A Typical Weekend

Weekend trips are a great way to get lots of good caving in, have a couple of big piss-up nights and arrive back in Southampton feeling absolutely shattered.

Requirements are a sleeping bag, a towel, several changes of underwear, some clothes (which you don't mind getting wet and muddy) to wear under an oversuit and plenty of money for beer. A full kit list is available.

Although most weekends seem to be blur afterwards we can put together a composite picture of a "normal" weekend.

Friday: Everyone meets at the Uni and piles into the minibus or cars with a load of shiny kit taken from our well equipped tackle store.

Friday Evening Some Time: We arrive at our destination after a few missed junctions and bored of the driver's choice of music. Leaving all the kit in the minibus we go inside and find another Uni caving club is already there requiring us to catch up with the drinking.

Later that Evening: People start getting a bit intoxicated and feel the need to show off their caving prowess. Expect people to be squeexing through any small gap they can find in the hut, typically benches, chairs, behind ladders and the odd hacksaw. If squeezing isn't your thing there are always the games that involve stretching till it hurts and if pain isn't your thing there is bound to be a drinking game going on somewhere.

Even Later that Evening: Most people start realising they came on the weekend to cave or know from experience that a whole night without sleep then a days caving can be rather painful. By that point the bunkroom will even seem comfortable and the lucky ones will get a few hours sleep.

Early Saturday Morning: With any luck someone with a penchant for mornings and an immunity to alcohol will get up quietly and start frying up a breakfast.

Saturday Morning (at a reasonable time): Breakfast is had over local caving guide books while decide what sort of trip they want and form into groups accordingly.

Saturday before 12 noon: After some cunning organisational work everyone has arrived at the cave they wanted, changed into their kit by the side of the road and feeling those pre-cave nerves.

Saturday, sometime before 10pm: Everyone will come out wondering how they ever got by without caving and won't stop talking about all the exciting things they did. With any luck someone will have got back before you with warm food ready.

Saturday evening: Evening can go in two directions. Either it's mellow and everyone sits around talking about what they've done as they're tired from the days and previous nights excursion. Or... it ends up being a crazy repeat of the night before.

Sunday Morning: Another fry up and people pick caves that are typically easier and more fun, affectionately called "Sunday caves". Everyone aims to be back by early afternoon so we arrive in Southampton that evening.

Sunday Evening: Club kit is returned to the tackle store to be cleaned another day as everyone is exhausted from the weekend. The minibus then chauffeurs you to your door.