OFD3: "Nobody Died or Nuffink"

Apparently Aristotle once said: “those who overcome their fears will truly be free.” When he spoke those words, I doubt he was thinking of the fear that comes from finding yourself leaning at full stretch over a yawning abyss. Or having found yourself in that position, the fear that the sagging at your stomach might outstrip your slow, painful inching towards safety, with the inevitably unpleasant (albeit mercifully brief) result. No, I'm fairly sure he wasn’t thinking of that kind of fear. That's the sort of fear you don't want to be free from, because it stops you doing daft things.

Maybe the Dudley are just a bit soft in the head. After all, the reputation of OFD3 is well known in the club. The “head-banging” traverses are documented in the club blog, as are photos of cavers stretched over seemingly impossibly-wide traverses. Yet I still found myself suggesting a trip there, and Bartek and Jas found themselves readily agreeing that it was a good idea.

Of course, it’s all Jas’ fault really. Recently he confessed - with great embarrassment - that he is daunted by my physical prowess. (At least, that's what I told him, and after he finished laughing so hard that he choked, he admitted that this is indeed the case). Maintaining my reputation for great physical ability is no mean feat. This must explain why I suppressed a perfectly sensible fear, and clicked “send” on that daft email invite. And that is how - of all the places we could be - Jas, Bartek and I found ourselves on the infamous OFD3 traverses, along with a couple of non-Dudley colleagues.

The first traverse set the tone well for what was to come. Here leaning across the chasm with feet on the ledges on one side and hands on the opposite wall was the way to proceed. A cheeky little foot-swap halfway along added a bit of spice. There was nothing too bad here.

The second traverse was much longer, and was negotiated by bridging with hands and feet on opposite sides of the rift. The ledges were of decent size, however, and offered good foot placements; or at least they did until they became too steep, forcing a drop down the rift for a few feet onto larger ledges. It’s interesting how a manoeuvre that you'd do without a second thought becomes ten times harder over a deep drop. Nevertheless, all members of the party executed it without undue fuss. Again, there was nothing too bad here. In fact, there may even have been a hint of exhilaration creeping in!

Arriving at the third traverse, it was clear that we’d reached a fairly major crux: a wide rift requiring a full body bridge. Martin (our leader and OFD aficionado) showed us how this was best done, before inviting us to follow. At this point, Bartek uttered the words: “oh wow, this is a bit committing.” Hearing this from the mouth of someone who chews up and spits out the nastiest cave trips for breakfast did not make me feel good about what was to come. For a moment, I seriously doubted that I would make it across, and I had visions of me plunging head-first towards the ground at break-neck speed. (Incidentally, I also had visions of Jas making a similar plunge, but for some reason these were far less disturbing.)

One by one we nervously placed our hands on one wall while lifting a foot to brace against the other. Balancing on one leg on a pile of rocks above a huge drop isn’t the most soothing of experiences. Fortunately, to quote the wily cave wizard: “nobody died or nuffink.”

After negotiating this fear-inducing move, we reached the safety of some jammed boulders. From there on, things were easy: a slither down a rift, a very tight squeeze up through boulders, a balancing act on a scaffold pole above the streamway and the eventual climb down into the stream itself. Half an hour or so of wading up the stream ensued before we arrived in Smith’s Armoury. We didn't stop here as we were worried we'd be pushing our call-out time; instead we commenced the return trip by heading rapidly back down the streamway.

On completing the traverses for the second time, we agreed that they were much easier in reverse. (Actually, they weren't that bad at any point, really, with the exception of the heart-in-mouth committal to starting the third one). Nonetheless, there was still occasion for nerves to be tested, as having crossed the big traverses, Bartek managed to slip on a much shorter one (though still above a big drop). Fortunately, his feet only slipped a couple of inches before he found his grip again. After another couple of hours we found ourselves at Top Entrance and started the trudge down to Penwyllt.

