Caving is the exploration of underground passages, and is closely related to potholing which is the exploration of vertical shafts. Burnley Caving Club has been participating in both these sports for the past fifty years.
The exploration of vertical shafts (potholing) is carried out by the use of ladders, or more often by the use of a rope with descending (abseiling) and ascending (prussiking) methods. The vertical exploration method using abseiling and prussiking techniques are known as Single Rope Technique often abbreviated to S.R.T.
Burnley Caving Club has a stock of caving equipment for loan to prospective members and has training facilities and qualified, experienced people to introduce novices to this exciting sport.
Novices to caving normally are introduced to the sport in the clubs training tower and room at Bank Hall, Burnley (click here for map). After a couple of sessions of training the novice is usually taken to a cave suitable for their abilities to practice their newly learnt skills underground. Training and practice continues at a pace appropriate to the novice's progression until the hardest potholes in the country can be tackled.
Caving can be enjoyed by all ages and abilities if you are interested in finding more out about our regular novice trips please use the Contact B.C.C. page for further information. Burnley Caving Club is proud of our record of introducing novices and young people to caving and has participated in caving activites with disabled groups. However caving is not an activity for the very young and as with all caving and sporting activities careful prior assessment of both the venue and people involved needs undertaking. When young or disabled people are participating special care and planning needs to be done to take account of the different needs and abilities of these groups. It is Burnley Caving Clubs policy that all people under eighteen are accompanied by a parent or adultlegal guardian on all Burnley Caving Club activities. Vunerable adults should be accompanied by a suitably trained responsible adult.
Although fun potential participants should be reminded that at times caving can be dirty, wet, claustrophic and involve vertical drops and heights; nearly always by its nature darkness is involved! However not all caving venues involve any or all of these factors and careful selection of the venue appropriate to the participants needs is always made. Caving when undertaken with proper planning is a relatively safe sport when compared to other sporting activites but the warning about flooding below (adapted from work by David Elliot) should be considered.
The single most variable factor in caving is the effect of adverse weather causing flooding. Within minutes heavy rainfall on the surface can turn a routine trip into a desperate fight for survival. Flooding is the cause of many accidents underground, directly or indirectly, many of them fatal. The climate of the Northern Pennines is wet, the terrain hilly, where rain is not only more frequent than lowland areas but heavier. Often steep catchment areas, sometimes modified by moorland "gripping", respond swiftly to rainfall and drain directly into cave systems.
Of course whilst underground the caver has no idea of the onset of rainfall on the surface, at least not until the cave water levels start rising. But clearly it is in all caver's interests to be aware of the weather situation prior to the caving trip; to obtain the latest local weather forecast; and to generally understand the mechanism of flooding in caves. Most caves are at some risk of flooding, in most caves the risks are well known and documented in the guide books available supplemented by local knowledge gained through experience. The caver should use this knowledge and at all times remember if in doubt, stay out. The cave will always be available another day, the person ignoring the risks might not.
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