South wales trips 14-15/05/2022
Unless otherwise stated, camera, setups, lighting, edits and gallery effects by Tarquin. Modelling and lighting at various points will be Gwenllian Tawy.
This gallery includes Ogof Craig a Ffynnon and Pant Mawr Pot. The caves had been visited before, so the gallery will be shorter than usual. However, the previous visit to Pant Mawr Pot missed out on the upstream end beyond the waterfall, and the last part before the sump (due to high water in both cases), so those were photographed on this trip instead.
Peacock butterfly in the Clydach Gorge.
Modelling by Billie Paula
View of the Clydach Gorge from the Darren Ddu quarries, at the entrance of Ogof Craig a Ffynnon. On the far side of the gorge is Llanelly Quarry, with the Llanelly Hill village of Waunllapria above it; my childhood home.
Gasoline Alley, so dry that there was no stream, and no puddles down its length. However, the main wet crawl was still insultingly wet, even in these drought conditions.
Travertine Passage's gour/travertine pools were empty to the point that the mud in them was drying out and cracking. Even in low water, these normally have static pools, while in high water, there is a stream flowing across the whole width of the passage.
Formations above the junction with Promised Land. These are high above, and this picture has always tested the digital zoom of various cameras. This camera (Samsung Galaxy S20+) struggled too.
Lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The pagoda, one of the most iconic formations in the cave.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Double stalagmite at The Pagoda, which looks suspiciously like a certain type of rabbit.
Lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
And an appropriately hairy stalactite.
Lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Hapus iawn, nesa at y Pagoda.
Modelling by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The recently completed dual carriageway, running down the gorge, looking towards Gilwern Hill (441 metres). The main gorge is down in the trees to the right. The point where the wall on the left ends, just before it drops down to a grassy patch, was the former site of the Drum And Monkey Inn, one of the best gastro pubs in the valley, which was removed to make way for the road widening. In the gorge to its right is the entrance of Ogof Capel, and on the far side of the gorge at the same point is the entrance to Shakespeare's Cave.
The path through the beechwoods, from Devil's Bridge to Gellifelen, bathed in evening light.
Violet in the woods.
The native British bluebell, in Cwm Clydach.
Cwm Clydach Beechwoods, above Ogof Clogwyn. The majority of this valley would once have been beechwoods, but most were removed for firewood during the industrial revolution. This area was too steep to allow easy logging, so its ancient trees have survived.
Ogof Clogwyn, the most popular of the little caves in the gorge. The climb up is easier than it looks.
Modelling by Gwenllian
Railway tunnel at Gellifelen, dating from the industrial revolution.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Gwenllian and Sol
The passageway linking the two tunnels, which for some reason has a false warning claiming that it may have bad air; there was a very strong wind blowing between the tunnels, and the air was perfectly fine. The passage is open to the surface at all ends, and there is nowhere for bad air to settle.
Modelling by Gwenllian
The other end of the passage, where it enters the other tunnel. You have to crawl through.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Probable railway artefacts. Further on, there were a lot more things in the tunnel, mostly dumped rubbish.
Lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The second passage linking the tunnels, which is very wet.
Entrance to Llanelly Quarry, with its helical brickwork.
Ivy-leaved toadflax at Llanelly Quarry.
Entrance to Llanelly Quarry Pot, the first cave where I used SRT.
View from Llanelly Quarry, over the mouth of the Clydach Gorge. The mountains are Pen Cerrig-calch (701 metres) - the highest piece of limestone in Wales, Table Mountain/Mynydd y Begwn/Crug Hywel (451 metres), Pen y Gadair Fawr (800 metres), Pen Twyn Mawr (658 metres), Pen Gwyllt Meirch (580 metres), Disgwylfa (540 metres), Crug Mawr (550 metres) and the iconic Sugar Loaf (596 metres).
