Commission by Visit Wales Caving Winter 2010.

Sneak preview of our visit yesterday to the Porth Yr Ogof Cave system (translated as the gateway to the cave) boasting the largest entrance of any cave in Wales at over 17 metres wide and almost 5m tall. The cave is accessed via Cwm Porth Information Centre staffed by a Brecon Beacons National Park Warden. The cave has 15 different entrances from where we photographed some stunning underground features.

The Caves lead to over a mile of accessible underground passageways which makes this very popular with outdoor groups to introduce people to caving. In normal weather conditions a dry rocky river bed leads up to the main entrance to the cave, but following rain this may quickly become a raging torrent as the Afon Mellte (the Lightning River) lives up to its name and quickly makes the cave inaccessible, care must be taken in wet weather. Another sinister danger in this cave is the resurgence pool, where the water leaving the cave is forced through a narrow passage, in doing so it has scoured out a 7m deep pool with underwater ledges, this coupled with the strong undercurrents created by the flow of the water has made this the most dangerous location in any British cave.
Big thanks go to Gary Evans consultant and Instructor at www.hawkadventures.co.uk and www.hawkassociates.co.uk for organising the production and looking after our wellbeing at all times.

For more info on this area see: http://www.breconbeacons.org