South Wales Caves

Ogof Rhyd Sych Description

Ogof Rhyd Sych is located in the very beautiful Nant Y Glais gorge (map), the waters of the Nant Y Glais stream cascade gently down a short waterfall that emerges from the stunning entrance to this cave. The cave is best approached from the Pont Sarn Hotel by walking up the footpath by the stream and then through the small gorge after which the stream will be seen issuing down the small waterfall. The first 20m are a fine stream passage through calcite veined limestone until the passage abruptly changes character at a duck. A small chamber is found beyond the duck from which a crawl across a mud covered bedding plane is followed. This reaches a sloping cross passage that should be crossed to reach a continuation of the bedding plane on the opposite side. This starts out with comfortable proportions, but quickly becomes very tight, the route across to the sound of water is taken by snaking through the only section that is big enough to allow passage. Reaching the stream you head up slope against the flow of water in the bedding plane till you reach a small rift slot where the water emerges from. The tight rift is followed for some distance until a small cascade is met. This is very tight and requires an awkward thrutch up to allow you to pass. This stream continues for a short distance until a cascade is met on the right issuing from a bedding plane above. If the cave was not bad enough before, now in this bedding plane you have to crawl flat out over a a floor of spiked rock, painful on the knees and destroying your wetsuit as you go. After this bedding plane the cave starts to improve in nature with some formations and a section of sandy floor in a roomy passage. A climb down calcited boulders leads into one of the finest decorated sections of stream passage you are likely to encounter in the UK. After a hundred metres or so the passage becomes a scramble over boulders and the cave ends as a large boulder choke believed to the the other side of Ogof Robin Goch.
This cave should only be visited in settled weather as it rapidly floods following rain.