Modelling by Gwenllian
View from Waunllapria, the view that I grew up with. Mynydd Llangatwg/Llangattock (530 metres and 529 metres), Pen Allt-mawr (719 metres), Pen Cerrig-calch, Table Mountain/Mynydd y Begwn/Crug Hywel, Pen y Gadair Fawr, Pen Twyn Mawr, Pen Gwyllt Meirch, Disgwylfa, Crug Mawr, Sugar Loaf and Gilwern Hill. Mynydd Llangatwg houses the major caves of Agen Allwedd, Eglwys Faen, Daren Cilau, Ogof Capel and Ogof Craig a Ffynnon, with the entrance to Ogof Craig a Ffynnon in the quarry to the left of the big tree. Gilwern Hill houses the northern end of Ogof Draenen.
Carreg Lwyd, as seen from Penwyllt.
Modelling by The Woolen Dots
Wood forget-me-nots and Welsh poppies at Penwyllt.
View from the quarries near The Stump. Bryn Bugeiliaid (382 metres), Hirfynydd (481 metres), Mynydd y Drum (297 metres), Mynydd Marchywel (418 metres and 369 metres), Mynydd Allt-y-grug (338 metres), Cribarth (428 metres), Carreg Goch (558 metres), Fan Hir (761 metres), Moel Feity (591 metres), Cefn Cul (561 metres), Fan Gyhirych (725 metres), Fan Fraith (668 metres), Carreg Cadno (538 metres) and its Carreg Lwyd outcrop.
Saxifrage on the quarries near The Stump. I was not able to determine exactly which version of Saxifrage this is, but it looks closest to tufted Alpine saxifrage, or Chinese jaajimalle, neither of which are native species.
Dor beetle, a large species of dung beetle that feasts on cow pats. Yummy.
Modelling by Guano Collier
View over Cwm Tawe; Carreg Lwyd, Hirfynydd, Mynydd y Drum, Mynydd Marchywel, Mynydd Allt-y-grug, Cribarth (428 metres), Mynydd Uchaf (357 metres and 352 metres), Mynydd y Betws (max. 371 metres), Carreg Goch, Disgwlfa (544 metres), Garreg Las (635 metres), Fan Hir, Moel Feity, Cefn Cul, Fan Gyhirych and Carreg Cadno.
Modelling by Tarquin's shadow, three strangers and a dog which I have decided is called Plughair
Do you ever get that feeling...
Modelling by Ryanair's view of their customers
View from the flanks of Carreg Cadno; Garreg Las, Fan Hir, Fan Brycheiniog (802 metres), Fan Gyhirych, Fan Fraith and Fan Nedd (663 metres). The large scar in front of the trees on the left is Pwll Byfre, the major upstream sink of Ogof Ffynnon Ddu.
View over Pant Mawr from Carn yr Onnen; Fan Fraith, Fan Nedd, Fan Llia (632 metres), a distant Cefn yr Ystrad (617 metres), Craig y Llyn (600 metres), Hirfynydd and Carreg Cadno. Pant Mawr Pot sits immediately to the right of the forest.
Modelling by Gwenllian
The pitch into Pant Mawr Pot.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin, Gwenllian and Sol
Newt below the pitch. Careful examination confirmed that this is a palmate newt, which is what had been suspected due to the acidic bog on the surface.
Modelling by Carys
Climbing up the bypass to the upstream waterfall.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Head of the climb. The passages up here are all low beddings, very different from the rifts below the waterfall, and the grand trunk passage further downstream.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The rock here is absolutely loaded with lithostrotion fossils.
Lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Section along some of the lithostrotion arms.
Cobble floored bedding.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The stream is met, and flows out in a low bedding to one side, on its way to the waterfall.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Lithostrotion fossils in the low bedding.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Lithostrotion fossil.
Large lithostrotion fossil in the ceiling.
Lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Lithostrotion fossil.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Admiring the fossils.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The upstream passage quickly reaches a low area filled with cobbles. Although there was no actual sump visible, it felt like it was about to sump. The flow seems to come from some choked rifts to the left here. The cobbles would significantly hamper any exploration attempts, but the stream sink must be a very short distance upstream, so there is not likely to be much more cave to be found anyway.
Grotto tucked below the boulders at the downstream end of The Oxbow.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The Dining Table. The way into The Chapel is immediately afterwards on the left.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Miniature columns and helictites in The Chapel.
Curtins in the chamber above The Chapel.
Helictites hidden behind a boulder in the chamber above The Chapel.
It had rained overnight, but not for long. The cave had apparently responded very rapidly, as the downstream end had very obvious, fresh flood scum.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Tooth, probably a horse tooth.
Modelling by Gwenllian and parts of Shadow Of The Beacons, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The fresh flood scum was as much as 2 metres up the walls, with very recent scum another metre higher. This is during a drought. The flooding in this cave is crazy!
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The downstream sump, which is always silted up too much for diving. That explains the flooding; the water must back up from here.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The challenging climb into The Organ Loft. This is particularly difficult for shorter cavers, as it requires a wide stance across the passage, then switching to shoulders on one wall and feet on the other. Nevertheless, Gwenllian made it look easy on the way up. The way down proved a little more challenging, but was done without needing any equipment.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Common froglet found washed in to The Vestry. Not a good place at all for a frog.
Modelling by Frodo, Gwenllian and Tarquin, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
He was carried out in a rather undignified manner, trying to avoid squashing his pocket with a chest harness during the prusik out. He observed the progress through a small hole.
Modelling by Frodo and parts of Tarquin, camera and setup by Gwenllian, lighting by Gwenllian, Tarquin and Sol
Common lizard, apparently male, who had been found incapacitated in the shakehole near the lip of the pitch. He had been moved to a better spot by another caver.
Modelling by Bilbo
Brown tinted common frog found in Chas's Dig.
Modelling by Samwise
Incredible swarm of tadpoles in a nearby pond.
Modelling by Haid Larfa
The froglets were given a new home by the pond, and immediately swam off to live among the tadpoles.
Modelling by Frodo and Haid Larfa
Peacock butterfly in the Clydach Gorge.
Modelling by Billie Paula
View of the Clydach Gorge from the Darren Ddu quarries, at the entrance of Ogof Craig a Ffynnon. On the far side of the gorge is Llanelly Quarry, with the Llanelly Hill village of Waunllapria above it; my childhood home.
Gasoline Alley, so dry that there was no stream, and no puddles down its length. However, the main wet crawl was still insultingly wet, even in these drought conditions.
Travertine Passage's gour/travertine pools were empty to the point that the mud in them was drying out and cracking. Even in low water, these normally have static pools, while in high water, there is a stream flowing across the whole width of the passage.
Formations above the junction with Promised Land. These are high above, and this picture has always tested the digital zoom of various cameras. This camera (Samsung Galaxy S20+) struggled too.
Lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The pagoda, one of the most iconic formations in the cave.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Double stalagmite at The Pagoda, which looks suspiciously like a certain type of rabbit.
Lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
And an appropriately hairy stalactite.
Lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Hapus iawn, nesa at y Pagoda.
Modelling by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The recently completed dual carriageway, running down the gorge, looking towards Gilwern Hill (441 metres). The main gorge is down in the trees to the right. The point where the wall on the left ends, just before it drops down to a grassy patch, was the former site of the Drum And Monkey Inn, one of the best gastro pubs in the valley, which was removed to make way for the road widening. In the gorge to its right is the entrance of Ogof Capel, and on the far side of the gorge at the same point is the entrance to Shakespeare's Cave.
The path through the beechwoods, from Devil's Bridge to Gellifelen, bathed in evening light.
Violet in the woods.
The native British bluebell, in Cwm Clydach.
