United Cavers Exploration Team

Location
SJ 087 801

Directions
On the south face of Gop Hill near to the peak. Go to Trelawnyd and take the road in the village centre that runs up the right side of Gop Hill and park where you see the public footpath heading into the field on the left. Take this path along the south front of the hill and you will see a rocky outcrop near the peak â€" this is the location of the two caves.

Access
No Known Permissions Required

Suggested Equipment
None

Length
Perhaps 100 feet max between the two caves

Flood risk
None known

Cave Attributes
A cave of importance with ancient (neolithic) bone finds. One cave is very squeezy.

Description
The first cave has a decent aperture but this tapers very quickly to a duck which brings you into an aven. The cave quickly narrows beyond this point and is impassable.

The second cave is only several metres away (in the same rock) and has two entrances, both of which are a crawl which take you to a small chamber (you cannot stand up). Here a passage runs downwards and is silted â€" it may have been a dig at one time and could certainly be dug again. It tapers to impassable (because of the silt) within another 10 yards or so.

Unexplored Passages
None known

Digs
None known to be on-going but the 2nd cave could be dug although the site is scheduled.

Links
http://www.coflein.gov.uk/cy/safle/306726/manylion/GOP+CAVE/

http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/306726/collection/GOP+CAVE/

http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=5974

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/6124/gop_caves.html

http://www.cpat.org.uk/projects/longer/research/sec13k.htm

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/237217

(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi80.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff80%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fdscf1911.jpg&hash=ff0186d619461e25cf7fbf8b97d1558277efd9b7) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=492&u=13401959)

The entrance to the 1st cave


(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi80.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff80%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fdscf1914.jpg&hash=c998835fa59559297051dafe98ca32ba64ead335) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=495&u=13401959)

Inside the 1st cave near the back


(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi80.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff80%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fdscf1915.jpg&hash=4fc3f08ebbd227bea2e5fcd56901b7765989d670) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=496&u=13401959)

Also inside the 1st cave near the back


(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi80.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff80%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fdscf1916.jpg&hash=d0fb0afd912bb2aba7f388085239c39b8018fc50) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=497&u=13401959)

Inside the 1st cave looking out

(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi80.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff80%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fdscf1917.jpg&hash=4f5c67d9be5b215b42dd5145acfab5f695ab48a8) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=498&u=13401959)

Inside the crawl of the 2nd cave


(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi80.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff80%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fdscf1918.jpg&hash=2ce80d8ab3f8b723a72c555d66b049484f80fb2b) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=499&u=13401959)

Looking back from within the crawl in the 2nd cave

With the kind permission of https://sites.google.com/site/cavesofnortheastwales/