Agen Allwedd: The Music Room & Aven Series

After a successful Pre-Christmas DCC trip into GB Cave, my second DCC outing was to be in South Wales, Aggy, or Agen Allwedd if it's in trouble. In the roster was Mel, Anne and Dave leading the cohort through the cave, left left left were the directions. After an uneventful walk to the cave (although there were plenty of ice patches and icicles), we wriggled into the entrance and negotiated our way through the entrance series.

We were treated to see several clumps (apparently colony is the collective noun, thanks google) of tiny bats littering the rooftops, which is always a treat.

We made our way through a boulder choke, which I think was a first for me, and quite enjoyable apart from my cave bag catching things at every opportunity. After the narrower sections of boulder chokes, the cave eventually opens out into the Main Passage. A large tunnel, flanked with the remains of silt and mud from years gone by. Dried and cracked, with some sections sprinkled with selenite crystals (once again, thanks google).

At this point Mel and Anne had shot off ahead, so myself and Dave meandered down the Main Passage, with the music room our destination. At some point, we met back up with Mel & Anne, they'd been off somewhere else that escapes my mind (Erse Passage perhaps?).

After a while we hit the Music Room, complete with a music stand and sheet music to a well known classic. Who knows who felt motivated to bring that with them, especially through the boulder choke!

We stayed here for a while, choosing to take on some food and drink and I was equally happy & surprised to see my steak bake had survived the pounding, almost too well.

From here we headed onwards, with the Aven Series our next port of call. In one section we found some little mud figurines, showing the cavers who came before us are not just musical, but also talented artists. My particular favourite was a mushroom, which was just next to a mobile number, with each number modelled in the clay-like mud. I resisted the urge to shuffle the numbers around, although I doubt there's much signal down there to call :D

We retreated a little from the figurine tunnel, and found another offshoot which was to be my tightest squeeze yet. A walk in the park for most cavers I'm sure, but for a novice like me, it was a little testing. With no room to progress forward with my arms, it was a case of small ankle movements to creep along the mud tube through to the next area. With Dave assuring me "it's not that bad", I shuffled swiftly, trying to convince myself small spaces are fun. In this next room, Dave found an onwards route, but after a cursory inspection I decided I'd reached my wriggle limit and chose to hang back whilst the trio carried on.

It's always difficult to understand time in a cave, especially when you're exploring a new area you've not been in before. That's for Mel, Anne and Dave. For me, I'm sat with my own thoughts in the dark "I wonder if they're coming back?", "how long has it been?", "how far do I dare walk around before losing where I am?". I chose to stay fairly close to the bag drop location, marked nicely by a large pile of rocks, and checked out the crystalline walls for a while.

After seemingly an eternity, just before I lost my mind, I heard the comforting sounds of cavers shuffling through tight spaces. It was probably only 20mins or so haha. The gang was reunited once again, but this time our destination was home. Just in time really, as I was starting to get cold after my solo sit in. The trio had actually found a little loop, and "surfaced" further up the section we were in, but thankfully had returned the way they came, to collect their belongings, and me :D

Trip Report and Photos by: Jonathon Bellman
Cavers: Jon, Mel, Dave and Anne

The Brickworks Dig

If you've become a member of Dudley Caving Club in the last 6 or 7 or perhaps 8 years you will probably not know that your Club has a dig. It's located very near to the SWCC hut.

Digging began in 1986 and from then until the mid 2010s it was visited and dug several times a year. The length of the cave is around 160 feet.

The reason it was abandoned was because when it rains, it floods. This meant that in order to dig it, a few members needed to travel down to SWCC on a Friday evening and set up the pumping system. This meant that we could get in two days digging on Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately the pumps we have block too easily.

During dry weather the water in the dig gradually drains away.

A few of us would like to see if it's possible to resurrect the dig. We would have to investigate a new pumping solution first, but there is no point in beginning work until the spring.

I visited the dig on 11th December and took these two photos. In spite of the very wet weather the water level was quite low. Just covering the bottom of the railway track - about 40 feet from the entrance.

The Entrance. Underneath the grass is a railway track.

The Entrance Passage

Here's a short video from 2013 showing how the dig was operated.

For those who might be interested please talk to one of the longer serving members when you next visit the windmill.

Into the Labyrinth

Loz requested a route-finding trip in OFD 2. She wanted to explore the passages on the far side of Big Chamber, so that's what we did.

OFD 2 - The Labyrinth Area

From Big Chamber we followed the traverses and then turned left to make for Cairn Chamber. From here we found our way to the Columns Gate.

It was then time to explore the Labyrinth! After a couple of wrong turns we found our way to the bottom of Arete Chamber. It was then back into the Labyrinth to find the route to Salubrious Streamway which we did with only one wrong turning.

Loz then requested that we visit White Arch Chamber. From Gnome Passage we headed for Speedy Caver and then into White Arch Chamber.

Loz and Mel in White Arch Chamber

From here we took the exit to White Arch and then back out.

