Issue 301: behind the cover

There’s always a story and (wow!) this cover image certainly has one.

Over 34 years ago I had an invite to visit the Forest of Dean and explore a virgin  sump in a place that I had never heard of – Redhouse Lane Swallet. Paul Taylor and team had just made a breakthrough into what sounded like an exciting brand new cave with extremely good prospects. How could I refuse? A few days later I was heaving and grunting my way through a tortuous passage thinking: Hmm, it’s a good job I’m fairly used to this sort of grief.  

The sump turned out to be altogether easier than anyone could have anticipated. It was merely a few metres long and had a duck with minimal airspace. Paul was encouraged to free-dive through and together we checked out about a couple of hundred metres of new passage, only to be stopped by a boulder choke.

Fast forward to summer 2024 – another phone call from the Forest. Would I like to come and take some photos in Redhouse? There had just been a breakthrough at the choke and the place had gone BIG. Once more, how could I refuse?  The experience of the place 34 years previously had been completely erased from my memory bank. My goodness, that entrance series was gruelling. I just wished I was back in my 20s rather than 73. Oh my god, my poor aged body. Adding insult to injury, the camera box leaked on the way in. Amazingly, someone somewhere must have been looking down on me and apart from the soggy foam padding, no damage was done. We got the shot and, with the aid of poly bags, the camera and a distinctly broken body made it out of the cave ten hours after entry. 

Wow! The Forest has yet another fantastic site. Despite the pain it was one hell of a day out. Thank you for the invite guys. I won’t forget this trip any time soon.

Martyn Farr