Euan Goodland, Judi Durber, Lawrence Wilson, Paul James (PJ), Peter Sanders, Will Puddy, Yvette Mayo

Ruth, Steve, Vanessa

After collecting Vanessa from Bath I swung into the Burrington carpark with no time to spare. It was pleasing to see we had filled it with quite a long row of cars. After quick introductions and collecting loan items we crossed together and walked up the combe. The path is greatly improved with the deep channel filled in to give a good surface. The silt in the fenced hole was dug out to almost 2 meters. Let’s hope the rains doesn’t undo the hard work anytime soon.

The Tradesman’s Entrance was passed and we filed into the main entrance. No hanging bats & I didn’t spot many spiders either. Orange-Peel Passage was ignored as we passed down the Giant Staircase and the first few ducked towards Bloody Tight & the Bold Step. We went on and down the Hobbits Staircase meeting them in the Boulder Chamber. Several were doing loops round the Boulder Maze when Yvette spotted the slot on the back wall of the chamber. The debate was ‘is this the Dog Leg (The Vee) or not’? I thought it was further back in the passage from the Coal Shute which I went to inspect and decided that Yvette had the correct rift and had soon wriggled through to the top of the Water Chamber & back.

We all slid down the Coffin Lid (The Slide) and spread out in the Water Chamber with some going through to see the trickle of water come down the water fall at the bottom.

The next challenge was Hellish Tight and Hellish Bloody Tight (there is no name on the survey but it is smaller). Hellish Tight the lower of the holes in the chamber was easy to loop through, forwards, backwards and both ways but then the challenge was set as to who was going to complete Hellish Blood Tight. Several tried feet first, so they could at least pull out if stuck. I went around to the bottom end to shout encouragement but couldn’t climb up from Ladder Dig. PJ managed it with ease, disappearing over the lip into the next chamber. More came around to try from that end so I went back to watch from the Water Chamber. It is quite a maze as I think it links to Hellish Tight where you can exit sideways.

Having done all the options possible, everyone shot down the Drain Pipe. Having done the Rat Run (Smarty Tube) on my first ever visit to Goarchurch in 1998 I had managed to avoid the Drain Pipe ever since by staying at the entrance to take photos as people came out. (Brilliant ploy!) until now as I wanted to at least take a look at how you get to the Dexion Extension. So, following everyone down the Drain Pipe I emerged, to my great surprise, into quite a large chamber with further routes below and above me. Dropping into the lower hole I decided the rift down was way too narrow for me and was glad to hear from Lawrence that it didn’t go much further than you can see.

Climbing up and swapping positions with Vanessa & Peter I peered into the entrance of the Dexion Extension. Mmm a flat-out crawl into an S bend. ‘Well let’s see what is round the bend’. Mmm, ‘got that far’ … ‘can I do the next bit’ … yes … until you pop out over a hole that looked like you then turned under yourself left … but I couldn’t turn my head to see how to do it properly. Yvette later said she just wiggled forward, straddled the hole and dropped into it, making it sound so easy! I just backed out. We sat & chatted until we could hear them coming back and then started to move out.

We were caught up quickly at the Coffin Lid. Assembling in the Bolder Chamber with Ruth & Steve who had carried on up from the Water Chamber a different way, Yvette described what it was like. It seemed to go on quite a bit from one chamber to the next with a bit of friendly pushing & pulling they all reached the end. We moved on up, each going a different route which is what Goatchurch affords you to do. Out the Tradesman’s and soon back at the cars. Several of us had to get home but a good contingent went back to the Woodborough for a well-deserved drink & chatter.

Goatchurch is such a lovely cave, full of surprises to give everyone a great evening of caving. Thank you everyone for making it so.

— Judi Durber 28/09/2025