Dan-yr-Ogof Far North trip 25/03/2018
Unless otherwise stated, camera, setups, lighting, edits and gallery effects by Tarquin. Modelling by Peter Wilton-Jones and Pete Bolt.
This was my first ever trip as an official Dan-yr-Ogof leader, and we had waited a couple of months for our availability and the weather to line up. It was intended to be a trip to the Far North to complete a search for possible cryostal, but turned out to be fruitless. However, with this being one of the most beautiful caves in the UK in terms of formations and passages, and with two of the cavers being photographers, it turned into a photography trip too. These pictures were taken using a phone camera and caplamps rather than a proper camera and flashes, so please enjoy what they are, and don't expect miracles.
The pictures will ignore the usual formations between the lakes and the Green Canal, as well as the stunning Upper Series and Pinnacle Series, which were photographed instead on the next 2 trips. Pictures were taken on the way out, so the direction of travel will be reversed. For those who are interested, the entire trip, including the Right Hand Series and photography, took 7 hours and 40 minutes.
Almost immediately after the showcave ends, the real caving begins, starting with a series of lakes which need to be waded. This is the start of Lake 3, and one of my favourite pictures from this set. The beer-like foam is flood scum, froth from biological compounds washed into the cave. With this much of it, the cave has clearly been in flood very recently. In fact, the previous day, a team had decided not to continue in case the water rose and blocked the passage. In the most severe floods, the water has been seen about 4 metres above the ceiling here, all the way up to the handrail in the showcave.
Modelling and lighting by Peter and Pete
Lake 3 rapidly gets very deep on the right wall, and just around the corner to the right, it drops into a sump which takes the entire flow of the river. This is also one of my least favourite parts of this cave, as the flow can be quite strong, even though it is possible to swim against it. When wearing caving gear, swimming is much harder, and when carrying a bag full of equipment, it is worse.
Modelling by Peter and Pete, lighting by Tarquin, Peter and Pete
The worst part of the lake. The water is deep enough in most conditions that the floor cannot be touched, and progress is made by gripping the almost non-existent holds on the left wall, and pulling along it. In drought conditions, a line of rocks can be used as footholds, about 60 cm from the wall. In this picture, Peter (left) is taking a picture of Pete, while gripping the wall with his elbow and treading water! Where Pete is standing, a line of rocks can be used to cross the arch to its shallower right side, to continue upstream in armpit-deep water. This passage had fresh flood scum all along the ceiling, implying that it had flooded to the roof in the last week. To the right of the cavers is a second deep sump - with no flow this time - which divers can use as a shortcut into the next section of dry cave.
Modelling by Peter and Pete, lighting by Tarquin, Peter and Pete, edits by Peter
A series of cascades then reaches Lake 4, another wade with some deep sections if you fail to follow the correct line.
Modelling and edits by Peter, lighting by Tarquin and Pete
One of my favourite formations, a two-tone stalagmite, in the dry cave beyond the lakes. The black bit (naturally stained with manganese oxide) looks like deep water, with the small stalagmites being boats moving through it, creating their own bow waves of white water.
Lighting by Peter
Dan-yr-Ogof I ends, not at the expected sump, but at the Long Crawl. This starts with a feature called The Cattle Trough, where the little wall on the left holds back a pool of water, requiring a very damp crawl onwards.
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin
Stal in Virgin Passage, part of the Lower Series seen on the Round Trip.
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin and Pete
Deep gour pools of Virgin Passage. Unlike the Green Canal, these are really quite lovely and inviting, and swimming is not required.
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin, Pete and Peter
Curtain in Virgin Passage. Unfortunately too thick to shine a light through, or this would have been a very different picture.
Modelling by Peter, lighting by Tarquin
Cave pearls on the curtain formation.
The Washing Machine, an incredibly powerful waterspout, where the entire river thunders from a small tube into a deep sump, and disappears. This picture is taken from the natural rock bridge that spans the sump pool, which is used as the path to cross it. The water levels were high enough that the overflow tubes were also flowing.
Modelling by Peter, lighting by Pete and Peter
A series of climbs in a phreatic maze then marks the start of Bakerloo Straight, one of the finest phreatic tubes in the UK. Unlike the famous example in Peak Cavern (which is big and round for only a very short section), this one keeps going, retaining its beautiful circles and ellipses for quite some distance.
Modelling by Peter, lighting by Peter and Pete
Waterspout in Bakerloo Straight.
