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Trefil Quarries up for Auction

RobinGriffiths

RobinGriffiths

Well-known member
Visited about 15 years ago. Is that still being dug?, or is it now an established cave? Any more potential in the quarry?
 
N

NigR

New member
As Huge says, the cave is around 1500m long so, yes, it is now well established and has been for many years. It is not gated and provides a very pleasant trip.

John Parker and Jeff Hill used to actively discourage anyone else from digging and my initial request for a visit went along roughly the following lines:

"Yes, that'll be fine, Nig. Of course we don't mind you going down to take a look, thanks for asking."

(Pause)

"You can't go digging in there, mind!"

"Whereabouts in the cave are you digging then, John?"

"F...ing everywhere!!!"


Both the surrounding area and the cave itself continue to conceal their undoubtedly vast potential.

 
M

Martin Laverty

Member
The map shows it to be Cwar Yr Hendre that is for sale, apparently from an individual rather than a quarry company. It is not Trefil Quarry (at Trefil itself), and it doesn't appear to include Cwar Yr Ystrad (an SSSI which contains the entrance to Tardiadd Rhymney) either. It does appear to include around 10 sites listed in the Cambrian Cave Register, although at least some of them have probably been quarried away.

I wonder where the location map with owners of adjacent land marked on cave from? Redland Aggregates and the Duke of Beaufort would probably have been guessable, but I wouldn't have suspected the Honourable Artillery Company!

Nor did I know that the HAC was a charity, but I now know it bought the Pencelli Estate in 1999, and am guessing that the land  marked is a part of that - http://www.hac.org.uk/home/about-the-hac/estate-treasures/pencelli-estate/
 
N

NigR

New member
Martin is quite correct, this is indeed the wrong quarry.

Do not buy it!

(Having said that, there are several interesting shakeholes in the area up for sale, so you never know!)
 
M

Martin Laverty

Member
Surely, this is a very good example of how useful the forum can be for rapid circulation and/or clarification of topics of potential interest, so there can be no need for any apology.

The upshot of this is that the land at the 'Doctor Who film set quarry' or 'a quarry near Trefil' has been sold for ?90000 - http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/doctor-who-film-set-quarry-8230898

It was bought by 'a mystery buyer' (if you believe the headline writer). Alternatively, 'We don?t know who exactly has bought the item, but we do know he is a local businessman, from Abergavenny ? he only lives a few miles from the site' (if you prefer the reporter's take). No mention of caves, except in so far as they are a venue for outdoor pursuits - and have even featured in films...
 
H

Huge

Well-known member
Thanks Martin.

RobinGriffiths said:
Visited about 15 years ago. Is that still being dug?, or is it now an established cave? Any more potential in the quarry?
Click to expand...

Not much has been found since the initial exploration and subsequent digs and extensions. I don't know if anyone is digging in there at the moment but some passage was found a few years back. In issue 224 (Feb/March 2012) of Descent, there is a report of an extension being found in 2010. A rift near the junction with Nant Criban, leads, via an extremely tight sounding squeeze, into a network of small passages. A tall, narrow rift leads to a blind aven, beyond which another narrow passage leads to a walking size passage before ending in a shale choke. There is no mention of the total length of the extension. I don't think there's much else in that part of the quarry. There's a number of small caves in other parts of the quarry though.

Tons of potential in the area. Loads of interesting surface features. Ogof Ap Robert was being dug again a few years back. Unfortunately there is no longer vehicle access beyond Trefil village, which has made the area a bit remote, probably precluding evening digs. The road is gated (I assume it's left open during quarry working hours) and it seems the road beyond has been down graded to a bridleway. See http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=14773.0

Myself and Mudman were digging a little pot I'd found a few years previously and then lost again! It wasn't easy to refind. I really must add it to the Cave Registry Martin.
 
psychocrawler

psychocrawler

Member
Shame if the road from Trefil is now closed both for access to Ogof Ap Robert and Cefn yr Ystrad.

Trefil quarries used to be a great place to turn the car round for the return journey.
 
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