to get through.

Joe H coming through the Sewer

After returning to the pool, we then had a quick swim to clean off. We didn’t linger, the water was, unsurprisingly, freezing so we decided to warm up by heading back out which meant climbing up everything we had descended. 

Underground Pool Party

The exit involved a series of short climbs, almost like boulder problems, but with added claustrophobia. Some sections required a few attempts and good beta being passed back. The toughest obstacle was the “Vertical Vice”: a tight 3m slot where you have to turn your head sideways and rely on a mix of brute force and creative elbow and knee work.

I went first and made it up. Jack H followed, attempting to haul himself up using a small hand rope (despite my advice to the contrary). He quickly exhausted himself, and after a 10-minute battle, got near the top, before giving up and sliding all the way back down, declaring he’d never make it out.

Morale wavered slightly among those waiting below.

So, before his second attempt, we sent a few others up first. Taking a more measured approach, they made it through. On his second go, Jack also succeeded, having remembered he had legs as well as arms.

From there, the exit went relatively smoothly (aside from a brief moment of being lost), and we even had a few sing-alongs to keep spirits high.

Back at the first chamber, just as I was about to head through the entrance crawl, I heard groaning from ahead. Another group was coming in. A head soon appeared through the crawl. Fortunately, we avoided meeting them in the crawl itself which would have been quite the introduction. Instead, both groups gathered in the small chamber, numbering around 15 of us in total.

We exchanged pleasantries and learned they were mostly from TSG. They complimented our t-shirts, which we took as a major win, and then we headed out.

If the entrance crawl felt tiring on the way in, it was far worse on the way out.

Eventually, though, I reached fresh air and climbed out onto the ledge above Winnats Pass. I was greeted by a stunning view over Hope Valley and a perfect sunset. Freedom never felt so good.

One by one, the group emerged, some shouting in relief, followed by embracing one another in victory. We paused for a moment, taking it all in and reflecting on what we’d just done, before jogging back to the TSG hut. 

After that: showers (excellent, by the way) and a well-earned feast at the local pub.

To conclude, the best trips are often the unexpected ones. While Winnats Head lacks the grandeur of Peak Cavern, there’s something about its relentless and thrown in at the deep end nature that made it an unforgettable day out. Those who were unsure before about going underground in tight spaces with 9 men are now eager for the opportunity to do so again, which I have no doubt we will. 

After