General   (General discussion, talk about anything.)

When Bradford Caving club set up their camp for the winch meet, one of the very large tents is equipped with a chimney and huge cast iron burner and a few bags of coal, so the chem suits are dried between use. Very toasty in there, so it doubles as the beer tent. If lucky, you may get offered a sip. It has been paid for in advance by members who all have purchased their own quota. It isn't licenced premises, so unfortunately they cannot sell to visitors'

There are more than twenty ingress/egress points to the Gaping Gill system, though they are mostly difficult, Some involve transit through sumps. (diving)

Also, there are seventy miles of subterranean passageway down there: you would not want to be lost in the system at times when the water is rising.

When winch not there, transit of the shaft is normally by single rope technique: abseil down, and 'prusik' back out. The latter, named after the one directional slip knot, is the caterpillar-like advance up the rope.

The shaft can be climbed, but is rated very difficult/advanced, and only in extremely dry conditions. You can't climb wet friable surface normally found there.