Lincoln Caving Club

⭐ From First Trip at 15 to Eldon Hole at 18 — A Youth Development Success Story

A huge congratulations to Dom and Alex, who have just turned 18 and celebrated by completing a full SRT descent of Eldon Hole… an approx. 60 metre deep, multi pitch classic of the Peak District.

An incredible achievement for any caver, let alone two who only discovered the underground world three years ago.

What makes their story even more special is this: their parents aren’t cavers. They didn’t grow up around the sport. They didn’t have family or friends already involved. They found caving because their parents signed them up to one of our Under 18 Yorkshire Dales Caving Weekends in Ingleton back when we were linked with the Scout Association.

They caught the caving bug that weekend… and they’ve never looked back.

In just three years they’ve:
🕳️ Completed 29 trips with the club,
🧗‍♂️ Taken part in 4 official club SRT training days,
🔦 Done their first SRT trip in Goyden only a year after joining,
📈 Progressed their SRT skills through Giants, Oxlow, Knotlow, Sunset and Snelslow,
🌍 Explored major systems across the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, and South Wales.

Their journey shows exactly why our youth section matters.

Across the UK, most people start caving through Scouts, university clubs, or family connections. But with the Scout Association losing five caving last year alone, including Lincolnshire, many young people simply don’t get the chance to try this incredible sport.

By maintaining a dedicated youth section (14+), Lincoln Caving Club is keeping that door open, giving young people the opportunity to learn real skills, build confidence, and experience adventures they’ll remember for life.

Dom and Alex are proof of what’s possible when young people are given the chance.

If you know someone aged 14+ who loves challenge, teamwork, and muddy smiles, we’d love to help them start their own journey underground.

Over 40 years underground... and we’re still going.
From homemade ladders in the 70s to expeditions across Europe, cathedral abseils, international events, well explorations in pubs, and a brand‑new youth section… our club has packed a lot into four decades.

We’ve just published our full history on our website: stories, photos, adventures, the highs, the challenges, and everything in between.

If you’ve ever caved with us, volunteered with us, or just want to know what we get up to beneath the surface…
👉 Give it a read and take a trip underground with us.

🔗 https://www.lincscaving.co.uk/about-us/history

Check out our plans for summer!

www.lincscaving.co.uk

Our first "Give It a Go" event of 2026 was a brilliant success.

We welcomed newcomers from all over Lincolnshire, some who heard about us through friends, some who joined with existing members, and even a couple of University of Lincoln students who spotted our poster during a coffee‑shop study break.

We headed to the Peak District to explore a gentle, mostly‑walking cave that’s perfect for beginners. Plenty of smiles, plenty of muddy boots, and lots of “I didn’t expect caving to be like this”.

We also did our bit for cave conservation, taking spray bottles and water to carefully scrub away some recently applied spray‑painted arrows. A small act, but one that helps keep these places natural for everyone who visits.

More opportunities to try caving are available in September.

Register your interest here > https://forms.gle/FD8BqAdiotKEHP7L9

Aged 14 to 18 and seeking adventure?

As some of our current youth members are reaching 18, we're opening up to our next bunch of adventure seeking teens.

Please share this post with friends, family and organisations you feel may be interested.

Over the past couple of weeks, we've been doing something a little different. Given our knowledge of decending well shaped shafts, Pre-Construct Archaeology Ltd enquired to see if we could assist them in retrieving some samples within a recently discovered well at Newark Castle. After some site visits and risk assessments, four of our members spent day on site taking some samples as directed by the archaeological team.

Another great day out! Back to the Peak District today... catch up and coffee in Monyash, a few hours underground, a pit stop for pub refreshments and a quick visit to Magpie Mine.

This weekend, our Junior Members (LinSECT - Lincoln Subterranean Exploration Caving Team) are heading to the Yorkshire Dales for some sporting caving.

Think vertical pitches, squeezes, underground rivers, teamwork, good fun, catching up with friends, and most importantly... Pizza!

Have a great time guys and girls!