Approach Passage

Dear All,

Please find attached a new application for approach passage anchoring and Y Hang and my original application many years ago which fell on death ears and was not replied to.

Hopefully this newer committee has a more positive view, of how this request will not only make this part of the cave safer but more enjoyable and more travelled. I believe many caversy caver don't travel this route, as the risk of life is too great. I even heard of a 16 year old crossing approach passage, at the behest of his party, which I can only believe is WRONG. one slip or error and you fall about 40 feet or more to the stream way straight down. I do understand that there is access across but in my humble opinion it is too high a price to risk.

I would like someone to install P-anchors (x4 i'm guessing possibly 5 for increased safety (2 either side and 1 in the middle) for traverse line to cross in either direction on approach passage in Swildon's Hole Cave and for an additional Y Hang in the ceiling to descend to the stream way with SRT as an optional fun trip.

This is to make a superb round trip to Howards Dig entrance and possibly larger roundtrip if my dig at the Black Hole to high up Barnes Loop (no pretty section, which Les Williams and possibly Frank Tully originally started some years ago) is successful. More importantly though crossing approach passage, as it stands is an unnecessary risk and i will not do it. There is no hand grips or foot grip on the approach passage tube leaving the high up fossil stream passage.

I do not believe installing these anchors and y-hang would be a detriment to the cave but only enhance the safety and enjoyability of this seldom travelled section of the cave.

I look forward to your response.

Jake Baynes

I read in your report to the AGM Jake Baynes' request for bolts to be placed in Swildon's for the traverse up to and into Approach Passage. I would wish to register a comment as I am not in favour of this.

I can remember first doing this traverse (in both directions) many years ago for the first time. While I can understand Jake's desire to make this route safer, I do not feel that this would make the cave more enjoyable, in fact I believe the opposite. I still recall (and, as I say, it was many years ago) the exhilaration that I felt on completing this part of my trip. It was challenging and it required no small amount of courage and, dare I say it, skill. That feeling of exhilaration would be quite lost were the traverse to be aided in this way. The round trip via the 11 ft Drop and Howard's Dig was described by Ali in the Swildon's book as being “for connoisseurs” and I believe that it should stay that way. I would be very sad to see the Swildon's streamway become like the 'Adventure Caving' routes in Wookey, overburdened with fixed aids.

Graham Mullan