Daren Cilau

[Brendan]

Was down in S Wales last weekend, and thought Daren sounded like it would be good. Having eventually got to the quarry, via Crickhowell for a new watch after discovering that we had left ours at SWCC, and guessing over-running our callout would not make us friends, we proceeded to the quarry face.
Upon finding a hole at the base of the quarry, we proceeded, via a slight constriction for almost one hour, both independently thinking that it was really easy, and what were all the people talking about that it was a really unpleasant crawl.
The mystery was solved when we found the radon detector at the end of the cave, with the cave name - Pen Ewyr - written on it.

There was some consolation - we got to the Time Machine and back, but the 'actual' Daren crawl was more what we expected, although just over an hour each way wasn't too bad.

In our defence, neither of us had been there before. However, there was a large amount of incompetence involved. Not from me, obviously, I never make mistakes... :wink:

 

[Huw Groucutt]

cool. Impressed by the time machine then? Did you find the way alright? The bit between big chamber and the pitches can be quite confusing.

 

[Cumbrian Neil]

So your vehicle was still there when you got out of Daren?? :roll:

What's the deal with the backdoor (Price's Dig) into the area near Busman's Holiday... is it open... or sumped... or gated??

I enjoyed my one and only trip into Daren... but only looked at the Antler and White Company formations. Really lame effort on my part considering where I was at... I should have done more.

Cumbrian Neil.

 

[Brendan]

Time Machine was indeed imressive - similar stuff to some of the seriously big continental stuff I've been to. No problems route finding; we took a photocopy of the description from the South Wales cave guide, and a photocopy of the survey.

And our car was still there. We did take the precaution of taking everything out of the car though.
I belive Prices entrance is still sumped, with lans to bang and then gate. Don't know if you have to ask permission.

 

[Dave H]

Brendan,
At least you weren't as misguided as I was on one of my trips (not even my first down Darren)!
Just after the Time Machine was discovered three of us decided to go down to camp there - the main problem being that it had to be after afternoon exams in Leicester on a Friday evening! At 02:00 we gave up at the base of the ladder pitch (Valentines Chamber?) being too tired to climb up safely, and camped there! (The other two were wearing wetsuits, and their dry gear had become wet in the entrance so it was not an enjoyable night!) We were too knackered to do much sight seeing on the Saturday, and so got no further than the far end of the Time Machine. Then, of course, we had to carry the camping gear back out again!
What a complete and utter disaster!

 

[Huw Groucutt]

I dont think Ogof Cnwc (prices old dig) has been gated yet, think its gona happen soon tho. There was talk of putting a one way gate on it, so you could come out that way but not go in, good for conservation point of view.

And its probably sumped at the moment cos the connection point is a u-tube which is very prone to flooding.

I dont think the route through from Cnwc to Darren is particularly easy (havent done it personally), lots of little climbs and stuff, think an electron ladder down there has broken aswell.

Its best to park at Whitewalls, CSS hut, if possible. The carpark by Darren is well dodgy, dont think its quite as bad as it used to be tho.

 

[Brendan]

Just as an aside, one of the MUSC people there said the best training for Daren was to lie on one elbow and one knee by a wall, for 2 hours, while other people hit you with hammers :bash: and pour water on you.

I am now even more impressed by the guys who carried for Martyn Farr's epic dive. 3 hours to the sump with kit, and I spoke to one guy who managed 5 trips in one week. :worthy:

 

[Dave H]

How's the court case coming on, regarding the parking tickets at Whitewalls? Is it really safe to park there?

 

[Huw Groucutt]

Just as an aside, one of the MUSC people there said the best training for Daren was to lie on one elbow and one knee by a wall, for 2 hours, while other people hit you with hammers :bash: and pour water on you.

I am now even more impressed by the guys who carried for Martyn Farr's epic dive. 3 hours to the sump with kit, and I spoke to one guy who managed 5 trips in one week. :worthy:

Aye, there have been quite a few epic trips, like the people who were carrying 18kgs each! (think the entrance series took them 5 hours!!) and the trips of upto 26 hours in the early days of exploring beyong the restaurant. hardcore.

How's the court case coming on, regarding the parking tickets at Whitewalls? Is it really safe to park there?

Not sure about the court case, think theyve dropped 2 of the charges so they are just taking one person to court. I cant see that anything will come of it, so yes i think its fine to park there. Just park neatly and close to the cottate

 

[rich]

Just as an aside, one of the MUSC people there said the best training for Daren was to lie on one elbow and one knee by a wall, for 2 hours, while other people hit you with hammers :bash: and pour water on you.

Strangely accurate.

I dont think Ogof Cnwc (prices old dig) has been gated yet, think its gona happen soon tho.

Any idea why? From what I've heard it's not much less fun than the usual entrance.

 

[Cumbrian Neil]

I believe that Price's Dig offers a much shorter distance to get into the standing up stuff and the entrance is not quite as intimidating (and laborious). But that's based only on what I read from Descent and Martyn Farr's books on the area... I have not seen it for myself.

I like the idea of an "exit only" gate.

CN.

 

[Huw Groucutt]

Do you mean why is it going to be gated or why hasnt it been done yet?

Think its just cos no one has got round to it yet. And I think access is going to be controlld by Mynydd Llangatwg Cave Management and Advisory Committee but it was CSS who dug the connection so that may have complicating things.

 

[rich]

Do you mean why is it going to be gated or why hasnt it been done yet?

Why it is going to be gated. IMO there ought to be a compelling reason for gating a cave. The fact that there is another entrance which isn't gated makes it easier to accept, but I still don't understand the enthusiasm for restricting access.

 

[Huw Groucutt]

conservation, e.g. the antlers will be fairly quick to get to.

And stopping people getting lost or needing to be rescued etc.

I imagine it will be very easy to get a key. The original entrance was hardcore enough to mean it didnt need a gate.

 

[rich]

I question the effectiveness of gates for either of those purposes.

I think this could do with its own thread: "Do we have far too many gates in S Wales?" Not sure if I have the energy to debate it though.

 

[cucc Paul]

first time i went down darren some one told me there were 20 odd orange boxes you had to crawl past... was considering turning back by the last one but came to the main passage and carried on. unfortunatly only made it to the ladder pitch some in the group were cold and wet. hopefully make hard rock and the time machine on my next trip

 

[cap n chris]

I question the effectiveness of gates for either of those purposes.

I don't; because they work perfectly.

 

[cucc Paul]

Gates work well stop none cavers caving and access is normally easily obtained, we've only had one incident as a caving club that i know of recently where we wanted to do a cave but couldnt find the key...

 

[John S]

Ogof Cnwc (Prices Dig) is not gated yet but the gate has eventually arrived from the CCW. It will be fitted in the next few weeks. It can be opened from the inside without a key so a Daren -Cnwc trip can be done anytime.
Keys will initialy be available from whitewalls, CSS.
The sump is present as the moment but earlier in the year we did make good progress on bypassing it (best done from the far side of the sump.
The gate was deemed neccessary due to formations in Prices Prophecy and Busman's Holiday. It is also used by bats, which is one of the reasons the CCW were brought in. It was just too easy for non cavers to get to a point were they could do damage to the cave, bats or ....

 

[rich]

I question the effectiveness of gates for either of those purposes.

I don't; because they work perfectly.

Bit of a delayed reaction there, cap'n chris. I wrote that 6 months ago.

Perfectly? Are you saying that no one has ever got lost or caused damage inside a gated cave?