Sensible Clubs and Societies

[Drago]

I am a member of a parliament.

You always complain about the pay, so you must be Peter Bottom!

 

[stephec]

Hmmmm, do you like your fence panels in foil, sabre or epee flavour?

I get the point.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

You always complain about the pay, so you must be Peter Bottom!

Married to Mary Big

 

[Profpointy]

Yes, in the hills near Crickhowell is their base I believe. I went there once with my friend, who is also a morris dancer, and the whole side were there. 40 years ago.

Did you go caving there ? The main cave nearby was Agen Allwedd, maybe a mile walk along the old tramway. These days there's a huge system right next door (Daren Cilau), but back then it was something of a "collectors' piece" due to its 2000 foot entrance (and exit) crawl. You still have to do the crawl nowadays but it's now worth it now as there's miles and miles of huge cave afterwards, but the good bits hadn't been discovered back then. There are a few lesser caves too.

 

[purpan]

Did you go caving there ? The main cave nearby was Agen Allwedd, maybe a mile walk along the old tramway. These days there's a huge system right next door (Daren Cilau), but back then it was something of a "collectors' piece" due to its 2000 foot entrance (and exit) crawl. You still have to do the crawl nowadays but it's now worth it now as there's miles and miles of huge cave afterwards, but the good bits hadn't been discovered back then. There are a few lesser caves too.

Is agen allwedd the one with the circle route with some swimming in it? If it is, I think i once got lost in it doing the circle with a friend who claimed to be experienced. It was my second ever cave.

 

[Profpointy]

Is agen allwedd the one with the circle route with some swimming in it? If it is, I think i once got lost in it doing the circle with a friend who claimed to be experienced. It was my second ever cave.

If it's the one on the escarpment near Crickhowell, then yes. The "grand circle" which takes maybe 6 to 8 hours includes a short section imaginatively called "deep water" which is a shortish swim or deep wade (often on tippy toes), depending on the water level. A fabulous and majestic trip. If you do the circle "clockwise" it's possible to miss a seemingly obvious junction and do an extra hour or two out and back to Turkey pool (though if you go that far it's worth carrying on to Turkey sump with its diving string disappearing enticingly into clear water) but it is quite a bit extra if you're already tired.

 

[Profpointy]

I am a member of a parliament.

Not really a dig, but my first though was "a parliament of owls" for some bizarre reason

 

[Reynard]

I get the point.

*SNORK*

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Society for the appreciation of sunsets

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Along with @tallliman I am a founding member of the @13 rider Official Fan Club. We have a a club badge with a picture of an open gate with a bike laying next to it.

You communicate with fellow members and the Messiah himself with a loud "GATE!" every time you see a gate.

 

[purpan]

If it's the one on the escarpment near Crickhowell, then yes. The "grand circle" which takes maybe 6 to 8 hours includes a short section imaginatively called "deep water" which is a shortish swim or deep wade (often on tippy toes), depending on the water level. A fabulous and majestic trip. If you do the circle "clockwise" it's possible to miss a seemingly obvious junction and do an extra hour or two out and back to Turkey pool (though if you go that far it's worth carrying on to Turkey sump with its diving string disappearing enticingly into clear water) but it is quite a bit extra if you're already tired.

That sounds like it. I vaguely recall we went up some passage called the »something streamway » by mistake, thinking we were still on the circle, then got separated. I had no idea where i was, and wondered if I’d get out at all. I was pretty shattered at the point where we got lost. Just incompetence, really.

 

[Profpointy]

That sounds like it. I vaguely recall we went up some passage called the »something streamway » by mistake, thinking we were still on the circle, then got separated. I had no idea where i was, and wondered if I’d get out at all. I was pretty shattered at the point where we got lost. Just incompetence, really.

Sounds like exactly the missed junction (North West Junction) and the, admittedly rather nice, streamway is "Turkey Streamway". Coming back down an hour or more later the junction is totally obvious but on the way upstream you have to duck under a rock to spot it. The unnecessary extra detour broke one of my companions on a trip where I, like many others before and since, missed the turning

Another cock up we did on a different trip, was doing some kind of loop in one of the boulder chokes on the way out and me and my mate somehow went from the front of the party to the back, and lost the others who still though they were following us. Took us ages to find the route again and find our own way to the entrance.

However the best ever story I've heard from that cave was two student parties from, I believe, either oxford or cambridge, where on the way out the two parties had coalesced into a bigger, and now unmanageable group. One person had done something similar to our boulder loopy thing and ended up left behind. When the rest got to the entrance his original group thought he was with the others, and the "others" of course had no idea he was believed to be with them. They all exited the cave and went back to the caving hut. Unfortunately the gate arrangement at the time was a padlock so not only was the guy left behind, when he eventually found his way to the entrance, he was locked in. So far merely an embarrassing cock-up, however it gets worse, as the rest of the group then assumed he'd get a lift back with the others so all packed up and drove home leaving the poor chap locked in the cave. Apparently he managed to shout to a passing hiker a day later who raised the alarm. He was lucky as he'd have been pretty wet and cold and the entrance passage is draughty so it could have ended badly after 24 hours or more shivering his bollocks off. And on a rainy weekday, there's no guarantee of passing ramblers so he could have been stuck there for days.

I believe you can always open it from the inside nowadays.

 

[lazybloke]

One of my friends is a member of the Chelsea Caving Club. And I believe London has a similar dearth of (natural) underground spaces

There's a Croydon caving club too. I imagine they travel far and wide, although there are some "caves" on the outskirts of London.
On closer inspection or research, they are actually old mines- Chislehurst being the most famous & interesting because of the permanent community that lived there during WWII.

Godstone and Merstham have old stone mines. Reigate and Dorking have caves dug in the sand/sandstone.


Some of these mines are like proper pot-holing experiences, others are open as tourist attractions at various times in the year. They're all worth a visit if you like that sort of thing. I found my kids did not like that sort of thing.


Ooh, just remembered there was a pub in Reigate which had a bar in the caves. That was a fab night out, until it was closed by the council. Thefd were always concerns about escape routes, but it was evenutally filled with concrete to avoid a risk of collapse from heavy traffic on the one-way system. There are still other Reigate caves open though.

 

[Profpointy]

There's a Croydon caving club too. I imagine they travel far and wide, although there are some "caves" on the outskirts of London.
On closer inspection or research, they are actually old mines- Chislehurst being the most famous & interesting because of the permanent community that lived there during WWII.

Godstone and Merstham have old stone mines. Reigate and Dorking have caves dug in the sand/sandstone.


Some of these mines are like proper pot-holing experiences, others are open as tourist attractions at various times in the year. They're all worth a visit if you like that sort of thing. I found my kids did not like that sort of thing.


Ooh, just remembered there was a pub in Reigate which had a bar in the caves. That was a fab night out, until it was closed by the council. Thefd were always concerns about escape routes, but it was evenutally filled with concrete to avoid a risk of collapse from heavy traffic on the one-way system. There are still other Reigate caves open though.

Croydon, like Chelsea and Westminster all have their caving huts in South Wales, so are in reality welsh clubs (with members from all over of course, not just london or wales)

 

[All uphill]

how a member? Baptism?
No back-subs to pay I assume?

Baptism and confirmation, I'm afraid.

At 11 years old I said I didn't want to be confirmed and was promptly told not to be so ridiculous. 🙃

They said something about an unbroken chain of laying on hands from Jesus to me, which seemed creepy then and downright dodgy now.