The majority of caves are to be found in the south:
There's also a number of caves in North Wales. In fact, the area is comparable to Scotland in this respect. More details can be found in either book "Caves of North Wales" (Tony Oldham) or "Limestone and Caves of Wales" (Cambridge University Press). See the list of cave guides for other books.
Related web sites:
Ogof Draenen
Ogof Draenen (cave of the hawthorns) was discovered in 1994 by members of
the Morgannwg Caving Club. Exploration has been rapid and the cave is now
over 62km long, one of the longest in the UK (the
Easegill system in
Yorkshire is longer). The cave is a very
significant find, answering questions (and posing many more!) about the
underground drainage of the area. There are many excellent and unique
formations although one, a very rare calcite raft, was destroyed early
on in the exploration by a careless caver. The entrance series consists
of a low, wet crawl and some climbs down through unstable boulder chokes.
Although the chokes have been stabilised with scaffolding poles care is
required. The cave is protected by a locked gate, please address enquiries
about access to the Morgannwg Caving Club.
See Mark Wilton-Jones' description of Ogof Draenen.
The CSS were surveying the
cave to BCRA grade 5. They maintain a page giving the
latest news
and current length.
Daren Cilau
The most notable feature of Daren Cilau to newcomers is the entrance series,
a long crawl with many tight and wet sections. Unusually for Welsh caves
Daren is not protected by a locked gate as the crawl is enough to deter all
but the hardiest of cavers! Once through, the cave opens out to long
passages, vast chambers, and beautiful formations. One memorable set is
to be found in the Bonsai Streamway; a collection of calcite trees
growing upwards!
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