Speed Caving - Ogof Pont Gam to Ogof Nant Rhin

After much deliberating we decided on a plan to complete an Ogof Pont Gam to Ogof Nant Rhin through trip. We had visited Ogof Pont Gam twice before, but never exited via Nant Rhin, so the aim of the day was to complete the through trip. We packed the tackle into two small kit bags knowing that we would never get a full sized bag through Pont Gam. We met with Keith and Jess at Luigis before making our way around to the old Heads of the Valleys road. We parked up and changed further down the road and then called at the house opposite when the resident arrived to check for permission. After a few bits of surface video we entered the hole and made our way through the cave. The pitches had been re-bolted and there were ropes that looked OK in place, though we rigged with our own ropes that we had brought along. The short climb between the first and second pitches was rigged with a handline too. We fought our way to the top of the Third Pitch and descended into Aven D'Oznog. Dropping off our SRT kit we then went through Ogof Nant Rhin to exit into the gorge. It took a considerable amount of motivation to force ourselves back into the cave to complete the return journey. Some navigational difficulties followed on the return through Nant Rhin with half the group missing the climb up to Pont Gam branch and so explored the full delights of Nant Rhin. When all had assembled in Aven D'Oznog we headed back up the ropes derigging and taking video as we went.

The Video

A very short but also quite testing trip.

Present: Keith Edwards, Mark Burkey, Jess Burkey, Chloe Burney and Brendan Marris

Clydach Gorge Caves - Wet Caves and Black Neoprene

The plan was to complete some video footage of Shakespeare's Cave which was started last year and then to have a look at a couple of other caves in the gorge. After breakfast in Luigi's we headed up to the gorge and parked in the layby. Here we clad ourselves in neoprene, turning the heads of many of the passing motorists.

Shakespeare's Cave
We made our way down through some very dense undergrowth to the River Clydach and then crossed to enter Cwm Pwca and find the entrance to Shakespeare's Cave. A short pause to set up the video gear and then we were heading through the cave. Backwards and forwards through the ducks to ensure that suitable video footage was recorded we made our way through the cave to approach the final sump. We then headed out the cave, a little quicker than on the way in, with only the mud in Stratford's Bypass causing a delay to our exit as we all slipped backwards trying yo make our way from the Fifth Duck.

Chloe beyond the Fifth Duck - Shakespeare's Cave

Jess beyond the Fifth Duck - Shakespeare's Cave

Ogof Nant Rhin
We headed back to the road and up to the large layby where we dropped down to find the recently refurbished entrance to Ogof Nant Rhin. A cautious entry to the cave was made as we threaded our way through the scaffolded rocks until we were in the solid passage of the cave. We headed first to Aven D'Oznog, splitting up and following the different levels along the phreatic shelves in the tight rift passage that leads to it. Once all there, Keith had to leave and head back to the Midlands. The rest of us then headed to the Garden of Delights and the far reaches of the cave with Mark crawling through the Jaws of Death and staring up into Kerplunk Aven.

Chloe just inside the entrance of Ogof Nant Rhin

Ogof Clogwyn
Our final cave of the day was Ogof Clogwyn we followed the stream down the gorge from Nant Rhin to the point where the stream from Ogof Clogwyn entered the gorge and climbed up from there. The route was quite slippy and very unpleasant. We spent and hour in there and only lost Jess once, before heading back to the cars.

Present: Keith Edwards, Chloe Burney, Brendan Marris, Mark Burkey and Jessica Harding

Ogof Nant Rhin, Clydach Gorge, South Wales

Now this cave was recommended to me by another member of the club, so I decided I had to go and see what all the fuss was about. So there we were on a freezing cold Saturday morning, stood on a riverbank looking into what we hoped wasn't the entrance, as it was only a few feet higher than the river and had freezing cold water pouring out of it. It also looked fairly unstable with scaffolding holding up a fair amount of rock and soil. So of we went crawling headfirst into the unknown and by god that water was cold. A word of warning here - the guide book states not suitable for persons of larger than average build. What's average build? I'm 5ft 11 and weigh just over 12 stone, and I spent most of my time thrutching and squeezing myself along razor sharp phreatic shelves (don’t wear your nice new over-suit, it may get ruined) to get to Aven d`Oznog while Mel just whizzed along laughing, as she couldn’t see what all the fuss was about. mind you I must admit the lower level of the cave isn’t quit so tight, and has quite a few formations to see especially at the Garden of Delights. 


See photos of Ogof Nant Rhin here 


The Team: AnGr & MeWa

Ogof Clogwyn and Ogof Nant Rhin

An introductory trip for Dean, first in Ogof Clogwyn via a very long walk, and then up the stream to Nant Rhin where we went right to the end including the squeeze through to the final digs.

Dean in the streamway of Ogof Clogwyn

Jessica in the streamway of Ogof Clogwyn.

Dean by the PF formations in Ogof Nant Rhin.

See more Ogof Clogwyn Photos here 

See more Ogof Nant Rhin Photos here 

The Team: Brendan, Jessica and her friend Dean

Ogof Clogwyn and Ogof Nant Rhin, Clydach Gorge, South Wales

The Team: JiDu, KeEd, JaHa, JeHa & DeRo

Caves of the Clydach Gorge, South Wales

We headed to the lay-by above Nant Rhin and scrambled down to the stream.  I could see from the road that there'd been a bit of a mud/rock slide. The nice new entrance to Nant Rhin seemed to have partially collapsed and was half blocked with rubble, including a couple of small dislodged scaffold bars sticking out of a pile of rocks in front!  I shifted a bit of the rubble out of the way, and went in to have a quick look as far as the streamway. Just inside, the boards and scaffolding are still intact and solid, and beyond that, the cave 'proper' is fine, but I think a lot more rubble and mud will wash down in front of the entrance next time it rains heavily, needing shifting again.  We didn't go in any further.

Next we rapidly dispatched every inch of available passage in Ogof Clogwyn. [Nice shelving! :-)]

Finally we motored along the rifty passage in Shakespeare's Cave and got soaked to the skin in the (remarkably cold) ducks up as far as the sump.

Present: MRo & CWe

Ogof Nant Rhin, Clydach Gorge, South Wales

A cave renowned for having a profusion of formations and a very tight entrance series.  The resurgence has now been dug out making the cave more accessible.  It's still not a roomy cave, but is worth visiting to look at the formations - see below.

Chris Webb in the Garden of Delights.

Chris Webb at the PF formations.

Keith Edwards approaching the Garden of Delights.

Chris Webb in the Garden of Delights.

See more Ogof Nant Rhin Photos here.

Present: KEd, BMa & CWe