Ogof Daren Cilau

The article by Llangattock Local History Society (1961) is an extremely informative early source of information, see particularly the section entitled 'Llangattock Caves' on pages 126 to 129. The later contribution of a chapter by Smart and Gardener (1989) to the book Limestones and caves in Wales is also informative. The entrance to the cave was discovered in 1957 by Vic Howells of the British Nylon Spinners Caving Club. Further investigation and the removal of debris showed an entrance in which a pool of water accumulated. In the ensuing period, the water was drained away and a 400 ft passage was revealed ending in a boulder choke. After decades of work and numerous cave digging projects,…

Ogof y Daren Cilau is one of the longest cave systems in the United Kingdom (over 26 km in total) and the entrance section is long, tight and strenuous, making the trip into the further parts of the cave a serious undertaking. Because of the extent of the passages several kilometres from the entrance which would require trips of up to 20 hours to explore, some permanent underground camps have been established, including the "Restaurant at the End of the Universe", which is some thirteen hours from the entrance.