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T'Owd Man & Other Caving / Potholing / Spelunking Ghosts

Ghost hunt carried out last year at Poole's Cavern, Buxton...

That's the cave that I mentioned being very close to my old school. I mean, it's literally just over the road. The woods it lies on the lower edge of are very atmospheric too. I've always thought the name - Grin Low - was somehow ominous. Great place for a skive and a crafty fag - and putting the wind up each other on a darkening winter afternoon.
 
I’m surprised that Kent's caverns in Torquey has not been mentioned on this thread.

I visited this attraction over 20 years ago whilst holidaying in the area, and during the tour the guide told the following story.

In the 1850’s four sailors from a ship moored in the bay, sneaked into the cave system but unfortunately become lost. They only had one small candle between them and eventually the candle burned itself out. In the pitch black the sailors had little chance of finding an escape, they squabbled between themselves and fatigue had set in. They then decided that three of them would stay put in the dark why the other one did his best to find his way out and raise the alarm.

For five days and nights the man stumbled around in the dark, but eventually emerged into the daylight exhausted, blooded and bruised from the constant walking into the cave’s walls.

He made it back to his ship and informed his Captain and a search party was formed. They found the other three sailors just a few hours after the search party went in. They were alive and physically uninjured, but not mentally so. The sheer oppression of not being able to see even their hands in front of their faces had unhinged the three men’s minds, and according to the guide all three of them spent the rest of their days at the Royal Navel hospital in Great Yarmouth being treated for insanity.
 
I’m surprised that Kent's caverns in Torquey has not been mentioned on this thread.

I visited this attraction over 20 years ago whilst holidaying in the area, and during the tour the guide told the following story.

In the 1850’s four sailors from a ship moored in the bay, sneaked into the cave system but unfortunately become lost. They only had one small candle between them and eventually the candle burned itself out. In the pitch black the sailors had little chance of finding an escape, they squabbled between themselves and fatigue had set in. They then decided that three of them would stay put in the dark why the other one did his best to find his way out and raise the alarm.

For five days and nights the man stumbled around in the dark, but eventually emerged into the daylight exhausted, blooded and bruised from the constant walking into the cave’s walls.

He made it back to his ship and informed his Captain and a search party was formed. They found the other three sailors just a few hours after the search party went in. They were alive and physically uninjured, but not mentally so. The sheer oppression of not being able to see even their hands in front of their faces had unhinged the three men’s minds, and according to the guide all three of them spent the rest of their days at the Royal Navel hospital in Great Yarmouth being treated for insanity.
Wow, I'd never heard that one before! Excellent.

The ex and I visited Kent's Caverns in the '80s.
We were shown the impressive growths of stalagmites and stalactites which I decided, in my maturity, looked like willies.
Well, they did. Anyone could see that.
 
I was there about 40 years back cant remember any ghost stories but can
remember the rather erect stalagmites.
 
I sometimes call at Ingleton Caves usually to visit the cafe, It's a long
time since I went down the caves, but I have seen them flooded
when they become a raging torrent.

Ahh I've been there! It's a good place to visit and the drives around there are lovely. Although at one point I banged my head so hard on the ceiling, I honestly think if I weren't wearing a helmet I would have knocked myself out. :doh:
 
Escargot asked
"Did they put the lights out at the end and then put them back on so you could admire the huge GIGANTIC freestanding penis stalagmite?"

Some people get married for such things and then there they are growing wild
 
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Did they put the lights out at the end and then put them back on so you could admire the huge GIGANTIC freestanding penis stalagmite?

Some people get married for such things and then there they are growing wild

:hahazebs: Yes I seem to recall seeing the gigantic penis stalagmites being lit up in all their glory. Must have been why I nearly knocked myself out, in AWE at such a sight.

P.S. I never thought they looked phallic, you lot must be dirty minded. ;)
 
Wow, I'd never heard that one before! Excellent.

The ex and I visited Kent's Caverns in the '80s.
We were shown the impressive growths of stalagmites and stalactites which I decided, in my maturity, looked like willies.
Well, they did. Anyone could see that.
Is this the same Kent's cavern that has this lovely mimetolith?
Sure is creepy.

Kents-cavern-face-torquay-UK.jpeg
 
...
We were shown the impressive growths of stalagmites and stalactites which I decided, in my maturity, looked like willies.
Well, they did. Anyone could see that.

The previously mentioned Poole's Cavern (posts #62 #91) contains what I think may be a phenomenon unique to that location, known to all mature individuals as Poached Egg stalagmites - because to all mature individuals they look like a big pile of poached eggs.

To the rest of us, of course, they look like a big pile of poached eggs, which looks like a willy...which image has just made me feel a bit bilious.

The cave's website contains a picture of a nice lady gazing admiringly at an accretion of mineral deposits that looks like a pile of poached eggs. (ESCARGOT...STOP SNIGGERING THIS MINUTE!!)

Poached eggs.jpg
 
Tragedy as a man dies after falling from a climbing wall into an indoor "cave."

It is not clear from the article whether this was a deliberate cave for indoor potholing, or a design fault between panels.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...r-49-got-stuck-indoor-cave-dies-injuries.html
It is a special indoor caving system. It sounds like he was in the caving system and not actually climbing the wall when he got stuck. Horrible for all concerned.
https://www.kongadventure.com/indoor-activities/indoor-caving/
I suppose it illustrates the difficulties if it hard to rescue someone from even an artificial cave.
 
It is a special indoor caving system. It sounds like he was in the caving system and not actually climbing the wall when he got stuck. Horrible for all concerned.
https://www.kongadventure.com/indoor-activities/indoor-caving/
I suppose it illustrates the difficulties if it hard to rescue someone from even an artificial cave.
I am confused. Were the caves behind the climbing wall man made and how did he get into the cave when the entrance is blocked off? Or am I reading it all wrong?
 
