Descent Caving Magazine

Descent Caving Magazine The magazine of underground exploration.

16/01/2026

The second prize in our video competition with the Council of Higher Education Caving Clubs goes to Sheffield University Speleological Society for its 6pm to 11 pm routine. Having a digging routine can change lives! Filmed by Harvey E, Joe A and Jane M.

16/01/2026

We've just published new/updated topos for Wizard's Chasm, Dale Head Pot, North End Pot, Marble Steps Pot and Lost John's Cave. Download them on our website.

'It comprises a large river passage up to 30m wide and high in places, substantial relic passages over 20m wide and 15m ...
12/01/2026

'It comprises a large river passage up to 30m wide and high in places, substantial relic passages over 20m wide and 15m high, along with a mixture of inlet passages, beautiful oxbows and boulder chokes.'
In Descent 307, Simon Brooks and Brian Kharpran Daly write an expedition report from another hugely successful trip to Meghalaya in north-east India.
In the photo: Ben Richards in Lungchung Khur, by Bill Nix

https://www.descentmagazine.co.uk/shop/descent-307-december-2025/

'All weekend trips can be organised by anyone who attends SpeleoSisters+ weekends, with an open invite for any women and...
05/01/2026

'All weekend trips can be organised by anyone who attends SpeleoSisters+ weekends, with an open invite for any women and gender diverse cavers, regardless of experience or ability.'
In Descent 307, Gwenllian Tawy and Rachel Turnbull write about the successful first five years of Speleosisters+.
In the photo: Elin West and Emma Caspers on an exchange trip between Boxhead Pot and It’s a Cracker, Yorkshire Dales, by Ane Appelt.

https://www.descentmagazine.co.uk/shop/descent-307-december-2025/

If you've been relaxing and taking your time to solve the Descent Christmas Crossword, don't forget you have until 5 Jan...
29/12/2025

If you've been relaxing and taking your time to solve the Descent Christmas Crossword, don't forget you have until 5 January to send us your completed grid. You'll then be entered into a draw for your chance to win a LifeStraw Go Series Stainless Steel water bottle (colour is subject to availability).

Merry Christmas from Descent! We are going to have a little break, so we might not reply to emails. All the best for 202...
19/12/2025

Merry Christmas from Descent! We are going to have a little break, so we might not reply to emails. All the best for 2026, and enjoy the outdoors.

'Eventually, we reach a spacious chamber. It is almost possible for us both to occupy this simultaneously. Beyond, the p...
15/12/2025

'Eventually, we reach a spacious chamber. It is almost possible for us both to occupy this simultaneously. Beyond, the passage degenerates to a committing thrutch at roof level along the egg-timer-shaped rift. This looks pushable, but potentially tricky to reverse: the widest part trends downhill and is liberally greased.'
Fairy Holes, in the North Pennines, has increased in size by several kilometres in recent years. In Descent 307, you can read a report by many of the explorers involved in a grand day out to push the total length of the system to over 7km.
In the photo: John Worden in the Sarcophagus (not the part being described in the quote above), Fairy Holes, by Bill Nix.

https://www.descentmagazine.co.uk/shop/descent-307-december-2025/

If you are thinking about treating a loved one (or yourself) to Descent goodies or a subscription for Christmas, please ...
12/12/2025

If you are thinking about treating a loved one (or yourself) to Descent goodies or a subscription for Christmas, please make sure you order before Tuesday 16 (for UK delivery). All orders placed after that will be posted on 2 January.

https://www.descentmagazine.co.uk/

What rises above often hides just as much below.This International Mountain Day, we celebrate the peaks and the passages...
11/12/2025

What rises above often hides just as much below.

This International Mountain Day, we celebrate the peaks and the passages; the towering landscapes and the hidden veins running beneath them. Here's to the explorers who see both sides of the mountain.

In the image: Above, limestone pavement on Ingleborough, by Chris Scaife. Below, Calf Holes entrance by Mark Burkey.

'Our mission was to locate, survey and assess Amorgos’s potholes – known locally as vothonas – hidden in the island’s an...
08/12/2025

'Our mission was to locate, survey and assess Amorgos’s potholes – known locally as vothonas – hidden in the island’s ancient limestone spine. It was the first systematic speleological exploration of the island, and what we discovered was extraordinary.'
It may be hard to believe, but there are still limestone areas in Europe that have never really been investigated by cavers. In Descent 307, you can read an article by Konstantinos Trimmis about a number of cave discoveries on the Greek island of Amorgos.
In the photo: Looking up from the bottom of Sikofteri, Amorgos, by Sotiris Kountouras

https://www.descentmagazine.co.uk/shop/descent-307-december-2025/

Address

PO Box 297
Kendal

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Descent Caving Magazine posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Descent Caving Magazine:

Shortcuts

Share

Category