Surprise Holiday Cave
Marcus Greatwood describes a moment of serendipity while holidaying in Spain.

Terranauts and Deep Time
Polly Judd talks to director Robert Petit about his film Underland.

Into the Echo Chamber
Tim Allen reports on another magnificent Yorkshire Dales find by the Space Miners.

The Great Geoff Yeadon
Geoff Yeadon was undoubtedly one of the greats of the caving world. Following his death at the age of 75, Geoff Crossley, Martin Grass and Mick Nunwick pay tribute to him.

Discovering Giants in Longwood Valley Sink
In this second instalment of her two-part article, Alison Moody concludes the tale of the outstanding discoveries that have recently been made in Longwood Valley Sink, on Mendip.

Decarbonising Expeditions
As part of our series of articles on sustainable caving, Becka Lawson – with a little help from Julian Todd – offers some words of wisdom on how we can cut our carbon emissions without sacrificing our time spent exploring caves.

A Motorcycle Diary
Peter Ryder recalls a cave-themed road trip through the Pyrenees.

Families, Ducks and Frogs
Jen Sloan reports on a caving trip for six young families to the Yorkshire Dales.

LifeStraw Peak Series Collapsible Squeeze Bottle
Chris Scaife and Carolina Smith review a bottle with its own built-in filtration system.

Front cover: Mike Wise on the Second Pitch in Longwood Valley Sink, Mendip. Photo: Mark Burkey

Back cover: Tim Allen, Nick Bairstow and Dave Gledhill in the Echo Chamber, Gavel Pot. Photo: Bartek Biela

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Highest in the World
Chris Howes discusses Brazil’s Gruta Casa de Pedra, which may be home to the world’s tallest cave entrance.

Cave Rescue 2025
All underground rescues from 2025 are summarised here by the British Cave Rescue Council.

A Fortnight in the Peloponnese
Craig Holdstock reports on a two-week expedition to the Peloponnese region of Greece.

Rescuing Wildlife from Caves
Cavers often encounter wildlife underground: some of it perfectly at home in its subterranean habitat, some distressed and in need of help. Descent editor Chris Scaife and Professor of Ecology Mike Sweet consider the best approach for cavers to take in such situations.

Great Sporting Trips of the World:
the Gouffre Berger
Jasper Crabb recounts a trip to one of the world’s greatest caves.

Armytek Wizard C2 Pro
Chris Scaife reviews an affordable headlamp.

Accessing the Inaccessible
The capital of Wales is visible from the entrance, but Ogof Pen Y Craig is still an adventurous place. Ned Hopes tells the tale of accessing and then surveying this little gem.

The Underview Effect
Stuart Weston muses on a caver’s view of the world.

Front cover: The Hall of the Thirteen in the Gouffre Berger, France. Photo: Thibault Poinas, Galimey

Back cover: The enormous entrance to Brazil’s Gruta Casa de Pedra. Photo: Chris Howes

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VAT is not charged on UK publications. Orders outside of the UK are posted without tax paid and you are responsible for VAT and any other charges on delivery.

Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.

Ease Gill Open House
In June 2025, a 10-day caving festival was held at Bullpot Farm, the home of Red Rose CPC, with numerous SRT routes through Ease Gill rigged for the duration. Rachel Turnbull tells the tale.

Inside the Mountain
The free ascent of Gaping Gill Main Chamber in 1988 was a historic moment for both climbing and caving. Jack Homan writes about a documentary he is making about this challenging route and the climbers planning to repeat the ascent.

Great Sporting Trips of the World: Sótano de las Golondrinas
Martyn Farr describes a pensioners’ day out in one of the world’s most spectacular holes.

A Question of Size
Loyal Descent readers will be aware of the two enormous UK underground finds from the last few years – Redhouse Lane Swallet in the Forest of Dean and the Draughting Hole-Missed Pot system in the North Pennines. These caves may be of similar length, but their characters are worlds apart, as this scale comparison of their surveys shows.

The Dry Traverse
The North of England’s Three Counties system offers all sorts of sporting trips for cavers, but Todd Rye might just have come up with the best of the lot.

Adventures in Ultraviolet Photography
Dave Watts looks at caves in a different light.

Big CHECC ’25
Polly Judd reports on November 2025’s annual gathering of students from the Council of Higher Education Caving Clubs.

Crossword Answers
The results of quite possibly Descent’s most popular crossword ever.

Front cover: Peter Lord in Sótano de las Golondrinas, Mexico. Photo: Martyn Farr

Back cover: Keith Edwards and Melissa Bell in the Smithy, Cwm Dwr (OFD), South Wales. Photo: Mark Burkey

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Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.

Fairies Fest
George North, with the help of many others, reports on a grand underground get-together in County Durham.

Back to Llangollen
Last year’s Hidden Earth venue, the Llangollen Pavilion, proved so popular that it was chosen to host this year’s – and next year’s – events. Polly Judd writes about her experience of the greatest social gathering in the caving calendar.