So, having conquered our fears, did we find freedom? I can't speak for Jas or Bartek (in fact I doubt either of them were afraid because they're not wimps like me), but I don’t think I'm free. I hoped I could lay to rest the nagging thought of having to conquer all those exposed free-climbs, but now someone (Mr Burkey!) has suggested the Midnight Traverses 😡. I've always said there's no way I’d do those, although I think a trip just to take a look might be in order…

Anyway, now we've done battle with the traverses, I prefer the words of the wily cave wizard over Aristotle’s: “remember, we do these caves so you don't have to.” If only he'd said that about OFD3!

Cavers: Bartek, Jas and Dave (plus Mitch and Martin)

Photos: Bartek

Trip report: Dave

Dudley Christmas Trip: Snailbeach Mine

Here are some snaps of the Dudley's Christmas trip from one of our afficionado cave photographers:

Cavers: Bartek, Paulina, Firas, Jas, Keith, Phoebe, Anne & Dave plus Steve, Stephan and Alan
Photos: Bartek

7 awesome YouTube channels for cave, rock and fossil fans

While checking out my socials recently I came across this post from Stump Cross Caverns. I was flattered to see that my YouTube channel features in the list and I smiled when I discovered what is their favourite Caver Keith video. Can you guess what it is?

7 awesome YouTube channels for cave, rock and fossil fans

David and the Wolf: A Cautionary Tale

In days of old, when knights were bold
And monsters didst abound;
One spirited squire, to glory aspired
And thought to seek it underground.

Though eager, tis true, the squire he knew
To rush in upon dangers beneath
Would swiftly wend to a most sticky end
So he first sought out Caver Keith.

That wizened enchanter, was not enthused by this banter
(He was cosy at home, in his slippers
And had no desire to be torn from his fire
By unseasoned, unwary day-trippers.)

But the squire persisted until Keith desisted
And consented - upon the conditions -
That the nagging would cease; he would be left in peace
To reminisce with his fellow magicians.

Keith’s first cunning scheme to subvert this mad dream
Was to conjure a kit list of length:
No mere man could sustain the tackle sack’s strain
Surely the squire would not have the strength?

Though the weight was colossal, the squire was no fossil
(And he had eaten his Weetabix for breakfast)
So through the iron doors, into OFD’s jaws,
They delved deep into the darkness at last!

As a second stratagem, this quest to condemn
Keith had invited along the squire’s missus
Their pace thus affecting for she was six months expecting
So went slowly with wheezing and hisses.

Keith started to send his charge down dead ends
In the hope that he’d grow weary or bored
But each time the squire returned still a’fire
For monsters to despatch with his sword.

The wizard, now much vexed, contemplating what next
Recalled a contrivance compelling:
“Now, If you still dare” (he thus laid his snare)
“There’s a fiend most foul smelling, dwelling in a lair quite repelling - in dire need of quelling – ideally expelling:
And this origin of a thousand conspiracy theories
Can be found in the depths of the Prokofiev Series!”

“Lead on!” urged the squire, his ambition soaring higher
At this prestigious path to elation.
So by a circuitous way, ne’er suspecting foul-play
He followed Keith to that perilous location.

He fought through the squeeze, slightly skinning his knees
Then balanced across the crevasse
Till he came to a cliff: a climb indeed stiff
But there the squire met with impasse:

For from the top of the climb there came a fell whine:
A hideous, blood-curdling screech!
The squire’s knees trembled, his bowels disassembled
And he hurried back over the breach.

So adventurers be warned – tis better to be scorned
As a coward than to come face to face
With the demonic queries of the Prokofiev Series
And the cave-wolves that lurk in that place.

Cavers: Keith, Anne and Dave
Photos: Keith
Trip report: Anne
Photos: Keith

In which Dave finds himself in a tight spot

 "Show me the route into the Prokofiev Series", he said.

Return to Aquamole - Hidden Earth 2024 Video Salon Winning Film

This 10 minute edit of my film Return to Aquamole was placed first in the Video Salon at Hidden Earth 2024. The complete film was premiered in the Underground Session at the Kendal Mountain Festival on Friday 22nd November 2024.

In 1974 legendary cave diver Geoff Yeadon was the first to pass the 168 metre sump upstream from Rowten Pot in Kingsdale Valley. He discovered the impressive 40 metre high Aquamole Aven.

