United Cavers Exploration Team

Location
SJ 070 799

Directions
On the Dyserth to Trelawnyd road, take the first left (by Mia Hall) and follow the unnamed road back on yourself for around ½ kilometre. You will see Offa’s Dyke path crossing you on both sides of the road. Just after this there is a gate into a field â€" the mines/caves are just inside.

Access
Permission requirement unknown

Suggested Equipment
None.

Length
Mine #1 ~ 50 feet
Mine #2 ~ 600-700 feet
Mine #3 ~ 600-700 feet
Capped Shaft ~ Unknown

Flood risk
The bottom of Mine #3 floods up to the ceiling but does drain over time

Mine Attributes
Unknown, possibly lead/zinc

Description
Mine #1
A small, bending adit cut through feldspar. This adit quickly goes blind and is not typical of a lead mine.

Mine/Cave #2
A huge opening leads into a massive cavern which looks as though it was once a natural cave (and it is marked as a cave on the O/S maps.

Also known as “Dragon’s Hall Cave” because of it’s sheer size, two passages wander off in different directions. Heading forwards the passageway is extremely tall and terminates with two scrambles up to shelves which are blind but with evidence of drilling.

The other passage is much lower but more than 8 feet tall and very wide. This terminates after around 200 metres with more evidence of drilling at the end.

Mine/Cave #3
The entrance here is blocked by two VW camper vans that have been dropped over the front. The entrance slopes downwards rapidly and you pass under a rock bridge with a rope dangling down (which is hopeless as climbing up yields nothing).

Continuing, you can wlak onwards or duck into a passage on the left. The onwards path takes you past a collapse and into a chamber where the activity terminates.

The duck to the right takes you to a area of stacked deads and a concrete floor that must once have been home to the machinery here (now gone). Here there is a passage leading down to a small chamber which is often flooded but which does drain.

Capped Shaft
This is marked on the O/S map as “shaft (dis)” and is not accessible.


Unexplored Passages
None Known

Digs
None Known

Links
http://www.cpat.org.uk/projects/longer/mines/103968.htm

(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi80.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff80%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1910.jpg&hash=2c3093b2a8f8f79d947980c15a010ea366ea1bcc) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=386&u=13401959)

At the end of Mine #1


(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi80.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff80%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1911.jpg&hash=22afccf61d8a7d696874703101681b4ab6abb1cf) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=387&u=13401959)

Calcite teeth beginning to form in Mine #2


(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi80.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff80%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1912.jpg&hash=e2126875762d920dd91fc6bdb30a21321952f56e) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=388&u=13401959)

A drill hole in Mine #2


(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi80.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff80%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1913.jpg&hash=9723f71252135d7d8c64ea415ad46e53e7e8947f) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=389&u=13401959)

Calcite beginning to form on the wall of mine #2


(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi80.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff80%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1914.jpg&hash=809ee417480107bde149bed1dfb826015349e7bc) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=390&u=13401959)

Looking up at one of the shelves in Mine #2


(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi80.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff80%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1915.jpg&hash=015bfbf83cabe09b0be659c0c97c4dd58277c77c) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=391&u=13401959)

Drill holes on top of a shelf in Mine #2

(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi80.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff80%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1916.jpg&hash=f46f4fd7aec95b207d0c4a22b68904668773aeea) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=392&u=13401959)

The hopeless rope near the entrance of Mine #3


(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi80.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff80%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1917.jpg&hash=5a7f5d16838349896f23f3c0478dc9074d1be2d8) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=393&u=13401959)

Heading past the (passable) blockage in Mine #3


(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi80.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff80%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1918.jpg&hash=8f43c16882cfe1189beccac124fd66190558b44c) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=394&u=13401959)

A drill hole in Mine #3


(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi80.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff80%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1919.jpg&hash=5fb851fb646ca6c8b036756b6d5db7be6eda91f6) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=395&u=13401959)

Heading towards the stacked deads in Mine #3

(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi80.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff80%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1920.jpg&hash=c2ec4cff661f09e8a3b013fae7505955578986d7) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=396&u=13401959)

The stacked deads


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The lower level that is prone to floods


(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi80.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff80%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1922.jpg&hash=56c80e97b6dc4695d57657077c8c1622160e6fda) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=398&u=13401959)

The ground outside the mines/caves gives ways to water which bubbles up ferciously in wet weather

Had a quick nosey today whilst walking the dog

Gwaenysgor Mines from roadside
Entrance to mine#2 viewed from above
Mine#3 entrance blocked by cars/vans
Mine#2 entrance
Calcite teeth in mine#2
Looking out from inside mine#2 entrance
The right hand passage of mine#2
More calcite teeth in mine#2 (right hand passage)
Paige and Brian at entrance to right hand passage of mine#2
Calcite flow at end of tunnel in right hand passage of mine#2