Ogof Ffynnon Ddu
| Ogof Ffynnon Ddu
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 One of the entrances to the cave in October 2006 |
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| Location: | Penwyllt , Brecon Beacons , Wales | |
| Height : | 540 m | |
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Geographic location: |
51 ° 49 '12 " N , 3 ° 39' 36" W | |
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| Geology: | limestone | |
| Type: | Stalactite cave | |
| Discovery: | 1946 | |
| Lighting: | no | |
| Overall length: | 50 km | |
| Particularities: | Deepest and third longest cave in the United Kingdom, contains the longest stalactite in the United Kingdom. | |
| Website: | www.ogof.net | |
The Ogof Ffynnon Ddu ( German "Black Spring Cave" ) is a stalactite cave near the village of Penwyllt in the southern part of the Brecon Beacons in Wales . With a maximum depth of 308 meters, it is the deepest and with a length of about 50 kilometers the third longest cave in the United Kingdom . It has been managed by the South Wales Caving Club ( Welsh : Clwb Ogofeydd Deheudir Cymru ) since its discovery in 1946 , which has explored the cave system and divided it into sections OFD I (south-western part), OFD II (central part) and OFD III (north-eastern part) .
There are three main entrances to the cave system: The bottom entrance is at the southwestern end, Cwm Dŵr ("valley of water") in the southwestern part of the OFD II section and the top entrance in the northeast of OFD II. The entrances are barred and are only allowed with Permission to be passed from the South Wales Caving Club; on the one hand to prevent vandalism, on the other hand to protect careless or poorly equipped hikers. A permit from the Countryside Council for Wales is also required, as the cave is on their land.
geology
The cave consists mostly of limestone . It was created along with the surrounding landscape around 350 million years ago.
In the Ogof Ffynnon Ddu grows the longest stalactite in the United Kingdom with the five meter long Trident . It is located in the stalactite formation The Columns ("Die Säulen") in section OFD II.
history
The Ogof Ffynnon Ddu was discovered in August 1946 by cave walkers Peter Harvey , later President of the South Wales Caving Club, and Ian Nixon . They had noticed that after heavy downpours, water was leaking from a crevice between the rocks; then they began to follow the path of the water and came across a cave arm, which today belongs to section OFD I. After about 800 meters, however, a pile of boulders blocked their way that they could not avoid.
In the early 1960s, the South Wales Caving Club succeeded in clearing the dump and moving further into the cave. However, there was a flooded corridor that could not be dived until 1966.
In September 1967 a team led by Peter Harvey managed to climb the cave system from one entrance to another for the first time. The hikers had entered the cave via the Cwm Dŵr entrance, which was discovered in 1963, and after a hike of almost three kilometers at today's Top Entrance, they came back to the surface.
Caving
The cave may only be entered without a guide in groups of no more than six people via the Top Entrance or Cwm Dŵr. The entire section OFD I is not accessible without a guide, as there is a risk of flooding there when it rains and beginners would be overwhelmed. Some sections are completely cordoned off to protect the calcite structures. These sections are marked with bright orange markings. Apart from electric lamps, any form of lighting - for example carbide lamps - is prohibited.
This is also the deepest route through a cave in the UK; the difference in altitude between the top and bottom entrances is 228 meters.
A virtual tour of the cave is offered on the official website of Ogof Ffynnon Ddu (see section "Web Links"). The visitor can move through around 350 still images of the interior of the cave, some with sound effects such as the rushing of a brook recorded in the cave.
photos
The streamway inside the cave
The Pwll Byfre pond at the northeast end of the cave system.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Bernie Woodley: The Conservation of Ogof Ffynnon Ddu (PDF file, 840 kB)
- ^ A b South Wales Caving Club
- ↑ a b UK Caves
- ↑ Ogof.net
