A fabulous four-day weekend of caving based at Whitewalls. Activities included an Agen Allwedd digging camp and a selection of trips to local caves (and beyond).
One of the first trips of the extended weekend was to Agen Allwedd on Friday, transporting shoring and equipment for the digging efforts to connect Aggy with Daren. This was put to good use over the weekend by the digging team, some of whom stayed underground for a three night camp. A second party also assisted with the carry for part of the journey before continuing on to the impressive Sand Caverns in the far northern reaches of the system, visiting the Frozen River and other sites of interest along the way. Meanwhile, on a neighbouring mountain, a journey through the mega-cave system of Draenen took place, utilising Ogof Tarddiad to make a through-trip. This was later followed by a novice trip to the Music Room, making for three different Aggy trips in one day!
Saturday saw a return to Agen Allwedd for some, taking a day trip to Priory Road to visit the diggers, rig a ladder and take in the Courtesan on the Priory Road round trip. A second group of cavers explored Busman’s Holiday in Daren Cilau via Ogof Cnwc.
Otter Hole was the big trip for Sunday, with a trio of members braving a very early start to visit the best-decorated cave in the UK, joined by visiting cavers from Ireland. Others took advantage of low water levels for an exploration of the small but interesting caves of the Clydach Gorge. Ogof Draenen was also visited, travelling through the mighty network of boulder strewn passages as far as St David’s Hall, and another Aggy Music Room trip also took place.
Monday saw the third Draenen trip of the weekend, with a visit to the Waterfall Series in the northern part of the cave system. The last of the Aggy campers also emerged from the cave with news of their progress. Donovan’s Grief is now 1.2m closer to Updweeb in Daren Cilau with shoring installed for safety, while Avalanche Aven (Broadside) now has a ladder installed.
