WELCOME
We are one of the foremost caving clubs in the UK, formed in 1956 by London cavers. With time we grow and now we have members from all regions. If you wish to join us, you should know that we welcome new members of any ability from all areas. The club owns a cottage in the Brecon Beacons National Park in South East Wales which is a focus for many of our underground activities, projects, and social activities. We also run caving weekends in other parts of the country, and occasionally abroad too.
The club owns an extensive library of caving books and periodicals available to every member. We produce a monthly newsletter with details of forthcoming events and write-ups of recent caving activities and other news that may be of interest to you. Our published material is very well received in other caving clubs and communities. We also publish occasional exploration journals and have large scale surveys of many local caves for sale: the results of our members’ discoveries and work over many years in the 150 km or so of natural limestone passages within a few minutes drive, or sometimes just a short walk, from our front door.
SERVICES
Speleology is a discipline in mountaineering, which involves exploring the phenomena in the mountains, becoming and developing caves and other forms, registering their dimensions, studying physical and chemical processes in the underground, monitoring underground waterways, studying the living world of the underworld, microclimate relations. Training and preparedness is required for dealing with speleology.
Whitewalls Cottages
The club bought and restored an old cottage at the end of the Llangattock-Brynmawr tram road during the 1960s. We are in the final stages of building on a gable-end extension adding a toilet upstairs, showers and changing areas, and a large upstairs room for our library. With these changes, the cottage will be one of the most pleasant places you can visit. This beautiful location is a great spot for any activities we organize through our club and is an inexhaustible resource of inspiration. Downstairs is a common room and a dining area, a kitchen with electric, gas cookers, and microwaves, a washing-up area with a large fridge, a changing area, toilet, and showers. Upstairs via a new staircase are the library, toilet and two rooms with a total of 16 bunks. Ogof Daren Cilau and some other small cave entrances are in the old quarries immediately behind the cottage. Eglwys Faen and Agen Allwedd are 15 minutes walk away in the Craig y Cilau national nature reserve which provides pleasant walking with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains in the national park.
LOCATIONS
In England, there are seven caves in Devon, 19 caves in Mendip Hills, ten in Peak District, 55 caves in Yorkshire Dales, and nine in other areas. In Northern Ireland there are six caves, in Scotland are five, and in Wales thirteen.
The deepest cave in England is the Three Counties System (252 meters/827 ft). In Wales is Ogof Ffynnon Ddu (274.5 meters/901 ft), in Scotland is Cnoc nan Uamh (83 meters/272 ft), and in Northern Ireland is Reyfad Pot (193 meters/663 ft).
BLOG
We are proud of our members who dedicated their time to make this blog page possible. They used their skill knowledge and passion to write interesting articles that may inspire you to know more about the world of Speleology. Learn more about caves in your area and those around the world.
101: What caves are?
Before people started to build their own shelters, they lived in caves. Caves provided protection from animals and bad weather in winter, but also from other, hostile tribes. Caves are natural cavities in the Earth’s crust, which are most commonly formed on the rocky sides of the hills and cliffs. The science that studies caves […]
The most impressive cave facts in the world
The largest underwater stalactite in the world is 12.8 meters long and is located in the cavity system called “Chac Mol System” in Mexico. It is known as “Tunich Ha”, and it was created by penetrating salty water from the nearby Caribbean Sea and mixing the sea with fresh water. The longest individual stalactite in […]
Wonderfull Hang Son Doong: The biggest cave in the world is actually even bigger!
TheHang Son Doong cave, one of the world’s greatest natural wonders, was discovered quite by accident in the year of 1991. by a resident of the area, Ho Khanh. While hunting in the jungle, Khanh came across the hole in the mountain. He felt the wind and heard the sound of the river, but after […]