A River in the Clouds
Simon Brooks and Brian Kharpran Daly report on the 2025 Caving in the Abode of the Clouds expedition, which took place from 2-28 February 2025 as part of the enduring partnership between Indian and international cavers, supported by the Shillong-based Meghalaya Adventurers’ Association.

Speleosisters+ at Five
Gwenllian Tawy and Rachel Turnbull write about alternative spaces in caving.

Caving in Madeira
The volcanic Atlantic island of Madeira is better known for its jagged peaks, unique wildlife, rocky beaches and cerulean waters than for its subterranean delights, but as Chris Scaife writes, cavers who find themselves over there on a beach holiday need not despair.

Exploring the Caves of the Big Blue
Konstantinos Trimmis reports on an expedition to explore caves on the Greek island of Amorgos.

The Descent Christmas Crossword
Martin Wright keeps up the Descent Christmas tradition.

Cover: Emma Key in Doolin River Cave. Photo: Bill Nix

Back Cover: Mathew Sedgwick on the High Level Route in Heron Pot,
Yorkshire Dales. Photo: Gareth Williams

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Tham Long
Peter Allison concludes his tale of caves and culture in Laos.

A Redhouse Summer
Tim Nichols summarises recent discoveries in the Forest of Dean’s ongoing treasure trove of underground glory.

Big Caves, Exceptional Congress
Chris Howes reports on the 19th International Congress of Speleology, held this year in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

The Lost Boys of Carbis Bay
Filmmaker Daniel Simpkins follows the Carbis Bay Crew into the hidden and hazardous heart of Cornwall’s abandoned mining network.

The Slaughter Survey
Surveyors in the Forest of Dean have certainly had a busy couple of years. Mark Tringham describes the project to survey the extensive and complex Slaughter Stream Cave.

Where Does All the Water Go?
Phil Murphy discusses the history of water tracing in the Yorkshire Dales and the development of the Northern Caves and Karst Hydrology Database.

Fulmar Rescue
Stanley Lewis reports on the unlikeliest of animal rescues.

Cover: Judith Calford in Caverna do Morro Preto, PETAR, Brazil. Photo: Chris Howes

Back Cover: Lancaster Hole Main Drain. Photo: Bill Nix

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Chris Scaife reports on an expedition to a rarely visited part of north-east India, a wild area of seemingly infinite karst.

Mines of the South West
Dave Watts shares some of his photographs from the mines of Cornwall and Devon.

Cave Maze Results
Our previous issue featured a tough puzzle and we have been impressed that so many of you were able to solve it. We can now reveal the solution, as well as the names of the winners.

Perseverance Through the Generations
As cave explorers, we often find ourselves to be just part of a long history of discovery. A major recent find in the Yorkshire Dales, as Chris Curry writes, has been over a century in the making.

Cavers at the Tower of London
No doubt many of us denizens of the underworld should have been sent to the Tower years ago, but members of the Wealden Cave and Mine Society were invited there for a practical purpose. Peter Burgess tells the tale.

The Pwll Dwfn Survey
Tarquin Wilton-Jones describes the trials and tribulations of putting together detailed plan and elevation surveys for the Welsh pothole.

Weathercote Cave
Frank Pearson shares a poem about Yorkshire’s hidden gem.

Caves and Culture in Laos
In this first of two parts, Peter Allison describes an extended stay in Laos.

Caver Demographics
How old are cavers, and where do they live? Rostam Namaghi sheds some light on these questions and more.

Half a Lifetime Away
Peter Glanvill describes his caving activities from 1985.

Overdoing Things
We all enjoy digging, but we should try not to end up in an ambulance. Richard Bendall tells us all about the time he just did too much.

Cover: Péter Juhász in Tywarnhayle Mine, Cornwall. Photo: Dave Watts

Back Cover: Chris Scaife and Rich Hudson in Chinapram Kol, South Garo, India. Photo: Andy Harp

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Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.

In Deep Water on the Peninsula
Andy Freem reports on the exploration of Ogof New Park, a major new find on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales.

Thailand Sandstone
Liviu Valenas gives an overview of his recent Thailand expedition, which included the survey of Thailand’s longest sandstone cave.

The Sheep That Launched a Thousand Trips
Years ago, when some cavers found a lamb trapped in a shakehole on Leck Fell, they could not possibly have imagined the scale of the digging project that would ensue. Chris Scaife and Richard Bendall tell the tale.

Caving in Surrey
Surrey is not known for its spectacular karst landscapes, but there is at least one fine cave. Maurice Hewins, who helped to survey Mother Ludlam’s Cave in his youth, returns to the site after 65 years.

Yat Grotto
There is much going on under the Forest of Dean these days. Even the
minor side projects set aside for rainy days are now producing the goods, as Dan Sandford reports.

