Trip Report: Bridge Cave in the Nedd Valley

Caving isn't my natural sport; I haven't the body shape for tight spaces and I haven't the desire to find contortionist ways to push my bulk through 'squeezes', 'chokes' and 'rifts' ... however ... I do see the appeal of caving and I can't quite keep myself away from it!

I can totally understand why people are drawn to exploring the bizarre and incredible passages left by water cascading underground many thousands of years ago and are attracted by the truly breathtaking formations that are to be found in the harder-to-reach corners of the 'underworld'. I can also understand the need (the addictive searching) for new, undiscovered cave passages; but it is this exploration that also causes me the most stress. I simply do not like the experience of first wandering down a dark passage and not knowing where, or if, it goes. My second or third trip into a cave is usually made with a pretty laid back confidence but the first trip into any unknown cave always pushes me between 'stretch' and 'panic'!

It is this last point that confuses me the most. I can be pretty well gripped with fear of the unknown, fear of becoming physically trapped, fear of being lost or trapped underground and yet I also feel the draw of finding a new space that has never before been seen by human eyes. Take the image below, I spent long minutes simply lying in the narrow rocky passage looking through the natural rock window into a secret, hidden, world ... imaging what must be around the back of the pillars ... marvelling that no one has ever seen around that corner (as it is far to small to be accessed and, even if it were big enough, to crawl through the pool and pillars would be to disturb something of incredible beauty and I suspect that is an obstacle far greater than physical space!!).

(looking into unreachable cave in the upper series)

Anyhow, as all good stories begin at the beginning, let us go back a few steps and start properly! 

Five of us set out to explore the Nedd Valley in South Wales, aiming to visit three of caves that I will need to be put onto my Cave Leader 'ticket' when I finally get brave enough to face my assessment. We were lead by the indomitable Sean who is caving-crazy at the moment as he builds up to his assessment and will be qualified well before me!

Starting with Bridge Cave; we set off down the 60m crawl passage towards the boulder choke which is precariously protected by pieces of wood and scaffold pole, looking dubious enough to reinforce the advice to stay well away from disturbing the boulders as you wriggle through!

Luckily the boulder choke doesn't look so threatening from the passageway and we all slid through slowly but without too much difficulty - it is only when you return that you notice the 1960's wooden posts and scaffold poles which have been braced between the shifting boulders and the cave sides!

The long crawl gave way to a wonderful stream passageway that allows you to walk fully upright as it meanders left and right, leading into the enormous main cavern of the cave. Stood at this entrance it is hard to take in the full size and scale of the underground void and it was only when we began exploring a side passage and waterfall within the cave that we began to appreciate the full scale of the chamber.

Moving through the length of the cave I was busy taking a photo' when I noticed the stone bridge high above us (which gives the cave its name). It is a staggering sight and worth the long, painful crawl to reach. The sights were only just beginning though and some careful rope work and rigging led us to the upper series and the most fantastic views of the bridge as well as the flowstone formations and stone pillar that guard it:

Back at floor-level we made our way further into the back of the cave to visit the sump that leads (after 11m of nerve-wracking cave diving, I assume) into the Little Neath River Cave. The sump isn't much to look at except dark water under a low rocky ceiling, but the flowstone and calcite formations that adorn the walls of this sump passage were amazing:

We spent around 3 hours in the cave exploring and filming. Most of this time was spent in a childish state of wonderment at the incredible beauty of formations and water-worn features that had taken thousands of years to form ... seemingly just for our enjoyment! The need to protect and conserve the cave environment and these magical formations was powerfully apparent.

The exit from the cave was as long as before, yet it didn't seem quite so hard this time. I wasn't happy on the trip into the cave but couldn't help deciding that such beautiful formations deserved such challenging access in order that each caver really 'earns' the privilege of seeing them.

(Bi-valve fossils in the entrance passageway)