I'm Craving Caving!

So it was Adventure Café’s office day out last Thursday – and our adventure destination was Goatchurch Cavern…and we were going caving! I had been looking forward to this day for a while, and as we arrived at the entrance to the cave, the adrenaline started pumping (I love that adrenaline rush!). We started by squeezing our way through a small crack and our first challenge was upon us – a vertical descent into the cave. We tied the ropes and made our way in. That was it then for the next 1.5 hours – no daylight whatsoever, our Headtorches were our only source of light. Armed with maps, and a rope we headed further into the cave, and were met with the option of several small holes and tight squeezes to choose from, which would decide in which direction we would head. We had already decided it would probably be best to steer clear of ‘Hellish Tight’ and ‘Drainpipe’ – especially for our first time in the caves! The prospect of getting ourselves into a compromising position and being stuck there for…well, who knows how long, did not appeal to us somehow! What a completely different world though! From the bright skies and fresh air outside, to now be in pitch black, damp caves was surreal – but I was loving every minute! The tighter and smaller the gap was, the better! And not knowing what would be the other side…if I made it through. The highlight for me I think, was the ‘Boulder Chamber’ – a large opening full of…yes…boulders! Which then, through another rather tight squeeze, led to ‘The Grotto’ (sounds lovely doesn’t it?) And it was! I think for other members of staff, the highlight might just well have been the glimpse of daylight we saw as we were coming to the end of the adventure! Personally, that was the worst part for me – and all I wanted to do was turn around and explore some more! I could not recommend caving highly enough – so if you can’t get hold of me at the office, well, you know where I might be :)