L:32500
V:160

Agen Allwedd, Keyhole Cave, Aggie, Aggie Aggy


NGR: SO 18769 15860
358 m.asl

Powys , Northern Outcrop - East (Morlais to Abergavenny)
map using leaflet map:
Cave
Access Follow the tram road from Pont-y-Rhiw to the end. The original, small, entrance is in the left hand corner up on a ledge, but it is now blocked off by girders from entry or exit, so entry is through Ogof Gam. Current Access arrangements
Description One of the longest caves in Britain. A great deal of its length is made up of long sections of streamway and large mainly dry passages. Has several lengthy round trips which make it a popular destination for cavers.
History SWCC 1946; Brian Price, 1949; Main extensions HCC, 1957; Eldon Pothole Club 1972; CDG 1966-74 Remembrance Series. 1983/4 Northern Stream Passage; Trident Passage; 1984 Series; Gothic Passage; 1992 Rawhide
Hydrology Outlet of pool between Waen Rudd and big gully feeds Stream Passage in Entrance Series very quickly...; Swiss Passage to Draught Passage proved with Rhodamine B in 1961; Cliffs of Dover via Trident to 1st inlet on left in Southern Stream; St Pauls via Shamrock to Midsummer (I.Homes, SWCC nl 46,p.14); Water below Keyhole Chamber has been dye tested from Pwll Y Gwynt in less than 5 hours
Conservation SSSI: 0080 Mynydd Llangatwg (Mixed) GCR: 554 Biological records
Gallery