Cwm Clydach Beechwoods, above Ogof Clogwyn. The majority of this valley would once have been beechwoods, but most were removed for firewood during the industrial revolution. This area was too steep to allow easy logging, so its ancient trees have survived.
Ogof Clogwyn, the most popular of the little caves in the gorge. The climb up is easier than it looks.
Modelling by Gwenllian
Railway tunnel at Gellifelen, dating from the industrial revolution.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Gwenllian and Sol
The passageway linking the two tunnels, which for some reason has a false warning claiming that it may have bad air; there was a very strong wind blowing between the tunnels, and the air was perfectly fine. The passage is open to the surface at all ends, and there is nowhere for bad air to settle.
Modelling by Gwenllian
The other end of the passage, where it enters the other tunnel. You have to crawl through.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Probable railway artefacts. Further on, there were a lot more things in the tunnel, mostly dumped rubbish.
Lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The second passage linking the tunnels, which is very wet.
Entrance to Llanelly Quarry, with its helical brickwork.
Ivy-leaved toadflax at Llanelly Quarry.
Entrance to Llanelly Quarry Pot, the first cave where I used SRT.
View from Llanelly Quarry, over the mouth of the Clydach Gorge. The mountains are Pen Cerrig-calch (701 metres) - the highest piece of limestone in Wales, Table Mountain/Mynydd y Begwn/Crug Hywel (451 metres), Pen y Gadair Fawr (800 metres), Pen Twyn Mawr (658 metres), Pen Gwyllt Meirch (580 metres), Disgwylfa (540 metres), Crug Mawr (550 metres) and the iconic Sugar Loaf (596 metres).
Modelling by Gwenllian
View from Waunllapria, the view that I grew up with. Mynydd Llangatwg/Llangattock (530 metres and 529 metres), Pen Allt-mawr (719 metres), Pen Cerrig-calch, Table Mountain/Mynydd y Begwn/Crug Hywel, Pen y Gadair Fawr, Pen Twyn Mawr, Pen Gwyllt Meirch, Disgwylfa, Crug Mawr, Sugar Loaf and Gilwern Hill. Mynydd Llangatwg houses the major caves of Agen Allwedd, Eglwys Faen, Daren Cilau, Ogof Capel and Ogof Craig a Ffynnon, with the entrance to Ogof Craig a Ffynnon in the quarry to the left of the big tree. Gilwern Hill houses the northern end of Ogof Draenen.
Carreg Lwyd, as seen from Penwyllt.
Modelling by The Woolen Dots
Wood forget-me-nots and Welsh poppies at Penwyllt.
View from the quarries near The Stump. Bryn Bugeiliaid (382 metres), Hirfynydd (481 metres), Mynydd y Drum (297 metres), Mynydd Marchywel (418 metres and 369 metres), Mynydd Allt-y-grug (338 metres), Cribarth (428 metres), Carreg Goch (558 metres), Fan Hir (761 metres), Moel Feity (591 metres), Cefn Cul (561 metres), Fan Gyhirych (725 metres), Fan Fraith (668 metres), Carreg Cadno (538 metres) and its Carreg Lwyd outcrop.
Saxifrage on the quarries near The Stump. I was not able to determine exactly which version of Saxifrage this is, but it looks closest to tufted Alpine saxifrage, or Chinese jaajimalle, neither of which are native species.
Dor beetle, a large species of dung beetle that feasts on cow pats. Yummy.
Modelling by Guano Collier
View over Cwm Tawe; Carreg Lwyd, Hirfynydd, Mynydd y Drum, Mynydd Marchywel, Mynydd Allt-y-grug, Cribarth (428 metres), Mynydd Uchaf (357 metres and 352 metres), Mynydd y Betws (max. 371 metres), Carreg Goch, Disgwlfa (544 metres), Garreg Las (635 metres), Fan Hir, Moel Feity, Cefn Cul, Fan Gyhirych and Carreg Cadno.
