OK then

Draft plan for the Wales long weekend is:

Friday 1st July

Met up around 10am for a look at the bits of Cwmorthin that all get overlooked; upper floors to 4, lost world and the big lake level to C floor drop, and then wherever people want to go. SRT kit required.

Then to the camp site and down the road to the Oakeley Arms

Saturday 2nd July

Bryn Eglwys, a Corris region slate mine, separately look at both sides of the valley, option of a through trip I understand for the very brave/crazed (I only know of one person who has done this, it sounds terrible), abseil a shaft then out through waist deep water.

Vanoord's BBQ (yet to confirm!)

Sunday 3rd July

Dinorwic Quarries - above ground day, but torch and harness might be useful since a round trip taking in some of the ladders (some are fine, some are iffy) and some sections of tunnel is possible.

Keen to take in both lift inclines (that I know of), there'll be a lot of walking.

Figured doing Dinorwic on the Sunday would be a good idea in that it puts people much closer to the A55 for driving home. Although the option of a very good curry in Llanberis afterwards :thumbsup:

--

I'll keep an eye on the weather forecasts, if Sunday looks terrible it might be worth swapping a couple of the days over closer to the time, but I'll keep everybody posted.

Similarly it might be worth keeping a 4th trip in reserve incase the whole weekend is wet. If anybody has any ideas/suggestions/requests please feel free to shout.

---

Draft plan for the Wales long weekend ...
Saturday 2nd July

Bryn Eglwys, ... through trip ... abseil a shaft then out through waist deep water.

Er ... neck deep water I think you will find. At least it is on me, perhaps only waist deep on Vanoord.

Sounds like a good weekend - I hope to make at least some of it.

Dave

Draft plan for the Wales long weekend ...
Saturday 2nd July

Bryn Eglwys, ... through trip ... abseil a shaft then out through waist deep water.

Er ... neck deep water I think you will find. At least it is on me, perhaps only waist deep on Vanoord.

Sounds like a good weekend - I hope to make at least some of it.

Dave

Ssshh, you'll put them off :lol:

Can you recall how deep the shaft is and if it's bolted? It drops IIRC to the 20 fathom level - which I've not seen so don't know if there's much down there?

Hope you can make a day or two Dave.

---

Ssshh, you'll put them off ...

Hmm ... on closer examination of my memory I think I may be guilty of slight exaggeration. Perhaps the water was only waist deep after all and was the temperature of bath water with beautiful maidens (or hansome young men) proffering soap and holding warm towels at the portal.

Can you recall how deep the shaft is and if it's bolted? It drops IIRC to the 20 fathom level - which I've not seen so don't know if there's much down there?

I've not been down the shaft but from Alan Holmes' book Slates from Abergynolwyn it should be something like 150 ft. from floor 20 to floor 50, with the possibility of getting off half way down (floor 25, where the water comes in).

There are bolts on floor 20 (though obviously I can't vouch for their integrity). A rope protector is needed at the pitch head.

I would suggest that anyone going down the shaft has full SRT kit and is competent to do a change-over in case they find the falling water too much to handle.

It may be possible to exit from from floor 25, though I've not been on that floor at all.

At the bottom of the shaft on floor 50 there are a few chambers to be visited before you set off on a straightforward walk (through the aforementioned water) to the adit entrance.

Dave

Ssshh, you'll put them off ...

Hmm ... on closer examination of my memory I think I may be guilty of slight exaggeration. Perhaps the water was only waist deep after all and was the temperature of bath water with beautiful maidens (or hansome young men) proffering soap and holding warm towels at the portal.

Dave

There is a calcite horse and a womens volly ball team as well isnt there :lol:

---

Bryneglwys shaft is bolted and the water is lovely this time of year.

---

Bryneglwys shaft is bolted and the water is lovely this time of year.

I've ordered a copy of Slates from Abergynolwyn from Mike.

I hadn't realised how deep this shaft was, and any decision to abseil it will be rather influenced by how much water is going down it on the day.

Reading Thorpey and Dave's descriptions (thanks for these) it goes from 20 to 25 and 50.

I've only seen it from above on 20, where you exit through wasit deep water.

50 is chest deep I believe.

Is floor 25 adit accessible? So if you drop 20 to 25 can you get out on 25?

Anybody know what the situation with getting off the rope on 25 is? Pendule or is there something to land on?

Thanks :flowers:

---

Bryn Eglwys shaft ...

I hadn't realised how deep this shaft was, and any decision to abseil it will be rather influenced by how much water is going down it on the day.

I've only seen it from above on 20, where you exit through wasit deep water.

About knee deep when I was there last - and it's possible to avoid the water in the day level by going through the twll.

50 is chest deep I believe.

Depends on the height of your chest ... :o

Is floor 25 adit accessible?

I'm told it is - but I've also heard there's a 'tight' bit (how tight I don't know) on the way to/from the shaft on the 25.

So if you drop 20 to 25 can you get out on 25?

In theory yes, but it would be a good idea for the first person down to be happy about penduling and/or changing-over to ascent on the rope - and you would have to secure the rope on the 25 to ensure you can get back on it if you can't find your way out.

Dave

:smartass:
Pendulum 😮
On Rope :ohmygod:

In SLATE :lol: :thumbdown: :lol:

:smartass: Pendulum 😮 On Rope :ohmygod: In SLATE :lol: :thumbdown: :lol:

Hence my comment about the need for rope protection earlier in this thread.

Once over the lip of the shaft it's possible to see where the next floor is and it looks a clear hang down to there - but obviously it is something people will be aware of.

Dave

When we did it in the dim and distant past we rigged it as a straight drop from the twll above, then a swing out from the 20 no bolts.

level 25 dosent brack out to surface but you can enter at 15b through tight hole nad drop to 25 no level 20 that side of the valley it heads back under the vally to shaft b6 where it has colapsed.
If you drop down from level 20 inside from the daylight adit you can access 25 back to the collapse and see through either way but then you need to head back to the shaft to go up or down to level 50 long tunnel which is TIT deep last time i entered.

---

down to level 50 long tunnel which is TIT deep last time i entered.

wetsuit required, it was f@*$@&g cold last i went in, thats was in the middle of summer

Well we'd never get far if we worried about getting wet and cold every time we went underground. Surely its all part and parcel of the game!
Its meant to be exploring so surely we can just turn up and just deal with the pitches and conditions as we find them as we would every other 51 weekends of the year?

level 50 club dug 15b out in 2000, to bypass 10b.
as for 25c it remains on my to do list with the club.

---

Never heard of level 50 club kwikkat - where's it based?

---