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Present: Jon, Ellen, Chris R, Al, Julia, Anthony

A relatively early start (9.30am) was rewarded with abysmal weather, so we spent most of the morning getting rained on in Wells and drying off in a pub. Didn’t want to die down Longwood/August, so eventually decided on trying to get down Manor Farm. Andy’s car got lost coming out of Wells, so it took them a while to find us (via Priddy and the Hunter’s). Eventually got underground at 3.30pm, intending a quick trip.

It turned out to be very quick indeed for Ellen and Chris. Having got down the mined entrance shaft and grovelled past the remains of a car in the old entrance, we arrived at the top of a climb down a narrow rift into the stream. Had I read the guidebook I would have known that a 20′ handline was useful. Climb was easier than it looked, but Ellen didn’t fancy it so headed out with Chris. Then there were four.

Pottered down the stream to Curtain Chamber (very nice) then round the bypass to the tricky climb. Four became three when Julia fell off a small climb and twisted her ankle. The rest carried on through Albert’s Eye and on to another climb down a cascade. Anthony turned round here to assist Julia out, the others carried on, looked at a pretty inlet, then turned round too.

Another party had put a ladder down the rift which was a complete wanker to climb because it hung in the narrowest part of the rift. It came in handy for those who only had one working leg. Pottered sedately out having been underground for only 2½ hours, purged of the need to cave on Mendip for another year.

Anthony Day