April 2025
Daren Cilau - Hard Rock Extensions Reopened
The Hard Rock diggers have reopened the route route beyond Hard Rock Café to the Rock Steady Cruise, which had been sumped since December. It’s still rather wet and sloppy so a shovel has been left in case it slumps, but now it's open the draught should dry the rest of the water out fairly quickly. [07-Apr-2025]
March 2025
Llanelly Quarry Pot Reopened
The entrance to Llanelly Quarry Pot, found buried by landslip in January, was excavated back open on 22 March and the cave is now accessible again.
Daren Cilau – Rubbish Removal
Thanks go to the Cardiff University team for bringing out all of the rubbish bags that were waiting at the end of the entrance series as part of their 'Daranthon' event on 15 March. Read more about it in this UK Caving post. There are still a small number at Big Chamber Nowhere Near The Entrance; any help by visiting cavers willing to take out a bag would be greatly appreciated.
Hafod Road Temporary Closure – Access to Whitewalls and Llangattock Caves
From 10th February to 5th May 2025 access to Whitewalls and the surrounding caves via Hafod Road (the tramroad route) from Brynmawr will be blocked by roadworks. Visitors can still reach us by either the direct route from Crickhowell or the bunkhouse route (see map here). [Jan-2025]
Old News
Daren Cilau – Hard Rock Extensions Inaccessible
Members of the Daren digging team arrived at the Hard Rock Café camp on 21st December 2024 to find that the camp had been recently flooded and the onward route via Hard Rock Extensions (the route to the further reaches of the cave including REU etc) was sumped and impassable. This was checked again on 8th February, whereupon it was noted that the water level was dropping, but the way on was still sumped and very muddy. The latest visit by the Daren Diggers on 1st March 2025 reported that although the water level has continued to drop, allowing a large amount of mud/silt to be cleared on the approach, the first U-tube crawl remains completely sumped. It is likely that additional digging will need to take place to re-open the route when it is dry enough. Further updates will be posted when available. [03-Mar-2025]
Llanelly Quarry Pot – Entrance Buried in Landslip
On 24th January 2025, CSS cavers intending to do a trip in Llanelly Quarry Pot arrived to find the entrance buried beneath a landslip. It is not known when this will be re-opened, so cavers planning a trip there are advised to bring a shovel. [Jan-2025]
Daren Cilau – Rubbish Removal
A large amount of rubbish was evacuated from cave on the Big Daren Clean Up event on 11th January 2025. The remaining rubbish bags are now at Big Chamber Nowhere Near the Entrance and the end of the Entrance Series awaiting removal. Any help by visiting cavers willing to take out a bag would be greatly appreciated. [Jan-2025]