Andy Sparrow
Active member
Llethrid Swallet
9th July 2005
Andy S, Mel, Ken, Dani, Andy P, Andy M, Liz F, Steve L, Robin, Barry, and many others!
Mel and I called in on Thursday to see the owners of the cave and were given a very friendly and obliging reception. They were quite keen for us to get some photos of the cave as it is included in their current property sale. Yes, all this could be yours – a 7 bed farmhouse, holiday cottage complex and Gower’s finest cave – all for a mere 1.2 million!
On the morning of the trip we eventually managed to get the convoy of cars lined up on the campsite to transport 17 cavers to Llethrid. Arriving at the farm we found copies of the survey pinned to the gate while the owners were busy strimming a path for us. My most uncomfortable moment of the day came shortly after, when the lady of the house came to greet us. While I engaged her in conversation I could see from the corner of my eye a bollock naked Ken oblivious to her presence. I kept the conversation stuttering on and her attention firmly fixed on me while an unhurried Mr Passant eventually pulled up his furry suit at a glacial speed.
The path to the cave being not yet complete we were ushered, all 17 of us, through the open plan kitchen and onto the road through a convenient caver-size hatch. Eventually we tramped and thrashed our way through the undergrowth to find the Swallet. Welsh caves, of course, are not generally called swallets, but it was Mendip cavers who first explored and named this cave back in the 1950s.
It is apparent right from the entrance how hyper-floodable this cave is. The catchment is enormous and the stream borders on ‘river’ size, though on this dry and sunny day only a trickle spilled into the entrance pit. We completely failed to notice the gated entrance just above the swallet and followed the open hole down between boulders and rotting vegetation. We wormed our way between dark grey Eastwater type boulders until we met the stream. Every crevice was jammed with twigs and the floor strewn with rotting debris. The passage was a bit awkward but there were no real constrictions and we soon reached a short duck which was pleasantly cooling and easily passed. Beyond, the cave enlarged a bit but progress was still interrupted by fallen boulders creating wriggles and climbs. The rock is very dark, steeply dipping and scalloped while the floor is a carpet of gravel and rotting twigs.
Eventually we emerged into a chamber where an old knotted rope led up a steep mud bank. A certain amount of pushing and pulling was necessary to get everyone up the greasy incline and into the more spacious chamber above. Squeals of awe and delight echoed in a large void somewhere ahead. We crawled through a short constriction to emerge into The Great Hall of Llethrid. This is a huge chamber boasting some very spectacular formations. The centre-piece is an enormous fluted stal surrounded by spectacular and colourful curtains. I did my best to take the requested photos but the excess of steamy bodies caused a lot of fogging so some shots using available light were attempted, although not very successfully.
Rather appropriately for a ‘swallet’ it’s a very Mendip type of chamber with its steep boulder slope, pitched roof and abundant colourfully banded curtains. The glutinous mud flooring the lower half of the Hall indicates a level of flooding that completely submerges every other passage in the cave. This is not the place to be on a rainy day.
We found another way down avoiding the tatty old rope and made our way out, progressing quite efficiently for such a large party. I got the best photo of the day when Mel posed in the duck for me with very little complaint about either the temperature or the far from salubrious aroma of the water.
We emerged after a two hour trip to find a freshly strimmed path leading back from the cave entrance. We all had a good old chat with the owners as we got changed, who even offered to provide the 17 of us with hot or cold drinks! Whoever takes on ownership of this cave has a hard act to follow! We downloaded the pictures onto their computer ready for inclusion in the property pages of The Observer Magazine and made tentative plans to give them a trip down the cave in the near future.
9th July 2005
Andy S, Mel, Ken, Dani, Andy P, Andy M, Liz F, Steve L, Robin, Barry, and many others!
Mel and I called in on Thursday to see the owners of the cave and were given a very friendly and obliging reception. They were quite keen for us to get some photos of the cave as it is included in their current property sale. Yes, all this could be yours – a 7 bed farmhouse, holiday cottage complex and Gower’s finest cave – all for a mere 1.2 million!
On the morning of the trip we eventually managed to get the convoy of cars lined up on the campsite to transport 17 cavers to Llethrid. Arriving at the farm we found copies of the survey pinned to the gate while the owners were busy strimming a path for us. My most uncomfortable moment of the day came shortly after, when the lady of the house came to greet us. While I engaged her in conversation I could see from the corner of my eye a bollock naked Ken oblivious to her presence. I kept the conversation stuttering on and her attention firmly fixed on me while an unhurried Mr Passant eventually pulled up his furry suit at a glacial speed.
The path to the cave being not yet complete we were ushered, all 17 of us, through the open plan kitchen and onto the road through a convenient caver-size hatch. Eventually we tramped and thrashed our way through the undergrowth to find the Swallet. Welsh caves, of course, are not generally called swallets, but it was Mendip cavers who first explored and named this cave back in the 1950s.
It is apparent right from the entrance how hyper-floodable this cave is. The catchment is enormous and the stream borders on ‘river’ size, though on this dry and sunny day only a trickle spilled into the entrance pit. We completely failed to notice the gated entrance just above the swallet and followed the open hole down between boulders and rotting vegetation. We wormed our way between dark grey Eastwater type boulders until we met the stream. Every crevice was jammed with twigs and the floor strewn with rotting debris. The passage was a bit awkward but there were no real constrictions and we soon reached a short duck which was pleasantly cooling and easily passed. Beyond, the cave enlarged a bit but progress was still interrupted by fallen boulders creating wriggles and climbs. The rock is very dark, steeply dipping and scalloped while the floor is a carpet of gravel and rotting twigs.
Eventually we emerged into a chamber where an old knotted rope led up a steep mud bank. A certain amount of pushing and pulling was necessary to get everyone up the greasy incline and into the more spacious chamber above. Squeals of awe and delight echoed in a large void somewhere ahead. We crawled through a short constriction to emerge into The Great Hall of Llethrid. This is a huge chamber boasting some very spectacular formations. The centre-piece is an enormous fluted stal surrounded by spectacular and colourful curtains. I did my best to take the requested photos but the excess of steamy bodies caused a lot of fogging so some shots using available light were attempted, although not very successfully.
Rather appropriately for a ‘swallet’ it’s a very Mendip type of chamber with its steep boulder slope, pitched roof and abundant colourfully banded curtains. The glutinous mud flooring the lower half of the Hall indicates a level of flooding that completely submerges every other passage in the cave. This is not the place to be on a rainy day.
We found another way down avoiding the tatty old rope and made our way out, progressing quite efficiently for such a large party. I got the best photo of the day when Mel posed in the duck for me with very little complaint about either the temperature or the far from salubrious aroma of the water.
We emerged after a two hour trip to find a freshly strimmed path leading back from the cave entrance. We all had a good old chat with the owners as we got changed, who even offered to provide the 17 of us with hot or cold drinks! Whoever takes on ownership of this cave has a hard act to follow! We downloaded the pictures onto their computer ready for inclusion in the property pages of The Observer Magazine and made tentative plans to give them a trip down the cave in the near future.
(although as I can't even remember what it was called, I'm not sure I'm the best person! :roll: )
