Summary
A visit to The Music Room and back is by far the most popular trip in Agen Allwedd. With its impressively large passages and chambers this is a very enjoyable trip without any real technical difficulties. This route is an ideal introduction to the cave system and much less strenuous than any of the streamway routes. It can also be enhanced with optional diversions into Erse Passage and Aven Series.
Route Description
Entrance Series
The log book is situated just inside the entrance, please use this to indicate your intended destination and time out. The Entrance Series is a fun, sporting collection of wedged boulders to hop over, narrow rifts to squeeze through and short crawls and climbs, all of which is well trod so you can basically follow the caver-polished route. The key thing to remember when heading into Aggy is always take the left-hand route when you reach a junction. Following this golden rule you shouldn’t go too far wrong but be aware that some of these are low down so can be easily missed. There are a few higher level passages heading off along the way, but these are bat roosting sites and should be avoided.
Beyond the initial rifty sections, at a point when the passage takes on a larger scale (just after you emerge from a slot behind a boulder), look for a climb up over the rocks on the left a few metres further along the passage. This provides the easiest route of continuation (while taking the more obvious straight ahead route necessitates an awkward climb and squeeze to regain the way on). Continue on this high level until you reach the end where a taped-off section and sign is visible ahead. Here take the smooth hole down through boulders on the right-hand side to reach the level 2m below. Don’t descend any further holes in this area, instead continue straight ahead to the end of the passage and down into Draught Passage on the right. Almost immediately, take a side passage low down on the left (missing this will result in a fairly lengthy detour in the wrong direction leading only to a dig). A small streamway is met and from here on the route is straightforward and leads to a knobbly crawl over polished rocks. This ends with a short climb up into Baron’s Chamber, where you should take note of your location as it’s easily missed on the return. This leads directly onto Main Passage, where a blue sign attached to a boulder is an obvious landmark.
Main Passage to The Music Room
Take a moment to admire the scale of this magnificent part of the cave before continuing on down this mighty boulder-strewn section of passage, on a gentle descent until the next obvious junction is met at the lowest point. Here our journey along Main Passage continues upslope on the left, while the obvious hole straight ahead descends into Main Stream Passage (with routes to The Grand Circle, Inner and Outer Circle, Sand Caverns and Midnight Passage).
Main Passage has a length of 1200m in total, and is easy travelling with a smooth mud floor for much of this distance. This section is particularly pleasant and the next junction is soon met, where a very worthy detour into Erse Passage can be made. This short diversion won’t take very long, just take the large side passage heading upslope on the right. The sizable start soon reaches a low belly-crawl, but don’t let this put you off as it’s only brief and quickly emerges into an attractive chamber with a ceiling flanked by coloured shale bands. The route beyond this soon leads to a second chamber which is equally well worth visiting. Erse Passage comes to an end here (the two digs at the far end only extending a short distance), so head back to Main Passage.
Continuing along Main Passage to the Music Room presents no route finding issues and is just a case of following the obvious trod paths along the large passage. Selenite crystals can be seen growing from the mud banks in some areas and care should be taken not to damage them or cross the conservation tapes. A number of minor side passages are passed on the left and right, but the next major junction is the large obvious passage downslope on the right-hand side. This is Southern Stream Passage and is worth noting due to the fact that it leads to other popular routes in the cave including Grand Circle, Iles Inlet and Maytime, while also giving access to Northern Stream Passage, Upper Southern Stream and Sandstone Passage.
Beyond this junction Main Passage continues with large proportions, but begins to decrease in height until some crawling is required before reaching The Music Room. Around this point another large side passage is met heading off on the right; this is Trident Passage and is definitely not the way – the notable fact about Trident Passage being the famous 650m long flat-out crawl, known to take around 2 hours in each direction. However, the first part if the passage is quite nice and worth a short detour if you feel inclined.
The Music Room is soon reached after this junction, and you’ll know when you’ve got there by the music stand in the middle of the chamber. This is the final destination for most visitors to this part of the cave, but if you have time and energy in hand you may want to extend your trip to include North Wing and Aven Series too.
North Wing and Aven Series
North Wing is a very easy addition to the trip and can be reached by following the most obvious trod route heading off to the left of the music stand. This soon reaches a crawl over compacted sand alongside a sandy canyon with the Cliffs of Dover, which have interesting sediment layers worth a closer look. Walking sized passage is regained beyond the crawl and a large cairn is soon encountered. This is marks the junction with Aven Series to right, while North Wing continues a short distance further before this sizeable passage comes to an abrupt end.
Aven Series is a more complicated part of the cave with a number of squeezes and interconnected passages. The further areas of Copper Passage and Porky’s Paradise are rarely visited, but the first section is a fun addition to any trip in the area for anyone who doesn’t mind thrusting themselves though a bit of a tight squeeze. Taking the side passage next to the cairn, a flat-out crawl leads on to a squeeze upwards into a chamber. The highlight of this interesting chamber is the medley of mud sculptures on display here. The area beyond is worth a quick explore too, before returning back to Main Passage and back out the way you came.
Description by Mandy Voysey. Photos by Matt Voysey and Tony Littler.
Download Printable VersionSpotted an error in this route description or want to leave feedback? Contact the Webmaster.