Modelling by Peter, lighting by Peter and Pete
About half way along Bakerloo Straight.
Modelling and lighting by Peter and Pete
The end of Bakerloo Straight.
Modelling and lighting by Peter and Pete
A climb then reaches the smaller Thixotropic Passage, named for its deep mud banks, which show evidence of regular flooding. Oddly, streams flow into each end of this passage, disappearing down a tiny hole half way along.
Modelling and lighting by Peter and Pete
The mudbanks are home to a thriving colony of earthworms, which survive only on the nutrition brought in by the floods, and somehow manage to avoid drowning.
The oddly textured mud may appear to be frost damage (a cryogenic feature), but is in fact an extensive set of wormcasts, smoothed by flooding.
An awkward obstacle from either direction, the Camel's Back requires a slippery chimney up, then a careful slide or chimney down. This is the super fun happy slide technique, bridging the gaps and sliding down without falling down the holes. For those who find the Camel's Back too difficult, it is possible to stay at floor level, wriggling along in the stream that flows through the narrow cleft.
Modelling by Peter, lighting by Pete
View from the top of the Camel's Back
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin and Pete
The Abyss, an immense, phreatic chamber that links all of the different levels. The Camel's Back is behind the camera. Dali's Delight is up a climb to the left. The shadowy passage at the top on the right is Trench Way, the way on, and the connection to the Green Canal route. To get there, the lit tube on the right is a very slippery chimney up, assisted by ropes and a ladder.
Modelling by Peter and Pete, lighting by Tarquin, Peter and Pete
A pre-rigged ladder pitch and roped climb reaches Windy Way, a small tube that bypasses a sump. A pitch down then gains this beautifully helictite decorated section, known as Birthday Passage.
Long helictite with a drip.
Helictite-covered straws tucked into a cleft.
Long helictites growing from a straw.
Straws with helictites.
Pinnacle Chamber, the largest part of the Great North Road, with its distinctive rock pinnacle. Sadly, this picture does it no justice at all. We needed an extra person to stand in the distance to give some scale to this passage, as they would have appeared as a tiny shadow among the giant boulders.
Modelling by Peter and Pete, lighting by Tarquin, Peter and Pete
Stal in North Bypass.
Modelling by Peter, lighting by Pete and Peter
Its most beautiful translucent curtain.
Lighting by Peter
False floor with an exposed drip pocket, at the entrance to The Mostest.
Lighting by Peter and Pete
The Mostest, a highlight of the northern visits, being the mostest beautifulest prettifulest bestest passage ever! A phreatic tube oxbow with the floor being made of a lengthy frozen river of gours and crystal pools.
Modelling and lighting by Pete and Peter
Orange crystal pools in the floor of The Mostest.
Lighting by Peter
Translucent curtain.
Lighting by Peter
Four-horned stalagmite group.
Pool detail.
Source of the calcite river, with its suggestive shape. It has been visited at some point to check that it goes nowhere, but we do not enter this passage, in order to preserve the immaculate floor.
Simple formations.
Calcited sand.
Calcite cascades looking almost like waterfalls, on a beautiful sweeping bend.
Modelling by Peter and Pete, lighting by Tarquin, Peter and Pete
Detail of the calcite cascades, showing the contrast between the deep blue and pure white.
Stal flow at a complete sand blockage. Here, we take an oxbow to the oxbow, to continue along the passage.
Lighting by Tarquin and Peter
Rim of a dried crystal pool.
Detail of the crystals.
Detail of the crystals.
Detail of the crystals.
Stacked calcite rafts, which would have floated on the water when the pool was still active.
A climb up then leads into Overpass Passage, which bypasses a massive sand blockage at the end of the Great North Road. This has its own ridiculous share of these incredible, layered sand banks. The pink sand is from Old Red Sandstone, which lies in the beds below the limestone, but which is exposed at the peaks of the mountains due to the dip of the beds in this area. The amount of sandbanks here show that the passage has been repeatedly filled with sand and gravel, then largely washed clean by the flow of water since the various ice ages. This makes it highly unlikely that any cryostal could be found here.
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin and Peter
An early part of the Left Hand Series, the main way on.
Modelling and lighting by Pete and Peter
The Grand Hall, the largest passage in the cave (mostly the same dimensions as Pinnacle Chamber, but much wider at its far end), with The Far North starting at its far end.
Modelling and lighting by Pete and Peter
Two tone flowstone in the Right Hand Series, a much tougher passage without a substatial reward for the effort. The pink stain appears to be caused by minerals from the Old Red Sandstone.
