Royal Forest of Dean Caving Club

The Royal Forest of Dean Caving Club has a mainly local membership of people with an interest in caves and mines. The Club was founded in 1964 and has a current membership of about 90.The Forest of Dean Area has a rich mining history dating back to ancient times and has a number of iron, coal and stone mines, some of which are still active today. The towering cliffs at Symonds Yat bear evidence of the cave bearing limestone in the area and in recent years new discoveries have well and truly put the Forest of Dean area onto the U.K. caving map. Discoveries such as Otter Hole, Wetsink, Redhouse Lane Swallet and more recently Miss Graces Lane have shown that there is a huge potential for finding new cave. With large resurgences and numerous sinks in the area the opportunities for virgin cave exploration are abundant.