L:820
V:28

Ogof Capel, Church Cave


NGR: SO 21656 12593
219 m.asl

Monmouthshire , Northern Outcrop - East (Morlais to Abergavenny)
 map using leaflet map:
Rising Cave
Access The cave is high on the left bank of the Clydach River, not far below the Heads of the Valleys road. Approach by walking some 50m E (left) from the bottom of the first set of steps down to Devil's Bridge to a path down on the right, taking care not to slip over the cliff above the entrance, which is near the head of a gulley which goes down past springs to the river. Only the first part of the cave was accessible to non-divers until Ogof Gelynnen was connected through a choke: a gate now controls access.Current Access arrangements
Description
History Brian Price, 1946; SWCC 1948. Dived 1961, sump passed 1966. Extended in 1987 by CCC. The cave was below Blackrock Church (demolished around 1962 to build Heads of Valleys Road)
Hydrology Traced from Ogof Craig a Ffynnon (NW Inlet <6 hrs, Promised Land 1 day, Lower Series <1 day) and Eglwys Faen (St Patrick's 3d)
Conservation SSSI: 0080 Mynydd Llangatwg (Mixed) GCR: 554 Biological records
Gallery

Martin Laverty
2023
Bisected remnant ledge to left of entrance at top right
Brendan Marris
2008
Flood
Rhys Williams
2010
Survey
CSS Records (19), 1992; CDG 2001,2002
CSS nl 43 (12)
Duncan Price et al. CSS Survex data, 1985-2001
Smith & Stevens, 2013
References
British Caver 15, 1946, Brian Price
Caves in Wales and the Marches (Dalesman), Jenkins, D.W. & Williams, A.M., 1st Ed. 1963, p.51. Church Cave: Location, description and brief details.
CDG nl.18, 1971
CDG nl.27, 1973
CDG nl.74, 1985
Isca CC Jnl.3, 1985
A Caver's View of the Clydach River (Cwmbran Caving Club, 1986), Schuurmans, T.
Descent 75, p.10 (1987), Martyn Farr, Ogof Capel: Radio tests place choke near busy main road
Descent 78, pp.16-17 (1987), Steve Ainley & Gareth Cooper, Ogof Capel: How a fresh approach led to the breakthrough
CDG nl.85, 1987
CDG nl.87, 1988
Cwmbran CC nl.17, p.17 1988, Steve Ainley, Extensions to Ogof Capel; p.18, Rumblings in the Gorge
CDG nl.92, 1989
CDG nl.94, 1990
Martyn Farr, Darkworld (1997), pp.106-107
CDG nl.135, 2000
CSS nl 43 (12), pp.102-104, Duncan Price, The Capel survey saga
CDG nl.143, 2002
CDG nl.144, 2002
CDG nl.145, 2002
Brendan Marris Caves of South Wales
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Cambrian Cave Registry entry 839
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