Location
SJ190 655 Cilcain, Flintshire
Directions
Make your way to the sewage works at Cilcain and park in the woodland recess just before the road terminates. Walk directly up the hill through the trees fro around 100feet and you will find a large spoil mound. The ungated entrance (down a tube) is here. The gated entrance is some further 100 feet directly left and is very difficult to find being a “manhole cover†type entrance in the woodland floor.
Access
Un-gated at the first entrance / no permissions required
Gated but unlocked at the 2nd entrance (upper)
Suggested Equipment
Electron Ladder (to reach the lower series only)
Length
1000ft (estimated)
Flood risk
None known
Cave Attributes
30ft vertical descent by the ungated entrance with a knotted rope. 30 foot maypole descent entrance via the gated entrance. 2 levels of cave, An active dig, very squeezy and sporting in places, evidence of mining activity.
Description
Entering via the gated entrance you drop down 30 feet and slip into a small chamber which leads to another slightly lager chamber. Here the passage way forks into a high and squeezy natural crawl or a continued duck into a larger, silt filled phreatic passage.
The larger silt filled phreatic passage is adorned with milk tear drops hanging from the ceiling and would have been substantial before the glacial sediment filled the tunnel. There are some nice, but small, formations here. Additionally, there appears to be evidence of past digs at both the left side of this tunnel as well as the far end which extends only around 50 feet before becoming totally choked.
Returning to the previous chamber, taking the high squeezy crawl, you pass over a small pot (with a gap at the bottom just large enough for a small adult to slip into feet first (but is unexplored beyond that point) and continue around tight but natural cave passage way to a very wide but very low flat out belly crawl.
This low, but wide crawl pops out into another natural phreatic passageway.
Just before “popping outâ€, there is an awkward offshoot to the right which takes you to a small chamber which could once have been a mine shaft (now collapsed/filled).
Having “popped outâ€, the passage (which is heavily silted) continues as a hands & knees crawl for a short time (with a flat out belly crawl turning off to the right which re-joins the same passage further down) until you arrive at a large chamber where the floor slopes away at 60 degrees for around 20feet then drops down a pot of around 15feet.
This pitch is doubled roped and can be descended without equipment but may prove tricky to ascend in reverse. Novices should be lowered down using one rope as a safety rope.
At the bottom of the pitch the passage turns left and right.
Turning right, you must very quickly negotiate a very tight squeeze (window) which places you in a new passage which heads upwards to the right at around 30 degrees and, on the immediate left, is a significant hole with scaffold bars across the top.
Turning right (and upwards) the tricky crawl takes you to a terminal chamber with roots in the roof and evidence of collapse. In the bottom, far right of this chamber is an apparent way to progress downwards but is somewhat blocked although this may be passable with a little work.
Returning to the squeeze window and the hole on the immediate left, an electron ladder cane be rigged here to take you to the lower series of this cave.
At the bottom you find yourself in a chamber where you can either continue or take a duck down to the right. The duck down to the right takes you to a clearly mined area now mostly filled with deads and of limited interest.
Ignoring the duck and proceeding onwards takes you to a steep (and muddy) incline upwards into another chamber which appears to be backfilled and may well have been another mineshaft to the surface.
There is evidence on this level of the glacial floor level.
Returning to the 15 foot double roped pitch; turning left instead of right takes you along another phreatic passage with a right hand, hair pin crawl around 40feet onwards. This hair pin crawl appears to be a mined passage but is little more than a flat out crawl which appears to terminate some 100 feet upwards.
The main passage continues in nice formation until a “T†junction is reached of a passageway which is easily walkable. Turning left here takes you, around, 50 feet to an active dig (accurate at time of writing) where two twins are known to have been digging out a significant phreatic passage for around 12 years. This appears to be very exciting. It is worth noting that this dig passes underneath a very dangerous rift (which is well signed).
Turning right at the “T†junction quickly brings you to the base of the un-gated entrance where a knotted rope assists an easy freeclimb up the tube and out.
Unexplored Passages
1) The very tight, feet first, small adult sized crawl at the bottom of the small pot just with in the high awkward crawl.
