Lectures, Films & Workshops
The weekend is packed with lectures, with two or three parallel sessions running both days. Topics include new and old exploration from the UK and overseas as well as workshops covering cave science, research, technology and photography.
We wouldn't have an event if we didn't have lots of exciting lectures so we encourage all cavers to submit a talk, film or workshop. You can submit your abstract online any time throughout the year - even if you haven't been on that expedition yet!
Lecture secretary: Gary Douthwaite - lectures@hidden.earth
Giving a lecture? Please read our information for lecturers.
Submit sessions online
Submission ClosedThe 2025 timetable is now full so submission has closed! Thank you to everyone who's submitted, the timetable will be out soon.
Confirmed Sessions for 2026
Hear's a selecton of confirmed sessions for Hidden Earth 2026. We'll add more as the conference gets closer so keep checking back.
Caving in the Abode of the Clouds, Meghalaya 2026
Simon
The Caving in the Abode of the Clouds Expedition(s) for 2026 comprised of a mini-expedition that returned to clean up leads on the Shnongrim Ridge that took place in January and yielded 2.9kms of fine passage. This was followed by the annual main expedition in February that focused on two areas in Meghalaya and one in Assam that yielded a...
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Peak District Roundup 2025 to 2026 (AKA Pissing around in the Peaks 2025 to 2026)
Simon Brooks
A whistle stop round up of caving activities, exploration and new finds, of which once again are numerous and varied, in the Peak District 2025 to 2026.
Read morePriory Road and the Merry Monks round up
Alex Stacey
After missing a year from Hidden Earth, the Merry Monks have spent another year hard at work in the Llangulag forging a path to Daren Cilau and it is ever closer than before… and finding other accidental discoveries along the way! Perhaps next year we will be even closer than before (or will be there!) but for now, sit around...
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Caving Chorus - sing along and recording
Lucy Hyde, Buck Blake, Rostam Namaghi
Come along to this recording session for a merry sing along of classic and new caving songs. We will be recording the audio to share the songs & parodies; but fear not- no singing skill required, only enthusiasm! Lyrics and guitar accompaniment will be provided.
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Cavers' Just a Minute
Peter Glanvill
This now established HE favourite offers light relief in a weekend of exploration tales, science talks and discussions. The four panel members will be invited to speak on a selection of topics for a minute without repetition, deviation, or hestitation for one minute. Points are awarded for successful challenges and an extra point is awarded to a speaker completing...
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Forest of Dean Round Up
Paul Taylor
Redhouse Lane Swallet Cave & Slaughter Stream Cave continue to dominate the Forest of Dean caving area. Both having seen discoveries over the last year. However, around the Forest and the surrounding area work continues at many sites. Also, this year has seen the Forest of Dean cave Conservation Group become the latest Regional Council within the BCA. What a...
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Redhouse Lane Swallet - 2026 extensions
Tim Nichols
Since Hidden Earth 2025 we have put a huge amount of effort in pushing the many leads and digs in the cave. Weeks' worth of trips have seen one promising lead after another disappoint. Despite this, around a kilometre of new cave has been found, including some stunning formations and a continuation of the main streamway. Further we have discovered...
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Recent examples of CNCC Cave Conservation Projects (and how to get external funding)
Andrew Hinde
Over the last 15 years the CNCC has undertaken dozens of cave conservation projects each year. Many have trialled new techniques and materials which have now become commonplace. This work benefits all northern cavers and goes a long way to maintain good cave access relations with landowners and managers. The majority of the projects have been externally funded by partner...
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Understanding the Cave Before the Stalagmites: Cave Monitoring in Vietnam
Chloe (snowling) Riviera
Stalagmites are read as archives of past climate, but the cave itself has a climate of its own, one that can distort the climate signal before it ever reaches the stalagmite. In Vietnam, the winter monsoon sweeping down from Asia doesn't just change the weather outside; it reaches underground, driving the cave to ventilate in ways that show up clearly...
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UBSS Montenegro Expedition - Kameno More
Daniel Rose
This year the UBSS and friends decided to start their own expedition to the Kameno More region of Montenegro - the 'sea of rock'. This marked a renewal of British exploration to the region which hadn't seen British involvement since 2013. Come along to find out what we found, what we got up to, and how we organised our own expedition...
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These Things Don't Happen!
Martyn Farr
A blast …. A “wall of water” …. A community inundated… A thought provoking insight into the Gwaelod y Garth flooding incident, July 2026
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Another auSUSSpicious return to Crete: Gourgouthakas - Liontari 2026
Toby Wheatcroft And Ben Thompson
Following on from the success of the previous year’s expedition, SUSS decided to return to Crete for the 2026 Gourgouthakas - Liontari expedition. This year with determination to actually find new cave and not just resurvey where the French had already been, with a hope to make Keramos (LOC81) in the top ten deepest caves in Greece. But were we...