Lighting by Tarquin and Peter
The pretty middle section of the Right Hand Series, between the two tougher sections.
Lighting by Tarquin and Peter
Ice Cream Aven, with more pink staining.
Lighting by Tarquin and Peter
Ice Cream Aven.
Lighting by Tarquin and Peter
Floor of Ice Cream Aven, a drained crystal pool with a mix of sharp and rounded crystals.
Almost immediately after the showcave ends, the real caving begins, starting with a series of lakes which need to be waded. This is the start of Lake 3, and one of my favourite pictures from this set. The beer-like foam is flood scum, froth from biological compounds washed into the cave. With this much of it, the cave has clearly been in flood very recently. In fact, the previous day, a team had decided not to continue in case the water rose and blocked the passage. In the most severe floods, the water has been seen about 4 metres above the ceiling here, all the way up to the handrail in the showcave.
Modelling and lighting by Peter and Pete
Lake 3 rapidly gets very deep on the right wall, and just around the corner to the right, it drops into a sump which takes the entire flow of the river. This is also one of my least favourite parts of this cave, as the flow can be quite strong, even though it is possible to swim against it. When wearing caving gear, swimming is much harder, and when carrying a bag full of equipment, it is worse.
Modelling by Peter and Pete, lighting by Tarquin, Peter and Pete
The worst part of the lake. The water is deep enough in most conditions that the floor cannot be touched, and progress is made by gripping the almost non-existent holds on the left wall, and pulling along it. In drought conditions, a line of rocks can be used as footholds, about 60 cm from the wall. In this picture, Peter (left) is taking a picture of Pete, while gripping the wall with his elbow and treading water! Where Pete is standing, a line of rocks can be used to cross the arch to its shallower right side, to continue upstream in armpit-deep water. This passage had fresh flood scum all along the ceiling, implying that it had flooded to the roof in the last week. To the right of the cavers is a second deep sump - with no flow this time - which divers can use as a shortcut into the next section of dry cave.
Modelling by Peter and Pete, lighting by Tarquin, Peter and Pete, edits by Peter
A series of cascades then reaches Lake 4, another wade with some deep sections if you fail to follow the correct line.
Modelling and edits by Peter, lighting by Tarquin and Pete
One of my favourite formations, a two-tone stalagmite, in the dry cave beyond the lakes. The black bit (naturally stained with manganese oxide) looks like deep water, with the small stalagmites being boats moving through it, creating their own bow waves of white water.
Lighting by Peter
Dan-yr-Ogof I ends, not at the expected sump, but at the Long Crawl. This starts with a feature called The Cattle Trough, where the little wall on the left holds back a pool of water, requiring a very damp crawl onwards.
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin
Stal in Virgin Passage, part of the Lower Series seen on the Round Trip.
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin and Pete
Deep gour pools of Virgin Passage. Unlike the Green Canal, these are really quite lovely and inviting, and swimming is not required.
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin, Pete and Peter
Curtain in Virgin Passage. Unfortunately too thick to shine a light through, or this would have been a very different picture.
Modelling by Peter, lighting by Tarquin
Cave pearls on the curtain formation.
The Washing Machine, an incredibly powerful waterspout, where the entire river thunders from a small tube into a deep sump, and disappears. This picture is taken from the natural rock bridge that spans the sump pool, which is used as the path to cross it. The water levels were high enough that the overflow tubes were also flowing.
Modelling by Peter, lighting by Pete and Peter
A series of climbs in a phreatic maze then marks the start of Bakerloo Straight, one of the finest phreatic tubes in the UK. Unlike the famous example in Peak Cavern (which is big and round for only a very short section), this one keeps going, retaining its beautiful circles and ellipses for quite some distance.
Modelling by Peter, lighting by Peter and Pete
Waterspout in Bakerloo Straight.
Modelling by Peter, lighting by Peter and Pete
About half way along Bakerloo Straight.
Modelling and lighting by Peter and Pete
The end of Bakerloo Straight.
Modelling and lighting by Peter and Pete
A climb then reaches the smaller Thixotropic Passage, named for its deep mud banks, which show evidence of regular flooding. Oddly, streams flow into each end of this passage, disappearing down a tiny hole half way along.
Modelling and lighting by Peter and Pete
The mudbanks are home to a thriving colony of earthworms, which survive only on the nutrition brought in by the floods, and somehow manage to avoid drowning.
