Award Winning Outdoor Activities
Caving Adventure
An adventurous exploration deep underground with your friends and family
Summary
Take your first underground steps in a Peak District cave system, discover stunning formations and fossils as well as evidence of historical human existence in the caves. With vast chambers, roaring waterfalls and serpentine passages the caves and mines of the Peak District await your next adventure!
Highlights
- A real adventure with a good level of challenge for your entire group
- Move through passages cut by ancient waters and see awe inspiring crystal formations
- Full on caving adventure in beautiful Derbyshire
Course Overview
Our Caving Challenge half day activity is a brilliant underground adventure giving you the opportunity to explore a local cave system. This activity is suitable for everyone, the systems your group will visit are mostly walking sized with some sections of stooping or hands-and-knees crawling. All the more fun in whatever costume the stag/hen or the entire group are adorned with. The level of challenge is tailored to you.
Before setting out you'll be kitted out with an over-suit, wellies, kneepads, helmet and lamp and we'll make a plan to be safe underground, including taking a detailed look at the weather. Once you're underground and moving confidently you can choose to explore beyond squeezes and short climbs or try your hand at navigating under the expert supervision of our guides. You'll finish back at The Adventure Hub where we will get you warm and dry before you head on to your next activity.
Course Outcomes
- Have an outstanding and truly memorable caving experience as a group of friends
- Learn about personal caving equipment and how to use it correctly
- Understand caving guidebooks, surveys and grading systems
- Gain an understanding and appreciation of the underground environment
Course Information
YOUR CAVING ADVENTURE HALF DAY
9:30 - 13:00 (times can be adjusted to suit your needs)
ARRIVE AT THE ADVENTURE HUB
Your instructor will welcome you and discuss the aims of the course and your own aspirations over a great cup of fresh Italian coffee or tea.
COLLECT AND CHECK YOUR EQUIPMENT
You will be sized up for helmets, caving boots and over-suits . All you need do is check you have snacks, a drink and clothing that is suitable for the conditions.
TRAVEL TO A LOCAL CAVE
The exact location will depend on the weather and the aims and abilities of the group. Typically this is a 15 minute drive from the Adventure Hub. We tend to ask groups to car-share to minimise environmental impact and pressure on car parking spaces.
PRACTICAL CAVING SESSION
Once kitted up and ready to head underground, you will be briefed on general caving safety and the specifics of each cave visited. Your instructor will guide you through breathtaking underground architecture and lead you through more physically challenging obstacles and squeezes. Underground, you'll learn about cave formation and development; safe, efficient movement skills and try your hand at navigating using a cave survey.
END OF THE SESSION
At the end of the session we will return to the Adventure Hub or to the location for the start of your afternoon. Alternatively, you can depart straight to your next destination.
We provide the over-suit, boots, knee pads, harness, helmet and head torch.... you bring the rest!
Bring a change of clothes and a towel in case you get soaked! As you can probably imagine Caves and Mines can be hostile environments, with an average temperature of 10 degrees Celsius all year and often wet. To protect ourselves from this and help us enjoy the experience underground each person will need to provide themselves with the following minimal personal clothing, to be worn underneath the specialist caving equipment:
- One or two warm/fleece tops
- Synthetic (non cotton) trouser - Synthetic track suit bottoms / thermals will suffice
- Warm base layer
- Thick warm socks
- Warm hat
Please do not wear cotton tops or bottoms (inc jeans) as the material stays cold and heavy when wet.
- As a Certified B Corp, we’re one of a growing number of global businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance.
- Our well-equipped training centre, The Adventure Hub, is Carbon Neutral.
- We encourage car sharing wherever feasible.
- We encourage the use of public transport on all our courses. Bamford Railway Station is 5 minutes' walk and we enjoy direct bus connections to Sheffield and nearby villages.
- We offer free camping kit for guests staying locally and looking to cut down on luggage.
- Our staff are trained to prolong the life of equipment used on this course, where it is possible to recycle equipment at the end of its life, we do so appropriately.
- We operate in small teams at low ratios to reduce our impact on the venues we use and other countryside users.
- We donate 5% of the value of all sales to The Pure Outdoor Foundation.
FAQs
If you are interested in booking 'Caving Adventure' then please complete the short form below so we can create a custom quote for you.
Thanks for requesting further information and a quote about our activities. We will get back to you within 24 hours. If you require immediate assistance, please call the office on 01433 695544.