Belfry Bulletin Number 048

BB48/1

The

Belfry

Bulletin

THE JOURNAL OF THE BRISTOL EXPLORATION CLUB Volume 5 No. 48

June 1951

MENDIP RESCUE ORGANISATION All members are reminded that the Mendip Rescue Organisation may be put into operation with the least possible delay by telephoning Wells 2197.

G.B. Restrictions The Club has been informed by the U.B.S.S. that the Axbridge Urban District Council have imposed further restrictions on G.B. Consequently no-one should visit this cave, take photographs there or publish information concerning it without U.B.S.S. permission. The U.B.S.S. has called a meeting of interested organisations to discuss these restrictions and future developments. For the present, however all arrangements to visit G.B. should be made through Mervyn Hannam.

CAVING SECTION NEWS. A good crowd stayed at the Belfry during Whitsun and trips to Stoke Lane, Eastwater, Swildons and G.B. were undertaken. There were also some digging activities.

Since the Whitsun week end a number of trips have been arranged, some of them organised by our junior members. Several small caves and shelters in the Avon Gorge were investigated but nothing of real caving interest was found, though one small rift was penetrated for about forty feet before ending in a choke.

Now that the summer has apparently arrived, there are signs of a considerable increase in underground activities. It is to be hoped that this increase will continue.

M.H. BATS

by J.W. Ifold.

As part of the research into the habits of bats, a large number have been ringed in the Mendip caves. The bats are marked with a metal ring bearing letters and a number on one wing. Those most likely to be encountered on Mendip bear the letters U.B.S., having been affixed by the Bristol University. Anyone seeing a bat is asked to make a note of the following details:Letters and numbers on ring (if any) a. Name of the cave and part of the cave where found b. Date and time of find. c. There were This information should be sent to Mervyn Hannam or John Ifold, who would also be glad to receive offers of help in this fascinating work. ON NO ACCOUNT SHOULD A RING BE REMOVED FROM A BAT. There are a number of books dealing with bats in the Club library.

BB48/2 Club Library.

John Ifold has asked us to publish the following g note... There are still too many Club library books missing. So will members please have a good look in their attics and coal cellars, in the case of lady members in their bottom drawers to see if they can find any of the missing books.

The Library needs a copy of Cave Hunting by Boyd Dawkins. Any member who knows where a copy is to be obtained should let the librarian know as soon as possible, giving details of the price asked and the book’s condition.

The library contains a number of Six-inch maps covering most of the Mendip area. These maps have been marked to show most of the known caves and possible digs. Members knowing of others, or finding new sites are asked to give full details to the librarian so that these maps can be kept up to date.

The maps are of course available for inspection by members, as are a number of assorted maps of the British Isles.

INQUIRY Don Coase would be very glad to learn who has been digging at the top of the Bone Chamber in Stoke Lane. Any news?

SOME CAVES NEAR BRISTOL

by M. Hannam.

Anyone wishing to spend an afternoon’s caving near Bristol can find several places of interest. There is one fairly big cave in the Avon Gorge. To get to it, follow the Postway towards Avonmouth until about one hundred yards before the tennis courts a notice board can be seen on the cliff top. By climbing the slabs for about fifty feet towards this notice a small ledge is reached. The cave starts from this ledge as a vertical tenfoot drop which leads to a very muddy squeeze. After this the passage becomes a fairly high rift blocked at one point by a large boulder which has to be passed by chimneying up the rift. Just beyond this boulder is a small stalagmite covered chamber. The way on lies through a twelve foot hole in the floor (a rope is advisable) from which the passage slopes steeply downwards to a boulder choke which marks the end of the cave.

The second interesting cave is one that lies in the quarry at the Sea Mills end of King’s Weston Downs.

The entrance is a narrow ten foot deep hole at the very back of the quarry. The cave is not very large, and the writer is somewhat prejudiced against it since part of the roof fell down on his first visit.