Access to Ogof Capel

[danthecavingman]

Hello!

Anyone know how to get access to Ogof Capel without diving? Rumour has it that there is now a dry way in. I would love to see the place before the Dualling project up the Clydach Gorge destroys it . Apparently some of the straws in there are amazing.

Ta,

Dan.

 

[rhychydwr1]

The following is from Caves of Clydach by Tony Oldham [without permission]:


OGOF GELYNNEN LLANELLY
NGR S0 2168 1261 A 723 feet L 90 feet
About 20 feet below the entrance to Ogof Capel qv, a goodly stream of water emerges from a crack 8" wide and 2" high. There are 3 other smaller resurgences nearby in the same strata. One of these is called Ogof Gelynnen, and is 70 feet to the northwest of Ogof Capel. It was being dug by Huw Durban and friends from Brynmawr. They have pushed it for 90 feet, releasing a reasonable stream in a silt-filled bedding plane passage. Recently [2004] it “went” and has by-passed the first choke in Ogof Capel qv. The choke lies beneath the Heads of the Valley road (and at not a great depth!). It is at present being strengthened with iron girders.
see page 24 for survey

 

[danthecavingman]

Cheers for that, I'm going to get in touch with Clive Westlake as he's been down there recently. I reckon he must know what arrangements there are. (If any)

Dan.

 

[Les W]

Cheers for that, I'm going to get in touch with Clive Westlake as he's been down there recently.
Dan.

Hells teeth!

 

[NigR]

Dan,

Suggest you contact Tony Donovan for access details. Last I heard (about a month ago), he was planning on gating it after he had finished scaffolding the breakthrough choke. Can send you a pm with his phone number if it will help.

Cheers,
Nig

 

[Ship-badger]

Dan
Myself and two friends went to Ogof Capel about 10 weeks ago, going in through the dry entrance. If you are at all nervous in loose boulder chokes then I strongly advise you to give it a miss, at least until the work to stabilise it has been completed. When we were there a large rock fell into my mate's lap when we going out. Not only was this scary, but it also trapped him. It took us about 20 minutes to free him. As well as loose, the choke also has a tight and awkward section at the loosest point. We will certainly not be going back until it has been made safe.
The straws are pretty though.

PS. If the blokes doing the work on the choke want any help they can send me a PM.

 

[Duncan Price]

Anyone know how to get access to Ogof Capel without diving? Rumour has it that there is now a dry way in.

The bypass to sumps 1 & 2 has been open for more than a year (since before Jan '05). The choke has been stablised (though it was tight when I went there in Jan 2005) and a gate has been re-installed* to protect the formations beyond the choke. Digging is taking place at the terminal rift towards Pwll Coedog.

At the moment, I'm not sure if a lock has been fitted. I know that Arthur Millett holds a key for it.

* there was a gate even when it was only open to cave divers, I understand that the new gate is beyond the choke.

The SURVEX data file for Capel is available - though it doesn't show the connection between Gelynnon and Capel (probably there is too much iron work to make an accurate magentic survey): http://www.sump4.com/downloads/ogof_capel.svx

 

[Lu]

Any news on the acess to Ogof Capel? Is it non-gated at least up to the divable part? Is the entrance under a large fallen tree near Devil's Bridge waterfalls?

 

[Duncan Price]

Ogof Capel is open for up to the sump as always.  Ogof Gelynnon provides a bypass to Capel sumps 1 & 2.  The cave is gated and locked at the breakthrough choke into the 1987 extensions in order to protect the formations.  The entrances are downstream of Devil's Bridge on the north bank.  Immediately after going over the stile which takes you down to Devil's Bridge from the underpass by the Drum & Monkey double back and take the "path" down to the Clydach.  Gelynnon has a fixed ladder into it.