Day Trips

Away Trips

Packing

You will need to bring some things with you
* indicates absolutely required to bring

Sleeping

• *A sleeping bag or some blankets
• A Pillow
• Pajamas
• Tent (only required if listed in signup form, such as at CHECC, ABC week, or other larger events)

Caving

• *Wellies!
• *Medical Devices/Drugs (if you use something like an inhaler or need to take a tablet every X hours)
• *Non Cotton cave clothes (ideally warm clothes that fully cover your skin)
• Caving gear (We can provide caving gear for those without)
• Snacks! food you can put in pockets to take underground
• Water bottle (Must withstand being bashed around)
• Wetsuit (Good for very wet trips(swimming))

Toiletries

• *Towel
• *Soap
• *Toothbrush & toothpaste
• Flip flops / Crocs / other shoes to wear while showering and getting changed
• Deodorant

Other

• *Hut Shoes Shoes to wear around the hut
• *Hut Clothes (your cave clothes will probably be wet)
• Drinks (Obviously only if you want to)
• Charger
• Wallet (some huts are near pubs & shops)
• House keys (don't get locked out your house...)

Friday Evening

Getting there

Once you've signed up you'll be added to a WhatsApp group for the trip
We tend to meet in the ASDA car-park at 6pm
Drivers will be re-imbursed for fuel(+some)
Specifics get planned in the whatsapp group
Caving huts are far away with the closest being a 2.5hr drive.
Its recommended you either eat beforehand, or arrange within your car to stop at a services to get some food.

Snooze Party

You've arrived! Time to go and sign in and claim a bunk
There may be other groups or members from the huts associated club already there.
You need to sign into the sign in sheet.
You'll be sleeping in the guest/non-members bunks, often these are alpine bunks which are basically very very wide beds.
A sleeping bag, blanket, or bag can be used to claim space. Don't move other peoples stuff off the bunks.

With a bed secured and your name in the sign in sheet you can now get on with the evening activities, often a drink and some caving games, sharing caving stories, sometimes at a nearby pub.
When you eventually go to bed make sure you are quiet in the bunk rooms, if you must use a torch to see have it on a low setting and don't shine them at people.

Saturday

Breakfast

Those that rise early WILL help with breakfast, normally a half english fry up to fuel the day.
Those that didn't cook wash up the pans and oven trays.
If you haven't risen before ~9am when breakfast is ready you may be loudly awoken by people with pans, or just shouting.
No seconds till everyone has eaten

Get ready to Cave

Finally time to go underground
Trips may have been arranged the night before, or will be cast down from above based on vibes and prior experience.
Any kit you are borrowing should be collected from the tackle mistress
If your trip is a drive away collect your things into a bag and load it into cars
If not you can get ready in the warmth of the hut
Caving huts are often just a walk away from a cave.
You cave wearing a tough abbrasion resistant set of overalls called an oversuit.

Under your oversuit you should wear:
your caving underclothes, full coverage NON COTTON clothes
or
a caving undersuit(basically a onesie).

Expect to potentially get wet(depending on the trip), very wet trips can benefit from a wetsuit.
Helmets, lights, and harnesses etc can be provided by the club

Caving

Caves are a constant ~9c in britain, no matter the season.
If you feel cold, tell the leaders/second of the group
Depending on the trip you will be doing a mixture of walking, crawling, ascending/descending ropes, climbing ladders, swimming, or paddling in a boat. Caving is just hardcore corridors. Don't walk off from the group...

Evening

After your caving you surface and return to the hut. Where you shower, get changed into your clean dry hut clothes and shoes.
The evening meal is cooked and eaten, same rules as breakfast, help or clean. No seconds till everyone has eaten. This tends to be either a curry, pasta dish, or