The oddly textured mud may appear to be frost damage (a cryogenic feature), but is in fact an extensive set of wormcasts, smoothed by flooding.
An awkward obstacle from either direction, the Camel's Back requires a slippery chimney up, then a careful slide or chimney down. This is the super fun happy slide technique, bridging the gaps and sliding down without falling down the holes. For those who find the Camel's Back too difficult, it is possible to stay at floor level, wriggling along in the stream that flows through the narrow cleft.
Modelling by Peter, lighting by Pete
View from the top of the Camel's Back
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin and Pete
The Abyss, an immense, phreatic chamber that links all of the different levels. The Camel's Back is behind the camera. Dali's Delight is up a climb to the left. The shadowy passage at the top on the right is Trench Way, the way on, and the connection to the Green Canal route. To get there, the lit tube on the right is a very slippery chimney up, assisted by ropes and a ladder.
Modelling by Peter and Pete, lighting by Tarquin, Peter and Pete
A pre-rigged ladder pitch and roped climb reaches Windy Way, a small tube that bypasses a sump. A pitch down then gains this beautifully helictite decorated section, known as Birthday Passage.
Long helictite with a drip.
Helictite-covered straws tucked into a cleft.
Long helictites growing from a straw.
Straws with helictites.
Pinnacle Chamber, the largest part of the Great North Road, with its distinctive rock pinnacle. Sadly, this picture does it no justice at all. We needed an extra person to stand in the distance to give some scale to this passage, as they would have appeared as a tiny shadow among the giant boulders.
Modelling by Peter and Pete, lighting by Tarquin, Peter and Pete
Stal in North Bypass.
Modelling by Peter, lighting by Pete and Peter
Its most beautiful translucent curtain.
Lighting by Peter
False floor with an exposed drip pocket, at the entrance to The Mostest.
Lighting by Peter and Pete
The Mostest, a highlight of the northern visits, being the mostest beautifulest prettifulest bestest passage ever! A phreatic tube oxbow with the floor being made of a lengthy frozen river of gours and crystal pools.
Modelling and lighting by Pete and Peter
Orange crystal pools in the floor of The Mostest.
Lighting by Peter
Translucent curtain.
Lighting by Peter
Four-horned stalagmite group.
Pool detail.
Source of the calcite river, with its suggestive shape. It has been visited at some point to check that it goes nowhere, but we do not enter this passage, in order to preserve the immaculate floor.
Simple formations.
Calcited sand.
Calcite cascades looking almost like waterfalls, on a beautiful sweeping bend.
Modelling by Peter and Pete, lighting by Tarquin, Peter and Pete
Detail of the calcite cascades, showing the contrast between the deep blue and pure white.
Stal flow at a complete sand blockage. Here, we take an oxbow to the oxbow, to continue along the passage.
Lighting by Tarquin and Peter
Rim of a dried crystal pool.
Detail of the crystals.
Detail of the crystals.
Detail of the crystals.
Stacked calcite rafts, which would have floated on the water when the pool was still active.
A climb up then leads into Overpass Passage, which bypasses a massive sand blockage at the end of the Great North Road. This has its own ridiculous share of these incredible, layered sand banks. The pink sand is from Old Red Sandstone, which lies in the beds below the limestone, but which is exposed at the peaks of the mountains due to the dip of the beds in this area. The amount of sandbanks here show that the passage has been repeatedly filled with sand and gravel, then largely washed clean by the flow of water since the various ice ages. This makes it highly unlikely that any cryostal could be found here.
Modelling by Pete, lighting by Tarquin and Peter
An early part of the Left Hand Series, the main way on.
Modelling and lighting by Pete and Peter
The Grand Hall, the largest passage in the cave (mostly the same dimensions as Pinnacle Chamber, but much wider at its far end), with The Far North starting at its far end.
Modelling and lighting by Pete and Peter
Two tone flowstone in the Right Hand Series, a much tougher passage without a substatial reward for the effort. The pink stain appears to be caused by minerals from the Old Red Sandstone.
Lighting by Tarquin and Peter
The pretty middle section of the Right Hand Series, between the two tougher sections.
Lighting by Tarquin and Peter
Ice Cream Aven, with more pink staining.
Lighting by Tarquin and Peter
Ice Cream Aven.
Lighting by Tarquin and Peter
Floor of Ice Cream Aven, a drained crystal pool with a mix of sharp and rounded crystals.