Judith has caved for decades. She has never done it to a live soundtrack.

Tuesday night’s Snake’s Pyjamas trip through Bagshawe Cavern fixed that. Somewhere in the crawl between the gate and Finn’s Pitt, Christina became the trip’s in-house entertainment, and Hannah landed the triangle solo in what she described as Christina’s one-man band.

“It was lovely,” Judith said, “and certainly speeded up my downhill crawling.”

Christina hadn’t been in this part of Bagshawe for about a year. “98% of which I had forgotten,” she said, “but will try to commit to memory.” Her verdict on the Pyjamas? “Perseverance but ultimately worth it.”

Worth it is the right phrase. Bagshawe keeps its best decorations behind passages that demand you earn them. The Snake’s Pyjamas route threads through formations of different colours, conservation tape guiding you past the most delicate bits, the kind of decorated cave where you become very aware of every hand and knee placement. Moose’s Revenge is where the cave shows off, and even the route’s own description calls these “the pretty bits.” On the way through, Judith pointed out the Glory Hole to Hannah, who hasn’t been to that section yet. Another corner of Bagshawe for another day.

Finn’s Pitt(Pot) is the turnaround. Beyond it, the caving gets more serious. Judith called it “an honourable point to finish, as beyond it is the start of a different level of caving again.” Some of us will cross it one day, she reckons. But reaching it and heading home was plenty for one Tuesday evening.

The Snake’s Pyjamas is a passage that tests your headspace more than your fitness. It’s a mental challenge wearing a physical disguise, and it doesn’t pretend otherwise. Judith, who knows the route well: “It is a tough trip. There are no two ways about it.”

Justin found the passage intimidating. He could have turned back. He didn’t.

“I could have easy not gone through the passage but all of your support got me through it, and it was so worth it. That was a massive level up to any caving I had done before.”

He went zombie to his car afterwards and apologised for it. Nobody needed the apology.

Judith recognised the feeling. She’d had it herself once on a long trip in Yorkshire. Her words to Justin afterwards:

“Acknowledging fear, accepting fear, and then letting it run side by side with you as you caved was amazing. You were wonderful. Be gentle with yourself.”

Back on the surface, the Caving Crew’s travelling car gremlin struck again. It had already visited Christina’s and Nick’s cars, and had spent the evening circling Judith’s. She’d needed the RAC before the trip even started. Turning the key to drive home came with a held breath.

It started. The gremlin had moved on. For now.

As four mud-covered cavers peeled off their kit in the dark, an owl in a nearby tree started hooting. Not ordinary hooting. Wolf-whistle hooting. Every time someone removed a layer, the owl went again.

Hannah’s review: “An almost wolf whistle every time we removed an item of muddy kit.”

Some trips you remember for the cave. This one had the best formations in Bagshawe, an underground concert, a car that needed persuading, and a voyeuristic owl with a front-row seat and zero shame.