Location
SJ254520 (SJSJ2542552025)
Directions
Start in Minera Quarry Nature Reserve car park, walk along the road towards the quarry and take
the footbridge over the river Clywedog. Head SW across the quarry floor to reach the public footpath
heading up a incline. The cave entrance is on the left about 4-5m above the path and almost
opposite a icurious rock formation with a cleft on the RHS. The entrance is close to the base of a tree
and is inconspicuous until you are very close.
Access
Ungated, Norh Wales Wildlife Trust seem to tolerate cavers/mine-explorers, but are not overly welcoming.
Suggested Equipment
Landline - 20m if you are descending the steep slope inside. Belay to tree outside.
Length
80m
Flood Risk
Some water in mined passage in bottom. Seems unlikely it would flood.
Mine Attributes
Lead
Description
A natural cave entrance discovered by GCC who enlarged it a bit. I have hacked a bit
more off to make easier, but it is still tight if you are rotund. Once inside there
is a chamber with a steep slope down and a crawl towards a rock filled chamber. The
slope leads down steeply and at the bottom is a mined passage and a sand filled natural
'tube'. Part way down the slope is a climb up to a gallery with a maze of passages
leading to collapses. One passage (now lost) went SE though a triangular passage to
a 3m pitch (rope in situ) and a climb over a boulder and then a small chamber. A low
grovel S leads to a drop into an E-W mined passage with collapses at both ends.
Unexplored Passages
None other then the lost one mentioned above.
Digs
Several have been undertaken in the past to open up the lost passage.
Links
https://www.cambriancavingcouncil.org.uk/registry/CoNW/CoNW_07.htm
The description below is from the original explorers and the subsequent notes are from the WCG trips to explore the area.
OGOF HEN DDYN (Old Man's Cave)
Located high on the shoulder of an incline railway gully leading from the top Hoffman kiln to a small quarry now obscured by modern quarrying.
Discovered by GCC members, Dave Jones and Steve Edwards in November 1992, whilst the area was being searched (yet again) for naturals.
Previously hidden by an undisturbed layer of surface soil, a lucky prod with a hazel stick (a new form of divining maybe?) led to the discovery
of a tight downward squeeze between solution eroded limestone blocks. The squeeze, (which later had to be enlarged a little by chiselling,
to allow me, one of the larger or maybe I was just "out of practice" members to enter), dropped two or three metres into a low open passage.
This passage appears to be the top of a deep, narrow, and near vertical rift, which, prior to being modified by mining, had been filled with a
matrix of angular limestone blocks and clay, which prior to mining activities, would have been interspersed with loose lumps of galena.
Mick Murphy found quite a few specimens, (maybe a miners "pickings").
This matrix, had probably completely filled the rift initially, but later settled to leave a small air space, verified by the small and poorly developed
stalactites and traces of a calcite-encrusted floor, still remaining adhering to the walls high up near to the roof.
At the point of entry, the roof of the rift is only a few feet below ground, and is of solution formed limestone blocks. Possibly the site of an
ancient resurgence into the natural gully, which has been considerably deepened at this point, by the cutting of a quarry incline sometime during the
latter half of the nineteenth century. Northeastwards, the way on has been stoped out, leaving a steep climb down into small regular mine workings.
Here, a low sand filled natural tube can be seen, this would appear to head towards surface near the bottom of the railway incline gully, and
probably once resurged into the stream. A steep rise in the roof above, leads to a strongly draughting blockage of unstable deads, this was dug
through (not without its moments) and led to a short climb upwards which enters a roomy bedding plane like passage cluttered with deads. One heap
appeared to be the collapse debris from a run in shaft to surface, With no obvious "safe" ways on, a halt to further pushing was made.
Mainly for safety reasons, but also as it was believed that any further extensions would more than likely connect with ODB's mine workings,
thus providing an undesirable and uncontrolled route into the cave. Due to the strength of the draught here, a smoke test was conducted, hoping
to prove a connection with one of the collapsed trial shafts on surface.
With no smoke being detected anywhere, including ODB's two entrances. A much larger test was carried out with what could best be described as a
garden compost fire. Again, no smoke was detected anywhere. Puzzled, Stephen decided to pay Western shaft a visit, and believed he could smell
faint traces of smoke there. Retracing our steps to the entrance point, the passage continues to the Southeast, whilst remaining low, it too also
descends steeply. Then, on meeting a joint, the near vertical rift alters into a low horizontal phreatric cave passage.
Unfortunately, barring a prodigious amount of work, we shall never know just how large this cave is, for the old man has completely back filled it with
his deads to within a few inches of the roof. Draughts encountered in this back-filled area are practically none existent, yet the air remains relatively
clear, despite the strenuous thrashing about required to extricate oneself from the area. Back at the joint, the airflow is strong, and leads upwards through
an unstable boulder filled rift, more than likely being the collapse debris from one of the line of trial shafts on surface, and possibly
the route through which, this end of the rift was once worked.
Notes:
Beware of the unstable boulders in roof and on pitches. A 50 ft safety/hand line is advisable for use as an aid for descending/ascending the pitch
to the Northeast.
Selwyn Edwards, New Year 1993.
WCG NOTES ON EXPLORATION
31/7/13 With Paul & Mary. First trip to new hole having finally located it with suggestions from Cris. Dropped 20m rope down and had trip to bottom mined
passage, sandy natural passage and also visited the crawl down from the hole near entrance. Visited quite a bit of low passage filled with deads.
Couldn't locate upper section described by Selwyn, but there was a hole above the rift we couldn't see into which might hide stuff.
8/5/14 With Stu & Steph. Took telescopic ladder to look in an upper section you couldn't easily see into, but it proved to be nothing. Visited bottom
mined passage and crawl near entrance hole.
27/11/14 With Paul. Found climb into upper parts. Quite a few passages ended with empty chambers but one (triangular?) led to a chamber with
a rope up. Climbed up and over a big boulder into another chamber. A low level route avoiding the boulder was found by Paul. Chamber didn't
seem to have any way on but air fresh. Some debris from the bonfire noted in one passage.
15/8/15 with Hannah. Followed route to far chamber as before and Hannah found a low crawl which led above a mined passage. Dropped down
and stupidly thought it was entrance passage. Retraced steps to get bags left on route. Lost Hannah and eventually found her on way out.
The far mined passage is new. Hannah said there were collapses at each end. Need to go back and survey. I think I know where this is
on surface and where it might connect to if dug...
6/2/16 with Albert. Failed to find the passage we wanted to survey - may have collapsed. An alternative view is it has been filled...
Might need another trip to confirm, but nothing obvious and did explore all the upper chambers.
14/9/17 with Paul C. Same result as Albert. Had a really good look around and seems to be less to visit than before unless my memory is fading...
Maybe a boulder ruckle to break - but needs some wood for protection and a crowbar. a better memory of the original route would help, but doubt if
Paul or Hannah would remember the way in (the way out might be easier!) Would be worth taking candles to sense draughts and survey gear as well.
A bit disappointed and really regret not making notes/placing markers after visit with Hannah.
Some photos when first visited.
First shows view down inclined shaft, pictures of the mined passage and the sandy tube, the boulder ruckles.