Those attending: loads – about 15! (But as I didn’t know everybody’s name I shan’t be rude to those I didn’t know by giving them some inappropriate and temporary nickname, and shan’t name those I did know out of any sort of favoritism).

Pete brought miles of rope, so we could all get down loads of different ways down into the Hillocks system. There were loads of re-belays. Quite a few did some sort of exchange trip with Knotlow descenders – through the infamous Meccano passage, which I managed most of, but seeing as I’d attempted it from the Hillocks end, was sort of glad I turned round at an ambiguous bit where the route could have gone in any of 3 directions, as there might not have been any rope still in place to get me out of Knotlow as it had probably already been de-rigged. Quite enjoyed the exercise though. Many scurried around like rats up drainpipes doing all the possibilities, well nearly all as I had declined crawling through the watery beginning of the coffin level which leads to the first shaft in the ‘down the drainpipe’ route into Hillocks, so there wasn’t any rope down the first shaft. Me and Amanda came back out and followed the trainees down the climbing shaft. Did the Meccano passage explore bit – very thrutchy. For an exciting change, went up out of the different Engine Shaft route which goes up into the ceiling of the main chamber, via a curiously rigged couple of ‘Y’ hangs through some miners’ alternative shaft business they’d obviously blasted to avoid getting whacked by machinery (well maybe) or something in days long gone by…… (romantic speculation). Got another sweat on doing 100’s of prussiks up the rest of the engine shaft. All my kit was decidedly dirtier – Hillocks mud and it was still an overcast, but thankfully not raining day when I came out too. Some had already finished and had gone back to the Old Smithy Café to purchase gallons of tea, some waited around interminable ages for the trainees to get up out of the climbing shaft. Some started to wonder where they’d got to and walked miles to see if they were alright, and they were, and had to walk miles back. Drank a couple of pints of nice hot coffee myself and chatted till closing time (really!) and had to be chucked out together with a few other malingerers…..

 The right sort of weather for caving today, any nicer and you’d wished you’d maybe gone for a walk, any worse and the wind and rain would’ve made changing quite unpleasant, a good day for caving in more ways than one…..

Robin Stiffin. (Semi contrived stream of consciousness write-up).