Charterhouse Caving Company Ltd

The location and detail links are to the relevant entries on the database of the Mendip Cave Registry and Archive. This is an excellent resource with a vast amount of information about the caves and karst sites of Mendip and the surrounding area. Please remember that all visitors should be in posession of a current permit, available from our online portal.

THE CAVES

CHARTERHOUSE CAVE

Location and details

Survey 2011 © UBSS & Charterhouse Digging Team

The cave is locked and access to the cave is only available with an approved leader. Each member club of the CCC Ltd. has two leaders and there is also a leader for other visitors. Please contact the Secretary to arrange a visit.. The cave must remain locked at all times and parties are requested to lock the door behind them on entry and upon departure.

Party size is limited to four including the leader. No acetylene (carbide) lamps are permitted. No novices or those under twelve years old are allowed into the cave.

All visitors must wear clean oversuits, or other outerwear, otherwise the leader will refuse them entry to the cave.

WARNING: HIGH LEVELS OF CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) HAVE BEEN DETECTED IN THIS CAVE, ESPECIALLY IN THE LOWER PARTS. CAUTION SHOULD BE EXERCISED WHEN CONSIDERING A TRIP.

G.B. CAVE

Location and details

Survey 2011 © UBSS & Charterhouse Digging Team

The cave is locked and all CCC Ltd member clubs hold a key for the use of their own members and for guests. Other clubs may obtain a key, on loan, from a member club. The cave must remain locked at all times and parties are requested to lock the door behind them on entry and upon departure. It is the responsibility of each caver to satisfy himself that any tackle used in the cave is in good condition. The use of acetylene (carbide) lamps is not permitted in the cave and parties are limited to SIX persons including the leader. No novices or those under twelve years old are allowed into the cave.

WARNING:

A major rockfall occurred in GB Cavern in February 2021, and following a safety inspection by the CCC Ltd Conservation officer and two CCC Ltd directors, cavers were informed that the route down Main Chamber via the Waterfall climb should not be used and that cavers should take the alternative route over the Bridge and via White Passage etc to reach Main Chamber. The intention was to a) see if any further falls would occur and b) to see how the unstable collapse of rocks and mud settled with the benefit of higher water conditions over winter.

CCC Ltd have monitored the area since the collapse occurred and following a recent trip to assess the stability of the area, the directors and conservation officer of CCC Ltd are pleased to announce that there appears to have been no further major rockfalls and that the mud and boulder fall appears, so far as can be ascertained from a visual inspection there, that have been no significant changes since April 2021, despite some severely wet periods, therefore as a result of this inspection, the warning signs and tape has been removed from the top and bottom of the Waterfall climb. However, the warning tape above the left-hand side (when facing upstream) has been left as there is a sharp drop on that side and mud has slumped from there in the past. More detail may be found on Darkness Below.

Cavers are advised to take care when using the Waterfall route, particularly the boulder slope below the waterfall as more settlement may still occur here as cavers use the route. Cavers are requested to report any changes to CCC Ltd for further assessment if needed. Thank you all for your patience.

This rockfall is the most dramatic natural event in the cave since the 1968 floods opened Doline Three to the surface and spread mud and boulders throughout the streamway down to the end of the cave.

C.C.C. Ltd 6th May 2024

HANGOVER HOLE

Location and details

A short (4 m ) abandoned dig. The cave is locked and all CCC Ltd member clubs hold a key for the use of their own members and for guests.

LONGWOOD SWALLET

Location and details

Survey 1984 revised by A.J. Knibbs

The cave is locked and all CCC Ltd member clubs hold a key for the use of their own members and for guests. The cave must remain locked at all times and parties are requested to lock the door behind them on entry and upon departure. Party size is limited to six. There is no requirement for guest parties to be accompanied in the cave. The use of acetylene lamps is not permitted in the cave. No novices or those under twelve years old are allowed into the cave.

This notice has been issued by Bristol Water about the danger of flooding in the cave:

DANGER TAKE CARE SEVERE AND SUDDEN FLOODING IN THE LONGWOOD CAVE

Longwood has long been known to be dangerous because of the risk of flooding from a stream. The danger is even greater now because the cave is likely to flood more often. Pumps that take water from the springs at Charterhouse will now stop working automatically. This can cause a sudden flood wave making some passages impassable and the exit and entrance extremely difficult to negotiate. There are warning notices stressing this danger at the cave entrance. Access to the cave is controlled by CCC Ltd, and only cavers holding a current CCC Ltd permit should enter the cave.

LONGWOOD VALLEY SINK

Location and details

The cave is locked and is currently being dug. For more details please contact the Secretary, currently digging, exploration and conservatoion work is ongoing, so access is only with the diggers. In 2013 substantial works were carried out here to alleviate a serious flooding problem. The final report on this work is available from here.

READ’S GROTTO

Location and details

The cave is not gated, note that the entrance is very tight.

Survey 2011 © UBSS & Charterhouse Digging Team

Rebolting Rhino Rift

RHINO RIFT

Location and details

Survey 1971 © WCC

WARNING DANGEROUS BOLTS ON THE RIGHT-HAND ROUTE

The Right Hand Route has been rebolted and a new rigging topo has been prepared and is shown below. This route is a technical route that suits those with advanced SR skills. There are still some unsuitable bolts to be removed, as this work is being done carefully to prevent any further uneccessary damage to the rock.A PDF version may be downloaded from here.

Please note that the installation of fixed aids of any type in the caves managed by CCC Ltd requires prior approval. Unauthorised works compromise both safety and conservation.



The cave is locked. Availability of the keys and conditions of access are the same as those applying to Longwood Swallet as detailed above. e.g. Party size is limited to six and acetylene lamps are not permitted.

The cave is almost entirely vertical in character and care must be taken on the pitches to avoid dislodging rocks. Do not wait unnecessarily at the foot of ladders or ropes and beware of falling debris.

In November 2011 significant rock falls took place in this cave. This damaged the bolted routes and much remedial work had to be undertaken to re-anchor the cave and make it passable again. The revised rigging topo for the cave, prepared by Chris Binding, is shown below. Owing to the constraints on anchor placement, brought about by the rockfalls, the rigging is not suitable for those inexperienced in SRT work underground

Four years after those rock falls and after much hard work by some dedicated cavers, the cave was opened again as far as the fifth pitch. It is still the case that visitors to this cave must watch out for the possibility of loose rock.

No novices or those under twelve years old are allowed into the cave.



Rhino Rift rigging topo

Rhino Rift rigging topos. Direct route © Chris Binding 2015 and Right Hand Route © Andrew Atkinson 2021.

TIMBER HOLE

Location and details

The cave is locked. This short cave is currently being actively dug by C.S.S. For further information, please contact the diggers.

TOOTHACHE POT

Location and details

This is a mined shaft with some signs of natural passage. It is currently being actively dug. For further information, please contact the diggers.

TYNING’S GREAT SWALLET

Location and details

Survey 2004 © UBSS

The cave is locked. This short cave contains a loose boulder ruckle. It is an active dig site and should only be visited in the company of the diggers. For further information, please contact the diggers.

There are also two short mineshafts, Rabbit Mine and Gruffy Field Mine in the Gruffy Field Nature Reserve. Both are protected by steel grilles which are locked with CSCC standard padlocks.

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Updated May 2024