
Reference: CDD
Brand: Wild Places Publishing
Classic Darksite Diving
A guide to dive sites in caves and mines throughout Britain and Europe, by Martyn Farr
Pioneers Beneath the Peak by Martin Wright: the story of cavers who would not be stopped when the passage sumped.
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The caves beneath the Peak District have intrigued humankind for thousands of years. As people explored further into the caves, they would often reach a point where the roof sloped down into a pool of water and they could go no further. This book tells the story of those who would not be stopped by the water and who, by a combination of determination, resourcefulness, technical innovation and a good measure of courage, sought to dive through those pools, to enter the unknown passages and to discover what lay beyond. This is a tale of true adventure and exploration, told by one of those involved.
The hardback edition has a limited print run and is produced with head- and tailbands, cloth covered cover and laminated paper dustjacket. The softback edition has a laminated card cover. Both are supplied with a caving-related bookmark.
Photo: Karen Wright
The Tratman Award is presented annually to the best caving-related publication; it is considered to be hugely prestigious. Pioneers Beneath the Peak won the award for 2023 against a very strong field. The trophy, a hand-crafted model of the book, was presented to Martin Wright at the annual caving conference, Hidden Earth, on 21 September 2024.
Author
MARTIN WRIGHT started caving in 1982 and undertook his first cave dive in 1991. He went on to qualify as a cave diver with both the Cave Diving Group of Great Britain and the National Association for Cave Diving based in the USA. He was the first cave diver to use helium mixtures for deep diving in a Peak District cave and has dived to explore new cave passages in the UK, France and Mexico. Martin and his family live in the Peak District; his wife Karen is a former diver and their daughter, Lydia, is a history teacher.
Martin is donating all royalties from the sale of this book to his chosen charity, the Derbyshire Cave Rescue Organisation.
For the contents page click here
For the Pioneers index click here (opens new window)
For reviews of Pioneers click here (opens new window)
For the Pioneers flyer click here (opens new window)
To download a Pioneers cover file suitable for printing click here (opens new window: save the file from your browser by right-clicking)
Wild Places Publishing is environmentally aware and supports the work of the World Land Trust, an international conservation charity helping to protect threatened habitats, by using the services of certified local companies and suitably sourced materials. Our printer, Gomer Press, is a Certified Carbon Balanced Printer that offsets carbon impacts through the World Land Trust. The paper we have chosen for this title, Claro Silk, is certified Elemental Chlorine Free and accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council as a paper manufactured from sustainable sources and carbon balanced.
For posting destinations outside the UK please read the notes under the ‘International Orders’ tab, or contact us direct.
Data sheet
The Tratman Award is presented annually to the best caving-related, paper-based publication in memory of E.K. Tratman, to recognise excellence in writing and presentation, encompassing aspects such as the subject’s importance, readability, the quality of the photographs and surveys, the printing and binding and – in short – any aspect that the judges consider applicable.
For 2023 the judges were presented with so much fine work there was much dissent over which title should gain the final accolade. As one of the judges commented of the winner: ‘this is an excellent book, informative, lively, well-presented, thoroughly engrossing and extremely enjoyable, with a commendable layout, production values and image reproduction.’ The accolade goes to Pioneers Beneath the Peak by Martin Wright.
For the full list of citations click HERE and for past winners click HERE (opens new windows).
Orders outside the UK
Wild Places has always included postage costs within the quoted price for each item, with drop-down option boxes for different destinations (typically, the UK and ‘outside UK’). We regret that increasing costs and difficulties with posting goods to destinations outside the UK mean that we have removed the option to order from other countries from the product pages, other than for our own books. However, if you wish to purchase any item and no option shows for your delivery destination, please ask and we will quote for the additional postage.
For reasons stated below, we cannot now normally accept orders from the EU, but for these and other international orders, please read the following notes.
Following Brexit, in 2021 new customs documentation came into force and the EU removed exemptions for tax and customs duty on low value items posted from the UK to the EU. VAT at your EU country’s current rate plus a post office handling charge is now applied on delivery.
In 2025 the required documentation added an Entry Summary Declaration / Safety and Security Declaration, requiring a risk analysis and contact details of an EU-based agent – while the former is easy (do not drop book on foot, beware of paper cuts) the latter is simply too expensive to comply with. In short, we are no longer able to post goods to the EU.
Nevertheless, and bearing in mind the additional VAT and handling charges (which, to be clear, Wild Places is unable to cover), if you still wish to make a purchase please contact us for the latest information and options in this area of constant change.
We apologise for these limitations, which are entirely outside our control.
The restrictions on posting to the EU do not apply to other international destinations. However, if any customs or tax is applicable in your country, you are responsible for this on delivery (Wild Places cannot advise on local charges or laws).
International postage charges from the UK have increased enormously in recent years and this is a continuing trend. We have removed the drop-down option for most overseas destinations, as continuously updating these prices is too time-intensive for the many second-hand books we carry. However, please ask and we will quote on an individual basis for non-EU destinations and where possible combine books to obtain the best rate possible. To arrive at this price we take off the (otherwise included) UK postage charge then add the international postage charge at cost.
NOTE: Norway and Switzerland are outside the EU and come into this category of postal destinations.
Definitions
The timing of placing goods on sale and their definition has a bearing on which of these we are permitted to post to some destinations. To satisfy any enquiry, please note that all new products on this website were placed on the market before 13 December 2024. Our second-hand books are considered to be collectable.
Please see our FAQs relating to deliveries, and the Delivery page linked from the bottom of each item’s page, before placing your order if time is important.
Books published by Wild Places allow ordering (via a drop-down box) for posting to non-EU destinations, including the additional postage costs. However, if stock is limited it will all be assigned to UK deliveries and you will not be able to place your order. We regret this, but the software has limitations – please contact us and we will enable the options you require.
Reference: CDD
Brand: Wild Places Publishing
A guide to dive sites in caves and mines throughout Britain and Europe, by Martyn Farr
Reference: IOAG
Brand: Wild Places Publishing
Jim Eyre was a legend in his own lifetime – a hard caver and ardent cave rescuer, but also a talented cartoonist and outrageous raconteur. His two-part autobiography opens with It's Only a Game.
Reference: sh1192
Les Plus Beaux Glaciers du Mont-Blanc et des Alpes Suisses
Reference: SH-1167
A manual of underground and flash photography: cave photography for cavers, by Chris Howes EU customers must read the notes below before ordering
Reference: IOAG-GGO
Jim Eyre was a legend in his own lifetime – a hard caver and ardent cave rescuer, but also a talented cartoonist and outrageous raconteur. His two-part autobiography comprising It's Only a Game and The Game Goes On is now available as a set with a considerable reduction in price.
Reference: GGO
Brand: Wild Places Publishing
Jim Eyre's classic autobiography, part two, taking him from the caving expeditions of the 1960s through trials and tribulations to India in the 2000s. In it, Jim produced another masterpiece by turn both solemn and outrageously funny.
Reference: RAD
An introduction to the sport of caving, for youngsters between the ages of ten and early teens, by Chris Howes
Reference: deJoly
Brand: Wild Places Publishing
Memoirs of a Speleologist: The Adventurous Life of a Famous French Cave Explorer by Robert de Joly, translated from the French.
Reference: LA
Alan Thomas' collection of cave diving stories of exploration, published under the Ina Books imprint.
Pioneers Beneath the Peak by Martin Wright: the story of cavers who would not be stopped when the passage sumped.
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