2) Possible passage in the terminal chamber heading downwards in the far right corner
Digs
1) An on-going dig of the significant phreatic passage near to the un-gated entrance (currently operated by a 3rd party)
2) A long abandoned dig to continue a phreatic passage entered via the upper gated entrance
Links
Wirral Caving Club
Chris Cowdry
(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi60.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff60%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1910.jpg&hash=782bb29eae32c37b32193020b874c3788220aecb) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=67&u=13401959)
The section accessed via the gated entrance
(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi60.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff60%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fmapa10.jpg&hash=ade8717621f3458761a32b623e5c04abdb986acc) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=68&u=13401959)
The "mid" section accessed by the open entrance (connected to the upper section)
(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi60.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff60%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1911.jpg&hash=349e52a3ec4aa04bf379803ec24938d01f2d96c6) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=69&u=13401959)
The maypole at the gated entrance
(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi60.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff60%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1913.jpg&hash=f00c04e5cd3a9050ef802ff8248b8bc4cb963edc) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=71&u=13401959)
An easy squeeze near the upper entrance
(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi60.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff60%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1914.jpg&hash=ceac9f60cdb92ef99c2bfa365cba49f91085c4c7) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=72&u=13401959)
The tunnel (upper) with the long abandoned dig
(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi60.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff60%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1915.jpg&hash=2cddfa5bf2b8da97c116542dc506db54ec147067) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=73&u=13401959)
The awkward squeeze to the flat out crawl section
(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi60.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff60%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1918.jpg&hash=4cb9885abea7c6652454e612fc91d12d1dcebf1f) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=78&u=13401959)
The stage immediately before the flat ourt crawl
(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi60.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff60%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1917.jpg&hash=045037abe3a96c18422fcb3e726d39512b546e0c) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=75&u=13401959)
The flat out crawl
(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi60.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff60%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1110.jpg&hash=9935cef610ab4afd70d8e604cc9b9d9057137fc0) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=76&u=13401959)
The connecting pitch between the upper and mid levels
(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi60.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff60%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1111.jpg&hash=b61dbb37d5daeae0d3f15882230416daa0cddbd3) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=77&u=13401959)
The connecting tight squeeze leading to the hole (requires electron ladder) to the lower series
(https://test.anduin.org.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi60.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff60%2F13%2F40%2F19%2F59%2Fhpim1919.jpg&hash=1135789843cb3d5b7627d50b6eaf6baee6211a4f) (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=79&u=13401959)
The exit (or entrance to the mid level)
A few more photos. All flash, no long exposures.
Entrance/ Exit
Flies
and more Flies
Cave
Ian (about to exit!)
And the last few
A couple of the raw files edited
Excellent pictures - especially the one of Vicki at the top of the slope! Pity faces were wiped. I hope you can publish more pictures - especially of the tall cavern and the long slim passageway I did not go into.John N
Great work John - looks like Robbies convinced us the move back to flashes - can't beat the level of sharpness (facial expressions especially) compared to light paining - and without having to lug a tripod about either :-)
Excellent underground shots, I can't believe how good they have come out for flash photography.
Out of interest, Are you using a mounted flash, or the inbuilt flash? I'm guessing that no slave flashes were used?
The people shots were done with a £2 (ebay) Flashgun, set off the camera fired with one of these radio controlled flash units and I hand held the camera.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/380348346843?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
For the cave shots, I had the camera mounted on a tripod with a delayed 2 second exposure I then fired one flash with the radio unit and one manually by hand, there was a torch at the end of the tunnel but no other light source. Sleep mode can be a problem as my flash gun decided to go to sleep if I was to long between shots - lots of crawling.
worth the work through john. should we do that camera day we were on about - anywhere in mind?
Looking again at the picture of me comming over the cliff - have I got the rope the right way? It seems that the rope is not going correctly around my back and my left arm was too twisted behind me. What is the name Ian gave this form of rope contortion - something like 'Angel's Wings'?
it should be a flying angel but you must have put to much friction on the downwards rope which is why your body weight shifted it behind yor back (owch) you should have equal tention on the upper and lower part of the rope in order for it to work . maybe next time john
Yes, it did get quite uncomfortable, but there were then so many other strange things to be thinking about. I must experiment with rope work without caves, so I can feel more confident when next potty time comes.
Nice pics Johno shame its a cave ..now come on what do you want to be taking pictures of caves for..
Bloody M.E.'s! ;-)
[quote="JohnO" post=2469]The people shots were done with a £2 (ebay) Flashgun, set off the camera fired with one of these radio controlled flash units and I hand held the camera.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/380348346843?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
For the cave shots, I had the camera mounted on a tripod with a delayed 2 second exposure I then fired one flash with the radio unit and one manually by hand, there was a torch at the end of the tunnel but no other light source. Sleep mode can be a problem as my flash gun decided to go to sleep if I was to long between shots - lots of crawling.[/quote]
Cheers John,
I don't want to go totally over to flash guns. However I would like to incorporate them into larger slate chambers, using them in conjunction with light painting. I'm hopefully coming up with John Nicholson next week, so I will have a chat to you in the pub about it.
BET YOU A PINT JOHNO DOES'NT GO TO THE PUB (GLAN)
I'll bet you two.
Make it Three and a Taxi home and I will be there :cheer:
One day I might just surprise you.
Probably wont be out this week, as I have got to go on site. So no pictures of Caves this week Marty :(
Superb photos, really good. The flash technique is very effective and works so well. A rather too scary place for me as a ME, though.:ohmy: