Post date: Nov 30, 2015 11:17:25 PM

Cavers: Al, Petie.

Time: Two hours.

Recently I’ve taken long unplanned hiatus from caving, and it was almost two years since my last trip underground. This was both a national and a personal tragedy, and one that had to be rectified urgently, at least before irreparable muscle wastage prematurely ended my caving career. In an effort to get underground, I managed to persuade Al that some late November surveying was what he really wanted to do, and that the PBU survey was something that had to be done. Consequently I ended up on an early bus out of Dublin on a miserable overcast Saturday morning.

The bus ploughed through heavy rain all the way as far as Cavan, and the many swollen rivers we crossed beyond Cavan Town bore testament to several days of heavy rain in the northwest. Nevertheless, the weather had cleared by the time Al and Magda met me off the bus in Enniskillen, and caving didn’t seems such a miserable prospect after all.

After a leisurely lunchtime snack Al and I arrived at the Burren Interpretive centre around three o’clock. It’s been three years since my previous visit to this area and I marvelled at the extensive works done here. The best bit is the interpretive centre, which functions as an excellent windbreak - most welcome considering the vicious wind that was galloping in from the west. The tap outside the centre was also very welcome on the exit. I intend to lobby the SUI for similar facilities at ALL CAVES in Ireland.

Al led the way down to PBU, which is just a short walk from the carpark, and just off the tarmac path. The cave proved to be squeezier and more awkward than I’d expected. Not having SRT’d in two years I was a bit clumsy coming down the chossy pitches and managed to take down a few small rocks off the false floor and send them flying Al’s way. We surveyed just seven legs (15m of passage) in two hours before bailing out due to time pressures but at least we have the consolation of having done the most awkward thrutchiest bits. We finished up at the head of the first nice pitch where we found two hangers left in the wall and in a bad state of repair. Looking down the pitch here the cave looked rather more enticing than what we’d come through. There was a lound sound of falling water and a lot of water visible at the bottom of the pitch. Plan is to return before Christmas and get the remainder of the cave surveyed.

We emerged at half five and went back to Belcoo to spend the evening getting wasted on snuff and exotic Icelandic spirits. The following day the three of us returned to the Burren for a Sunday walk along the comfy trails looking at holes and prehistoric remains, and spent much of it dodging squally showers. Fascinating area really, and a few daycint caving prospects scattered about here and there…

Petie