The Entrance Passage

Cavers: Keith, Loz & Mel

Trip report: Keith

Photos: Keith

Dudley Christmas Trip: GB

To the tune of 'I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas'

We were dreaming of a white Christmas:
But snow was nowhere to be found.
The weather was raining
(Bringing much complaining)
So the Dudley sought for solace underground.

Mourning the muddying of our white Christmas
The Dudley went down deep into GB.
The streamway was gushing
Through the Gorge, a’rushing -
And o’er stals were twinkling merrily.

Not really looking for a white Christmas,
When what should we chance to find?
But a passage iced in white
A wondrous festive sight
A frosted scene quite perfectly defined!

This subterranean white Christmas,
Was not made of glistening snow:
The sparkling whiteness
Of pristine brightness
Was formed of the finest calcite flow

Cheered by discovering our white Christmas
GB gave us one more treat:
The sump was draining
With foam flurries remaining
Up the walls to a height of nine feet.

So if you’re searching for a white Christmas
Underground you should convene:
For snow is overrated,
Too cold and rather dated:
Calcite makes the better yuletide scene.

Trip Report by: Anne Bell
Photos by: Bartek Biela
Cavers: Ian, Bartek, Firas, Dave, Anne, Jon & Nick

Wet, wet, and more wet: a trip to Giant's Hole

Mel, Dave and I had planned an easy trip down Giant’s Hole to the East Canal, so the SRT newbies amongst us could practice abseiling and climbing both Garland’s Pot and Geology Pot. The weather forecast was for heavy rain in the hours up to the trip, with it stopping in the morning before we went in. The heavy rain certainly arrived! Base camp chamber was full of water coming out of Sump 1, water was thundering down into Garland’s, and Comic Act Cascade had ceased to be a cascade: instead of falling downwards, the water shot sideways and hit the cave wall, like someone had turned on a fire hose. However, I always enjoy wet trips; in fact, the wetter the better (for me, at least!). Having abseiled Garland’s, we set off down the crab walk, before popping up into the Eating House and making our way to the traverses that led to Geology Pot. After making rapid progress down Geology, we rejoined the streamway and quickly came to the top of a 4m cascade. Again, the stream here was like a fire hydrant; neither Mel nor myself were that keen on tackling it and at this point Dave reminded us that our objective had been Geology Pot, giving us the perfect excuse to head back.

On getting back to the Eating House, the 3m climb up that eventually leads to the Giant’s Windpipe was pouring with water. We decided that it wasn’t even worth checking to see if the windpipe was sumped or not; there was no way it couldn’t have been. So back up the Crabwalk we went, though this time carrying ropes and SRT kit against the current of the stream. This was somewhat arduous, however we all helped each other out, with Mel helping me shift one of the bags through the tight spaces, and Dave taking over part way along the Crabwalk. Comic act cascade quickly arrived; ironically the bottom half of the ladder was the driest place to stand; the top half less so and the best tactic was just to put your head down and climb up through the horizontal blast of water. Eventually we arrived back at Garland’s Pot, where we ended up queuing to climb out (another group had been daft enough to do Giant’s Hole today, too). After Garland’s, an easy plod out led back to the car and a quick stop off for a drink on the way home.

All in all, an absolutely fantastic trip: wet and vertical; what more could you want?

Club members: Dave x2 & Mel
Trip report by Dave

OFD: My first ever caving trip

So my name is Rebecca and I signed up to Dudley Caving club, after having visited some show caves for the first time in the summer. I'd never thought about the activity before, and after a discussion with the team at Ingleborough, I thought i would love to give it a try for real. And OMG what a fantastic experience. Mark, Keith, Ian & Jes were all so welcoming and encouraging of me as a newbie on my first trip and i left that evening feeling "Did I actually do that". I didn’t feel any fear being down there, it was quite calming actually, like why haven’t I always done this. There were so many beautiful sights down there, the waterfall was my favourite. Not without its challenges though, facing a deep drop has taken some processing mentally. I can't wait to get back to it though it was so much fun.

Trip report & photos: Rebecca Guy

Ogof Draenen: Out of the Blue (Saturday 21st October 2023)

The original plan had been to carry dive kit into Wet Sink for George, however days of rain – and an unsettled forecast – led to some umming and ahhing about whether this was still possible. In the end, the decision was made to abandon Wet Sink for today (very wisely, in my opinion!), and to visit Ogof Draenen instead. Mark, Joel and George viewed it as a chance to tick of part of the cave they hadn’t visited before: Out of the Blue.

When we eventually reached this kilometre of streamway, Mark pronounced it to be one of the best decorated streamways in the country. Although it finally ended in a big boulder choke, getting there involved passing a beautiful profusion of straws, stalactites and helictites. This made the treacherously slippery streambed (which couldn’t be seen as the water was peat-stained) worthwhile, although after losing my balance for the umpteenth time, I may only feel that way in retrospect! Overall, a great trip, and a cave that I will definitely have to return to and explore more.

Cavers Present: Mark Burkey, George Linnane, Joel Foyster, Dave & Anne
Trip Report by Dave
Photos by Joel Foyster