ogof ceiriog uchaf (Shropshire)

richardg

Active member
Does anyone have details of this cave
Ogof Ceiriog uchaf (Upper Ceirog Cave) and also Ogof Ceirog.
And does anyone have details of dye tests to risings at or near Bron-y-Garth.

I'm interested in a potential project here, sometime in the future, as a big system may exist, :coffee: but other than grid references and the mention of a presumed  :-\drainage route as above, I have very little other information.

If anybody does know anything further or who already has an interset in the area then it would be great to hear from you, Thank You. :beer:
 

Rhys

Moderator
Firstly, I believe that Upper Ceiriog Cave is actually just in Wales by a few hundred metres, not Shropshire. But never mind.

I've never been there, despite growing up not far away and don't know much about it, but...
There's a little bit of info on the UKCaving wiki:

http://ukcaving.com/wiki/index.php/Upper_Ceiriog_Cave
http://ukcaving.com/wiki/index.php/Lower_Ceiriog_Cave

I know there is some brief mention of the area in "Caves and limestones of Wales" edited by Trevor D. Ford. I may be able to scan the relevant pages if you want.

A good book to start with is "An Introduction to the Caves of North East Wales" by Cris Ebbs http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0952224216 . Perhaps that's what Rhychydwr's cryptic message above was about.

Rhys
 

rhychydwr1

Active member
Rhys said:
A good book to start with is "An Introduction to the Caves of North East Wales" by Cris Ebbs http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0952224216 . Perhaps that what Rhychydwr's cryptic message above was about.

Rhys

No, there is another book the title of which, I am not allowed to mention  :chair:
 

SamT

Moderator
rhychydwr1 said:
No, there is another book the title of which, I am not allowed to mention   :chair:

o_O erm says who - you are allowed to impart useful information. just dont turn every goddam post into an advert.
 

rhychydwr1

Active member
SamT said:
rhychydwr1 said:
No, there is another book the title of which, I am not allowed to mention   :chair:

o_O erm says who - you are allowed to impart useful information. just dont turn every goddam post into an advert.

OK - names, no titles:


UPPER CEIRIOG CAVE NGR SJ 2500 3670    A 1100 feet    L  172 feet   WESTON RHYN
The cave lies at the foot of the east face of a small quarry, one of three and the most easterly of them.  The cave was first recorded by the late E A Baker and was subsequently lost, until its discovery by  G T Warwick, using one of Baker's photographs.  The dig was started by Alan Ashwell and Co (SWCC) and finished by D H Adams (SMC) in 1952.

A tight squeeze down a steep slope in thick red mud gave entrance to the side of a water-worn passage some 8 feet in width, and varying in height from 3 to 5 feet.  The ceiling was covered with a mass of small stalactites averaging 2 inches in length.  A clean but debris-covered floor sported many large stalagmite bosses.  Several small helictites were also noticed.  To the left of the entrance, the passages ended in  old flowstone covered debris, reaching to the roof.  To the right it ended in a low tight bedding plane with a mud floor, which according to Mr James, could easily be deepened, as it appeared to widen out beyond the constriction.  The cave is at present blocked and the owner will not permit visits.

UPPER CEIRIOG CAVE
Netherworld p 137, photo opp p 135.
BC 37 12-14;  38  21-22;
Ford p 253
Meeson p 25 = Meeson, R A. 1966 The Caves of North Wales.  SMC A/C (5) 58 pp 3 surveys, maps.
SMC YB 1962-63 p 6-7


 

richardg

Active member
Thank you very much rhychydwr, Rhys,and Sam T.

This is really useful information, when I get the opportunity to visit these sites, I'll let you know what I find, again thank you very much for your help.

Its inspiring to realise there seems to be many caves dotted across Britain in isolated localities each with their own interesting potential.
 

JJ

Member
I had an interest in Lower Ceriog Cave in the late 70's or possibly early 80's. First cave I ever surveyed!

Basically a hading rift followed by a phreatic tube and drop down into a continuation. It then split tried digging a bedding crawl but it was squalid.

Then I found Yorkshire  ;)
 
Hi All,

Rhys is talking b*ll*cks Ceriog Cave is just in Shropshire in the bank of the Ceriog River which is the boundary. Cris Ebbs does a booklet which describes both Upper and Lower caves. the lower is open but his book says about the upper "It is not known ifthe cave is currently open or how to find it"
NGR is given as 249 368 and lower 265 376

The lower cave is a winter bat roost so perhaps should be left alone until Spring.

Idris Williams
 

SamT

Moderator
Cool - spent a lot of my youth holidaying around Corwen and on the Berwyns. Must do some underground stuff. Moel Ferna Slate mine certainly looks worth a visit.

Are there any recommendation's for this area.

Are there caves on the Eglwyseg massive above Llangollen.

PS - good work on the wiki Rhys
 

AndyF

New member
SamT said:
Are there caves on the Eglwyseg massive above Llangollen.

Yes there are, but no extensive ones known.

There is a big resuregence at Worlds End, but it seems immature and you cant go up it very far. The main drainage for the plateau goes South East and rises at Trevor at a major resuregence

It is possible there is a major undiscovered cave system under the plateau, but there arent obvious dig sites, and only a few scratty case known.

Trevor Fords book gives much more detail on this, but is out of print.

 

dl

New member
If anyone fancies a little digging in the area just drop me a PM, we're out most weeks.
 

RobinGriffiths

Well-known member
Are there caves on the Eglwyseg massive above Llangollen.

Ogof Noeth is the only one I know about - rather tight and muddy from what I gather. Further back towards Minera is Ogof Cefn y Gist and the Grosvenor Ogof/Gwter Siani dig.  I suppose the problem with this area is that it dips eastwards away from the escarpment so that any water sinking on the limited limestone exposure, given it's high relief flows eastwards underneath the younger cover -  I think there is an underwater resurgance on the Dee near Trevor.

A walk on the escarpment from Worlds End to Trevor Quarries is superb, just like being in Yorkshire - or possibly even Vercors.
 

dl

New member
I think the resurgence you refer to is the water company pumping station at Trevor.  I've heard from different sources that a) it's a wide open flooded tube and b) its full of gravel  - I suspect the latter is true as it is in the base of the valley and there's lots of drift cover. 

Either way there is a concrete blockhouse on top of it.
 
Top