Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is caving?
Q. Where do you go caving?
Q. What will I need?
Q. Will it be dark?
Q. Dirty?
Q. Cold and wet?
Q. What will I see?
Q. How much does it cost?
Q. Is it dangerous?
Q. Will I like it?
Q. What do I do next?
Q. You have not answered MY question?
Q. What is caving?
A. Basically it’s going underground. Rivers flow underground through limestone, in the process they form underground passageways and chambers of various shapes and sizes. These we explore when we go.
Q. Where do you go caving?
A. We cave mostly in the North Yorkshire Dales, however there are trips to Derbyshire, Mendips, South Wales, and Ireland.
Q. What do I need to cave?
A. Yourself, and a few other essentials: towell, warm clothing, a change of clothing just in case, and some cash. We can supply some specialist clothing for beginners.
Q. Will it be dark?
A. Yes, but you’ll have a light on your helmet so you can see.
Q. Will it be dirty?
A. Some caves can be. In Yorkshire the caves tend to be wet rather than dirty. In Derbyshire they tend to be muddy. (No need to spend a fortune on mudpacks at spa's to look beautiful just join us for a cave in Derbyshire)
Q. Will it be cold and wet?
A. The majority of the time it will be cold and wet, but you'll be on the move the majority of the time so you will not feel it as much.
Q. What will I see?
A. Weird shapes in solid rock, waterfalls, streams and pools for the first few trips. These are easy trips and are well travelled so the best bits will unfortunatley have been vandalised. Once you progress you will be able to see some unvandalised features of a cave as they are harder to get at, you may well ending up somewhere that has been visited less times than the moon.
Q. How much does it cost?
A. £3.50 to join the club, which includes Insurance. For trips; Usually no more than £10 for a day trip, and no more than £30, for a weekend trip. (Please note these prices do not take into account extra cirricular drinking or eating habits)
Q. Is it dangerous?
A. Caving can be dangerous in the wrong hands. The club takes every precaution to ensure that the cavers are as safe as can be whilst underground. Trainng sessions in ropework are organised on a frequent basis, first aid courses are offered by the students union, and every trip has at least 1 first aider on each trip.
Q. Will I like it?
A. Not neccesarily, but how will you know untill you've tried it. Ok it's not everybodys cup of tea, we have a few "social" members who have caved and not liked it but have stayed on for all our social events, and the excellent company.
Q. What do I do next?
A. Join us! On a Tuesday night at The County opposite the Town Hall between 8pm and last orders. Or check out our group for up to date info on what we do: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/uhucc/