Agen Allwedd Main Passage trip 21/02/2022
Unless otherwise stated, camera, setups, lighting, edits and gallery effects by Tarquin. Modelling and lighting at various points will be Steph Andrews.
This trip was intentionally made longer than a standard trip, to push some limits, and forge some new skills, with traverses and climbs, and sheer endurance. It took a total of 7 hours and 40 minutes. Part of that was made up from Steph accidentally losing an elbow pad in the First Boulder Choke, which added on my time to race back from the final traverse near the entrance where I noticed it was missing, all the way to the choke, searching for it. So I did the Entrance Series 4 times instead of 2.
Walking the Hafod path towards the Mynydd Llangatwg Escarpment (530 metres; may also be written as Llangattock, if you can somehow cope with "y", "dd" and "ll", but for some reason not "wg" - crazy Anglicisation). The entrance is at the base of the cliff in the middle (Eglwys Faen is at the left edge of the visible cliff). This part of the escarpment is the Craig y Cilau nature reserve, even though Daren Cilau is actually off to the left of the picture. The valley separating the escarpment from the huge morraine is Cwm Onnau Fach. Oh, and the mountains in the background are Mynydd Llangorse (515 metres), Mynydd Troed (609 metres) and Pen Allt-mawr (719 metres).
The Ogof Gam entrance to Agen Allwedd, the only one that is in regular use. As with all the entrances here, this was discovered by the very shallow quarrying which took place along the bottom of the escarpment.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Sol
Metellina merianae spider, the less common British cave spider. This one is an adult female. They are much smaller than the standard European cave spider, and have much more bold markings on a brighter carapace. The brighter legs have spots as well as colour bands. They seem to be less photophobic (afraid of light) than a European cave spider, and stay still enough to allow close-up photographs.
Modelling by Delyth
The awkward rift near the entrance.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
One of the traverses early on in the entrance series.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
After the streams have joined, where the going gets a little easier.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Traversing over the stream.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Keyhole shaped section of the Entrance Series
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The exposed nodular bed at Angels Roost. The nodules appear to be fossilised brain corals (much more visible in other parts of the cave). The name is the name of a person, and should probably be pronounced as the Spanish name Ángel, not the english word angel.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Baron's Chamber, the start of Main Passage, and the end of the Entrance Series.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Main Passage, the most comfortable big passage of any of the caves in South Wales. Running is entirely possible.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Mud cracks. This is what the whole passage will have looked like when it was discovered. Modern conservation would have preserved a lot more of it.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The mud cracks.
Lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Main Passage, with an old water level now visible on the walls.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Main Passage, with the old water level now quite prominent.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The large part of Main Passage as it passes Southern Stream Passage.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Selenite crystals in the mud beyond Southern Stream Passage.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Selenite crystals.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The longest crystals are about 15 cm (6 inches).
Selenite crystals.
The Music Hall, a wide part of the passage, which has a music stand.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Where Steph got Rickrolled.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The Cliffs of Dover.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
At North Wing, we then headed through the crawls into Aven Series.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
A selection of the mud sculptures in the large chamber of Aven Series.
Lighting by Tarquin and Steph
We then returned to Cliffs Of Dover, and headed into Ace Of Spades Inlet. This is a much more demanding passage, with some parts needing a traverse at the top, and others needing you to stay with the stream.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The passage is actually fairly comfortable in places, but it makes you work in between.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The aven with its black coating that gives Ace Of Spades its name.
Lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Ace Of Spades has a small round trip, but to complete it, you have to walk through the waterfall from the aven. It had been particularly wet recently, and many of the cave's streams were running high.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Anastomoses (the initial solutional channels that formed the passage) on the ceiling of Trident Passage.
Lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Climb up the layered sediment bank at the end of the large section of Trident Passage. The way on is at the top of the rope, 650 metres of flat out crawling with only a couple of places to turn around. A true collector's piece.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Selenite in the large part of Upper Southern Stream Passage.
Lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Upper Southern Stream Passage then suddenly shrinks in size (the large passage gets donated to Sandstone Passage). So we paid a quick visit to Southern Stream Passage instead, stopping just before First Inlet.
Lighting by Tarquin and Steph
We then took another detour into Main Stream Passage. The river was running high after days of rain, but was on its way back down again.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The tiny amount of stal that passes for formations in this cave.
A beautifully ornate dorsal spine of a Ctenacanthus proto-shark (early shark), stuck in the side of a rock in Main Stream Passage. This is the bone that would have held up its dorsal fin.
Main Stream Passage is large, but there are several places where you have to stoop under an undercut.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
A narrower section. A lot more of the streamway is tall and narrow, but this is unusual for the first part of the Main Stream Passage.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Climb down in the section of passage between the two chokes that make up Second Boulder Choke. This one can prove a little challenging to those with shorter legs, but Steph coped without assistance.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The traverse into a roof tube that follows the climb.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Flood scum showing the very significant water depth from the day before, at Second Boulder Choke.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The second part of Second Boulder Choke is the most significant part (the two chokes are completely unrelated). The way on is to drop down that hole in the floor, and crawl along at stream level. It is the part that can sump in flood, and the route over the top of the choke is loose, and reserved only for recues. As a result, we went no further, as there was no need to get soaked.
