B
No 174 August 1962
Monthly Journal Of The Bristol Exploration Club
B Vol. XVI No. 8
Nominations With this B.B., you will find the usual nomination form for the 1963 committee. The names of any members put on these forms and sent in to Bob Bagshaw, will go forward for voting on at the annual committee election. As usual, most of the retiring committee have expressed themselves ready to serve, if elected, on next year's committee with the exception of ‘Prew’. We don't think he will mind if we say that he is voluntarily standing down this year, in order to leave the field more open in the hope that the vacant place will be filled by one of the clubs younger members. The suggestion has been made that we deliberately make some places on the committee for younger members, while others feel that the method of election is sufficiently democratic to ensure that any keen member stands a good chance of being elected. We hope that any member who feels that he is prepared to work on the clubs behalf will come forward and let it be generally known that he is prepared to work. We feel sure that he will receive a decent number of voted if he does. Some people, we are told, think that they stand little chance of being elected at a committee election. Let us hope that these people will at least make sure they are nominated. "Alfie." _______________________________________________________________________________________
THE GROTTES DE HAN by P.F. Bird. Ever since reading, years ago, E.A. Martel's account of some of the caves of Belgium, I have wanted to see the celebrated show caves called the Grottes de Han. Being in Belgium for a conference at the end of June, I seized the opportunity and left Brussels by train early one morning. The train takes one from the faintly undulating, almost flat, country of Brabant to the forested hills and limestone gorges of the Ardennes. At Jemelle, one takes a bus to Han-sur-Lease. There are nice sections of shales and limestone on the way. From the village of Han, one travels on an antiquated scenic railway to the top of the limestone hill inside which lie the Grottes- de Han. Then one follows a zig-zag path down to the entrance of the caves. Not far away is the Gouffre de Belvaux, the point of engulfment of the subterranean river Lesse. The entrance leads to a dry series. The earlier chambers contain only dark stalagmites and -tites, which were blackened by the torches and lamps of visitors before electric lighting was installed. Further on, one comes to many vast chambers, some of which make G.B. and Lamb Leer seem mere trifles. The formations are proportionally huge. They are mostly white, but some are a pleasing pale yellow. There are none of the orange or reddish tints which one finds in many of our Mendip caves. Eventually, one reaches the 'Merveilleuses' - aptly named the marvellous chamber because of its formations, which include many stalagmites noteworthy for their slenderness. Hence the party retraces its steps for a while and then one continues ones traverse of the hill in a series which leads to the Place d'Armes. This is an immense chamber containing a cafe set out on a concrete terrace. Here, one can get a drink and a chance to rest ones feet after an hours fairly rapid walking. At the bottom of the chamber flows the Lesse, and above hang; great clusters of stalactites.