Gower section of wiki
- Thread starter 987056
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987056,
You really do need to get hold of a copy of the aforementioned Caves of Gower. If you ask Tony really nicely I'm sure he might even consider reducing the price for you!
You mention Swansea Library - I recall that the old Reference Library used to have a fair bit of caving related stuff including early SWCC newsletters (although these are all on-line now anyway).
Your other prime source for material should be the SWCC Library itself - I'm sure if you contact someone on the Committee and tell them you have a serious research project in mind then you would be able to obtain access (probably on a weekend when a key would be more readily available).
Where are you based? PM me if you fancy coming digging down on the Gower sometime.
You really do need to get hold of a copy of the aforementioned Caves of Gower. If you ask Tony really nicely I'm sure he might even consider reducing the price for you!
You mention Swansea Library - I recall that the old Reference Library used to have a fair bit of caving related stuff including early SWCC newsletters (although these are all on-line now anyway).
Your other prime source for material should be the SWCC Library itself - I'm sure if you contact someone on the Committee and tell them you have a serious research project in mind then you would be able to obtain access (probably on a weekend when a key would be more readily available).
Where are you based? PM me if you fancy coming digging down on the Gower sometime.
987056 said:
Ok, I think I can answer some of your questions on Ogof Bishopston and Meander Cave as I've personally visited both some years back. Ogof Bishopston was situated in a small cliff above the stream just to the rhs of the quarry as you face the quarry entrance. Barland Quarry Cave is just to the LHS of the quarry entrance gate and is obvious. Ogof Bishopston was accessed above the stream sink in the streambed. There used to be large boulders in the cliff that gave access to a 10m shaft which was quite tight. This led to the streamway, again small and tight which trended upstream to the surface streambed. It then went though a tight 90 degree bend to head into the main quarry area. There were about 300metres of cave to explore with inwashes of diesel and sand from the quarry above. It was unpleasant. I say 'was' as the quarry cut down extensively and cut into the cave system and effectively destroyed it, removing all traces of the cave. If you visit the quarry now you can see that part of the surface stream is sinking at the same place but the srteam now flows across the current quarry floor and sinks just below the large slabs that have bolted climbing routes on it. I visited this earlier this year and it was too muddy and overgrown to tell if the sink was negotiable as a dig. The undergrowth should have died back now....
Meander cave is situated within 100m of Guzzle Hole. You find Meander by locating Guzzle Hole and following the flood overflow passage south from Guzzle hole. Meander is situated in the bank of this overflow passage where there is a large fallen branch. I was there earlier this year and whilst I could not find the entrance, you could hear the srteam flowing under the bank. It should be easy to get back in. The cave itself was about 150m long and consisted of a simple low passage with cobbles on the floor and tree roots penetrating the roof. The final sump used to have an old fashioned Felinfoel beer bottle bobbing around in it. Guzzle and Meander are not connected but the water is the same in both caves.If you want to see some of the other sites of the Bishopston Valley drop me a PM and we can arrange a trip sometime.
Glenn
Member
987056 said:
Kittle Hill Cave - worth a poke around in the context of dig potential.
Upper Daw Pit Cave - short section of cave giving access to underground stream discovered in about '65 by Dick Baynton (acess may be tricky - I think it's in someones garden) I have a sketch survey in my notes.
Middle and Lower Daw pits - digging potential, but many people have failed to make any progress.
Gut Hole (Guzzle Hole) is more interesting than Stratford suggests, but you do need very dry conditions.
yes this book sounds good also i will try to get a copy.
i also could not findmeander cave so i asumed that the crawl next to guzzle hole was the one in question as it meanders i will amend the wiki now. i am on the gower in december and will atempt to vist some of these caves.
i also could not findmeander cave so i asumed that the crawl next to guzzle hole was the one in question as it meanders i will amend the wiki now. i am on the gower in december and will atempt to vist some of these caves.
Glenn
Member
987056 said:
Depends on your definition of interesting - it's certainley interesting for Gower. The entrance is very difficult to find (although easier to find than the nearby Wooley's Hole) , and depending on your skill and confidence, can be free climbed. This is the entrance:
and this is the survey (copied from MCT's original):
My last trip in there was in the late '80's I think, with Mr Horsely of this parish.
Glenn
Member
987056 said:
I'm not sure how much of a sump it is, or if it's diveable, but the water resurges not far away on the marsh, so no real potential for further pasasage (unlike Tree Cavern...)
No problem adding the suyrvey to the wiki, but it needs to be correctly credited:
Sketch survey by Glenn Jones as copied from Maurice Clague Taylor's original
I have a busy weekend in front of me, but next week I intend to suggest a list of significant Gower caves and also scan and post all the other surveys that I copied from Maurice (and some that are original), it's probably a good idea to get these surveys somewhere where they can be useful rather than mouldering away in a box in the spare room.
Glenn
Member
987056 said:
One of the hotest leads on Gower....
"And still, nearly forty years on, Maurice Clague Taylor is the only person to pass the sump at the bottom of Tree Cavern, to stand shivering, staring at a river passage, disappearing into the distance...."
Tony Oldham and Glenn Jones
May 1991
From the forward of Three Below Gower (A4 version)
How did you get the job of managing the Gower wiki? (no offence intended). I'm more than happy to post as much as I can in support of this wiki.
More (much more) next week.
thanks for improving the wiki. i decided to edit the gower section because it had no very little infomation already on it and because im very interested in it as i think very little of its petentual cave lenth has been found. if any one else wants to add any thing directaly it would be verry help full thanks for all the info.
Glenn
Member
graham said:
Yes. And it's probably not even a sump, just a duck. It's about 20' down a boulder ruckle that keeps moving. I suspect modern digging techniques could stabilise it and remove the duck. The water is known to come from Freedown, some miles away at the at the foot of Cefn Bryn (and maybe even Moor Mills - on Cefn Bryn). Tree Cavern gives access (and is a flood overflow) to the water that normally resurges at Staffel Hagr (Llanrhidian).
The last time I spoke to Maurice about it (he died in 2004) he could only remember that the passage continued into the hill and it was half full of (cold) water and negotiable.
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