New arrangements for Alderley Mine trips

Following the retirement of the trip organiser who has managed public trips on behalf of the Club for many years, we have adopted an on-line booking system for future trips. In addition to the trips run through the Cheshire East Ranger Service, we have allocated ten Tuesdays in the year (there is one Tuesday each month) for a public trip which is bookable in advance. Whether you are an individual or represent a family or group, you can book up to 28 places on each trip (subject to availability). To book a trip, please go to the 'bookable trips' page on this website and complete the details. The first such trip is in November 2018 and trips have been arranged up to December 2019.

Accommodating touch screens

I have made some changes to the main menus on the DCC site to allow touch screen users to access pages. On a touch screen device, tap the menu heading and the drop-down menu will appear for a short while to allow you to select a page. If there are any problems, please let me know. Nigel - Webmaster

MEETS LIST

Rob has been busy and set up dates for a load of meets, at least one a month. Have a look at the list here or on Facebook (click the link below the news).

Alderley Mines Open Weekend

The September 2018 Open Weekend is now history. Most people who had reserved trips did turn up, unlike in the Spring, but with numbers down a bit, there was plenty of space anyway. Nevertheless, a few hundred visitors enjoyed a trip and no one was turned away. We also welcomed members from a number of other caving clubs for the weekend. Planning will now start for the Spring 2019 Open Weekend (6th and 7th April 2019) and bookings can now be made. This is earlier than usual to avoid Easter and the Bank Holiday at the end of the month. There is reaction from visitors on the feedback page and Facebook.

More about the Alderley Mines

The new edition of Chris Carlon's Alderley Edge Mines book is for sale from the publisher and from Amazon. Copies are also available at the Club's Open Weekends. The book has been heavily revised and describes all the main mines in detail. It remains a useful companion to the Alderley Edge Story published in 2016. Contact Nigel for further details. The cost is £12 plus postage.

Caving and mining log

The most recent items on the caving and mining log can now be viewed in brief in this panel. Click on the section below that says: news | events | log. Remember to add a record of your own trips.

Members may be able to view more events on the DCC calendar that we do not make public.

Members may be able to view more log entries on the DCC log that we do not make public.

Molino is a large cave in the Matienzo valley which is particularly easy to visit and is often used as an introductory trip for new cavers in the area. The entrance is a massive river sink and the river can be followed to a sump which has been dived to a large resurgence, also in the valley. The picture shows some of the massive stalactites in the roof of the cave.

Slate mines in North Wales are found all around the perimeter of the Snowdonia mountain block. The slate was formed by pressure and heat due to volcanic activity. Slate mines are often massive and inclined as they follow the rock beds. They can also be dangerous with a risk of falling rock and bad air in places. Exploration requires a lot of care.