Porth Yr Ogof

Porth yr Ogof is a cave located near the village of Ystradfellte, near the southern boundary of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales. In 1998 the cave's passageways had been measured as over 2. 25km in length. Among the cave's fifteen entrances is the largest cave entrance in Wales and one of the largest in the UK standing at nearly 20m wide and 8m high (but many of those entrances are only accessible to cave divers). The cave was used as a show cave many years ago, but it does not have the attractions of more decorated caves such as Dan yr Ogof, and so today the cave is more often used to introduce people to the enjoyment of the exploration of caves. The cave is very susceptible to flash flooding which restricts visitor access. Inside the caveEntry to Porth yr Ogof is most often made through the wide Main Entrance, either using a dry ledge on the left or by wading through the knee-deep river to the centre and right. The second most used cave entrance is called the workman's (other wise known as tradesman's) entrances a passage in the left of this entrance which leads to a mud cavern. Cavers are presented various challenges inside, including The Wormhole (a curving crawl tube on the right wall of the Main Entrance), The Letterbox (a rectangular space in the passage) and The Creek, home to Death Ledge which is further inside the cave. There are also two features named the Washing Machine – both feature large expanses of water. Porth yr Ogof is now uncommercialised, and is used as a learning resource for caving. Along with the other attractions in the cave, two short potholes are easily accessible by amateur potholers. The cave is generally wet, however; White Horse Pool, named so because of the shape of the calcite deposit on the back wall, is several metres in depth despite the shallowness of the edges, and there are many sumps (completely flooded passageways), the majority of which exist in the portions of the cave north of the Tradesman's Entrance.

Porth yr Ogof is a cave located near the village of Ystradfellte, near the southern boundary of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales. In 1998 the cave's passageways had been measured as over 2. 25km in length. Among the cave's fifteen entrances is the largest cave entrance in Wales and one of the largest in the UK standing at nearly 20m wide and 8m high (but many of those entrances are only accessible to cave divers). The cave was used as a show cave many years ago, but it does not have the attractions of more decorated caves such as Dan yr Ogof, and so today the cave is more often used to introduce people to the enjoyment of the exploration of caves. The cave is very susceptible to flash flooding which restricts visitor access. Inside the caveEntry to Porth yr Ogof is most often made through the wide Main Entrance, either using a dry ledge on the left or by wading through the knee-deep river to the centre and right. The second most used cave entrance is called the workman's (other wise known as tradesman's) entrances a passage in the left of this entrance which leads to a mud cavern. Cavers are presented various challenges inside, including The Wormhole (a curving crawl tube on the right wall of the Main Entrance), The Letterbox (a rectangular space in the passage) and The Creek, home to Death Ledge which is further inside the cave. There are also two features named the Washing Machine – both feature large expanses of water. Porth yr Ogof is now uncommercialised, and is used as a learning resource for caving. Along with the other attractions in the cave, two short potholes are easily accessible by amateur potholers. The cave is generally wet, however; White Horse Pool, named so because of the shape of the calcite deposit on the back wall, is several metres in depth despite the shallowness of the edges, and there are many sumps (completely flooded passageways), the majority of which exist in the portions of the cave north of the Tradesman's Entrance.