Read moreCave Surveying update
Andrew Atkinson
Meeting for anyone interesting in cave surveying. There will be a few lightning talks on technology developments and surveying projects, and a chance to meet other surveyors and find out what people are currently working on. Come and tell us if you have a survey or resurvey project, or are working on software, gadgets or GIS. Or just turn up...
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Ario Caves Project Expedition 2026: Fire & Ice in The Picos
Chris Curry & Becka Lawson
The Ario Caves Project continues to work on accomplishing ‘The Ario Dream’ of connecting the highest mountaintop entrances to the resurgence cave at Culiembro, and this year brought us another step closer. Having last year connected Tras la Jayada to The Cave of the Witches Eye, this presented an opportunity to return to the legendary Choke Egbert, the downstream blockage...
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Valley to Valley in the North York Moors
Matt Ewles
Everyone loves a valley-to-valley through trip. Well, maybe except Rostam. When we first put crowbar to the ground in the North York Moors 19 years ago our hopes weren’t high. A few choked rifts would have scratched our digging itch. What we found was a 1.6 km system with a magnificent streamway, later to become a 2.8 km system with the...
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A New Dales Classic - Scanty Lardos Pot 2026 Extensions
George North
Over the course of 2026 The Misty Mountain Mud Miners have been busy extending the relatively recently discovered Scanty Lardos Pot in Penyghent Gill. So far over 2km of new cave has been explored, but with a distance of over 4km still remaining to the rising, there's a feeling that we could just be scratching the surface of the cave's...
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Gate or not to gate? Making access bat friendly
Jessica Eades
In this session we will talk about why maintaining access for bats is a good thing. What to consider before you start designing any lid or gate for a site. What information you might require, and who you might need to get involved. Will you need legal permissions prior to works? We will cover key topics such as: Introduction to...
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Searching for the Stang's hidden subterranean streamways
Fleur Loveridge & Les Brown
Exploration in the Draughting Hole Missed Pot systems continues apace with the last 12 months focusing on the elusive streamway(s) that flow at the base of the limestone beneath the dry hypogenic maze. As well as finding new lower levels to the cave system that carry the water, a dye tracing campaign has also begun. This has encompassed the...
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Call of the Unknown - South Garo Hills Expedition 2025
Thomas Arbenz
Throughout the month of March 2025, CORE GEO EXPEDITIONS' second caving expedition to South Garo Hills took place in Meghalaya, North East India. The bare statistics show a successful outcome with 93 caves surveyed within 4 weeks, yielding a total of 13.2km of new cave passage. But beyond the facts, there is more: the Film is looking deeper into...
Read moreCave Archaeology in Britain – updates and new discoveries
Rick Peterson
Two years ago, we (Cave Archaeology Group) ran a very successful workshop exploring collaboration and communication between everyone involved and interested in cave archaeology. One of the planned outcomes from that discussion was that we should run a regular session at Hidden Earth to showcase new archaeological discoveries from caves. This will be the second of these regular yearly updates....
Read moreICCC Slovenia Expedition - Polna Moc
Thurston Blount And Lamya Adam
Imperial College Caving Club returns to System Migovec in Slovenia for their 32nd year of the expedition. This expedition has been named Polna Moc - Full Power; and it has certainly lived up to its name with almost 1.5km of cave being surveyed this year! Following the rediscovery of Salome Viados last summer, the club returned in full force, pushing several...
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FOIBE - Karst as a vehicle of terror post-Second World War
Piper Cusmano
Come explore with me how potholes were used as an instrument of terror and mass murder on the Italian and Yugoslavian border post-Second World War. During this talk, we will look at the “big” and “small” histories connected to the Foibe massacre, taking a deep dive into historical facts while also lending an ear to the victims. In this moment...
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Caving in Belgium - Ardennes
Iain Crossley
Caving in Belgium - Ardennes The Ardenne UNESCO Global Geopark in southern Belgium is better known for its picturesque medieval towns, castles, craft beer, and chocolates. The Ardennes region is also the heart of Belgian caving, home to the famous Grottes de Han, Pere Noel, and Grottes de Hotton with many easily accessible and well-decorated caves as well as the option...
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Loser Plateau Expo 2026
Todd Rye
This year marks the 50th year of this expedition, nominally the CUCC expo, but has evolved to include a multitude of friends. Exploring the SMK and pushing it to ~140km long, plus >1000m deep has really put the plateau on the karstic map. This year, two expeditions went out, the main Expo first, then a smaller group with one goal...