Brendan Marris
2009
First entrance



Usual entrance (Ogof Gam)
Survey
HCC, 1959. HCC (1960)CSS Records 1992
CDG nl 24 Sumps 1-3, Eastertime
WCC Jnl 108 (1966) Turkey Sump
BCRA, Ian Penney, 1977
Descent 56 Northern Stream Passage
Descent 58 Shattered Passage - 1984 Series
Descent 77 Ian Rolland Sump 4/5 and Against All Odds Chamber
Descent 81 Maytime breakthrough 16th Jan 1988
GSS nl Jun 1991, Africa Series
CSS nl 56(11), p.105, Upper Lower Southern Stream
CSS nl 57(1), p.18, Upper Keyhole
CSS nl 57(10), p.98, Recharge
CSS nl 58(1), p.69, Rimstone
CSS nl 59(4), p.29, Inner Circle
CSS nl 59(10), p.82, Central Circle
References
SWCC Newsletter, Feb 1950
SWCC Newsletter, Apr 1950
SWCC Newsletter, Jun 1950
Cullingford, C.H.D. (1951) Exploring Caves,pp.66-68
Britain Underground, 1953
CRG Occ.Pub.No.10, (1960) Ogof Agen Allwedd
SWCC nl 46, pp.10-11, 1963, Inett Homes, The Dam Busters [Ramblers release dam at pool between Waen Rudd and big gully: underground party note stream rises and turns blackish brown]
WCC Jnl 108 (1966) Diving in Agen Allwedd
HCC nl, pp.???, 1967, Midnight Passage sediment and Varves ?
Cave Projects Group nl.1 Jan 1970, Agen Allwedd
CDG nl 24, pp.20-21 (1972)
HCC 21st Anniversary Publication, pp.7-43, 1973, David E.Leach, Review of Speleogenesis of Agen Allwedd
BCRA Transactions 2(1), pp.35-40, 1975, Peter A.Bull, Birdseye structures in caves
BCRA Bulletin 15, pp.9-10, A.C.W., Notes on the updated survey of Agen Allwedd
Trans BCRA 6(2), pp.85-92, 1979, Mark Noel, Peter Homonko, Peter Bull, The palaeomagnetism of sediments from Agen Allwedd, Powys
Trans BCRA 8(3), pp.178-187, 1981, Mark Noel, W.G.Retallick, Peter A. Bull, Further palaeomagnetic studies of sediments from Agen Allwedd
Gascoine,W. (1982) Trans.BCRA 9(3), pp.165-175, The formation of black deposits in some caves in South East Wales
Descent 56, pp.8-12, 1984, Clive Gardner, Northern Stream Passage
Descent 58, pp.12-13, 1984, Hedgehog Passage find - but a sting in the tail [high level oxbow to Turkey Streamway]
Descent 58, pp.14-17, 1984, Martyn Farr, Aggy reveals more secrets! [Shattered Passage - 1984 Series]
CS 13(2),p.67, Owen Clarke, Relationships between surface geomorphology and speleogenesis in South Wales
GSS nl Jun 1987, p.6, Simon Witt, The Gothic Passage Dig
GSS nl Oct 1987, pp.1-7, Simon Witt, Gothic Passage Extensions
CaC 36, pp.27-28, 1987, Duncan Price, Resurrection Series
CaC 36, pp.29-32, 1987, S Tomalin, Extensions in Gothic Passage (The G.S.S. Extensions)
Descent 77, p.18, 1987, Ian Rolland, Rolland passes Aggy's stubborn Sump 4
Descent 80, p.8, 1988, Martyn Farr, Major assault needed in Priory Road
Descent 81, p.8, 1988, Martyn Farr, Diggers reach Aggy's Maytime - then trapped by floodwater
Descent 81, pp.20-23, 1984, Simon Abbott & Rob Murgatroyd, Three-foot dig leapfrogs three Aggy Sumps - Digging through to Maytime
GSS nl Apr 1988, pp.4-7, Mike Green; Jonathan Maisey, Aggy - Gothic Passage - Glevum Hall
GSS nl Apr 1988, pp.16-17, Mike Green; Steve Tomalin, Agen Allwedd - Gothic Passage (Recent extensions)
GSS nl Oct 1989, pp.12-13, Jonathan Maisey, Gothic Passage
GSS nl Oct 1990, pp.3-4, Mike Green, Ace of Spades/North Wing: two new (small) circles in Aggy
GSS nl Oct 1990, p.6, John Holme, Agen Allwedd reveals more
GSS nl Jun 1991, pp.8-11, J.Holme; J.Maisey; P.Hogan; M.Green, Africa Series - Agen Allwedd
Caves of South Wales, Stratford, T., 1995
A Caver's View of the Clydach River (Cwmbran Caving Club, 1986), Schuurmans, T.
CSS nl 34/8 (1992) pp.94-94, Some ideas and Notes on Rawhide Passage, John Stevens
Martyn Farr, Darkworld (1997)
Selected Caves of Britain and Ireland, 1997
Descent 188, p.19, Martyn Farr, Aggy's advances
CKS v29(2), pp.91, 2003, Helen Dewar, Constructing a karst drainage system: Agen Allwedd
Proc.UBSS 23(1) pp.51-66, 2003, Helen M.Dewar; David A.Richards, An investigation of the karst drainage network of Agen Allwedd [chemistry, temperature and hydrographs]
Descent 179 p.12, Aggy to Daren: the connection hopes rise
Descent 188, p.19, Martyn Farr, Aggy's advances [Trafalgar]
Descent 188, pp.20-22, Tom Foord, The Courtesan beckons
CKS v34(2), pp.69-76, 2006, Michael J.Simms and John B.Hunt, Flow capture and reversal in the Agen Allwedd Entrance Series, south Wales: evidence for glacial flooding and impoundment
Descent 203, pp.30-31 (2008), Researching cave radon
Geomorphology, 134, pp.79-93, Farrant, Andrew R. and Smart, Peter L., Role of sediment in speleogenesis; sedimentation and paragenesis [North Wing floodwater maze and Trident diversion passage]
GSS nl Jan 2011, pp.13-14, Joe Duxbury, Agen Allwedd - Midnight Passage
CSS nl 55(7/8) pp.58-59, 2013, John Stevens, Muddy Waters [Cascade Inlet, Crochan Sion Hopkin, Cascade Sink, water temperatures]
Descent 206, p.18, Martyn Farr, Aggy's North Wing
Descent 211, p.15, Martyn Farr, Agen Allwedd's North Wing
Descent 218, p.16, Martyn Farr, Digging North Wing
CSS nl 54(11), pp.102-104, John Stevens, Turkey Stream - Sumps 1 to 5
CSS nl 56(3), pp.22-24, John Stevens, Surveyors Recharging [Recharge - 330m of high level]
CSS nl 56(9), pp.84-85, John Stevens, Another small find in Agen Allwedd [Upper Lower Southern Stream]
CSS nl 56(11), pp.104-105, John Stevens, Another small find in Agen Allwedd [Upper Lower Southern Stream]
CSS nl 57(1), pp.10-18, John Stevens and Mike Green, Keyhole Chamber Extensions
CSS nl 57(10), pp.97-98, John Stevens, More climbing in Agen Allwedd [above Midsummer Passage]
Chelsea SS nl.58 (10), 2016, pp.66-69, John Stevens, Rimstone Revisited
Chelsea SS nl.59 (1), 2017, pp.4-5, John Stevens, Going on a Turkey Hunt
Chelsea SS nl.59 (1), 2017, p.9, Alan L.Jeffreys; John Stevens, Correpondence [on Rimstone Revisited]
Chelsea SS nl.59 (1), 2017, pp.14-16, John Stevens, More finds above Turkey Stream
Chelsea SS nl.59 (4), 2017, pp.28-29, John Stevens, Inner Circle - Summertime - Agen Allwedd
Chelsea SS nl.59 (7), 2017, pp.54-57, Harry Pearman, Choked [early days in Aggy, including passing Deep Water and Choke 3]
Chelsea SS nl.59 (10), 2017, pp.77-82, John Stevens, Central Avenue - Summertime - Agen Allwedd
Brendan Marris Caves of South Wales
BGS Archives: BCRA/201W/B/1a, 1960
Chelsea SS nl.63 (10-12), 2021, Agen Allwedd - 5th Choke [hydroogy of Lllangatock]
ChelseaSS nl.65(7-9),p.57, 2023,Joe Duxbury, The Initials in Scaffold Passage
Cambrian Cave Registry entry 809
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