Gower section of wiki
- Thread starter 987056
- Start date
rhychydwr1
Active member
There is a book... 
shortscotsman
New member
Hi,
what are you looking for...
there are two books : Stratford + Oldham
Both cover tooth cave and there is a short description at http://www.ogof.org.uk
( grid ref in stratford a bit out: http://www.ogof.org.uk/Gower_map.html
gives it accurately)
Ogof Ffynon Wyntog is covered with good survey in Oldham whereas only the adjacent Ogof Wyntog is covered in Stratford.
I've been to both entrances this year so could fill in with access details etc (The sump in OFW was still closed in May even after
a pretty dry spell)
The other empty entry is Barlands Quarry Cave but the entrance is seriously disgusting: (Barlands Quarry Cave in Stratford
really is Ogof Bishopston)
what are you looking for...
there are two books : Stratford + Oldham
Both cover tooth cave and there is a short description at http://www.ogof.org.uk
( grid ref in stratford a bit out: http://www.ogof.org.uk/Gower_map.html
gives it accurately)
Ogof Ffynon Wyntog is covered with good survey in Oldham whereas only the adjacent Ogof Wyntog is covered in Stratford.
I've been to both entrances this year so could fill in with access details etc (The sump in OFW was still closed in May even after
a pretty dry spell)
The other empty entry is Barlands Quarry Cave but the entrance is seriously disgusting: (Barlands Quarry Cave in Stratford
really is Ogof Bishopston)
shortscotsman
New member
987056 said:
You might struggle to get "The Caves of Gower" by T Oldham on Amazon. I got mine direct (try pm-ing rhychydwr1 if you want one.) Its very useful if you are caving on Gower. "Caves of South Wales" by Stratford is limited on Gower (9 pages or so) but
obviously covers all of S. Wales. [Its a bit dated, 1995, but nothing else exists]
There are two caves near/in Barlands Quarry. As you enter the quarry from the main road the cave on the face on LHS (before main quarry) with the really disgusting downward rift looks like "Barlands Quarry Cave" as described in Oldham where it is given a length of 225ft (surveyed in 1986....) Immediately adjacent to the Quarry, on RHS over the fence and down horriible slope, in the Bishopston valley is a cave just above the sink for the Bishopston river. This looks like the "Barlands Quarry Cave" described in Stratford (and called Ogof Bishopston in Oldham.) with a length of 457 m. Which one sounds like where you were?
[Access to the Quarry is problematic... note the access notes on http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=2627 ]
firstly could you post the traranscription here i whould like verry much to add it to the wiki page. secondly the cave i visited was the rift with the horibal slope at the top of the quarry wich was dry at the time.I was unaware of the other cave existed is it worth a visit? And wich one should i name what on the wiki.
ty for all replies
any other significant caves which should be added?
ty for all replies
any other significant caves which should be added?
Glenn
Member
987056 said:
Lots of signifcant caves on Gower. Here's the Ogof Wyntog inscription (I need to rescan the photo I have so may post that later):
This cave ? a secret by the family shared ? was bequeathed to it
by Ned Cunnington who first, alone, it?s dark entrance had dared in nineteen nine
now twenty years gone,
that many secrets of the earth be hid
it does sufficiently and well expound. Let others ? as he, depths and darkness did ?
go forth, explore into the dreadful ground.
To us this cave is sacred to the name
of him who, we believe, first entered it,
who was liked well and ? at his very prime ? who
to fight in the great war and fall in it
and we would have this grandly entranced cave
unimpaired, fitting monument....grave.....cave.....
by Ned Cunnington who first, alone, it?s dark entrance had dared in nineteen nine
now twenty years gone,
that many secrets of the earth be hid
it does sufficiently and well expound. Let others ? as he, depths and darkness did ?
go forth, explore into the dreadful ground.
To us this cave is sacred to the name
of him who, we believe, first entered it,
who was liked well and ? at his very prime ? who
to fight in the great war and fall in it
and we would have this grandly entranced cave
unimpaired, fitting monument....grave.....cave.....
ref: Strange Find in a Gower Cave (Jones & Chislett) South Wales Evening Post 29/30th April 1964
shortscotsman
New member
987056 said:
Hi,
I think I've confused things by refering to two nasty slopes.
1) The cave on the LHS after entering the quarry has, INSIDE, a horrible (to my mind) slope filled will lots of smelly
debris from the quarry. There is a climb dow of a couple of meters after which it cleans up a bit. My gear was filthy after this cave
with crud which dried out very white.
2) The other cave is in the valley with the Bishopston river. After entering the quarry and walking until the main quarry appears on the LHS, if you cross the boundary fence on the RHS there is a steep muddy vegatated slope leading down to the river. This is where
the stream sinks in dry weather. Cave is a couple on metres above the sink. The sink isn't so obvious when stream is in flood
(it floods very easily-such as now). You can get to this sink by a couple of other routes eg. walking up the dry stream bed
The two caves are quite close, Oldham gives the grid references as [I haven't checked these]
1) SS 5768 8953
2) SS 5763 8960
It would make sense, to me, to refer to the cave within the confines of the quarry as "Barlands Quarry Cave" and the one
in the stream valley as "Ogof Bishopston" however its not really my call [whose is it...???]
shortscotsman
New member
987056 said:
Never been inside : I was hoping it might have been open in May : or at least openable however the flow from the spring seemed
quite strong. Perhaps its one for an extreme drought.
Ogof Fynnon Wyntog is very seldom accessible. Last year it did not open at all until the middle of October and (unusually) it stayed open into early November. This year it was open in the middle of August but was closed again a couple of weeks later and has remained so. Some years the sumps can break by the end of May but this is very rare these days. Not a good place to get flooded in unless you fancy a long, long wait!
There is indeed an upper entrance (in fact there are two) to bypass the resurgence but access to the rest of the system is prevented by a second sump that can take a considerable time to drain even after the stream within the cave has ceased flowing.
A back way in here would be exceedingly useful.
There is indeed an upper entrance (in fact there are two) to bypass the resurgence but access to the rest of the system is prevented by a second sump that can take a considerable time to drain even after the stream within the cave has ceased flowing.
A back way in here would be exceedingly useful.
shortscotsman
New member
There is a nice survey by R Davies dated 1990 which comes with Oldham. It you struggle to get a copy, pm me.
rhychydwr1
Active member
Is this what you are talking about:
THE CAVES OF GOWER - Part 2 in the Series "Limestones and Caves of South Wales" by Tony Oldham. xvi + 97 + [5] + 6 + 4 + [1] + [2]iv pp, 41 surveys, 6 photos, index, biblio, introduction in Welsh, history of exploration and descriptions of over 130 caves. This is the 2nd edition 1982 with revisions - six supplements, up to May 2005. It has been extensively updated with extra surveys and details of new caves. It even includes such new caves as Ogof Ystlum! SB Last copy. ?15.00
It was run off on a Gestetner duplicator, so unless someone can be persuaded to scan it in, it will be gone for ever
THE CAVES OF GOWER - Part 2 in the Series "Limestones and Caves of South Wales" by Tony Oldham. xvi + 97 + [5] + 6 + 4 + [1] + [2]iv pp, 41 surveys, 6 photos, index, biblio, introduction in Welsh, history of exploration and descriptions of over 130 caves. This is the 2nd edition 1982 with revisions - six supplements, up to May 2005. It has been extensively updated with extra surveys and details of new caves. It even includes such new caves as Ogof Ystlum! SB Last copy. ?15.00
It was run off on a Gestetner duplicator, so unless someone can be persuaded to scan it in, it will be gone for ever
