Scout caving permit: levels, group sizes and what to log
By a volunteer Scout leader
Updated 16 October 2026
3 min read
Caving permits are built around the vertical work involved, from caves with no pitches to SRT for the whole group. A clear record of the caves you’ve led or helped in, and the rope work involved, makes assessment much easier.
Please note: this is practical advice from one leader to another, not official guidance. Always check the current Policy, Organisation and Rules and talk to your county or district assessor about their process.
The short version
- A caving permit is needed for natural underground environments, except official show caves.
- There are four levels: no vertical pitches, ladder, SRT for the leader, SRT for the group.
- A leadership group is between four and eight people, including the leader.
- Log every trip: cave, level of vertical work, group size, conditions and your role.
- Man-made caving simulators don’t need a permit.
What your permit covers
A caving permit is required for activities in a natural underground environment, except official show caves. Man-made caving simulators don’t need one. There are four levels:
| Level |
|---|
| Caving with no vertical pitches |
| Caving with ladder |
| Caving with SRT for the leader |
| Caving with SRT for the group |
- Personal lets a young person under 18 cave with others who hold a personal caving permit.
- Leadership lets you lead one group of between four and eight people, including you, and you stay in the cave system with them at all times.
Permits can be restricted, for example to specific caves.
What to log each trip
- Date, cave and area.
- Vertical work: none, ladder or SRT, and the pitches involved.
- Group size and who your second competent person was for rope work.
- Conditions: water levels and recent rain.
- Your role: leading, supporting or caving personally.
- Rescue practice: for example, rescuing someone mid-pitch.
Building experience
The most reliable way to build experience at a new level, or on a new type of water or terrain, is to support a current permit holder in their sessions. Take on more as your confidence grows, and log every session, noting that you were supporting and who held the permit. When you come to be assessed you can show exactly what you’ve done, rather than relying on memory.
For rope work, the guidance expects a second person who can respond if the permit holder is incapacitated. Being that second person on someone else’s trips is valuable experience, so log it.
Don’t let it lapse
Adventurous activity permits expire within five years of being granted. When yours expires, you must be assessed and granted a new permit before you can run the activity again, so an unnoticed expiry date can mean cancelled sessions.
Keep logging between assessments. When renewal comes round, you’ll already have years of evidence ready to show.
Log your next caving session in Paracord
Free for one activity type, with unlimited logs. Export a PDF of your history for your assessor with Pro.
