Issue 295: Behind the cover

A stone’s throw from Matienzo in Northern Spain and close to Ramales de la Victoria is the not so hidden Cueva Mur — a great Cantabrian classic cave with a huge entrance that leads to a more hidden wonderland of great chambers, exciting traverses, wonderful formations and fun crawls. A rewarding round trip can be undertaken here, allowing cavers to enjoy its many and varied delights in all weathers.

I’d like to thank the rest of the team: Diana Hierro Zapico, David Menendez and Julia Arce Saez for their help and patience whilst we took many photographs.

Paul ‘Beardy’ Swire

Paul ‘Beardy’ Swire is a caver, diver and photographer from the north of England, a former president of ULSA and a long-standing member of the Red Rose CPC and Cave Diving Group. He enjoys documenting caves either during exploration or whilst visiting classic caves, both at home and around the globe.

Let’s get this out of the way now. I am not really a caver. I could probably count on two hands the number of times I have been underground. Through friends and family, I exist on the periphery of caving culture and it’s often a humorous (and occasionally horrifying) place to be.

In the past year or so I decided to take up drawing with architecture being a particular inspiration. With Hidden Earth returning this year, the art salon seemed the perfect opportunity to test myself artistically and express my appreciation for caving in general.

I was blown away with the positive reaction from people who I’d never even met before and it was hard to resist the pressure to take this further. Fifty tea towels were printed initially, with all profits being donated to Cave Rescue Organisation. I assumed I would sell them eventually but was not prepared for them to sell out in less than 24 hours! Following a second run of 120, together we will have raised over £600 to donate to Cave Rescue Organisation.

I may be only on the fringe but I am proud to be part of this community.

Sam Dredge