CavingPig
New member
24.01.2015
Present: E., M.
Written by E.
Everyone has heard about the great caves in Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, but the granite caves in the Mournes seem to be a little less well known. I couldn't find a huge amount of information online, but always keen to try something new and with M. also on a quick visit over from England, I decided that a winter walk in search of these mysterious caverns was on the cards.
Because we knew the caves weren't very big and because most of our gear was in England, we didn't bring any specialist gear other than a waterproof OS map of the Mournes, a Thermos and our helmets. The walk in was exceedingly pleasant with fine weather and views of the sea and Slieve Binnian with its waterfall. We found Cove Cave easily enough ? a black hole in a spur of Cove Mountain visible all the way from the main path by Annalong Wood. As we neared, I became impatient and decided to take a shortcut across the bog ? bad plan, as I almost lost a boot, but we got there in one piece in the end.
Up close, the entrance seems very high up, and the loose moss doesn't offer amazing grip. Still better than the slugs I attempted to use as handholds in Austria. Inside it's quite wet and I was reminded how much I don't like free-climbing... Still, I pressed on, it wasn't that bad really, and very soon I was through the little hole in the roof (Cove Cave really isn't very big ? barely big enough to call a cave really) to a very nice, sheltered picnic spot. My dad told me before we set out that a few years ago he did this trip and his friend J. got stuck in the hole. They had to have one above pulling and one below pushing to get him through! Luckily the same fate did not befall M. who is of a much more compact stature than my dad's friend, and we enjoyed tea, sandwiches and Oreos on the little ledge while an inquisitive raven croaked above us.
Next stop was Percy Bysshe Cave, about which I could find even less information online. We knew it was somewhere in the little outcrop of the same name, but that was all we had to go on. We located the outcrop but couldn't find any likely-looking holes, and M.'s wet socks almost caused him to give up hope. After more than 20 minutes I finally found the opening (having lost and re-found M. in the process) and we ducked into the tiny cave.
This one's actually longer and a bit more interesting than Cove. The way on is up once the passage gets too tight, which wasn't immediately obvious. In the second chamber there are two ways on: forwards through a smallish gap to another chamber where the way on is blocked (there was a draught, but the hole was fist-sized), or sort of doubling back to the right then through a bit of a squeeze and under a slab. This bit was not the most roomy bit of cave I have ever been in, but as anyone who knows me will attest, I do enjoy a good squeeze. I decided to see how far I could get, and after a couple of metres I could see daylight! Another entrance? I pressed on, while M., copping out of the squeeze, went out to see if he could find me from the other side. Unfortunately when I reached the hole to outside, it was not of a size that I could fit through. I couldn't even get as far as my ears. Oh well, just turn round and head out... er... hmm. Not a whole lot of room for that... I could hear M. outside laughing at my profanities (what a caring boyfriend) as I discovered new ways in which my body did not bend, but after a lot of wriggling, grunting and swearing I eventually freed myself from my granite confines and regained the open air.
While nothing like the lovely big systems elsewhere in the UK, these caves are well worth a peek if you happen to be in the area. I've since discovered that there's another cave on Ben Crom nearby, so that will be my next outing next time I'm back in NI (if anyone's been, some tips would be great!).
Present: E., M.
Written by E.
Everyone has heard about the great caves in Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, but the granite caves in the Mournes seem to be a little less well known. I couldn't find a huge amount of information online, but always keen to try something new and with M. also on a quick visit over from England, I decided that a winter walk in search of these mysterious caverns was on the cards.
Because we knew the caves weren't very big and because most of our gear was in England, we didn't bring any specialist gear other than a waterproof OS map of the Mournes, a Thermos and our helmets. The walk in was exceedingly pleasant with fine weather and views of the sea and Slieve Binnian with its waterfall. We found Cove Cave easily enough ? a black hole in a spur of Cove Mountain visible all the way from the main path by Annalong Wood. As we neared, I became impatient and decided to take a shortcut across the bog ? bad plan, as I almost lost a boot, but we got there in one piece in the end.
Up close, the entrance seems very high up, and the loose moss doesn't offer amazing grip. Still better than the slugs I attempted to use as handholds in Austria. Inside it's quite wet and I was reminded how much I don't like free-climbing... Still, I pressed on, it wasn't that bad really, and very soon I was through the little hole in the roof (Cove Cave really isn't very big ? barely big enough to call a cave really) to a very nice, sheltered picnic spot. My dad told me before we set out that a few years ago he did this trip and his friend J. got stuck in the hole. They had to have one above pulling and one below pushing to get him through! Luckily the same fate did not befall M. who is of a much more compact stature than my dad's friend, and we enjoyed tea, sandwiches and Oreos on the little ledge while an inquisitive raven croaked above us.
Next stop was Percy Bysshe Cave, about which I could find even less information online. We knew it was somewhere in the little outcrop of the same name, but that was all we had to go on. We located the outcrop but couldn't find any likely-looking holes, and M.'s wet socks almost caused him to give up hope. After more than 20 minutes I finally found the opening (having lost and re-found M. in the process) and we ducked into the tiny cave.
This one's actually longer and a bit more interesting than Cove. The way on is up once the passage gets too tight, which wasn't immediately obvious. In the second chamber there are two ways on: forwards through a smallish gap to another chamber where the way on is blocked (there was a draught, but the hole was fist-sized), or sort of doubling back to the right then through a bit of a squeeze and under a slab. This bit was not the most roomy bit of cave I have ever been in, but as anyone who knows me will attest, I do enjoy a good squeeze. I decided to see how far I could get, and after a couple of metres I could see daylight! Another entrance? I pressed on, while M., copping out of the squeeze, went out to see if he could find me from the other side. Unfortunately when I reached the hole to outside, it was not of a size that I could fit through. I couldn't even get as far as my ears. Oh well, just turn round and head out... er... hmm. Not a whole lot of room for that... I could hear M. outside laughing at my profanities (what a caring boyfriend) as I discovered new ways in which my body did not bend, but after a lot of wriggling, grunting and swearing I eventually freed myself from my granite confines and regained the open air.
While nothing like the lovely big systems elsewhere in the UK, these caves are well worth a peek if you happen to be in the area. I've since discovered that there's another cave on Ben Crom nearby, so that will be my next outing next time I'm back in NI (if anyone's been, some tips would be great!).
