Ogof Ffynnon Ddu
| Ogof Ffynnon Ddu | |
| Brecknockshire | |
|---|---|
 Terraced cascade and cavers in Ogof Ffynnon Ddu | |
| Co-ordinates: | 51°49’27"N, 3°39’40"W |
| Depth: | 1,010 feet |
| Length: | 31 miles |
| Access: | Ogof Ffynnon Ddu Management Committee |
| Geology: | Limestone |
Ogof Ffynnon Ddu is a cave under a hillside in the area surrounding Penwyllt in the Upper Swansea Valley in Brecknockshire. At 1,010 feet deep and 31 miles long, it is the deepest cave in the United Kingdom.
The name Ogof Ffynnon Ddu is Welsh for "Cave of the Black Spring".
OFD, as it is known to cavers, was discovered in 1946 through digging by Peter Harvey and Ian Nixon, members of the newly formed South Wales Caving Club.[1] Major extensions were discovered in 1967. The system is famous for its intricate maze-like structure and its impressive main stream passage. It forms the Ogof Ffynnon Ddu National Nature Reserve.
One of the largest cave systems in Britain, the caves and tunnels of Ogof Ffynnon Ddu weave a long and tortuous path beneath the Tawe Valley. Deep underground, an assortment of specialised wildlife has developed including cave shrimps and the pale blanched trout endemic to pure underground fresh watercources with sufficient plankton. Deep cracks in the vast expanse of stony moorland above provide habitats to plant life, including the lily of the valley and wood anemone.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Ogof Ffynnon Ddu National Nature Reserve) |
References
- ↑ Cave discovery anniversary marked BBC Wales - 16 September 2007