It is a special indoor caving system. It sounds like he was in the caving system and not actually climbing the wall when he got stuck. Horrible for all concerned.
https://www.kongadventure.com/indoor-activities/indoor-caving/
I suppose it illustrates the difficulties if it hard to rescue someone from even an artificial cave.

Yes, the details of this story appear to have been somewhat mauled - possibly through the reporters utter unfamiliarity with the subject they are talking about.

I think the 'crush' injuries mentioned are most likely to be compression caused by the body sliding into a gradually narrowing space, restricting the movement of the rib cage and the proper functioning of the lungs - rather than something actually moving against him, as it were. I wonder if - through an accident or a medical episode - the guy lost consciousness in a slightly inverted position.
 
I am confused. Were the caves behind the climbing wall man made and how did he get into the cave when the entrance is blocked off? Or am I reading it all wrong?
Yes, it is an indoor caving system built behind the climbing wall by the company. The entrance wasn't blocked off at the time but is now so I think that is why they put in a photo showing it blocked off.

I will refrain from making any comments about the Daily Mail and clarity!:chuckle:
 
Having now seen that there is an indoor cave facility there from the post by @Min Bannister , the article is still not clear how this accident happened.

The article does not make it clear if the man was in that part of the complex or not?

If he was, then surely in a commercial man made centre there would not be a very narrow gap that was intentionally designed to be so narrow?
Such small gaps happen naturally, as this thread has shown in previous posts, but there is no way that such a thing would pass modern Health and Safety regulations.

My guess is that the man fell as he was climbing, and upon landing the weight of his body forced apart two or more panels that were meant to be joined, and he fell into a gap between them.
 
This is nothing to do with ghosts. It belongs in the Strange Deaths thread.

Mr O'Keefe seems to have joined in with the children in exploring the artificial caves and, as this report says, 'slipped and got stuck'.
Part of the climbing wall was taken apart to allow the rescuers access. My guess is that the back of the climbing wall abuts the artificial cave structure.

As @Spookdaddy says, this sounds like a case of positional/postural asphyxia.

It sounds very much like the infamous Nutty Putty incident.

Guardian report -

Man dies after getting stuck in cave at indoor climbing centre in Lake District

Carl O’Keeffe, a 49-year-old man from Lancaster, was attending a birthday party with his niece in the Kong Adventure Centre in Keswick, Cumbria on 22 April, Sky News reported.

O’Keeffe was reportedly with four children when he slipped and got stuck inside one of the facility’s caves, remaining there for more than four hours. When staff were unable to rescue him, emergency services were called just after 3pm.
 
Having now seen that there is an indoor cave facility there from the post by @Min Bannister , the article is still not clear how this accident happened.

The article does not make it clear if the man was in that part of the complex or not?

If he was, then surely in a commercial man made centre there would not be a very narrow gap that was intentionally designed to be so narrow?
Such small gaps happen naturally, as this thread has shown in previous posts, but there is no way that such a thing would pass modern Health and Safety regulations.

My guess is that the man fell as he was climbing, and upon landing the weight of his body forced apart two or more panels that were meant to be joined, and he fell into a gap between them.
I am just guessing but from the website photos there is at least one section where you crawl along on your front. If he had slipped and fallen into that at an awkward angle and got his shoulders wedged, that could cause it. It was probably perfectly safe barring freak accidents which it seems this was. After all, if you could walk the whole way it would be a completely rubbish caving system and no-one would go.
 
lovely! can you give a rough scale please?
I saw it earlier this year and it was pretty big, I should say 4 or 5 feet high, and maybe head height (at least in my unreliable recollection). It was indeed a bit creepy, even with all the lights about, and the guide said that coins (Roman coins in my unreliable recollection) were found by it. The caves (or the public bits of them at least) are pretty clean and tidy and with good lighting so a coward like myself felt pretty at ease (until the bit where they turn the lights off and wait just that second too long until you start thinking.... come on now, turn the bloody lights on). But caves kind of freak me out... I'd definitely have left a coin for the guardian face if I'd have been exploring in the dirt with a candle. (Like I'd ever have got so far in... not likely)

edit: a photo from their website https://www.kents-cavern.co.uk/images/mapimages/resp/3.jpg
 
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:hahazebs: Yes I seem to recall seeing the gigantic penis stalagmites being lit up in all their glory. Must have been why I nearly knocked myself out, in AWE at such a sight.

P.S. I never thought they looked phallic, you lot must be dirty minded. ;)

I sniggered more and more loudly all the way through and when we reached the big massive penis stalagmite at the end I thought I'd bust a gut. :rollingw:

10/10 value for money. Would recommend. :bthumbup:

Strangely, the ex was not amused and I was in fact the only truly appreciative customer.

Baffling. :dunno:
 
This is nothing to do with ghosts. It belongs in the Strange Deaths thread.
It belongs in both threads.

I posted here because of the previously discussed Neil Moss tragedy.

This thread, in earlier posts, has also widened to discuss caving/pot holing deaths, in spite of the original title about ghosts.

Those memers of the forum with experience of pot holing/caving have contributed their knowledge.
 
It belongs in both threads.

I posted here because of the previously discussed Neil Moss tragedy.

This thread, in earlier posts, has also widened to discuss caving/pot holing deaths, in spite of the original title about ghosts.

Those memers of the forum with experience of pot holing/caving have contributed their knowledge.
Perhaps the thread needs a new name. There aren't many underground ghosts.
 
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