Modelling by Tarquin's shadow, three strangers and a dog which I have decided is called Plughair
Do you ever get that feeling...
Modelling by Ryanair's view of their customers
View from the flanks of Carreg Cadno; Garreg Las, Fan Hir, Fan Brycheiniog (802 metres), Fan Gyhirych, Fan Fraith and Fan Nedd (663 metres). The large scar in front of the trees on the left is Pwll Byfre, the major upstream sink of Ogof Ffynnon Ddu.
View over Pant Mawr from Carn yr Onnen; Fan Fraith, Fan Nedd, Fan Llia (632 metres), a distant Cefn yr Ystrad (617 metres), Craig y Llyn (600 metres), Hirfynydd and Carreg Cadno. Pant Mawr Pot sits immediately to the right of the forest.
Modelling by Gwenllian
The pitch into Pant Mawr Pot.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin, Gwenllian and Sol
Newt below the pitch. Careful examination confirmed that this is a palmate newt, which is what had been suspected due to the acidic bog on the surface.
Modelling by Carys
Climbing up the bypass to the upstream waterfall.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Head of the climb. The passages up here are all low beddings, very different from the rifts below the waterfall, and the grand trunk passage further downstream.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The rock here is absolutely loaded with lithostrotion fossils.
Lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Section along some of the lithostrotion arms.
Cobble floored bedding.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The stream is met, and flows out in a low bedding to one side, on its way to the waterfall.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Lithostrotion fossils in the low bedding.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Lithostrotion fossil.
Large lithostrotion fossil in the ceiling.
Lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Lithostrotion fossil.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Admiring the fossils.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The upstream passage quickly reaches a low area filled with cobbles. Although there was no actual sump visible, it felt like it was about to sump. The flow seems to come from some choked rifts to the left here. The cobbles would significantly hamper any exploration attempts, but the stream sink must be a very short distance upstream, so there is not likely to be much more cave to be found anyway.
Grotto tucked below the boulders at the downstream end of The Oxbow.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The Dining Table. The way into The Chapel is immediately afterwards on the left.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Miniature columns and helictites in The Chapel.
Curtins in the chamber above The Chapel.
Helictites hidden behind a boulder in the chamber above The Chapel.
It had rained overnight, but not for long. The cave had apparently responded very rapidly, as the downstream end had very obvious, fresh flood scum.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Tooth, probably a horse tooth.
Modelling by Gwenllian and parts of Shadow Of The Beacons, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The fresh flood scum was as much as 2 metres up the walls, with very recent scum another metre higher. This is during a drought. The flooding in this cave is crazy!
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The downstream sump, which is always silted up too much for diving. That explains the flooding; the water must back up from here.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
The challenging climb into The Organ Loft. This is particularly difficult for shorter cavers, as it requires a wide stance across the passage, then switching to shoulders on one wall and feet on the other. Nevertheless, Gwenllian made it look easy on the way up. The way down proved a little more challenging, but was done without needing any equipment.
Modelling by Gwenllian, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
Common froglet found washed in to The Vestry. Not a good place at all for a frog.
Modelling by Frodo, Gwenllian and Tarquin, lighting by Tarquin and Gwenllian
He was carried out in a rather undignified manner, trying to avoid squashing his pocket with a chest harness during the prusik out. He observed the progress through a small hole.
Modelling by Frodo and parts of Tarquin, camera and setup by Gwenllian, lighting by Gwenllian, Tarquin and Sol
Common lizard, apparently male, who had been found incapacitated in the shakehole near the lip of the pitch. He had been moved to a better spot by another caver.
Modelling by Bilbo
Brown tinted common frog found in Chas's Dig.
Modelling by Samwise
Incredible swarm of tadpoles in a nearby pond.
Modelling by Haid Larfa
The froglets were given a new home by the pond, and immediately swam off to live among the tadpoles.
Modelling by Frodo and Haid Larfa