We ended our visit with a climb up into Mud Rose Chamber, above the choke. Another climb which Steph managed unassisted.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Walking the Hafod path towards the Mynydd Llangatwg Escarpment (530 metres; may also be written as Llangattock, if you can somehow cope with "y", "dd" and "ll", but for some reason not "wg" - crazy Anglicisation). The entrance is at the base of the cliff in the middle (Eglwys Faen is at the left edge of the visible cliff). This part of the escarpment is the Craig y Cilau nature reserve, even though Daren Cilau is actually off to the left of the picture. The valley separating the escarpment from the huge morraine is Cwm Onnau Fach. Oh, and the mountains in the background are Mynydd Llangorse (515 metres), Mynydd Troed (609 metres) and Pen Allt-mawr (719 metres).
The Ogof Gam entrance to Agen Allwedd, the only one that is in regular use. As with all the entrances here, this was discovered by the very shallow quarrying which took place along the bottom of the escarpment.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Sol
Metellina merianae spider, the less common British cave spider. This one is an adult female. They are much smaller than the standard European cave spider, and have much more bold markings on a brighter carapace. The brighter legs have spots as well as colour bands. They seem to be less photophobic (afraid of light) than a European cave spider, and stay still enough to allow close-up photographs.
Modelling by Delyth
The awkward rift near the entrance.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
One of the traverses early on in the entrance series.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
After the streams have joined, where the going gets a little easier.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Traversing over the stream.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Keyhole shaped section of the Entrance Series
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The exposed nodular bed at Angels Roost. The nodules appear to be fossilised brain corals (much more visible in other parts of the cave). The name is the name of a person, and should probably be pronounced as the Spanish name Ángel, not the english word angel.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Baron's Chamber, the start of Main Passage, and the end of the Entrance Series.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Main Passage, the most comfortable big passage of any of the caves in South Wales. Running is entirely possible.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Mud cracks. This is what the whole passage will have looked like when it was discovered. Modern conservation would have preserved a lot more of it.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The mud cracks.
Lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Main Passage, with an old water level now visible on the walls.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Main Passage, with the old water level now quite prominent.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The large part of Main Passage as it passes Southern Stream Passage.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Selenite crystals in the mud beyond Southern Stream Passage.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Selenite crystals.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The longest crystals are about 15 cm (6 inches).
Selenite crystals.
The Music Hall, a wide part of the passage, which has a music stand.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Where Steph got Rickrolled.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The Cliffs of Dover.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
At North Wing, we then headed through the crawls into Aven Series.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
A selection of the mud sculptures in the large chamber of Aven Series.
Lighting by Tarquin and Steph
We then returned to Cliffs Of Dover, and headed into Ace Of Spades Inlet. This is a much more demanding passage, with some parts needing a traverse at the top, and others needing you to stay with the stream.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The passage is actually fairly comfortable in places, but it makes you work in between.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The aven with its black coating that gives Ace Of Spades its name.
Lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Ace Of Spades has a small round trip, but to complete it, you have to walk through the waterfall from the aven. It had been particularly wet recently, and many of the cave's streams were running high.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Anastomoses (the initial solutional channels that formed the passage) on the ceiling of Trident Passage.
Lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Climb up the layered sediment bank at the end of the large section of Trident Passage. The way on is at the top of the rope, 650 metres of flat out crawling with only a couple of places to turn around. A true collector's piece.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Selenite in the large part of Upper Southern Stream Passage.
Lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Upper Southern Stream Passage then suddenly shrinks in size (the large passage gets donated to Sandstone Passage). So we paid a quick visit to Southern Stream Passage instead, stopping just before First Inlet.
Lighting by Tarquin and Steph
We then took another detour into Main Stream Passage. The river was running high after days of rain, but was on its way back down again.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The tiny amount of stal that passes for formations in this cave.
A beautifully ornate dorsal spine of a Ctenacanthus proto-shark (early shark), stuck in the side of a rock in Main Stream Passage. This is the bone that would have held up its dorsal fin.
Main Stream Passage is large, but there are several places where you have to stoop under an undercut.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
A narrower section. A lot more of the streamway is tall and narrow, but this is unusual for the first part of the Main Stream Passage.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Climb down in the section of passage between the two chokes that make up Second Boulder Choke. This one can prove a little challenging to those with shorter legs, but Steph coped without assistance.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The traverse into a roof tube that follows the climb.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
Flood scum showing the very significant water depth from the day before, at Second Boulder Choke.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph
The second part of Second Boulder Choke is the most significant part (the two chokes are completely unrelated). The way on is to drop down that hole in the floor, and crawl along at stream level. It is the part that can sump in flood, and the route over the top of the choke is loose, and reserved only for recues. As a result, we went no further, as there was no need to get soaked.
We ended our visit with a climb up into Mud Rose Chamber, above the choke. Another climb which Steph managed unassisted.
Modelling by Steph, lighting by Tarquin and Steph