Caving Songs of Yesteryear
Alan Jeffreys shows us it’s not just modern cavers who enjoy singing.

Darenathon
At the end of a long and tiring entrance crawl, there is nothing quite like the feeling of turning round and doing it again and again. Elin West reports on a marathon crawling attempt in Ogof y Daren Cilau.

Cave Maze and Word Search
James Carlisle, the caving world’s puzzle maestro, has put together two competitions in one, with great prizes to be won.

Cover: Daniel Jackson in the White Forest, Redhouse Lane Swallet, UK. Photo: Bartek Biela

Back Cover: Julien Jean in Sardinia’s Gutturu ‘e Murgulavò, Italy. Photo: Ben Richards

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VAT is not charged on UK publications. Orders outside of the UK are posted without tax paid and you are responsible for VAT and any other charges on delivery.

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Dashed Hopes and Sudden Reprieves
Robin Sheen reports on the exploration of Ribung Kung 2, a classic Meghalayan cave with more than a touch of the Yorkshire pothole.

Straight to the Top
We don’t normally publish ‘My first proper caving trip’ reports, but Gilbert Muirhead’s first real experience of caving, pushing into a long section of sumptuously decorated virgin passage in Missed Pot in the North Pennines, must rank as one of the best ever introductions to
the underworld.

Cave Rescue 2024
Our annual report from the British Cave Rescue Council details all the incidents involving cave rescue teams in Britain and Ireland for 2024.

The Aka Connection
George North and Chris Scaife conclude their story of the exploration of Aka Hole and its connection to the Three Counties system, in an article that again includes diary entries from many of the other members of the Misty Mountain Mud Miners.

Anything but Pointless
Rostam Namaghi gives a personal account of the November 2024 expedition to Mulu.

The Big Underground Clean-up
Steph Jones has big plans for the conservation of caves, and talks us through how this new project came about.

Michel, Now Beyond Time
Chris Howes describes some of the remarkable subterranean work undertaken by Michel Siffre, who died last year.

The Rise of the Horseshoe
Jess Eades gives us some good news about Lesser Horseshoe bats and tells us what we should be looking out for.

The CRO Maze
James Carlisle and Avelina Wright report on a novel training exercise for the north of England’s rescue teams.

Cover: Louise Anderson and Joe Sharp in Defiance, Clearwater Cave system, Mulu. Photo: Bartek Biela

Back Cover: Cave pearls in Nenthead Mines, North Pennines, UK. Photo: Helen Nightingale

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VAT is not charged on UK publications. Orders outside of the UK are posted without tax paid and you are responsible for VAT and any other charges on delivery.

Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.

Extreme Weather at Big CHECC
Descent’s new CHECC/Youth correspondent, Polly Judd, reports on the biggest – and in this case, wettest – event in the student caving calendar.

The Aka Diaries
Chris Scaife and George North begin a two-part article on the exploration of a fine new pothole in the Yorkshire Dales, with diary entries from many of the core digging team.

Beyond the Shrines
Craig Holdstock reports on an expedition to Thailand, where caves are a big part of the culture, often with religious significance.

Finding the Marble River
Redhouse Lane Swallet, in the Forest of Dean, has been producing the goods somewhat in recent months. As 2024 drew to a close, there were just a couple more opportunities to visit and, as Tim Nichols writes, these resulted in yet more great finds.

Back to Buda
Carolina Smith reports on an expedition to Gunung Buda National Park, a limestone region to the north of Mulu in Malaysian Borneo that has seen little attention from cavers in recent years.

Ascent of the 8,000ers
The Draughting Hole-Missed Pot system in the North Pennines has now exceeded 8,000m in length and the recent finds have been nothing short of spectacular, writes Fleur Loveridge.

OWPG Portfolio
We present the high quality images that recently won Chris Howes the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild award for photography.

PNG ‘73
Howard Beck remembers some adventurous exploits from Papua New Guinea over half a century ago.

Winners
From the feedback we had about the crossword in Descent 301, it was our hardest one yet. We can now reveal the correct answers and the name of the winner. We also reveal the results of our caving video competition, run in collaboration with CHECC.

Cover: Jess Tomlinson and Fleur Loveridge in Annapurna, Missed Pot. Photo: Paul ‘Beardy Swire

Back Cover: Malcolm Foyle by the impressive ribbon formation in Tham Satchatham, Thailand. Photo: Craig Holdstock

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Front cover: Rachel Smith near Tiff’s Treat in Redhouse Lane Swallet. Photo: Martyn Farr
Back cover: Estramos-barlang, Hungary. Part of the winning portfolio in the Hidden Earth photo salon. Photo: Chris Howes

Price shown includes postage within the UK. For customers outside the UK, postage will be added on at checkout.

VAT is not charged on UK publications. Orders outside of the UK are posted without tax paid and you are responsible for VAT and any other charges on delivery.

Descent is printed to the highest quality in the UK, as it has been since its inception in 1969.