Time for a rest
The OFD1 round trip is one of the classic South Wales Caving trips, writes Caving Secretary James Thorne.
Although the OFD1 round trip via the streamway and the Escape Route is not a particularly long trip, the variety of caving available is amazing. Despite this, I always enter OFD’s bottom entrance with a sense of trepidation, the wire traverse always in the back of my mind.
And so I found myself on 1 November yet again feeling that sense of fear as I descend the ladder and begin to explore the passages of OFD1. I was on a trip lead by Chris along with Dave, Brian and Phil. Chris showed us passages we had never seen before and no, they weren’t his own!
The main streamway was not a raging torrent today so we dropped into it and had a sporting stomp up the stream, crossing the the big pots on scaffold bars and negotiating the climbs. After a rest we turned off at Lowe’s Passage and followed it to the Boulder Choke. This was as far as we were going today; through the choke is the route to the rest of OFD.
We returned to Lowe’s Chain (now a knotted rope) and hauled ourselves up into the start of the escape route. The escape requires some route finding but takes you to Roundabout Chamber, of which we did the customary two laps looking for the way on, and Starlight Chamber where the walls and ceiling glimmer and sparkle beautifully in your lamp light.
Eventually Chris stopped ahead of me and yelled, “This is where we’ll need cowstails.” The feeling of trepidation returned; we’d reached the wire traverse. I clipped in and began traversing. I think the secret is to keep going and finish it before you either tire out or look down. I got the same feeling I always do at the end of the traverse, “phew, I made it.” For me, the wire traverse is a challenge and it’s getting easier with more visits, I’ve no doubt I’ll return there again.
Chris led us from the cave and we surfaced in daylight to the sound of birdsong. We changed, jumped in the car and headed for the Ancient Briton to quench our thirst.
If you would like to…
- …explore OFD1 for yourself from the comfort of your own computer, try the OFD1 Virtual Cave Tour.
- …come caving or would like to join the club, contact the New Members Secretary.