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Dachstein Caving Expedition 2026
Andrew Mcleod
As usual, this talk will be hot off the press with the expedition only ending 12 days before Hidden Earth begins! This year in the Dachstein we will as usual be searching for new caves, as well as pushing a 250 m deep cave called Thundergasm that has been neglected in recent years, but our most exciting leads remain in WUG...
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Mae Hong Son, Thailand: Caves, Hill Tribes, and the Promise of New Exploration
Andy Goddard
For cavers travelling to northern Thailand, 'Cave Lodge' in Mae Hong Son is an obvious place to visit: affordable accommodation, guided adventure trips, and accessible caving in a spectacular karst landscape. But even in a relatively well-known caving area, there is real scope for new exploration and surveying. This talk will cover Shepton Mallet Caving Club’s February 2026 expedition to this...
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Looking for new areas for cave exploration..?
Peter Talling
This informal workshop aims to gather people together who are interested in finding new areas for cave exploration. It will provide inspiration and some practical tips for finding new expedition areas, and generally aims to support people who want to set up new trips. Such trips may be to less costly areas closer to home, such as for student...
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North Peru 2026: 2,800 m of limestone above one of the largest resurgences in South America
Pete Talling
This presentation continues the story of the search for deep caves on the rim of the Amazon Basin in August-September 2026. The expedition is to a high altitude (up to 3,700 m) and unusually remote limestone plateau that is underlain by ~2,800m of limestone. It has an extremely large (up to 34 cumec) resurgence of the Rio Negro at its...
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GPF expedition leader support and mentoring
Rachel Turnbull
Interested in starting your own caving expedition? Come for a group discussion, on how to go about getting permissions, contacts, funding and managing logistics, team members, objectives. All experience levels welcome. We'll be introducing a mentoring scheme and would love to hear from old-hands who are keen to pass their experience onto future leaders.
Read moreGhar Parau's expedition round up
Rachel Turnbull
Not sure what expedition talks to see this weekend? Come to the expedition round up to hear about expeditions from around the world that have been supported by Ghar Parau this year. Hear first-hand the adventures from Alex Pitcher Award winners who went on expedition for the first time with Ghar Parau funding. Come if you're interested in what Ghar...
Read moreAnatomically correct 3d mapping: Introducing the Tactical Frog
Phil Underwood
Surveying caves is tedious - what if you could just wander around and your helmet creates the map for you? Phil Underwood (creator of the Shetland Attack Pony) introduces his newest creation, the Tactical Frog. This is a helmet mounted cave scanner, which allows no fuss cave mapping. He also discusses how to enhance the accuracy using a Shetland Attack...
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Perlis, Malaysia: From the Nakawan Range to the Towers of Chuping
Zarris Kem
Perlis, Malaysia, hosts a distinctive and often overlooked karst landscape, spanning from the Nakawan Range to the limestone towers of Chuping. These formations include some of the oldest limestone in the country and feature caves historically associated with tin mining, reflecting both geological and cultural significance. The Perlis Caves Project 2026 focused on exploration and preliminary documentation across the Setul and...
Read moreHow Caving Organisations are Changing
Rostam Namaghi
It's a very dry title but a fascinating subject. Caving is undergoing a demographic shift, a cultural shift and a legal/financial shift. We face a lot of challenges and in this lecture I hope to capture some of the changes, what people are doing to weather the storm and how we protect our unique community and help bring it forward...
Read moreMulu: Return to the black square km
Rostam Namaghi
An update containing significant discoveries in White Rock, Clearwater Cave in Mulu, including an update on logistics, survey methods, unexpected finds and plans for future exploration.
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A Tale of Two Rescues
Rostam Namaghi
After a caving career spanning over 17 years, 1200 trips and 19 formal expeditions this colossal pillock got in 2 rescues in the space of 6 months. Deliverance from Providence and the Escape from Elysium provide the perfect keys to staying humble, learning from mistakes and shredding egos. All while respecting the adventure our sport can deliver. Heckling encouraged.
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Congo Update - Did we succeed with the new African Master Cave?
Michael Laumanns
At Hidden Earth 2023 an international expediton to the Mbanza Ngungu area in the province of Congo Central (Democratic Republic of th Congo) has been presented. Some important caves were partly surveyed, e.g. Grotte de Ngovo at 4.8 km and Grotte de Ngungi at 2.1 km, and it looked like these caves could be linked. This presentation provides an update...
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Matienzo - new passages and the crustacean project.
Juan Corrin
An hour of the exciting finds in and around Matienzo, Cantabria since the last Hidden Earth. Speakers include Hollie London (underground invertebrates), Pete Hall (explorations in Cueva Rascavieja) and Juan Corrin (other major finds, including new routes in Cueva Vallina.)
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