OFD (Ogof Ffynnon Ddu) novice trip 15/02/2004
Photos, edits and gallery effects by Tarquin (OK, Christian took a couple).
The entrance passage starts large and quickly encounters the first stal
One stalagmite is covered in small blobs of calcite held on by tiny crystals; botryoids
The roof of the passage contains a row of stalactites exactly matching the block shape of the limestone
And in the floor are the corresponding stalagmites, looking distinctly like a set of teeth
We head up left into White Arch, which begins as a tall keyhole shaped passage
The wall of the passage contains many immature helictites
The route passes through chambers that have collapsed into the passage beneath, in this case with some stal in the chamber
The next chamber also contains a few stal columns
The way out of this chamber is another collapse, this time almost invisible until you are crawling over it
The passage underneath contains the semi-famous Minicolumns ...
... which look good from both directions - even if there are decomposing flies on them!
We head to Gnome Passage to look at the stal
One dry crystal pool shows some fine crystals
We head into Chasm Passage, which starts with some stal flows
The top of one of the stalagmites on the floor is dented from the force of the drips hitting it
The most prominent stal formation is known as The Wedding Cake
We take the steeply descending passage in the floor
The steep passage meets Salubrious Passage at a small climb
Salubrious contains a significant stream, so most people get their feet wet.
The passage is tall, and the odd rock pile makes a change from the usual moonmilk floor
There is one small cascade that requires a short traverse
We take the side passage to see the longest Stalactite in mainland Britain; The Trident - despite it appearance in this picture, the stalactite is about 5 metres long
The Judge refused to be photographed, but the curtains surrounding it seemed not to object
And neither did the one further down the passage
We take a look at the formations in Swamp Creek before heading out of the cave
Everyone sits around to enjoy the sunshine before heading back down to the SWCC hut
The view from the entrance includes the stunning mountain over the Dan-Yr Ogof cave systems
In the other direction, Swansea is almost visible in the distance
The entrance passage starts large and quickly encounters the first stal
One stalagmite is covered in small blobs of calcite held on by tiny crystals; botryoids
The roof of the passage contains a row of stalactites exactly matching the block shape of the limestone
And in the floor are the corresponding stalagmites, looking distinctly like a set of teeth
We head up left into White Arch, which begins as a tall keyhole shaped passage
The wall of the passage contains many immature helictites
The route passes through chambers that have collapsed into the passage beneath, in this case with some stal in the chamber
The next chamber also contains a few stal columns
The way out of this chamber is another collapse, this time almost invisible until you are crawling over it
The passage underneath contains the semi-famous Minicolumns ...
... which look good from both directions - even if there are decomposing flies on them!
We head to Gnome Passage to look at the stal
One dry crystal pool shows some fine crystals
We head into Chasm Passage, which starts with some stal flows
The top of one of the stalagmites on the floor is dented from the force of the drips hitting it
The most prominent stal formation is known as The Wedding Cake
We take the steeply descending passage in the floor
The steep passage meets Salubrious Passage at a small climb
Salubrious contains a significant stream, so most people get their feet wet.
The passage is tall, and the odd rock pile makes a change from the usual moonmilk floor
There is one small cascade that requires a short traverse
We take the side passage to see the longest Stalactite in mainland Britain; The Trident - despite it appearance in this picture, the stalactite is about 5 metres long
The Judge refused to be photographed, but the curtains surrounding it seemed not to object
And neither did the one further down the passage
We take a look at the formations in Swamp Creek before heading out of the cave
Everyone sits around to enjoy the sunshine before heading back down to the SWCC hut
The view from the entrance includes the stunning mountain over the Dan-Yr Ogof cave systems
In the other direction, Swansea is almost visible in the distance