Ogof Draenen Trips 22/02/2004 and 07/03/2004
Ogof Draenen Lucky 13 and Dollimore
Pictures by Tarquin Wilton-Jones, Chris Poole and Huw Groucutt. First four pictures taken on 22/02/2004. Click the thumbnails for the full sized pictures.
- The route through Lucky 13 quickly reaches the Midwinter Chambers
The roofs of the Midwinter Chambers are covered in thick bunches of gypsum crystals
In some places, the gypsum is so thick that the rock can barely be seen through it
The rock in the area contains patterns made from different colours of the rock
Eye can see you! These examples are in 'Going Somewhere'
In Snowball Passage, one of the gypsum deposits has been named 'The Snowball', which is more of a landmark than an attraction- Lucky 13 ends with a long crawl into Dollimore Series. The passages are some of the biggest in the country, so our camera could not even hope to take any pictures.
A side passage off a huge chamber leads to Nicola's Grotto
The grotto contains a large amount of intricate decorations
Beyond the grotto, cavers slide carefully between formations ...
... and emerge in another low grotto
The passage ends at the most intricate stal in Grotto Passage
The stal columns in the grotto are covered in fine helictites- We head down the main Southern trending passage; Luck of the Draw
Some parts of the passage contain extremely long selenite needles
Some of the needles are as long as 6 inches
A short section of the passage is almost filled with intricate helictites; Medusa's Children
Pity the cavers don't look as good as the formations ;)- Instead of crawling 700 m to the end of Luck of the Draw, we head into Cantankerous Surveyors' Passage
This series contains something very rare in this part of the cave; scallops
A side passage contains one of the best and most intricate formations in the country; The Geryon
The Geryon's Lair also contains some fine anthodites (aragonite needles growing from calcite)
Several hours into one of the hardest trips the cave has to offer, the four headed SBSS caver celebrates having made it so far
After a quick look around Cantankerous Surveyors' Passage, we turn around and head back out of the cave
The roofs of the Midwinter Chambers are covered in thick bunches of gypsum crystals
In some places, the gypsum is so thick that the rock can barely be seen through it
The rock in the area contains patterns made from different colours of the rock
Eye can see you! These examples are in 'Going Somewhere'
In Snowball Passage, one of the gypsum deposits has been named 'The Snowball', which is more of a landmark than an attraction
A side passage off a huge chamber leads to Nicola's Grotto
The grotto contains a large amount of intricate decorations
Beyond the grotto, cavers slide carefully between formations ...
... and emerge in another low grotto
The passage ends at the most intricate stal in Grotto Passage
The stal columns in the grotto are covered in fine helictites
Some parts of the passage contain extremely long selenite needles
Some of the needles are as long as 6 inches
A short section of the passage is almost filled with intricate helictites; Medusa's Children
Pity the cavers don't look as good as the formations ;)
This series contains something very rare in this part of the cave; scallops
A side passage contains one of the best and most intricate formations in the country; The Geryon
The Geryon's Lair also contains some fine anthodites (aragonite needles growing from calcite)
Several hours into one of the hardest trips the cave has to offer, the four headed SBSS caver celebrates having made it so far
After a quick look around Cantankerous Surveyors' Passage, we turn around and head back out of the cave