Andy Sparrow
Active member
Now that the 'Jesus' thread seems to be running out of steam the time seems right to provoke another argument guaranteed to enflame passions.
As many of you will know it was realised by the surveyors of Ogof Draenen that one passage, choked a short distance from the surface, could provide a second entrance to the cave, shortening trips to the far-reaches by about 3-4 hours. They subsequently dug open this entrance without seeking approval from the cave's discoverers. This caused a storm of controversy. The prevailing feeling amongst the discoverers was that this new entrance was detrimental to the cave and they consequently took measures to ensure that it was permanently sealed. That's the background.
I think it would be a good thing if the second entrance to ogof Draenen was re-opened. I think it would be good for the cave and good for cavers.
Here is my reasoning:
Good for the cave. The frontiers of exploration in the cave are remote and seldom visited. The second entrance would encourage a new wave of exploration in many areas of the cave.
Good for cavers. Considering that this is possibly the longest system in the UK it is seldom visited compared to OFD or Lancaster-Easgill. This is because it has an unpleasant grovelly entrance series, followed by a very long and rather tedious passages before the more pleasant and complex areas are reached. The second entrance avoids all this. Why can't cavers enjoy this cave via the second entrance?
There are two arguments which will be presented against this:
The conservation argument. This takes the view that an easier entrance will expose the cave to more traffic and more damage.
The elitist argument. This takes the view that the difficulty of the cave should not be reduced and that only those inclined or capable of reaching the extremities should be able to do so.
The parallel with OFD Top Entrance is obvious. The stalagmites near Top Entrance appear to be pristine even if the floors are trampled - it seems to me that OFD demonstrates that a cave can be enjoyed by many cavers of different abilities and survive intact. If Top Entrance was not open only a handful of cavers would be able to appreciate and enjoy all it has to offer - thrilling for them, but a huge loss for the majority.
A final observation I would make is that many large cave systems have multiple entrances - it is simply part of their character - and it's what makes them so appealing to cavers. When the second entrance to a cave system requires more work to block that it does to dig open then it suggests that an artificial situation is being imposed.
Those are my thoughts. Discuss.....
As many of you will know it was realised by the surveyors of Ogof Draenen that one passage, choked a short distance from the surface, could provide a second entrance to the cave, shortening trips to the far-reaches by about 3-4 hours. They subsequently dug open this entrance without seeking approval from the cave's discoverers. This caused a storm of controversy. The prevailing feeling amongst the discoverers was that this new entrance was detrimental to the cave and they consequently took measures to ensure that it was permanently sealed. That's the background.
I think it would be a good thing if the second entrance to ogof Draenen was re-opened. I think it would be good for the cave and good for cavers.
Here is my reasoning:
Good for the cave. The frontiers of exploration in the cave are remote and seldom visited. The second entrance would encourage a new wave of exploration in many areas of the cave.
Good for cavers. Considering that this is possibly the longest system in the UK it is seldom visited compared to OFD or Lancaster-Easgill. This is because it has an unpleasant grovelly entrance series, followed by a very long and rather tedious passages before the more pleasant and complex areas are reached. The second entrance avoids all this. Why can't cavers enjoy this cave via the second entrance?
There are two arguments which will be presented against this:
The conservation argument. This takes the view that an easier entrance will expose the cave to more traffic and more damage.
The elitist argument. This takes the view that the difficulty of the cave should not be reduced and that only those inclined or capable of reaching the extremities should be able to do so.
The parallel with OFD Top Entrance is obvious. The stalagmites near Top Entrance appear to be pristine even if the floors are trampled - it seems to me that OFD demonstrates that a cave can be enjoyed by many cavers of different abilities and survive intact. If Top Entrance was not open only a handful of cavers would be able to appreciate and enjoy all it has to offer - thrilling for them, but a huge loss for the majority.
A final observation I would make is that many large cave systems have multiple entrances - it is simply part of their character - and it's what makes them so appealing to cavers. When the second entrance to a cave system requires more work to block that it does to dig open then it suggests that an artificial situation is being imposed.
Those are my thoughts. Discuss.....