Mark joined the Caving Crew because of a single piece of rock.

He’d been to The Vice before, on a trip with a mate. Could see what he needed to do. “I realised there was a good chance of getting stuck. I’m so glad I didn’t try it back then.”

So he did the smart thing. Walked away. Found the Crew. Spent months building up experience. Then, one night in June, he went back for it.

Nick was behind him. Kev was in front. The Vice is a tight left-hand bend that doesn’t negotiate, and Mark committed. Nearly got stuck. Sank deeper into it. Made it round.

“Caving highlight for me, as this is what I find most challenging.”

The Vice sits partway through the Giants Hole Round Trip, a Peak District classic that packs an absurd amount of variety into one evening underground. The Crabwalk demands patience above anything else. It’s a long sideways shuffle through a narrow canyon, and it goes on for longer than anyone would like. After The Vice, the character shifts. A series of climbs and cascades take over, and Mark loved them. He’s not wrong. There’s something satisfying about going upwards when you’ve spent the last hour going sideways.

Then came the Windpipe. Nick reckons two of the group didn’t know it was coming, which is ideal. Not knowing what’s around the corner is half the fun of caving. The other half is whatever your face does when you find out.

“The squeeze through the window was fun,” was Mark’s take on the Eyehole, a gap that lives up to its name. On the traverse section, where you pick your way along a passage with a crack opening beneath you, Nick spotted one of the group looking wary. Sensible. Being wary and doing it anyway is the whole point.

The climb back down into the Crabwalk, where you descend through the same crack you’ve been traversing above, is a strange moment. You spend time crossing over something, then you climb into it. Nick called it “different.” Fair assessment.

Jacob admitted the high-level traversing still makes him nervous. He went anyway, because that’s how you stop being nervous. “I benefited from practising this to get me more confident.” He and Maura also christened brand-new SRT kits on Garland’s Pot. New kit goes in shiny. It comes out looking like it fought the cave and lost. That’s the initiation, and there’s no skipping it.

The whole group moved well. Three hours and fifteen minutes, entrance to exit, on a Tuesday night with Nick leading. Everyone comfortable on the rope, everyone through the Crabwalk, no dramas.

Mark’s verdict: “Definitely my favourite trip so far. Looking forward to doing it again and exploring more.”

The rock that once made him walk away didn’t beat him this time. He’ll be back.