Geoff retired from cave diving in 1997.

In the winter 2000 Rupe Skorupka and Martin Holroyd scaled Aquamole Aven to a height of 50 metres. It pinched out, but they were able to gain access to a second series of inlet passages, the top of which was radio-located to a point 10 metres below the surface.

Rupe was joined by Bob Jacklin and members of the Northern Speleological Group and work started in January 2002 to dig out a surface shaft. Aquamole Aven was finally connected to the surface in June 2002.

A trip beginning by descending Aquamole Pot, as it is now named, to exit at Valley Entrance is now a classic through trip for cave divers and is considered to be a somewhat of a right of passage for the new generation of underwater cave explorers. In spite of his underground discoveries in Kingsdale Valley it was a trip that Geoff Yeadon had never done.

However, on Sunday the 6th August 2023, Geoff supported by a team of over 20 cavers and cave divers, was persuaded out of retirement to complete for the first time this classic descent and cave dive.

OFD1: Round Trip and Waterfall Series

The plan for today was to do the OFD1 Round Trip, with the Waterfall Series tacked on for good measure. Having done most of her caving in Yorkshire, this was to be Phoebe's second trip to South Wales. As a classic introduction to OFD, this trip seemed to fit the bill nicely.

Plodding through the entrance series we quickly reached the Step in the streamway and found water levels to be nice and low. We stomped up the streamway over the pots and into Boulder Chamber via Upper Flood Passage. Here we took the exposed traverse up to the start of the Waterfall Series, where we soon found ourselves bridging across a deepening trench with the Wet Way entering after a short while on the right.

Continuing to the end of the trench, a tight squeeze up through boulders led to the Dry Way and before long we arrived at the climb up to West Leg. Here we went up a somewhat exposed and polished 4m climb, with me reassuring myself that we didn't have to come back this way. Soon I found out that we did have to come back this way, as I’d misread the survey and led us straight past the connection to Highgate and Crystal Pool Chamber.

Nevermind; we reversed the climb down and soon found ourselves tackling the short - but fun - climbs up to the rift that leads into Crystal Pool Chamber. Having finished our business with the Waterfall Series, we headed back to Upper Flood Passage, this time climbing down the Waterfall rather than the exposed traverse into Boulder Chamber. But before doing so, I couldn't resist having a peek down the passage at the entrance (exit?) to the series that takes you high above Upper Flood Passage. This section of cave was very short, but led to a spectacular position; possibly a good place for a future photograph?

Before long we were climbing up into Lowe’s Passage and then up into the Rawl Series. Towards the beginning of this, a short, polished step up led to a long crawl that quickly gained height above the main passage below. We didn't follow this, but looking at the survey, I think this was Don’s Crawl that leads to Starlight Chamber. I was quite excited about identifying this, as I've seen impressive photos of the chamber and want to visit at some point.

Carrying on, we made progress to Roundabout Chamber, Shale Crawl and eventually Pi Chamber, spotting the squeeze down into the Subway en route. From Pi Chamber, things got really exciting, with the slither down the Elephant’s Arse to the start of Bolt Traverse over the main streamway. This is another spectacular position, accessed by a ladder and then a slide over the top of a large boulder suspended between the two sides of the canyon that takes the stream. This slide is a little awkward and exposed, and turning to Phoebe to advise her of this, I found that she had squeezed through an impossibly small hole between the boulder and cave wall. The benefits of being small!

After the Bolt Traverse, Phoebe opted for the Maypole Wire and chain back to the streamway rather than the Dugout. After a short walk down the streamway, we again found ourselves at the Step where we made our way back to the entrance series. Shortly after the Toast Rack I saw a side passage that looked like it needed exploring and dived down this. I dived a little too eagerly, however, as I quickly became separated from Phoebe. Several minutes later, after we had both wandered around shouting to find the other person, we met up and headed out of the cave.

All in all this was a fun trip, with Phoebe giving it a 7 out of 10. Although I've been in OFD1 several times before, I can't tire of the streamway, and the Waterfall Series and Round Trip are as enjoyable as they were the first time around.

Cavers: Phoebe and Dave
Pictures and report: Dave